My Writing Retreat Weekend

If you’re a regular reader of YAedge or follow me on twitter, you’ll remember that I was on a writing retreat with a friend of mine this past weekend. I thought it would be fun to share my experiences of what worked for us, and what didn’t.

Location, location, location.(above are actual gardens we worked in)

This is VERY important when choosing where to go. We went to Solvang, a sleepy town in San Ynez Valley (between southern and centeral California) mostly known for windmills and their amazing Danish food. It’s definitely a tourist trap, but a place you take the family to get out of Los Angeles or Santa Barbara for the day. Not many people stay overnight, unless you are there for an event (the weekend we were there, a wine bike tour went through…yes, you read that right. Wine. Bike. Tour. Don’t ask me, I have NO clue.) Anyway, although it’s a day stop, there are wonderful and affordable Bed and Breakfasts, as well as small hotels. We were lucky enough to stay at the Solvang Gardens Bed and Breakfast, known for their beautiful gardens where guests can hang out, enjoy wine, and in our case, write.

Sounds perfect, right? And it was! The weather was nice, despite a little rain and wind. We sat in the gardens you see in the photo above, for most of the mornings and days we were there and our room was awesome. We even mentioned to the owners we were there to write, so whenever they saw us with our computers plugging away they would cheer us on. The greatest appeal to us as far as getting work done was there isn’t much to do in Solvang. Once you eat at a few Danish bakeries and check out a couple kitschy shops, you’ve seen Solvang. Most everything closes at 7-8pm (including restaurants which we found out the first night we went to eat dinner), so there was only one thing left to do…write! This was KEY. We weren’t distracted by the town, didn’t feel pulled to do anything else but write. When selecting a place for a writing trip, this should be your #1 question. Will I be distracted?

Be prepared.

Now, this sounds obvious, but it always isn’t. The small things we take for granted in our home offices…post its, pens, highlighters, research books, Internet and of course power (chargers for all your gadgets), might not be available to you wherever you’re traveling. Luckily, we put our two heads together before the trip and thought of most anything we needed. Because we were traveling by car, we didn’t have to worry about our bags being too big or heavy. I would also add a book that inspires you, as well as your mp3 player (or some kind of music) to help through the writing droughts while there. I know certain music gets me in the writing mood. Also, when selecting a location, make sure they have WiFi, unless you think you may be distracted by it. I was still during research for my new book idea, so it was essential to have Internet access.

Have a goal.

Once we got to Solvang and settled in, we both set goals for our weekend. Although I set mine high and didn’t necessarily hit all of them, I was happy with what I got done because it was still a lot. We were there from Friday afternoon until Sunday morning and I was able to finish my lore, rewrite my synopsis and write part of the prologue and chapter one. My goal was to finish up both the prologue and chapter one. That didn’t happen, but I accomplished much more than I EVER would have at home. That made the whole trip worthwhile.

The important part is to have fun, yet get work done! Fortunately, we were able to accomplish both.

Eye of the Tiger- A look to the new year

Most people set out at the start of a new year with some kind of resolution. New Year’s Day is for hopes and dreams to seem like they could become reality in the coming year, and they can!

Yesterday I put my 2008 journal on the shelf for good. It was ratty around the edges, holding memories of a roller coaster year. 2008 brought me a layoff from my job that was happily accepted, a book finished and another book start (which is now officially half way written…WOOT), a great critique group, and a new job. Overall, 2008 was a good year. I didn’t hit all of my resolution goals, but feel success in the ones I accomplished.

A start of the new year feels clean as I crack open a new journal, looking at the fresh pages and thinking about how I’d like to see 2009 unfold. I hope to finish Lost and Found, my WIP, by January 31. I want to edit it and submit to at least a handful of agents. I look forward to starting a new book, coming up with new ideas. I would like to beat last year’s number of books read (71), but that may be hard to do. The great thing is, right now, anything seems possible.

What do you plan for the new year?

Going through my database of books read in 2008 (yes, I keep track. I am that big of a nerd), I thought it would be fun to share with you my top 5 favorite YA books I read this year. I won’t put them in order, just the group of 5.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
How to be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Paper Towns by John Green
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

What were your favorite YA books read in 2008?

Keeping the Pace

As we all fight our way to the monthly goal, it’s important not only to have the 1,000 a day, 30,000, or 50,000 words in sight but to keep the pace of your story and writing. I’ve learned a lot about myself and my writing the past three Novembers and the fourth is no exception. For all of you who are new to word count challenges, or even just keeping a healthy pace the rest of the year, I thought I would share a few things I’ve found helpful.

1. I know it’s hard to do, but try not to focus on your word count. If you just let your fingers fly over the keys, you’ll find your mind will just get into the story. The more focused on the story, and not the words, you’ll be surprised how fast the word count climbs.
2. If you’re still having trouble, put on some music. I find headphones are better than speakers because it feels like I’m in my own little world.
3. If you must concentrate on word count, I suggest word wars. You can do word wars over email, IM or even Twitter. Find a friend, set a time to start writing and duration. I’ve written amazing amounts of words in a mere 5-10 minutes. You’re forced to just have a word purge.
4. Don’t focus on editing. I’m finding this is my main problem this year. Since I started this book when I wasn’t worried about word count, but about each little word, I’ve found it’s been hard to break that habit. It’s resulted in low word counts, but also stiff writing. I never seem to get move, get into the flow. Editing is what December is for.
5. If you have a few extra minutes waiting at the car wash, bank, etc. think about your next scene. Try to write it out in your head, or better yet jot it down in a notepad you keep with you. (You keep a pad of paper and pen handy, right? RIGHT?) I find that if I have pictured my character going through my next scene, when it comes down to writing it I just have to focus on the actual typing NOT what my characters are doing next.
6. This might be the most important rule. COMFORT. Comfort not only in what your character do or who they are, but the outcome of you story. You need to feel comfortable with the direction you’re taking your story. There will be bumps in the road, there will be unexpected characters and scenes, but you must feel comfortable with taking those directions. If you don’t feel comfortable with the story, your characters and readers won’t either.
7. Comfort again, but this time in your surroundings. Make sure you desk is clean, your seat is adjusted and your fingers/wrists feel comfortable while typing. Sitting in a chair in front of a computer is not healthy. Make sure you get up and take a break at least once an hour. Get a drink, play with a pet, read a chapter of your favorite book! Just make sure you find time to fit them in. Trust me, you will feel more refreshed when you get back and will help your overall word count. By the end of November, you won’t want to sit in your chair for weeks.

I hope this list helps you accomplish your goals this November!