Guest Post—Busting Writing Retreat Myths

Today’s guest post is by Lisa Shaughnessy, a Readerly Writer who runs her own writer support business to help writers find great writing retreats.

Busting Writing Retreat Myths

Have you been thinking of attending a writing retreat but feeling a bit skeptical? You’re not alone.

In this post, I’ll dive into the three most common myths I’ve heard from writers and writing retreat hosts and debunk them once and for all. By the end of this post, maybe you’ll be ready to pack your bags and set off on a writing adventure!

Myth #1: Writing Retreats are Too Expensive

Yes, writing retreats can be an investment, but they’re not necessarily out of reach. Many retreats offer a range of options to fit different budgets. Some include all meals, accommodations, and even workshops in their fees, providing great value for the money. 

While it may seem like every writing retreat is in an Italian villa, you may be surprised to find one close to home in more humble—and affordable—accommodations. A few I’ve seen have been hosted in cabins in a state park or in smaller, but lovely, rental homes.

Many retreat organizers also offer scholarships or early bird discounts. So, do a little research, plan ahead, and you might find the retreat of your dreams is more affordable than you thought.

Myth #2: They’re Only for Experienced Writers

Some writing retreats cater specifically to experienced writers, but most welcome writers at all stages of their careers. Whether you’re a seasoned author or just starting your first draft, many retreats offer tailored programs, workshops, and one-on-one sessions that accommodate various skill levels. 

Please don’t let imposter syndrome hold you back. Every writer started somewhere, and a retreat can be the perfect place to find your voice and develop your craft. In fact, a writing retreat can help you uplevel your writing skills by being around other writers of all levels.

You don’t need a book deal to benefit from a writing retreat—just a passion for writing and a willingness to learn.

Myth #3: They’re Just Glorified Vacations

While it’s true that many writing retreats take place in beautiful, relaxing locations, they’re far from glorified vacations. The locale is just a backdrop for an environment where you can focus on your work without the usual distractions of daily life. 

And, if excursions are included, they can be a good way to open up creative channels or take a mental break from writing for a few hours, so don’t immediately discount their value. 

Additionally, being in a new environment can spark creativity and help you see your project from a fresh perspective. The change of scenery, combined with the support of fellow writers, can be incredibly motivating and productive. 

You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish when you’re away from your regular routine and immersed in a community of writers for even a few days.

Ready to Take the Leap?

Now that we’ve busted some common myths about writing retreats, hopefully, you’re feeling more confident about the idea. They can be a transformative experience, offering you the time, space, and support you need to dive deep into your writing. 

Whether you’re looking to jumpstart a new project, finish a manuscript, or simply find inspiration, there’s a retreat out there for you.

Explore your options, find a retreat that fits your needs and budget, and get ready for an unforgettable journey. Happy writing!

About Lisa

Lisa Shaughnessy is on a mission to help writers find writing retreats that help them reach their writing and publishing goals through her Writing Retreat Directory website and her podcast, Your Writing Retreat Connection.

While working on her own writing, Lisa saw a need to help other writers discover writing retreats that will inspire, motivate, and support them. 

She lives with her husband and dog in Northern Virginia and enjoys traveling, camping, genealogy, and writing creative nonfiction, short stories, and her Andie Schubert Cozy Mystery series under a pen name on Kindle Vella.

Is backstory the sludge in your novel?

If you hang out on Psychology podcasts or read psychology, you may have heard of a term called sludge.  It is related to the concept of “nudging,” which is the idea that entities (governments, businesses, schools…) can help people make better choices by making choosing the better option easier.  Or, just make choices easier by removing friction.  

Sludge is the opposite of nudges.  It slows down choosing by increasing friction.  Like nudging, sludge is neutral, it can be used for good or ill.  There is good sludge, such as when a department needs to slow down requests for service by adding a little friction to the process—think of the technology department at a school making teachers fill out an online request for tech help.  It isn’t that they mind providing service, but it needs to be worth completing.  By making teachers request help through a form, the tech department cuts down the number of frivolous requests.  If you really need help, you’ll fill out the form. If you just want to grab a techie in the hall and slow down their day by making them figure out that you forgot to plug something in correctly, then you’ll have to wait.  Maybe long enough to figure it out yourself.

Bad sludge is like government bureaucracy—it slows people down for no good reason and may in fact lead to them not getting services that they need.  Think filing your taxes in the US—unnecessarily complex compared with most other Western countries.  Or the recent FAFSA debacle.  Sludge in action.

Now, think about backstory.  Backstory is like sludge in your novel.  It is friction that slows the pace of the story. Sometimes backstory is necessary for context, but like bad sludge it can really slow readers down.  Make sure that when you use backstory, it is necessary, like good sludge.  It is serving a purpose in the scene rather than just slowing the reader down for no good reason.  

So, are you using sludge/backstory effectively in your novel? 


NOTE:  The inspiration for this post came from listening to the Brainy Business podcast, episode 384, available here.

Do these jeans make my butt look big, or who to ask for feedback on your writing…

Do you remember that commercial a few years ago where the woman asked her significant other, “Do these jeans make my butt look big?”  

What was he supposed to say?  I mean if he thinks they do, and he says so, his life will be miserable for the foreseeable future.  If he thinks they look great, no sweat, but then she might think he’s lying to keep from hurting her feelings. .  

So really, it’s a no win situation.

When you ask the wrong people for feedback on your writing, it’s a no win situation, too.  Your mom is always going to think everything you do is great, and even if she doesn’t know anything about your genre or about story structure, she’s going to think your book is one of the best ones she’s ever read.  Your writing group might do a little better, but they still have conflicts.  You will be reading their work, too, and they have to see you again in the future, so they may be incentivized to be vague or limit their feedback to grammar issues.  And if we’re being honest, not all members of a writing group have the experience or training to evaluate story structure.  Plus, maybe they only saw the second chapter and asked you a bunch of questions about why you didn’t write X, when X is in chapter one. 

When you share your work for feedback, be selective.  You do want praise, not just criticism, but you also want helpful criticism.  Grammar pointers are not helpful when you are in the drafting phase, in fact they are useless. Early feedback needs to be big picture, with feedback on revised versions drilling down to more detail.  Think about what you want your reader to look at and ask them an open ended question or two about your work.  

When you ask someone whether those jeans make your butt look big, you need someone to tell you the truth, even if it isn’t what you want to hear.  You can find the cut of jeans that works for your body type and looks good on you, just like you can work on your novel and make it a great story with the right feedback. If no one tells you the truth, though, you won’t know that something might need to change and you cannot be sure if you got real feedback or lip service.  Getting real feedback is a win-win.  You know what works and what doesn’t in your story.  Plus, your reader gets to see what you’ve been spending all your spare time working on and make a connection with your writing.

Select the person who will tell you the truth in kindness to give you feedback, and you’ll find the jeans that make you look like a star. You will also improve your writing.

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How questions help you write!

If you’ve ever written a research paper, you will be familiar with research questions, or guiding questions.  As a high school librarian, I have helped hundreds (maybe even thousands) of students write them. 

When you are writing a research paper, it helps to define as precisely as possible what your paper is about—what you will be investigating during your research.

It is important to have a narrow enough question for the scope of your paper. It is also important to take into account other considerations, such as whether it is possible to develop an answer to the question.

The research question, when it is properly formulated to be narrow and clear enough, helps to guide you as you look for sources and evidence.  You know what to include and what to leave out, based on your research question.

When you write fiction, this idea of a guiding question could more properly be termed a Story Question. You use your Story Question to guide you in deciding what gets included in your novel, what your characters will do, and what you will show and tell.

A Story Question helps the writer decide what is important in the novel. Which character choices matter. What problems to have characters grapple with.

When you write fiction, the Story Question is almost always a philosophical question that has no real answer. While a research question may have an answer over which there is some debate, it is almost never a philosophical question. In fiction you can ask questions about how one should live life, about what makes a life worth living. Questions that research alone will never answer.

Fiction is the opportunity to live other lives. To see choices and consequences without suffering through them ourselves.

Give your readers the full experience they came for—ask them to think about a difficult question through your story, without giving them the answer. 

What is the story question in the novel you are reading right now?  

I just finished The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides.  The story questions I saw are, “What are the events in our lives that shape us?  Is it possible to overcome early trauma or are we doomed to repeat behavior patterns that cause pain?”

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett

Janice Hallett uses complex structure in her novels to great effect and the Alperton Angels is no exception.  Hallett’s mysteries are like matryoshka dolls, every layer reveals something, but it isn’t until the last one that the full picture emerges.

In the Alperton Angels, she takes a fictional cold case and has the reader follow along on the trail with a journalist who is investigating with the idea of writing a book.  Trouble is, our writer has some competition who is also interested in the story.  It is a bumpy ride as the reader sifts through the messages, emails and documents to parse the story, but ultimately a satisfying  novel which lets the reader exercise the “little grey cells.”  

Amanda is relentless in her pursuit of the story, and the addition of Oliver, another writer who is also trying to get to the truth and get a book out adds urgency and tension to the exploration of a cold case.  The novel serves as  a comment on true crime voyeurism, the cutthroat publishing world. and the lack of integrity among some writers trying to “make a buck”—at one point another author and (maybe?) friend of Amanda’s is canceled for not checking her facts and getting outed by the “researcher” who basically handed her a load of twaddle that she didn’t bother to verify before plagiarizing it in her book. 

If you are a writer who wants to explore form, please read Hallett.  She is a master at weaving various kinds of formats for text and creating a story that works.  In an interview I heard with her, she mentions that on the first draft, she doesn’t always know where she will end up, but when she goes back to revise, she creates the story.  Many writers say that the magic is in the revision.  Don’t be afraid to write an exploratory draft and then find the story.  

Are You Painting with the Switch Plate Covers on?

My husband and I enjoy the character of older homes.  Unfortunately, with that character comes a previous succession of owners who may or may not be completing improvement projects with excellence in mind. 

I was recently cleaning a room in our newly acquired 1900 Craftsman, when I noticed that whoever painted last had done so without removing the switch plate covers.  I will admit to being a frequent painter.  The guys and gals at Sherwin Williams love to see me coming.  I am a proud Paint Perks member.  I love to repoint rooms for a variety of reasons, but the two biggest ones are 1. Paint is a relatively inexpensive way to have a big impact on a room and 2. A good paint job means everything has been cleaned and made fresh. 

When I paint a room, I always remove all the switch plates and the vents, tape around all the doors and windows and the baseboards, and make sure to remove dust on any surface I will be painting. I want the room to be painted well, and the job to be done as professionally as possible.  I don’t want to see the telltale sign of white around the switch plates, or worse, the painted edge of a switch plate mocking me from the wall…

When you write, consider how you approach your novel.  Are you doing the prep work required?  When I unscrew the plates, tape and clean everything, it actually takes longer than the painting itself.  But the end result is something I can be proud of—it’s a room well painted.  

When you write, are you tempted to take shortcuts and not do character work or figure out your genre or audience?  Sometimes, taking the time to prepare saves time later.  It is definitely easier  (and faster) to paint a masked window than to do the cut work with the brush, just like it is easier to know what your characters will choose when you’ve taken the time to get to know them before you start writing their story.

Prep work is tough, but important.  If you could use a guide for your own prep work, consider working with me as your novel whisperer.

The North Woods by Daniel Mason

This literary stroll through history is a great book if you are wondering what makes a book literary.  In it, the author uses  the frame of a piece of property to tell several stories that seem at first to be unrelated, but by the end, everything is connected!

It is literary because it defies genre conventions and has experimental elements (one chapter has insects as main characters…), and the use of language is extraordinary.  

Writers and readers are frequently stumped by what literary fiction is.  Need a refresher?  Take a listen to this episode of the Read Like a Writer Podcast, consider reading this blog post, or check out this super-helpful infographic from Carly Watters. 

Pro-tip:  When pitching your novel, avoid labeling it literary.  If it is, that will come through in the pages, and it is usually best to let agents and editors make that determination for themselves.

There are three ways to work with Robin at Readerly Book Coaching

Let me tell you what happened to me at the pool yesterday OR why you don’t open a novel with backstory

In a recent interview with Hank Phillippi Ryan, best selling author, I heard her give a GREAT answer to why you don’t start a novel with backstory. Let’s say you are going to tell a friend a story about what happened to you at the pool today.  

How do you start?  

When I was seven, I learned to swim.  As I got older. I learned new strokes and even joined the swim team at school…

NO! You don’t start by giving the history of all your swimming experiences.  You start with what happened at the pool YESTERDAY.  You are in story present.  You may include an aside here and there for context or to make it clear why you had the reaction you did to whatever happened to you, but you instinctively know as a storyteller that you will lose your audience’s attention if you start at the beginning of time. 

So why is the temptation so strong in writers to start with backstory?

It’s complicated, and has a lot to do with how you build the story world in your head.  As the writer, you must know all of that backstory.  It informs your writing and it makes the characters round as opposed to flat, and it adds depth to your writing. But, and it is a big but, the reader doesn’t need to know it all.  Really.

Here is the question to ask yourself:  what does the reader need to know to understand what is happening in this scene right now?  That is how much backstory you include, and pro-tip—it doesn’t start at the beginning of time.

Episode 38 of The Thoughtful Bro, where you can hear the complete Hank Phillippi Ryan version of the swimming pool story analogy…

What if you flipped the script?

All kinds of information online for writers focuses on getting a deal, how to query, and hooking an agent.  When I work with clients, I no longer offer services related to pitching without some history of working with them on their novel.  Here’s why:  pitching a novel that isn’t ready is an exercise in futility.  

What if, instead of focusing so much on what agents want, how to write the perfect query letter, and whether the genre you write in sells anymore, you focused on writing the best book you are capable of writing?

We’ve all heard the stories of novels that “break the rules” but still got an agent and a deal.  Novels that don’t fit into neat genres that become breakout hits.  While I am not saying that luck doesn’t matter, it certainly does, and timing, and lots of other things, but most of the time, those novels are also REALLY GOOD.  There are exceptions, of course (50 Shades, I am looking at you…), but most of the time when a book breaks out, breaks the rules, breaks genre conventions, it is a well written book. The story holds together, the characters are round, the line level writing sings.  

What if you flipped the script and focused on the BOOK instead of the Pitch?

Outlining is a valuable tool at any point in the writing process: just getting started, revising your novel, or writing your summary to query.

Get your free copy of the Beats of the Heroine’s Journey with examples here.