7,000 Words in Four Days: The Retreat That Restored My Creative Spark

Hi. Welcome to Bloom Anywhere. I'm Gwen Moran, a writer, editor, author, and problem-solver. My goal is to share information, ideas, and resources to help you overcome obstacles, reach your goals, and get more joy out of life, even when things are messy. Thanks for joining me. (If you got this from a friend, subscribe here: Bloom Anywhere.) I'd love your feedback and suggestions for future topics. Please send me an email: connect@bloomanywhere.com.

When I started this newsletter, my mission was straightforward: to help people find more fulfillment and joy in their work and lives. The tagline says it all: Life is messy. Thrive anyway.

In recent months, I haven’t been “walking my talk” in some areas, especially around making progress on my novel. (The “pay the bills” work has been crowding time for creative projects like this.) So, when I got an email about the Finger Lakes Women’s Writers Retreat a few months ago, I was intrigued. This seemed like a good way to carve out some time to work on the project and see if it was still something I wanted to pursue.

It was one of the best things I’ve done for myself and my work in a while.

Ingredients for creative success

The four-day retreat was held last week at a farmhouse in Trumansburg, New York, right in the heart of New York’s Finger Lakes region. The group included five women, including the two organizers. I knew two of them—one of the organizers and a friend who was an attendee—and two were strangers to me. Over four days, I added a whopping 7,000 fresh words to my manuscript and returned to my “real” life refreshed and rested.

I’ve set aside time on my own to work on projects and also done self-directed retreats with friends in the past. And while I made progress with those efforts, I wasn't as prolific as at this retreat. And I wasn’t the only one. We each got significant and excellent work done.

As I’ve reflected on the reasons for that burst of creativity, I believe there were several factors, which I’ll try to replicate in the future—and which may be helpful for others. As it turns out, some of these factors are backed by science, too.

The “bubble” effect. By immersing our small group into a shared ecosystem, a few things happened. Through communal living and meals, we bonded quickly and established trust. Our first meal, on Sunday night, acted as an ice-breaker, during which we discussed our hopes and goals for the retreat. During the next few days, we shared a common experience during our waking hours where all of our needs were met—meals, varied workspaces, refreshments, schedule, etc.—and our time was structured. There was no wondering what to do for lunch or when we’d convene for workshopping. We were freed from all decisions and mental load (well, to the extent that it related to our immediate surroundings, anyway). We were able to focus on writing in this safe space with people who were there to do the same.

New surroundings. Removing myself from my routine and my typical habits and surroundings may have contributed to my creative state. In addition, being in a beautiful part of the world, surrounded by nature, could have played a role. While I did have some anxiety about being in someone else’s house, it was quickly quelled once I realized that I had ample privacy. Also, the trust factor fostered by our temporary little community helped me overcome that feeling, too.

Realistic expectations. The retreat structure—times for gathering, eating, and focused work—was doable. The image of a writer holed up somewhere, writing nonstop for days, just isn’t realistic. Our ultradian rhythms are cycles within our days that dictate our energy flows, sleep cycles, and other systems. We know that our attention spans, at best, max out at about 90 to 120 minutes. The structure of the days was such that there was time to settle in, do some deep work, and then it was time for a break. That’s part of getting to that sweet spot of creativity and productivity.

Accountability. Just as having a culture of accountability in the workplace keeps us on track, that type of responsibility helps in other areas, too. Of course, we had paid for the retreat and taken the time away from our other responsibilities, so we wanted to get the most out of it. But, beyond that, the scheduled workshopping time after dinner, where we each read our work and got honest feedback from others, raised the bar. I felt a certain responsibility to my fellow attendees. And I wanted to do good work for them—work that I, and they, would be proud of.

While this analysis isn’t formal, and such communal experiences might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it was exactly what I needed to find my groove again. I will do my best to replicate these four factors in future retreats.

How do you recharge your creativity?

Have you done a creative retreat or some other type of recharging? What works for you? In a future newsletter, I’d love to explore other ways to reconnect with our creative selves. Share your thoughts with me at connect@bloomanywhere.com.

Bloom Drops

Things I want to share with you.

Birding. Among the retreat’s highlights were the two bird-feeders outside the sliding glass doors on the farmhouse’s back deck. The variety of birds was entertaining. For those who geek out over whether that little black-and-white creature is a grosbeak or a woodpecker, check out the Merlin app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. You start a new recording, and the app will tell you what birds are singing in your backyard. Apparently, we have a rare hairy woodpecker. (No, really!)

Colmaning. Just when you think the Calm app couldn’t do any better than having Keith Morrison read you a bedtime story, Colman Domingo can now help you get to sleep.