Peak District: Writing Retreat
My writing desk for the week
Creative Writing
Outside of my academic writing, I do creative writing for fun. Writing YA Mystery is a good distraction and also a lot of work! I have a weekly critique group, take courses with WriteSpace Houston, and dedicate spare time to writing.
On top of a peak
Writing Away From It All
For a writing retreat, I had to do a lot of research to find the perfect place to write for a week that worked with my budget and dates. I also had to do a lot of talking myself into it. It seemed like I should be doing something else with that week. Ultimately, I’m so glad I allowed myself to embrace the opportunity and am thankful for all the people who made it a possibility.
On a public footpath near Mapleton
Foxes Retreat
The Peak District is special to me because I have ancestry in Derbyshire. So I was delighted to spend a week writing there at Foxes Retreat. Mr. And Mrs. Fox operate a farm/retreat center that caters to all sorts of creatives. I participated in the independent writing retreat, which meant I wrote on my own most of the day. They served excellent meals (and cake!) and provided much-needed contact and encouragement throughout the day. They are great people and this is a special place.
Inspirational Walks
I bounced around from my lovely desk to various locations outside as the weather was nice. Every day I took at least one walk, either clearing my head, plotting in my mind, or gathering inspiration. The scenery is the quintessential British countryside.
The Benefit
In the five days, I was able to write 10,000 words and work through some particularly tricky bits of my work-in-progress because I didn’t have the distraction of, well, anything else. I hope I can work some sort of writing retreat into my rhythm every year, if even for a day. It’s important to dedicate time to craft and discovery.
