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The Do-It-Yourself Writing Retreat

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"The Do-It-Yourself Writing Retreat"

By Karen Kowalski Singer

My writing buddy Mary and I were commiserating about how difficult it had been to find time for our writing projects lately. We longed for a week or two in a quiet cabin in the woods with nothing to do but write. Drooling over the lush and lovely writers' retreats we found on the Internet -- "Write in Tuscany" - or New Mexico, or Majorca , we knew the price tag on that kind of retreat was not within our budgets. So we designed a "do it yourself" writing retreat. Our rules: it had to be cheap, free from the distractions of home, and within driving distance. And we set some writing goals for ourselves and talked them over before our trip.

Then, one Friday evening in January, we drove to the Old Rooming House in New Harmony, Indiana, historic home of two utopian communities. Since it was off-season the history center was closed, rooms were cheap, and the streets were empty. The Rooming House was as charming as your eccentric aunt's house. Every shelf and corner was stuffed with old books, games, knick-knacks, magazines from 1932, postcards and old train schedules. These were collected by the proprietor, Jim. When we arrived, we found he'd left us instructions on the blackboard, and a basket of snacks in our room. We had the house to ourselves.

We awoke Saturday morning eager to start writing and put on a pot of coffee. Mary set up her computer on the bedroom desk, and I took my laptop computer to the sitting room downstairs. There were no children, and no phone, no chores. The only distractions were the shelves of books, and the old magazines and pamphlets on every piece of furniture, begging to be dipped into. Mary found her grade school primer, and I had to stay up late to finish a Nancy Drew mystery. I felt pampered. My inner writer showed her appreciation, measured in words on the page and a flow of ideas. The writing came easily. We wrote until just before noon.

After a brisk walk to one of the two outdoor labyrinths in New Harmony (it was 10 degrees below zero!) we stopped for a $2.69 lunch at the diner downtown. Then back to writing. By the end of the first day, I'd written a new poem and started a personal essay. Mary had written a chapter of her novel. After eating the dinner we'd brought (how frugal!), we read each other what we'd written.

By Sunday, we'd found our ideal pattern of working, walking, and talking. We both had accomplished much: I had two poems, the better part of an essay and notes for a nonfiction project. Mary had written a number of pages on her novel. We talked through some knotty writing problems, walked New Harmony's Chartre-style labyrinth, rubbed shoulders with the locals at the Yellow Tavern, and wandered through local antique shops. We worked and relaxed in a natural rhythm.

We drove home Monday afternoon feeling refreshed and renewed, with more written pages than either of us had seen in a while. The total bill for our off-season 3 night stay at the Old Boarding House was $100. Okay - we splurged on a couple of nice meals at the outstanding local restaurants. We agreed we'd gotten good value on our do-it-yourself writers' retreat. We want to do it again, and because it was short and inexpensive, we can afford to. We're planning another do-it-yourself retreat soon.

I'd recommend this kind of outing for those who want to renew their commitment to their craft. Most of us have to carve writing time from the massive block of daily chores, obligations, family, work, diversions and distractions. A writing retreat doesn't have to cost a fortune. A weekend in an old rooming house might be enough.

For more information on historic New Harmony, see: www.newharmony.org or www.newharmonyinfo.com . To find something in your area, try a Google search on "cheap writing retreats."

There is no contact information available for Karen Kowalski-Singer at this time.

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