How to DIY Your Own Writing Retreat

Yes, it’s true that I am hosting my own writing retreat for BIPOC women writers in the South of Spain, in October, 2023, but I know organized retreats aren’t for everyone. Whether it’s the time, cost, or location, there’s always the possibility that the retreat of your dreams doesn’t fit into your schedule. But that doesn’t mean you can’t DIY your own writing retreat and make it a productive and regenerative experience.

What’s the Point of Doing a Writer’s Retreat?

Imagine a DIY writing retreat in a cabin like this.

In previous posts I’ve extolled the virtues of going on writing retreats. In a nutshell, a good writing retreat offers three key components; time to write, writing instruction, and a community of fellow writers who share your passions and goals. Secondary to those essential elements, usually a writing retreat is held in a beautiful location, basic needs like food and lodging are met, and there is time built in for daydreaming and rest. Ideally, by the end of the retreat, you have made significant progress on a writing goal, or you have had some sort of creative breakthrough. And then you go home refreshed and creatively energized. All that sound delightful, and it is, but you can do many of those things for yourself if you have to.

Why DIY Your Writing Retreat?

As I mentioned above, there are untold reasons why a writer can’t attend an organized retreat, but that doesn’t mean she can’t reap the benefits of carving out time to run away and write. And at the end of the day, it’s the retreat part of the equation that’s at the core of the exercise. Writers truly benefit from taking time away from their everyday routines to focus exclusively on their writing. Whether you’re trying to finish up a work-in-progress, or you need a chunk of uninterrupted time to visioncast your next project, creating your own writing retreat is often the best thing you can do for yourself. And it doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.

Over the course of my writing career, I’ve been on a handful of delicious writing retreats that have been transformational, but I’ve also done my fair share of DIY retreats as well, usually timed around the end stages of finishing a manuscript for a book. My first DIY writing retreat was at a hotel located just a10-minute drive from my home in Philadelphia. My kids were five and two at the time, and I was almost done with the final draft of my memoir, Kinky Gazpacho. I absolutely could not find the concentration or silence I needed in my home, so I rented a hotel room for a weekend, locked myself in, ordered room service for all my meals, and knocked out my final draft. At the time, I didn’t call that a DIY writing retreat, I called it the desperate act of a writer with small children. But then I realized that I didn’t have to be in desperate circumstances to plan my own writing getaway.

Moving forward, my DIY writing retreats became part of my book writing process. I always schedule a DIY writing retreat at the end of my process when I’m ready to sit and read my final draft and make my final edits. I need 100 percent concentration, no diversions, and the ability to eat, rest, and work through the manuscript on my own timeline. Depending on my deadline and budget, sometimes I schedule my DIY writing retreats at a hotel, other times I rent an Airbnb. Sometimes I find locations close to my home, other times I find a location meant to inspire. Regardless of the location, I always pack snacks. Snacks are critical for any writing retreat in my opinion.

You Don’t Have to DIY Alone

A DIY writing retreat doesn’t have to be a solo affair. If you and a writer friend have similar writing goals, you can split the expenses and run away and write together. And it doesn’t have to stop at two writers. True story, after attending a marvelous Hurston Wright, week-long writing workshop one year, my cohort stayed in touch, and then we planned our own DIY writing retreat one year later. One of our group members had a vacation home in Long Island, and we agreed to meet there for a weekend. We were all there with projects to workshop, and we even convinced a best-selling author to come and speak to our group for inspiration and motivation. It was an amazing experience and we organized the whole thing ourselves. And yes, we had snacks.

Just because I like to share resources, The Mae House, is a Black-woman owned and BIPOC operated house for rent near Hudson, New York, that looks like it would be a beautiful place to do a DIY retreat with a couple of writing friends. I have no affiliation with the location, but the first time I heard about it, I immediately thought DIY writing retreat.

Resources for Building a DIY Writing Retreat

At the end of the day, all you really need for a DIY writing retreat is a room of your own to write, a room of your own away from your regular routine.

A room of your own is essential to write, but so are delicious and energy-boosting snacks.

Hotels: If you have a favorite hotel chain, or you have travel points accumulated on a card or a rewards plan, start there in terms of finding a hotel to book your retreat. Remember, it can be around the corner from your home or on the French Riviera. Pro tip, you can often find better prices at hotels if you can book your DIY writing retreat mid-week instead of a weekend.

Airbnb: Airbnbs are everywhere and can be cheaper than a hotel. Of course, room service is no longer an option, but having your own kitchen can be a benefit, plus, there are several Airbnb’s all over the world that are actually literary themed or inspired, so it could be extra-lit to plan a retreat in one of these locations. Check out this list of literary Airbnbs meant to inspire the creative writer.

Bed and Breakfasts: A third option is to find a cute bed and breakfast where you can stay in a charming abode and enjoy a hearty breakfast made for you. Like Airbnb, there are bed and breakfasts that have literary themes that might provide just the right atmosphere you need to turn out the masterpiece you’ve been working on.

The Writing Residency: Highly accomplished writers can apply to famous writing residencies like The MacDowell Colony or Yaddo, where they get a room in a bucolic setting to write. Meals get delivered to your door and you can stroll around their gorgeous estates for inspiration. And it’s all free! Understandably, those residencies are extremely competitive to get into but there are other programs where you don’t have to apply to get in, you simply have to pay a fee. Some of these writer’s residencies that you pay for are highly curated, while others are basically the end result of someone deciding to make their country home/beach house/Miami condo etc, open and available to writers, usually at a reduced price because writers tend to be known for our creativity, not our deep pockets. You can find some of these just by searching “writing residencies” in the Google.

Here are two widely different writers residencies you have to pay for you might want to investigate.

The Highlights Foundation: Located in Eastern Pennsylvania and founded by the family who created Highlights magazine, the foundation offers regular writing workshops for writers and illustrators of children’s literature. But little known fact, they also offer personal retreats where writers can book a lovely room in their lodge for a DIY retreat. (I’ve been there and it’s like a lovely log cabin hotel.) The fees are reasonable and include three delicious farm-to-table meals a day, snacks all day, and as much engagement as wanted with other writers at the foundation.
Sea Salted Honey: This is a new residency program specifically for Black writers that will take place May 24 - June 7, 2024 in Senegal. Organized by Nicole Shawan Junior, the visionary behind Roots, Wounds and Words, this is a curated writing residency that incorporates wellness practices and cultural travel with plenty of free time to write. There is an application process and a fee to attend. Applications are due June 16, 2023.

Your Local University: Finally, if you can’t truly afford to leave home, but you still want to retreat to write, there are some universities that create a retreat like space in their libraries for faculty who need to get work done over the summer. They provide you with a desk in a quiet space and endless cups of coffee. Check your local institutions of higher ed to see if they have such a program in your city.

Go DIY Your Own Writing Retreat

I hope this article makes it apparent that you don’t have to wait for the perfect writing retreat to appear for you to run away and write. You can create your own experience keeping your own budget, location, and time limitations in mind. There are also a plethora of resources out there to take advantage of, so look around for the best way to plan your literary escape. Writers, we are a creative bunch, so use that ingenuity to plan a writing retreat that works for you.