by Tari Faris, @FarisTari
This fall, I have had the opportunity to attend two different writing retreats with friends. When it was all said and done, I highly recommend them for every author.
What do I mean by writing retreat?
Retreat is defined as an act of moving back or withdrawing. And that is exactly what I did. In both cases I holed away with just a handful of other authors with one clear focus—to withdraw from my everyday life and write.
This is different than a conference where the purpose is to learn, grow and connect. Conferences can be big or small. As much as I love conferences, I don’t get any writing done and I come home exhausted. But almost all good retreats, for me, are small. Because how can one withdraw if they are surrounded by hundreds of people?
I often wondered if I’d still want to retreat after the kids were out of their needy stage. After all, why leave my own bed and spend all that time traveling just to write when I could write from home? But there is something about being away from your house where you have a to-do list a mile long, away from work and commitments, and away from where you are easily reachable to fully immerse yourself in your story.
When you can immerse yourself, pieces fall into place, the characters talk, and the story begins to flow.
However, there are other types of retreats that are good for authors besides the ones focused on writing. Brainstorming retreats are an excellent way to get input on a story with other like-minded writers.
I also recommend spiritual retreats and planning retreats, and if you are a faith-based person, then those often go hand-in-hand.
Over the next two months, I will hole away going over the early pages of my planner from My Brilliant Writing Planner. I absolutely love how I get to evaluate my values, projects for the upcoming year, and lay out my plan for growth.
Although, after so many trips away, I am guessing this final retreat for 2022 will take place on my back porch as I enjoy fall.
What about you? Do you love to retreat? What is your favorite kind of retreat? Writing? Brainstorming? Spiritual? Planning?
I am not sure I could pick. It would be like picking a favorite child. Each one is unique and special in its own way. So, if I had one word of advice for you, it would be . . . retreat!
Leah Williams is back in the quaint town of Heritage, Michigan, and ready to try again to make her business a success. But blank slates are hard to come by, and a piece of her past is waiting for her there. Heir to the Heritage Fruits company, Jonathan Kensington is the guy who not only made Leah’s past difficult, he also seems determined to complicate her present as well.
Jon is trying to prove to the Heritage Fruits board that he, not his manipulative uncle, should be running the business. The board insists Jon find a new owner for the building that will house Leah’s business. To avoid forcing a buyout of Leah’s part of the building, Jon strikes a compromise with Leah, and the two go into business together. With her vision and his know-how, it might work. And Leah might realize he’s loved her since high school. If only he didn’t keep on shooting himself in the foot by boxing her out of important decisions.
Sparks fly in this romantic story of two people who must learn to trust both each other and the one who called them to this journey.
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Tari Faris has been writing fiction for fifteen years but has been creating fiction in her head as long as she can remember. She is represented by Wendy Lawton at Books & Such Literary Management and is a member of ACFW and My Book Therapy. She was the 2017 Genesis winner, 2016 Genesis finalist, and 2014 Genesis finalist. In addition to her writing, she also works for My Book Therapy as a special project manager and writes for LearnHowToWriteANovel.com . When she is not writing or working, she spends time with her amazing husband and kids. In her free time, she loves coffee, rockhounding with her husband and kids, and distracting herself from housework. You can connect with her at www.tarifaris.com