by Melissa Tagg, @Melissa_Tagg

Back in October, I hosted a writing retreat at my house with two of the sweetest author friends—Joanne Bischof and Liz Johnson.

And now I’m going to interrupt myself to say that if you haven’t read their books yet, what are you waiting for?! Liz’s most recent release is The Last Way Home and I devoured it while on vacation earlier this month. So good! Joanne has written some of my all-time favorite books (I’m looking at you, The Lady and the Lionheart and Sons of Blackbird Mountain) and her latest release, Sadie on the Rocks, is waiting for me on my kindle—yay! 

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled content: how to host the perfect writing retreat . . . 

I realize the word “perfect” might sound a little overblown, but honestly, the long weekend my friends and I spent together really did feel like perfection to me. It was both restful and productive, peaceful yet energizing. 

In case your writerly soul is in need of a refreshing retreat with friends, here are a few tips for pulling it off:

1. Set your expectations: Before getting together, Liz, Joanne, and I spoke about our hopes for the retreat. In this case, we were looking for soul-care and bonding time as much as, if not more, than productivity. That meant long walks and even longer conversations. It meant movie nights and an orchard visit and yummy meals—with smaller doses of work time thrown in. 

But what if one of us had envisioned making mega headway on a WIP’s word count and had gone home frustrated at our lack of writing time? Chatting beforehand and making sure we were all on the same page helped us avoid that kind of disappointment.

2. Name what matters: “Name what matters” is a principle I learned from one of my favorite podcasters—Kendra Adachi, host of The Lazy Genius podcast. I’m telling you, those three little words have revolutionized my life in so many ways. 

In this case, I’m talking about naming what matters in a very practical way. Personal example: When I’m traveling to a retreat or conference, it really matters to me that I not have to share a bed with someone. I just know I’ll sleep better in a bed of my own, preferably in a room of my own. And I also know that how much sleep I get very much impacts how good of a time I have. So you generally won’t find me attending something where I have to bunk with a friend. 

For others, what matters might be the food . . . or the beverages . . . or how much physical activity is involved . . . how far they’ll have to travel . . . whether it’s all writers in their same genre or not . . . etc. What matters matters—so don’t be afraid to name it and shape your plans around it.

Side note: You’re not fussy or silly if you care about your sleeping accommodations! You’re not cheap if you want to keep things economical. Nor are you extravagant if you’re looking for a luxury cabin in the mountains. The point is to name what matters to you and your fellow attendees so everyone has the best possible experience.

3. Listen like a pro: Have you ever been to a retreat before where one person seemed to use up all the air in the room? Our recent retreat was the opposite! I walked away from it feeling so very seen and so very heard, and I think that’s because Liz and Joanne are such incredible listeners and question askers. And I hope—oh, I hope—I did the same for them. 

Whether you’re hosting an intensely focused retreat where, for instance, each participant gets a certain amount of time for group brainstorming on their book, or more of a loose retreat like ours, you can foster an atmosphere of listening by asking heartfelt questions and intentionally making space for heartfelt answers. 

4. Snacks: Like, what even is a writing retreat without snacks?!

 

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Autumn by the Sea

Abandoned as a toddler, Sydney Rose has spent years wondering who she really is, homesick for a life she’s never lived. When a private investigator crashes into her world, she finds herself heading to a tiny seaside town in Maine to meet a woman named Maggie, who’s searching for the granddaughter she lost decades ago.

If not for Maggie, Neil MacKean might still be back in Scotland, bereft and alone. Instead, he has a full life in Muir Harbor with an adopted family he loves and a blueberry farm to run. But the farm is struggling and strange occurrences have him concerned. Worse, Maggie’s once again caught up in the past, convinced she’s finally found her long-lost granddaughter.

Worried for Maggie, Neil is suspicious of the city girl who shows up at the farm. But there’s something about Sydney that tugs on him, drawing out secrets he never meant to share. While Neil grapples with the future of the farm, Sydney wrestles with a past that’s messier than ever. Together, they’re pulled into a mystery complete with a centuries-old legend, unexpected danger . . . and a love as deep and wild as the sea.

Melissa Tagg is the USA Today bestselling, Christy Award-winning author of swoony and hope-filled small-town contemporary romances, including the Muir Harbor series, the Maple Valley series, and the Walker Family series. She’s also a former reporter, current nonprofit marketing strategist, and total Iowa girl. Melissa has taught at multiple national writing conferences, as well as workshops and women’s retreats. When she’s not happily lost in someone else’s book or plugging away her own, she can be found spoiling her nieces and nephews and daydreaming about her next fictional hero. Connect with Melissa at melissatagg.com.