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The Cheap Retreat Workbook
In this special Linked Edition, you can read this self-coaching guide and get additional tips from Beth Barnay, author of The Writer's Adventure Guide.
Do you long for a writing retreat? Do you read about renewal retreats, exotic retreats, artistic retreats, silent retreats and think - if only I could attend this spa/famous writer retreat in Taos/exclusive retreat in the Bahamas/exotic retreat in Thailand, I would be able to finish my novel/screenplay/ poetry collection/thank you notes for the gifts from my most recent wedding?
Does the idea of a luxury writing retreat shine for you like a mirage, the kind of road shimmer you would experience on an hourly basis if you finally did sign up for the Taos retreat but had to drive there from Vancouver to save money? Join me on a considerably cheaper but no less effective writing retreat – right in your own living room.
You’ve got a fabulous sense of humor, but your message is serious at the same time. All I need to do now is get my husband and son out of the way.
Dorothy Massey, freelance writer and tutor
Do you long for a writing retreat? Do you read about renewal retreats, exotic retreats, artistic retreats, silent retreats and think - if only I could attend this spa/famous writer retreat in Taos/exclusive retreat in the Bahamas/exotic retreat in Thailand, I would be able to finish my novel/screenplay/ poetry collection/thank you notes for the gifts from my most recent wedding?
Does the idea of a luxury writing retreat shine for you like a mirage, the kind of road shimmer you would experience on an hourly basis if you finally did sign up for the Taos retreat but had to drive there from Vancouver to save money? Join me on a considerably cheaper but no less effective writing retreat – right in your own living room.
You’ve got a fabulous sense of humor, but your message is serious at the same time. All I need to do now is get my husband and son out of the way.
Dorothy Massey, freelance writer and tutor
75 pages, ebook
First published October 1, 2011
7 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Catharine Bramkamp
35 books49 followersCatharine Bramkamp is an award winning poet/author/champion of Newbie Writers. Her new book, Don't Write Like We Talk, is based on 5 years of podcasts interviewing Agents and Authors, Publishers and Poets.
She is a successful writing coach and author of a dozen books including Future Girls (Eternal Press). She holds two degrees in English, and is an adjunct professor of writing for JKF University.
For a good time she reads, writes and visits galleries and museums. For a good time her husband collects selfies of himself standing OUTSIDE the museum.
She and her husband have parented two boys past the age of self-destruction and into the age of annoying two word text missives.
She is a successful writing coach and author of a dozen books including Future Girls (Eternal Press). She holds two degrees in English, and is an adjunct professor of writing for JKF University.
For a good time she reads, writes and visits galleries and museums. For a good time her husband collects selfies of himself standing OUTSIDE the museum.
She and her husband have parented two boys past the age of self-destruction and into the age of annoying two word text missives.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 8, 2015
Try out this new linked version for free! Beth and I are partnering to discover if books can be linked as effectively as web sites. Share your experience with us!
June 2, 2017
What if instead of forking out the cash to travel somewhere, you told everyone you were going and then just stayed home and worked?
Bramkamp writes out a retreat schedule, lists of activities and so on, with breaks for lunch. It’s the workshop equivalent of a staycation. I love those. My house is full these days and getting the place to myself almost never happens. I am seriously trying to work out HOW I can get a writing shed built.
She also suggests some ideas for things to write when you’re stuck.
Write about the worst holidays. I remember a friend describing a trip to India as the worst trip at the time, but the one she most frequently talked about. It made an impression.
Write some fan literature [now that’s a first].
Write a family story.
Snort. Ain't that the truth?
Write an ‘I will never’ list.
Rework an old plot.
Borrow from Shakespeare; you may as well, he borrowed from everyone else - all those famous Greek and Roman stories and Eastern myths.
Challenge your viewpoint - read a book from another culture, or a war story from the losers.
Snort. Yeah, in Sydney everything is made of coarse sandstone in a lovely honey colour.
http://yourbookstartshere.com/
I like this woman. This is from her bio:
She lives in Northern California with her husband of not enough years who complains he is never featured in any of her work. They have created two distinct children: a cowboy and a physicist.
She’s an author and writing coach.
3 stars
Bramkamp writes out a retreat schedule, lists of activities and so on, with breaks for lunch. It’s the workshop equivalent of a staycation. I love those. My house is full these days and getting the place to myself almost never happens. I am seriously trying to work out HOW I can get a writing shed built.
She also suggests some ideas for things to write when you’re stuck.
Write about the worst holidays. I remember a friend describing a trip to India as the worst trip at the time, but the one she most frequently talked about. It made an impression.
Write some fan literature [now that’s a first].
Write a family story.
All families are experts in revisionist history.
Snort. Ain't that the truth?
Writing a one-word entry keeps continuity in your journal writing, so that when you DO have time to write, you'll have something to remind you of that interesting idea or observation.
Write an ‘I will never’ list.
Rework an old plot.
Borrow from Shakespeare; you may as well, he borrowed from everyone else - all those famous Greek and Roman stories and Eastern myths.
Challenge your viewpoint - read a book from another culture, or a war story from the losers.
In Greece everything is made of marble: roads, temples and toilets.
Here in the states we think marble is exotic and special (and expensive) - Greeks think it's treacherously slippery in the rain.
Snort. Yeah, in Sydney everything is made of coarse sandstone in a lovely honey colour.
http://yourbookstartshere.com/
I like this woman. This is from her bio:
She lives in Northern California with her husband of not enough years who complains he is never featured in any of her work. They have created two distinct children: a cowboy and a physicist.
She’s an author and writing coach.
3 stars
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews