There are positives and negatives to temporary life without modern communication. It’s a fine balance, one I examined closely in my first personal blog post online, after three months of extreme isolation in South Australia.
Though it was often frustrating to see that little yellow “limited” bubble appear over the internet network icon, I actually found myself writing more. Without high-speed Wifi, I could turn my attention away from thirty other potential submissions and focus on the most important: my own travel memoir.
The narrative I started over five years ago has been on the back burner so long, it’s left permanent melt marks on the oven. But with 90 days in the Outback and nothing else to do, inspiration attacked.
I guess you could call these last three months a personal writing retreat.
Though my parents would point out that flying halfway around the world and plunging toilets for a day job is not the most cost-effective way to finish a manuscript, it’s worked for me. If you, too, could use a little distance to finalize your creative scribblings, here are a few helpful resources:
- Why You Should Write in a Closet: Donald Miller recommends several tips that remove the romantic setting from the writing process. Sometimes, beautiful surroundings are just a distraction.
- A Do-It-Yourself Writing Retreat: For $314 a month, Candace Rardon created her own DIY retreat on the beaches of Goa, India.
- Create Your Own Mini-Writing Retreat: Realistic goals are one of the key factors on Kathryn Cashen’s list for planning your own mini-retreat.
- National November Writing Month: It’s not too late to join! Use this 30-day event (NaNoWriMo) for motivation, inspiration and author advice.
- WanderLit: Fellow Wanderlust blogger, WanderLit, is racking up a daily word count for NaNoWriMo and posting suggestions, advice and lessons along the way.
“Now I’m hunched over a typewriter I guess you call that painting in a cave. And there’s a word I can’t remember and a feeling I cannot escape. And now my ashtray’s overflowing, I’m still staring at a clean white page. Oh and the morning’s at my window, she is sending me to bed again.” – Bright Eyes
~ Until the next adventure! ~ Kelli