Hanging with writer friends counts as writing

Hi friends,

Before I delve into the newsletter, I’m thrilled to say that it's release day for the Endpapers paperback. I'm so happy to share this light-weight, bendy, feels-good-in-your-hands (and mouth) version of the story with you! If you order from my local indie Buffalo Street Books, I’ll sign your copy!

Nom nom nom

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This weekend I did something different. I went on a writing retreat with two of my writer friends. Two friends! At a writing retreat! When the idea first occurred to me, it seemed brilliant. What could be better than a whole weekend of writing and visiting with friends? But quickly it seemed to turn into a mistake. When I go on weekend writing retreats, the point of course is to escape from everyone I know so I can get some actual writing done. Occasionally, by chance, another writer I know will be there. We may meet for a walk or a meal in the main house. But that’s the extent of it.

I’m fortunate to live within minutes of the Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts, a residency and retreat center that offers (very) low-cost retreat space to New York-based artists between their juried residency seasons. As such, my weekend retreats can only happen once or twice a year and I cherish them. More than that, I rely on them to help me make more progress than I can make at home, to work through rough spots, to solve pesky plot points and character issues. They’re a true gift.

So while I was excited to see my friends, I was scared that by inviting them to meet for the weekend, I was sabotaging my work time.

I’m happy to report that no such sabotaging occurred. In fact, it was quite the opposite. I write here quite a bit about the importance of community, and this weekend was a perfect reminder of why it’s so nourishing.

The friends who joined me were Richard Mirabella and Kathryn Henion. The three of us spent the bulk of the time working and gathered a handful of times. A 20-minute walk through the woods, a 20-minute chat, and dinner together both nights. We even ventured out into the very thick fog to go to a restaurant on the second night. Far from interrupting my progress on my novel, every time we met, I left feeling refreshed and inspired to get back to work.

Writing at Saltonstall with Richard Mirabella and Kathryn Henion

We talked about writing, sharing our triumphs and our stuck places, both in our projects and in our writing careers more generally. We commiserated with each other and encouraged each other, shared our story ideas and our excitement. Every time I went back to my apartment to work, I felt bouyed by their creativity and friendship.

I believe it’s important to carve out time and space to work on something you love, whether it’s one minute a day or several hours. Alone, an artist’s retreat is a special thing. But this weekend I learned that when a group of friends commits to leaving their partners, kids, pets, jobs, homes behind for a set amount of time to give focus and attention to their work—together—that’s its own powerful thing.

So this is what I recommend to you, as a gift to yourself in the new year: If you can afford the time and money for a retreat space or you can carve out some space and time to write at home, consider inviting some friends to join you. I also recently did an at-home retreat with two friends, where we all took time off work and checked in via Zoom a few times.

As I drafted this newsletter, I intended to include a list of low-cost, non-juried artist retreat spaces, but I failed to find a good source online. I’m going to keep digging around, but if any of you know of such a space, please add it to the comments for everyone’s benefit. I hope in the near future to be able to compile and share a list with you.

Meanwhile, I’m grateful to get the chance to be here with you online, and I look forward to next time.

Yours,

Jen