There’s a rule of thumb I’ve heard about acting that I think makes sense for books, too: don’t play the end.1 Or at least that’s how I heard it described. Since movies and TV shows are often filmed out of order, the actors know the whole story and have read the entire script before shooting. In case I completely bungled that explanation, if you’re an actor playing Hamlet, you’ve read the play Hamlet. You as the actor *know* Hamlet will die, but Hamlet the character does not know that. So you can’t let that knowledge seep into your performance until it rationally makes sense.
That came to mind when reading The Writing Retreat. I don’t say this as illustration of my genius, but simply my reading experience: I guessed the entire plot within 30 pages. There were a few details that caught my attention immediately and made me think, Oh, I know where this is going. I didn’t so much want to keep reading because I was compelled, but wanted to keep reading because I wanted to see if I was proven right. And reader, I was indeed proven right.2
I picked this book up back in April when I was in Northampton.3 Writing is not often a profession that inspires art about it - sure, writing in and of itself is important and something I derive a lot of joy from. But you know what’s really boring? Watching a writer write. Watching a writer edit a document. Watching a writer have their seventh mental breakdown about their book never being done.
Writing, for better or worse, is an arduous art. Very few books are completed quickly. And if they are, they are few and far between. You know what is the death knell for a plot? Something that is long and interminable - aka trying to write a novel.
Needless to say, I was excited to see how this book would handle a writing retreat, which unlike a novel, does have a defined timeline. Also, because I’ve been on a writing retreat before. Well, the book quickly turned into a thriller, things went off the rails, and….the logic was not logicking. There were multiple instances in this book that made me pause and full on do math. Someone did not double check this timeline or some important dates, and or how some of the more implausible plot aspects would read. Spoiler: not well.
I did try to suspend my disbelief, but was unsuccessful. The main character had very little sense of self - in that, I don’t think I could describe her. I didn’t know what she looked like, she seemed constantly fixated on other people. It was decidedly ungrounding. Cannot recommend if you want to get an idea of what a writing retreat is like.
So, what was my own writing retreat like? Well there were no murders, first of all.
I went to Prospect Street Writers House, in Bennington, Vermont. Bennington is the home of Bennington College, and was the former home of Shirley Jackson, she of The Lottery fame.4 I chose to go towards the end of summer, specifically the last two weeks in July. It was hot and muggy, but quiet. No students, no hustle and bustle. Just lots of days with open blue sky and rooms with heated bathroom floors.5
The point of a writing retreat - or conference, or residency - (which are all different things, technically) is that the writer gets time away from the real world to focus on their project. It’s the biggest open secret in the writing world, but most writers cannot sustain themselves on their writing work alone. That’s why you see many writers6 teaching, or doing other gigs. And, even if you are one of the lucky few who makes hundreds of thousands of dollars off of your books, it’s still nice to get away from the Real World™️. The Real World™️ has bills and meals to cook and emails and people asking you to do things. Writing residences don’t have any of that. Or at least that’s the goal.
Prospect Street is a gorgeous house in a gorgeous location. It’s run by V, who I met years ago on a trip to Cuba. What I liked most about Prospect Street was
it was within driving distance of me and,
they only had 2 week residency periods and,
I had a personal connection there.
Many of the very well established residencies, like MacDowell or Yaddo, require you to be there for 4 to 6 weeks. Which again, great for you if you can make that work! I still had a full time job at the time I was applying for this residency, and regular 9-5 jobs do not let you take 4 to 6 weeks off.7
I ended up getting a lot of work done at Prospect Street - but almost none of it what I intended to do. I journaled a lot. And I slept A LOT. I had some wild dreams while up there8 that turned into a few other stories I can use. I was supposed to be working on my novel. But my brain decided otherwise.
I went for walks through Bennington’s campus. I saw many bunnies and some good birds. I saw a play and toured a historical house. I saw a professor for lunch and went to a local yoga studio. My only daily commitment was dinner, where all of us in the house would gather. My Writing Camp, as I was calling it, did not have a rigid schedule, I did not have to write 3k words a day, and I was not chained in a dungeon at any point in time. Can neither confirm nor deny that these were plot points of The Writing Retreat.
At a recent reading, one of my MFA professors talked with fellow poets about how their writing process does not include writing every day.9 And I think it’s important to note that a critical piece of writing is living. Yes, yes, there’s the actual butt-in-chair time and the editing and trying to find a home for your work, but you actually have to live to get inspiration. Very few of us can be inspired by staying inside all day long and interacting with no one. Case in point: the early lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic. Have you noticed how most TV shows and movies will either ignore Covid or only mention it in passing? As far as I can tell, there’s not a lot of art about being in lockdown.10 Much like watching a writer write, watching someone sit inside all day does not for good entertainment make.
Writing Retreats can be part of living. You’re in a dedicated space where no one will question if you suddenly run off to jot something down. You’ll be around people who have similar interests as you, and will nod knowingly when you talk about your desire to ram your head into the wall. It can be a giant commiseration hub, but potentially a big enough change to your daily routine to inspire a breakthrough.
The one thing I will admit The Writing Retreat got unequivocally right is the general tendency of writers to judge themselves against others. Like any other artist, we have imposter syndrome, and that can unfortunately occur when you throw a bunch of writers in a room.
But this is scarcity talking. There is room for everyone in the writing world, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Or that you need to write 3k words a day in a dungeon to be successful.
“There’s a rule in acting called, ‘Don’t play the result.’ If you have a character who’s going to end up in a certain place, don’t play that until you get there. Play each scene and each beat as it comes. And that’s what you do in life: You don’t play the result.” - Michael J. Fox
https://quotefancy.com/quote/1193372/Michael-J-Fox-There-s-a-rule-in-acting-called-Don-t-play-the-result-If-you-have-a
If you want to know what the details were that alerted me, lmk in the comments. I don’t want to spoil things unnecessarily for anyone.
Mass, in case you were convinced I was referring to the chic New York Hamptons.
IYKYK. And if not, go read that short story.
May have been my favorite part, ngl.
Implicating myself here as well
Or if yours does, what is it cause I want it.
Oh this fun trait of mine will make a future appearance, don’t you worry.
Caveat: everyone’s process is different, this is not me making sweeping judgments saying you should or should not do a certain thing. Carry on.
Truly the only thing I can think of is Bo Burnham’s Inside.