Writer’s Retreat

Irony…I didn’t write anything for my blog last weekend because I was on a writer’s retreat. I did plenty of writing, but not quite enough polishing to post. This was the first (hopefully annual) retreat for the Habit membership, which is an online library of writing resources by Jonathan Rogers and a community for like-minded writers. I was first introduced to Jonathan Rogers while participating in Hutchmoot Homebound in the fall of 2020. He was drinking “swamp tea” while reading a humorous poem to kids. He seemed like a fun person to hang out with. After the conference, I started listening to The Habit Podcast and last December, finally decided to join the membership to participate in the 6-week online classes and forums. We most recently finished a class on Writing with All Creatures, using James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small as a text and model for discussion and writing assignments.

The online classes were enjoyable and constructive, but everyone (and perhaps this group more than others) knows the importance of physical place and face-to-face friendships and connections. Is there really such a thing as an “online community?” A chance for an in-person retreat was a thrill! The retreat was hosted at North Wind Manor, which is the hub for the Rabbit Room. What is the Rabbit Room? It is a broader community of Christian artists (including visual arts, writers, musicians, etc.) which offers podcasts, articles, and more related to art, faith, and community. North Wind Manor is a recent build, but it combines the best of the anglophile Inklings vibes and southern hospitality. It boasts a fire place that was once in J.R.R. Tolkien’s house and a back porch the size of a ballroom. What else is closer to heaven on earth? Well, perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself.

Expectations

I did not have a lot of expectations going into the retreat. I was excited, but I was also totally exhausted from the end of the school year and had many stresses and anxieties on my mind. I just wanted a little rest with good company, good food, a beautiful atmosphere, and maybe a little inspiration to take away. First of all, the location and food did not disappoint! We were even blessed with fairly mild weather so that I found it more pleasant being outside on the porch than inside with the AC. The company was an extra special group. It didn’t take long for fifty of us to feel like a true community.

Take Aways

I’m coming away with many things. Of course, I have the typical goodies; vinyl stickers, bookmarks, a book published by one of the participants which I won in a give away, and lots of pictures. I am taking away friendships as well. At one point, Jonathan Rogers asked which was more serious, making friends or networking. He said that the joy and delight that comes from connections at events like retreats, summer camp, etc. are not only “real life”, but a foretaste of the new earth to come, the long hello.

I am sure some networking happened last weekend, but it came out of friendships and loving support. There were so many sweet connections made. For me, it started as I was planning for the retreat and found another member lived less than a mile away from me and another lived within an hour! We were able to ride and room together, which made the trip more affordable and much more enjoyable than traveling on my own. I am looking forward to continuing relationships with several new friends online. I want to read their work in the forums and I know that they’ll understand my work better for having met me. One lady said, “I know you’re my friend, but remind me of your name.”

One of my favorite parts was listening to Jonathan Rogers interview Helena Sorenson for a live podcast particularly aimed at women and mothers who also want to write. Helena encouraged us to accept that writing may come in seasons. I will be excited to share that podcast episode when it airs.

Celebration

The best parts of the retreat were two opportunities to share what we’d written with the group. We had a Poetry Tea one afternoon (complete with tea, coffee, and scones) and a Story Night in the evening for prose. For each session, twenty people shared for about five minutes each. It was amazing! The variety was incredible and beautiful. Some poems and stories had people nodding knowingly and exclaiming agreement, others had us laughing so hard we were holding our sides, some had us wiping away tears. There was no competition, it was a time of sharing and celebration. A final thought from a discussion session… Your delight should be the guide to your creative life. The world wants your delight.

Unfortunately, I can’t remember who to give photo credits to!