Retreat vs Conference

Have you ever been to a conference? Keynote speaker, workshops every hour, luncheon speaker, more workshops, appointments with agents or editors. Very informative. In fact, so informative it feels like your head will explode if you hear one more fact.

What about a retreat? According to dictionary.com, there are numerous definitions for the word retreat:

1.      the forced or strategic withdrawal of an army or an armed force before an enemy, or the withdrawing of a naval force from action.

2.      the act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy; retirement; seclusion.

3.      a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy:

4.      an asylum, as for the insane.

5.      a retirement or a period of retirement for religious exercises and meditation.

Think about definitions #2 and 3. For writers. A retreat from harsh reality. An escape from rejections, writer’s block, a family who doesn’t understand a writer’s needs, industry dire predictions. Like any occupation, writing can get you down. The worst is that writing is a solo job. You’re on your own.

Every year since 1985, my writers’ group (Mid-Michigan RWA) sponsors the Retreat From Harsh Reality. (I wrote about the retreat last April after it was over, when I was still riding the high from this great event.) Originally, the chapter members wanted a “pajama party” where they could hang out, talk, relax, share. One of the members gave a talk about writing or the industry. No agents, no editors. No business suits. Jeans and T-shirts were proper attire. A real laid-back weekend where writers could recharge their batteries.

We now have an outside speaker—last year, Rita Clay Estrada came; this year, it’s Christie Craig. Besides one talk, our speaker hangs out with us. We get to know her and vice versa in an informal setting. No longer do we stay in college dorms. A lakeside resort is a lot more comfortable.

I’ve attended both conferences and retreats. Each has benefited me. I’ve learned a lot at conferences, met industry professionals, made contacts. At this point in my career, I prefer the retreat. I always return home refreshed, renewed, and energized.

If you’d like more information about Mid-Michigan RWA’s Retreat From Harsh Reality, go to http://www.retreatfromharshreality.com/

What works best for you? An organized conference or a laid-back retreat?

Retreat From Harsh Reality

This past weekend, I attended a fabulous event. Since 1985, the members of the Mid-Michigan chapter of Romance Writers of America have taken time to chill out, relax, and regenerate. Our annual Retreat From Harsh Reality began as a “pajama party” in a dorm at Western Michigan University. Our members came from all over Michigan, though most lived from the middle to the west coast. Members couldn’t always attend the monthly meetings and those who did didn’t always have time to really chat and get to know each other. Thus the need for a weekend to do just that, as well as to recharge our creative batteries.

Over the past thirty years, our “mission” for retreat has stayed the same—time to get acquainted/reacquainted and absorb the energy that flows when a group of writers get together. We always have one speaker who gives a talk and participates in a roundtable chat. This year, our speaker was Rita Clay Estrada, the founder of RWA. Her talk about the beginnings of the now international organization for romance writers was truly inspirational. The original members of RWA might as well have taken the motto from the movie Galaxy Quest—“never give up, never surrender.” True pioneers in an industry that prided itself on never changing. Rita was so engaging and approachable. Whenever the group got together, she was there from Friday evening through Sunday morning. We had some hero(ine) worship going on at first—“OMG, it’s the lady after whom the RITA award is named.” But very quickly she put everyone at ease and we realized she’s a writer like the rest of us.

I joined MMRWA in 1993 and my first “meeting” was at retreat. It wasn’t as bad as camping outdoors but close. Dorm rooms boast few amenities—thin mattresses on top of cots, towels so thin you could see through, and bathrooms that hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned since Eisenhower was president. WMU had a policy of not turning off the heat until the end of May. Our retreat was the 3^rd weekend. It could be 80° out and heat would be pouring out of the registers. Despite the inconveniences, we had a great time picking each others’ brains and learning more about the industry as well as the craft of writing.

We’ve come a long way from a university dorm to a lakeside resort. Despite the venue, our members still want to get together, to pick brains, learn about the industry, hole up somewhere to write, and/or brainstorm and critique. We still want one writer-speaker (no editors or agents), someone we can talk to, who is willing to engage with writers who are at the beginning of their careers or have been at it for a long time—unpublished and multi-published alike.

As always, I came home from retreat with renewed energy. I’m ready to tackle my current work-in-progress with enthusiasm. I love going to retreat because it means getting together with “old” friends and making new ones. I hope the other attendees came away like Energizer Bunnies—full of enthusiasm and ready to get to work.