This feels terribly…

This feels terribly indulgent, but I'm not sure it's any more so than spending the money to go to a writing conference. I've been having a hard time settling down to writing lately, and I'm mostly not allowed to travel for the next two months, so I'm giving myself a 23-hour writing retreat by renting a room in someone's house at the other end of Oak Park.

Thanks to Kevin for taking the kids for the day / night. I'll be doing the same for him in a few weeks in exchange, so he can go be math-y somewhere, and see if it helps him focus. Our home is lovely and has plenty of space, but it is remarkably hard to focus on deep thinking when you have either a) children around, interrupting occasionally (although much less so than when they were younger, thankfully), or b) cleaning / organizing / yard work / etc. you can do instead of deep thinking.

Check-in is at 11, and I plan to be there shortly after that; check-out is at 10 a.m. tomorrow. I'm going to try to disconnect -- turning off Facebook for the entire time, leaving my phone behind. My laptop will have internet, but unless I need it for research (possible), I'm planning not to use the net recreationally, not even to watch tv. I'll likely check e-mail periodically.

I plan to use the time to work on the following writing projects:

- finishing a short story draft (about 2 hours, I think)
- taking a set of notes and at least starting an essay; hopefully drafting the whole thing, as I think I have it mostly thought out (about 2-4 hours)
- working on novel revisions (all the remaining writing time)

I can't actually write straight through, as it will hurt my hands (and exhaust me), so I'm bringing some books to read, knitting, a sketch book. And I'm meeting a friend for drinks -- I would have begged off, but it's actually writing-related, since we're meeting to help her talk through her novel, so I decided it would just contribute to the overall writing-immersion feeling.

I am also packing snacks, tea and milk, and a raincoat / umbrella in case I feel like walking. Walking is good for thinking. I think that's it! Will report back on how it goes.

(Also, if you're a good friend and want to do something similar in our guest room, drop me a note and let me know. Bonus if we can ignore you completely. :-) )

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