Retreat! Retreat! Getting Away to Write

By Angie Hodapp, RMFW Retreat Chair

When I was in graduate school, I figured out pretty quickly that my best writing happened away from home. Home was where the dirty dishes were. And the laundry. The television. The pets. The old comfy couch, which was just perfect for mid-afternoon naps.

It’s fair to say that if it weren’t for the Barnes & Noble café, I might never have finished my master’s degree.

Writing away from home has always been a powerful tool in my creative arsenal. From an hour or two at my neighborhood coffee shop to long weekends spent writing with friends in the mountains, I long for opportunities to get away from real life and immerse myself in my writing.

In March 2012, I attended the Rainforest Writers Village (RWV) retreat on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula. I’d seen a notice about the retreat in Locus magazine and was immediately intrigued. I signed up, and away I went.

Organized by Patrick Swenson, RWV is held at a rustic lodge about an hour away from the nearest town. Not only are attendees treated to four days of sunup-to-sundown writing, but they also have the opportunity to get to know thirty-nine other aspiring and published authors. Breaks are taken to hike around Lake Quinault and the surrounding mountains. Meals are shared. Ideas and inspiration are exchanged.

It was without a doubt one of the coolest things I’ve ever done as a writer—and not just because the short story I wrote while was there earned me a semifinalist spot in the Writers of the Future Contest (although that’s a definite plus)! I knew right away I wanted to bring the magic of the writing retreat home for members of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.

RMFW’s first retreat was held September 22-26, 2013, immediately following RMFW’s Colorado Gold Conference. (Read attendee Darla Bartos’s recap of the event here). However, in order to help members defray the cost of two consecutive, relatively expensive, and time-consuming events, we will now hold our retreat annually in March.

This year’s retreat will be March 16-21 at the Table Mountain Inn in Golden, Colorado. (Next year, we may look for a more remote location. Wouldn’t Estes Park be amazing?) The retreat is open to both members and nonmembers, and flexible registration allows attendees to come for two, three, or four days. All breakfasts and lunches are included in the cost of registration, as is a Thursday-night farewell banquet. We are also excited to welcome agent Kate Schafter Testerman (ktliterary) Thursday afternoon, March 20, to provide a workshop for retreat attendees.

To register or learn more, visit the Retreat page on the RMFW website. You have until February 17 to book your room at the hotel at the special retreat rate, and you have until March 15 to register for the retreat itself.

I hope to see you there!