I finished a fantastic writing retreat last week. It was kind of strange how much I loved it, actually. Allow me to describe: There were fifteen of us in a well-lit computer lab all writing our dissertations. The monitors were just the right height to keep from getting a sore neck, and we had lots of space to spread out. We could keep our books and notes in our spots over night or keep them in our assigned mailboxes. We had hot coffee and fruit available all day, and every Tuesday we had lunch together to answer questions like, "What are some strategies for writing when you have only 20 minutes to work on your dissertation?" There were two writing consultants on hand to read sections of our writing or to help us get unstuck. We started each day with a writing warm up, wrote our daily goals on large pieces of paper so we could cheer each other on, and ended each day by "parking downhill" so we would know where to start the next day. Oh, and we couldn't go on the Internet.
So many simple little details that added up to a lot of pages written. I'm so sad it's over. Because so far this week I have managed to interview some babysitters online and purchase some items at Gap.com.
Consider this the writing warm up for the day. Come on, Muses. I'm calling you to the room.
