I find that a couple nights away from home with the intention of writing like crazy, works. Partly because I go there with the express intention of writing. Partly because we are paying for it, so feel the need to get the most out of it. Or maybe especially because I rarely indulge in a writing retreat. In fact, this was only my second one ever!

So. Tim and I went to Falls of Rough, Kentucky, on the Rough River Lake. I had about a dozen places picked, and ultimately we went with the cheapest. (Heh) My selection criteria were: a place to write, a place with some privacy for Tim to work on a song, a place to walk, affordable, food options.

We got most of those in Falls in Rough.

I want a place for a writing retreat that is cool—but not too cool. In other words, a place I enjoy visiting. But not somewhere that makes me want to go outside and play more than write.

We stayed in a wee little log cabin in a lake neighborhood. I filmed a story reading in the loft—you’ll see it here later. The weather was pleasant for November, so Tim did a lot of his work in the fantastic gazebo on the property. We brought the dogs along, and they hung out on the porch, in the fenced backyard, or underfoot.

For my writing area? I wound up using a TV tray for a desk. Not even kidding. And I took my computer, not a laptop (my Chromebook is my laptop). So I was all cramped, not even able to use the mouse properly, hunched over and sitting on a couch in a corner of the living room.

It was great. I mean it. I got so much done!

I signed up for NaNoWriMo with what I called a new project, but which is only partly that. So what I was able to do on this writing retreat was to get all the way through what I already had, doing some small re-writes, and making notes of continuity problems, timeline issues, sucky sections, and character inconsistencies. I have a LOT of work to do on this novel. But right now the important thing is to finish the draft.

I wrote a trio of flash stories while I was there, too. One of them shall not see the light of day. The other two have some potential.

When we weren’t writing songs and stories, we explored the area. The nearest actual town is Leitchfield, and we went there, mostly, to eat. A highlight of the trip was me peering in restaurant windows that first night to try to guess if we’d be able to get a beer or other adult beverage with our meal.

We hiked about 2 miles on the Taylor Fork Trail and area near it in Leitchfield. The park is in city limits, but the trail follows a creek and boasts some modest bluffs and rock formations, and the creek itself is pretty. There’s a spring-fed waterfall at the end of it—the dogs liked that part, and the creek crossings.

Home again now.

Got to keep that momentum going!