It’s a long, long journey toward a book that’ll weigh in at around 300 pages. Plenty of gurus will tell you to chip away at it every day, and that’s an excellent way of reaching The End, but let’s be real: For many of us, writing every day is fundamentally impossible. I have a whole rant about that here.

Yes, in general it’s better to write (or practice any skill) for a shorter time period more often, but when it comes to big projects, that can also hinder us. We expend a lot of creative juice and risk spinning our wheels every time we have to pull in and out of the project.

That’s why getting into flow can feel downright impossible for those of us who are constantly being interrupted by life. For me, that’s chasing kids, answering work emails, troubleshooting work tech, juggling five different school apps, and trying to exercise and eat semi-healthfully while renovating our fixer upper. I do try to write most days, but too often, when I finally do have time to write, someone gets sick, or injured, or in trouble.

Ideally, I’d love to sit down and write for 90 minutes or more every morning, but that often isn’t doable and frankly, it doesn’t produce my best work. Can you relate?

Let me introduce you to my secret weapon: the solo writing retreat.

Hint: I Didn’t Go to Italy. I Went to the Local Hampton Inn.

Some of the most productive writing sessions of my life have happened not at my desk or in an inspiring Tuscan villa, but in a no-frills hotel ten minutes from my house. Glamorous? No. Effective? Oh God yes.

Last time I did this, I wrote 16 hours a day and finally finished the novel that I’d been trying to eke out forever. It was exactly the kind of immersive, creative deep-dive that I couldn’t get at home between taps on the shoulder, shouts of “mooooooom,” work calls, work emails, Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, Target runs and non-stop taxiing kids to practices, games, rehearsals, volunteer activities, and birthday parties. Does everyone invite the whole class to every party?

Anyway, over the last eight months, I’ve done this three times. First it helped me jumpstart my stalled novel, get to know my characters, and create a fresh new outline. Back home, I eventually made it, little by little, to 20,000 words. The next time I snuck away, I got to 45,000 words, well past the deadly 30,000-word hump. Then last time….drumroll please…. I finished a draft!!! 🎉

Next time, I’m going to really power through the revisions that are going more slowly than I’d like since coming home.

Better than all of that, every single no-interruptions escape reminded me why I love this writing life so much.

Here’s How to Make a Solo Writing Retreat Work for You (Even on a Budget)

1. Find a spot that won’t break the bank

The last thing you want to do is be stressing about money while you’re there.

If you’re able to get away last-minute, the Hotel Tonight app often has unbelievable deals. (Priceline Express can too, but don’t risk it. They don’t tell you the hotel until after you book, and you could end up somewhere under construction with jackhammers wailing away all day. I learned this the hard way!)

Use hotel points if you have them. I’m lucky that between our Hilton credit card and my husband’s job, we have a ton of points, so I can often get away for free.

Check out writer and artist residencies. The more prestigious ones often offer financial support, but those usually require longer stays and close applications a year in advance. Some residences, however, charge far less than a hotel, are set up to cultivate creativity, won’t require long stays, and are open year-round. If you can get to Southern California, Dorland Mountain Arts is a great example.
House sit. Every writer dreams of a wealthy friend or family member with an unused apartment in Paris, but you don’t need an inspiring location to be productive. If you have a friend whose house overlooks a derelict power plant and they’re going out of town, see if you can house sit! If you have a house to trade (even if it’s not at the same time), you can build credit at HomeExchange. I haven’t tried this yet, but I’ve heard such good things that when we bought our new house, one of the allures was that it would be desirable for house swappers….someday after we finish fixing ‘er up.
Pet sit. You can do this through your own network, but I’ve known a lot of writers who end up in shockingly glamorous places by going through Trusted Housesitters, which pairs pet lovers with traveling pet parents. Warning: I’ve heard mostly great stories, but I’ve also heard stories of animals that are more needy than newborns.

2. Prep before you leave

Try to wrap up loose ends, but then find a way to drop, delegate, or delay anything that’s still on your agenda.
Set your out-of-office email responder.
Make a “shot list” like photographers do—a list of scenes, chapters, or even emotional beats you want to write or revise. That way, you’re never staring blankly at the screen thinking, “Now what?” Be sure to have one easy thing to start with right when you get there.
Consider setting a goal and deadline and maybe even sharing it with someone else for a little friendly accountability. There’s nothing like a little pressure to get it done!

3. Pack Like a Writer

As a former international flight attendant, I pride myself on being able to travel for weeks with only a carryon, but for a local writing marathon, I don’t pack light. You don’t want to get there and discover that your environment isn’t up to the task. After doing a dozen of these for various projects over the last several years, I’ve got a few recommendations.

Bring printed pages to review. Sometimes the easiest way to slide into a productive writing session is to start diving into the world you’ve already created.
If you have a travel printer, that could be helpful. I don’t have one, but I wish I did because I love starting with a grotesquely bad draft, seeing what I have on paper and then shaping it into something I can call a draft. Hotel business center printing can be hit or miss.
Sticky notes, notebooks, index cards, pens.
Books for inspiration or scaffolding similar scenes.
Comfy pants, glasses, blue light glasses—whatever your “writing uniform” is. Nerd alert: I always pack my lucky socks. The first time I wrote a monstrous amount of pages in one marathon day, I happened to be wearing adorable Union Jack socks I’d picked up in London. Now, like a superstitious baseball player, I wear them as long as reasonable hygiene will allow.
If you’re driving, pack food so you don’t have to venture out when you’re on a roll. The last time I did this—when I was so in flow that I FINISHED the last third of my novel in progress—I lived on PB&J sandwiches, and let me tell you, success never tasted so good.
If you’re a light sleeper like I am, in order to wake up refreshed and ready to write, you might want to bring an eye mask, a chip clip to keep the morning sun from peeking through the curtains (a pants hanger can work if you forget), ear plugs, and the White Noise app.

4. Transition into Flow

Sometimes I’d get to the hotel and be stuck in work mode—checking email or Slack or working on a blog post "just to clear a few things off my plate." Once I finally felt ready, I’d either be worn out or feel the pressure of the blank page and take way too long to get going. Now I have sone tricks to help me switch from “real world” to “book world.”

Here’s what helped:

If you have a long drive, traffic, or have flown somewhere, it can help to take a short nap, shower, or walk to reset your nervous system.
Consider a creativity meditation. Here’s one I like.
Put your phone on Do Not Disturb or turn on Screentime or Freedom apps to lock down distractions.
Disconnect your computer’s Wi-Fi and only turn it on when you really need it. Jot down things that need to be researched and come back to that later. (I’ll give you a trick to help with that in the next section.)
Shut down all tabs or open files that aren’t your work in progress.
Write in Word’s Focus Mode or Scrivener’s Compose mode—or whatever your software offers—to block out all toolbars, so you can stay in creative flow rather than switching to edit or research mode.
Start easy and enter the world of your story! If you’re not feeling inspired, begin by reading previous pages or outlining...anything but research. Research will send you outside of your own creativity and down rabbit hole after rabbit hole until you’ve frittered away your whole stay.
Listen to a song that reminds you of the topics or emotions of your book. Talk about an easy way to get a jumpstart.

5. Write Fast, Edit Later

It’s natural to pressure yourself to get this right when you’ve taken time and money away from your life and other obligations for this. Your inner critic will start telling you that this better be worth it, and if every word isn’t great, you’re a failure. Nonsense. As I’m sure you’ve heard, first drafts are meant to be ugly. The best way to shut up that inner critic is to outrun it. Here are some ways to do that.

You don’t have to go in order. Start by writing whatever scene or topic you’re excited about. Write messy. Write what’s working and skip what’s not. This is about generating words, not perfection. (You can channel your inner editor later.)
One of my favorite productivity tools is actually two simple letters: TK. Instead of spinning your wheels on research or trying to perfect the language, throw in You don’t have to go in order. Start by writing whatever scene or topic you’re excited about. Write messy. Write what’s working and skip what’s not. This is about generating words, not perfection. (You can channel your inner editor later.)
Try timed writing sprints. Set a timer for 10 minutes and go as fast as you can. Don’t stop typing or moving your pen until the time is up. Another fantastic option is the Write or Else app, which is not for the faint hearted because it will start erasing what you wrote if you stop typing!
Another trick if you’re stuck is to write longhand and start with something like, “I’m so stuck on this but if I was this character I’d be thinking blah, blah” just to get in their head. Or for nonfiction, “I’m stuck but if I was a reader I’d want to know about blah blah.” This helps me constantly, especially on long writing days when my brain starts wearing out.

Final Thoughts

Could I do this every weekend? Heck no. But a few times a year? Absolutely. And it has made all the difference. I made more progress on my novel during a few focused weekends than I did during entire months of trying to squeeze in little bits of writing here and there.

NOTE: I am NOT suggesting you neglect your book in between! Here are some ways to keep your book top of mind every day even when you can’t write.

But if your writing schedule is chaotic—or nonexistent—don’t give up. Sometimes, the answer isn’t writing every day. It’s disappearing for a weekend and writing like you’re possessed.

You’ve got this. And I’ll be right here cheering you on.