(c) 2014, Amanda Headlee

Last week, I had the pleasure of escaping reality and hiding away at the When Words Count Retreat in Rochester, Vermont.  For an entire week I stopped answering emails, texts, and phone calls. I minimized my social media interactions and focused wholly on my novel.  You know, the one that I have been struggling to kick off for about a year now.

What I love about When Words Count was that from the moment I stepped inside the door, the spirit of famous authors surrounded me.  Various pictures of authors and book covers decorate the retreat’s walls and enhance the old farmhouse charm.  It is a bibliophile’s (and writer’s) heaven.  Each room within the retreat is themed after an American author.  I had the pleasure of staying in the Flannery O’Connor room, where each night I fell asleep under a gorgeous portrait of one of the most prolific short story author that has ever existed.  Before the sweet embrace of REM overtook my slumber, I said a short sweet prayer to Ms. O’Connor to influence my dreams and guide my writing hand.

She must have heard me because on my first full day, I could not think of anything BUT writing.  I spent the entire day handwriting an outline for my novel.  Outlining, if you read my last post, is one thing I never do.  I finally felt like I had direction for my story.  Unfortunately, later that night, I found I was going in the wrong direction.

One of the perks of staying at the When Words Count Retreat is the hash session that occurs in the evenings after dinner.  The hash session is lead by two industry experts, Steven C. Eisner and Jon Reisfeld, and involves all of the writers who are staying in the house.  That night, I explained that my novel is being based off a short story I wrote last March.  However, not being satisfied with the short story, I wanted to expand it to novel length.  The outline that I had worked on earlier in the day was the expansion of the original short story.

During the hash session, I read out loud the short story.  While reading, I realized the front half of the tale had so much back-story that it took forever to get to the gruesome action. I was actually getting bored reading the tale out loud.  My hosts echoed my thoughts.  When I explained the progress made that day, they made some suggestion where I would need to revise my outline to make the story more engaging.

(c) 2014, Amanda Headlee

I went to bed a little frustrated in myself.  I live for horror and it is that thrill that keeps me on edge.  That is what draws me to the genre.  How could I have “missed” that in my story and novel outline?

The next morning I woke refreshed and went to rewriting my entire outline – from scratch.  Another day spent handwriting; another hash session later that evening was spent discussing where tension and character development was needed.

On, Tuesday (Day 4) and Wednesday (Day 5), I continued to outline and received additional input and praise from my coaches.  They, as well as the other writers, seemed to enjoy where the story line was now heading.

By Thursday morning (Day 6), I had my entire novel outlined (by hand) and it equaled about 90 pages.  I, quite frankly, have my entire novel scripted out in short hand.  That afternoon, I locked myself in my room and had a little cry – of happiness.  I was in awe that I outlined (in excruciating detail) an entire novel in only four days.  I had travel almost 350 miles away from my home and closed myself off from LIFE to get my novel to finally pour out of my head.  In all honestly, there is no way I could have executed this at home within this timeframe amid my regular life “schedule”.

This visit to the When Words Count Retreat has been the most inspirational and enlightening “vacations” that I have ever experienced.  The atmosphere just gives bloom to creativity.  It is pure magic from the moment you step foot through the door.  Being there during the winter was also a great benefit to the prosperity of writing.  There was about 3 feet of unmarred snow that covered the retreat’s acreage.   The cold kept me from venturing outdoors.  Had it been warmer weather, my writing outcome may be a little different.  The area is prime for hiking and apparently there is an old graveyard nearby, which would make an excellent outdoor writing location.

Flannery inspired dreams! (c) 2014, Amanda Headlee

Retreats are a fantastic way to build your fellow author network.  I made three new writer friends who are all involved in different genres of writing.  They breathed new inspirations into my novel as we discussed our current projects. I cannot wait to see where their work takes them.  I know they are going to be just amazing.

And the food… Oh my God, the food, it was phenomenal.  Words cannot even begin to describe the culinary experience that the When Words Count Retreat has to offer.  Chef Paul is by far the best chef whose food I have had the pleasure of eating.

To all the writers out there reading this blog, make yourself take a retreat this year.  Retreats can span from a weekend getaway to a two-week stay.   It is a great way to escape daily life and focus solely on your writing.  Take advantage of the option to have a session with a writing coach.  Another writer’s perspective is always helpful.  And if you are at a retreat with other writers, make new friends and get to know their stories.  It is a rewarding experience.  You’ll never know what they have to teach you or what ideas they can stir up in your vast imagination.

I am obviously very partial to When Words Count Retreat, and plan on making at least a yearly excursion to Vermont.

For more information on the When Words Count Retreat, click here for the website.

Also, be sure to like them on Facebook as they hold several sweepstakes throughout the year.

Happy writing!!

The breathtaking scenery (c) 2014, Amanda Headlee