Off to the Cape to write…

The beach near our rented house. It’s my understanding that portions of this beach are reserved for the piping plover, a shore bird whose populations have suffered because of human activity on the beaches, and I did get to see some, which, as a novice birdwatcher, was a real thrill!
I’ll be up in Cape Cod this week for some much needed quiet time.
The writing life can be crazy, because no matter what anyone tells you about your writing coming first, you can’t always make the time you need to sit down and get to it: there is the job (most writers have some kind of job in addition to just writing). There are family and social responsibilities, house cleaning, errands, and marketing/promoting your work. Then there’s anything else you want to do, like podcasting, projects, and volunteer positions.
Yeah, I know, a retreat sounds like a big vacation or a week-long drinking party. And, sometimes, it might have some time like that each day, especially after everyone’s been off in their corners working in the silence for eight to ten hours. But mostly? A good writing retreat is one that is productive…and it’s always important to find a place that’ll work for you.

When I arrive at a retreat, usually before I even unpack my stuff, I have a cocktail. Last year it was a martini. This is up on the third floor porch, which has a stunning view, especially at night–it’s like you can reach up and touch the stars.
Cape Cod is that place for me. Check out these photos from last year’s retreat…I shared a house with several other writers from Broad Universe (you can learn more about this fantastic networking organization here: https://broaduniverse.org/

It’s also important to take a little downtime to enjoy your environment. On the first nice day we got, we hit the beach and made a few discoveries.
Posted on May 20, 2019, in Deep Thoughts & Fun Stuff, The Writing Life and tagged Broad Universe, Cape Cod vacations, places to go for writing time, writing places near the ocean, writing retreats. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Comments.
Most of us folks from Massachusetts joked about the traffic to and from the Cape. Did you encounter the usual jam on the bridges? Bet you had time to write a chapter or two while you were waiting…..
No, my travel was actually smooth sailing the whole way! It’s still before Memorial Day, plus I was driving in the middle of a Monday. When I used to go to Provincetown in the winters for the Norman Mailer thing, I used to do the same thing–always leave in the middle of a weekday. It makes things so much nicer.
Oh, yeah. And I don’t do Cape Cod in the summer.