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HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON A RETREAT?
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Back in July, I was invited to a writing retreat with fellow authors, Mona Pease and Cynthia Lord and I jumped at the chance to focus on my latest project. The three of us have been retreating for many, many years, sometimes on our own, sometimes with others. Sometimes our retreats are structured with a schedule for writing and feedback, sometimes the only thing scheduled is the kayaking.
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I'm often asked, "Why do you need to "go away" to write? Can't you just do it from home at any time?"
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When I schedule a writing day for myself at home, I have every intention of waking up with the sunrise like a school day. I imagine I'll start the coffee and open my manuscript on my laptop, my editorial notes and colored pens at the ready. I'll keep my butt in my chair all day, reading, revising, making progress. I might even finish my edits before supper!
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In reality, I wake up and start the coffee. I check my email quickly over my first cup, and then slide into playing Wordle. It'll only take five minutes, I tell myself, I have the rest of the day to write. I finally open my manuscript mid-morning and review those editorial notes. After an hour of writing, I think I hear something. Is that the laundry calling my name? Wanting the persistent to-do thought to stop interrupting my inspiration flow, I storm to the washer to throw a load in. As I'm adding the detergent, my husband finds me to report our son texted and wants to go to lunch. "Yes!" I say without hesitation. I can never say no to meeting up with my children.
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And just like that, I've sabotaged my own writing day.
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However, when I'm on a retreat with like-minded creators, my mindset changes. Talking with them over breakfast about my hopes and goals for that day and beyond puts me in a creative frame of mind. Even if I'm hosting writers in my own home, hearing the clicking of laptop keys or the turning notebook pages of other attendees keeps the laundry pile silent and my creative mind on task.
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Surprisingly, the inspiration I find on a retreat stays with me for weeks after we've said our goodbyes and gone home to our familiar writing nooks. The laundry seems less demanding, Wordle less important.
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As you read about my July writing retreat down below, remember retreats can come in all forms and sizes. They can be day, weekend or week long events. They can be held for a variety of goals such as illustrating, photography, mental health, family time, exercise, painting, or a combination of things. (Writing and wildlife watching are my favorites of course!) The group sets the rules, the time frame and the structure to suit the needs of the attendees. But however you set up your retreat, know that you'll come away from it inspired and energized, ready to continue to work toward the goals you've started. After all, you'll now have peers who'll be looking for you to share new and wonderful updates with them!
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Read on to hear about the day by day, ins and outs, of my retreat with Cindy and Mona. I hope it inspires you to create your own! You'll also find information on how to bring Cooper and Packrat into libraries and schools, a new middle grade book recommendation, and my latest wildlife sightings! Click the Cooper and Packrat adventures below to learn more about my series, including where to find them.
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As you glance through the pictures on the right, you're probably wondering, was there any actual writing done on this retreat?
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While I didn't get any pictures of us writing or collaborating over meals, you can bet we accomplished quite a bit. We make the most of very minute!
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Mona, Cindy and I have a rhythm to our retreats that pretty much stays the same each time. We try to gather in a rental home near water, but sometimes stay at my house. Each of us likes to have our own room, and meals are divided amongst us. Sometimes we're the chef, and sometimes we're waited on (which allows a bit more writing time). And we all appreciate the ability to kayak. Being on the water before the day begins and then again at the end is as much a part of our writing process as the actual act of putting words to document.
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We arrived one by one for our retreat right at move-in time. After scanning for possible writing nooks and unpacking our things (in that order), we headed to the lake for a quick kayak. Talking and paddling allows us to catch up on family and career news, so we won't be tempted to catch up during work time. We were pleased to discover that this Dexter rental had an all purpose trail going through the property as well! After supper, we curled up in the living room and I quickly shared what I'd be working on the next day, and in turn I received some excellent feedback to get me started.
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At sunrise on Day Two, we slid our kayaks into the water again. It's always such a quiet, peaceful way to start our day. Being on and by the water helps clear my mind. I solve many plot and character problems from the kayak!
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Later, as we feasted on bagels and fruit brought by Cindy, we discussed our goals for the day and projects we're working on. By mid-morning, we could be found in comfortable writing places around the house. I'd chosen to work on my very first newsletter using the notes from the night before, and by lunch I was feeling quite confident with my content.
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Over sandwiches and salad brought by Mona, we talked some more, then returned to our writing. For the afternoon session I decided to pull out my latest manuscript and ended up revising four chapters, only getting up for a bottle of water and some chocolate. Twice. If the dirty socks back home called out, I didn't hear them. I was in the zone.
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Supper was make-your-own-pizzas, one of my specialties. Since the wind had picked up dramatically, we opted for a long sunset walk down the trail along the lake instead of kayaking. More talking and sharing and dreaming ensued as we collected steps after sitting all day.
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And Day Three of our retreat? The writing projects changed for me, and we finally got in an early evening sunset kayak ride, but the rest of the schedule was pretty much a repeat of Day Two. I accomplished so much!
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Day Four was departure day. Once again we rose early to get one last paddle in, then a breakfast, then it was time to hug and make promises to check in with each other on our writing progress.
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I'm not sure I'd be as far along with my revisions, or already working on my second newsletter, without the energy and enthusiasm from Cindy and Mona during our July retreat. Adding school days to my daily routine will hold me back a little of course, but knowing that we'll meet again soon and I'll be giving an update on my progress, keeps me plugging away at my goals.
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Based on Donn Fendler's, Lost On A Mountain In Maine, this graphic novel written with Lynn Plourde and illustrated by Ben Bishop is always a huge hit with our students!
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Read & Read S'more!
Lost Trail:
Nine Days Alone In The Wilderness!
If you love action, adventure and true stories of survival in Maine, you must read this graphic novel. It's definitely been a favorite book when taught in my 7th and 8th grade ELA classes.
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Here's a description blurb from Lynn Plourde's website:
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“I never should have climbed Katahdin in the first place. We had other plans.”
But in spite of Donn Fendler’s other plans, he DID climb mile-high Mt. Katahdin with his family and friends. But in a sudden July sleet storm, Donn got lost on the mountain. He was lost for nine days alone in the dense Maine wilderness, facing bugs, bears, and despair. But something inside Donn wouldn’t let him give up. He prayed, he fought, and he endured to become one of New England’s greatest survival stories."
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And there's more! Shannon and I will be able to compare and contrast Lost Trail with the Lost On A Mountain in Maine movie that's about to be released! Click the button below for more details on it!
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Cooper And Packrat In The Library,
The Classroom And Beyond!
I ran an all day, every day, recreation program in our campground for 25 plus years. Now I’m a teaching assistant in a Special Education, all inclusive classroom at Whittier Middle School in Poland. I have always loved working, speaking with, and teaching children of all ages.
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Click the buttons below to find the perfect way to bring Cooper and Packrat to your readers! I have limited dates for school visits still available.
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School Visits 2024-25
My most popular school visit is Descriptive Words Matter!
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Using wildlife photos from my hiking and kayaking experiences, I show how hands-on research helps me find the perfect describing words to create a clear picture for my readers. I also model how to layer describing words within a sentence. I teach that finding and using descriptive words can be fun!
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Library Visits
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Using my wildlife photography, I talk a little about what it was like running a campground, and a lot about my wildlife research for all five books. I explain how the wildlife behavior I'd seen through my camera lens inspired opening scenes and plots within the series. To wrap up, I also play an active wildlife fact game. Photos within the presentation include campground images, nesting loons and eagles, fox kit videos, backyard visitors and more!
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I love, love, love to read aloud! Reading aloud helps bring you closer to your reader and gives ample opportunity for thoughtful discussion.
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With this in mind, I created some virtual read-alouds for Cooper and Packrat's eco-mysteries. Each chapter has backstory commentary woven in to help inspire and jump start your reader's imaginations as they open to page one and dive into an adventure.
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Through the link above, you'll find free curriculum guides developed by Shannon Shanning, Maine's 2013 Teacher of the Year, as well as classroom activities such as notes on Priming The Pump before reading, research links for geocaching, loons and recycling, writing activities, science links and more. All of these fun activities have been tested several times and given a seal of approval by our students.
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Wildlife Sightings From
Lake Wassookeag
in Dexter, Maine
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Cindy, Mona and I saw a Hooded Merganser family each day we kayaked. They were quite elusive, the mother quickly sliding her family into a weedy area whenever we approached the dock. I felt quite lucky to snap the first pic! Females nest in cavities or wood duck boxes near small ponds or marshes, with openings anywhere from ten to fifty feet high. The female can have anywhere from five to thirteen ducklings and will raise them alone.
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Red-Winged Blackbirds are a particular favorite of mine. I remember choosing them for an elementary school research project, drawing and coloring my picture to hang on the wall. The center photo shows a male sitting high protecting its territory. The male will defend its nest aggressively, even if the predator is the size of a human or a horse.
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Late afternoon on our third day of our retreat, we'd gotten into our kayaks and were getting settled, when we spied the loon in the third photo. It was very low in the water, and seemed to be huddling in the back corner of the cove, against the edge of the water in the shadows. Something didn't seem right, and I wondered if it was tangled or hurt, so I slowly kayaked closer. Suddenly, Mona called to me softly from behind. At the entrance to our little cove, were two adult loons "pacing" back and forth.
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I wondered if there had been a fight. Was this loon hurt? Had it fought with the other two, who had been quite vocal about their territory every time we went out over the last three days? They had chased off a pair of eaglets, and an adult eagle on two separate occasions.
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The pair of loons slowly meandered away, possibly because we'd arrived on the scene between them and the lone loon. When they were out of sight, the loon in the photo rose higher in the water. It waited a minute, then dove quietly, reappearing amongst us to look around. It dove again. Resurfacing beyond us, it saw the coast was indeed clear, and it silently went on its way in the opposite direction of the pair.
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Click on the photos to enlarge them.
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