Recently, I had the privilege of spending time at Grand Harbor Marina at Pickwick Landing on my brother’s sailboat. Let me tell you, it was way too restful.
There is nothing like sitting under a red-faced moon, with a sprinkling of stars overhead and a mild early summer wind a’blowin’ to inspire you to write like nobody’s business.
Funny thing is, I could write on my troublesome WIP, or another story, even one that I just dreamed up as I walked the piers at the marina looking at beautiful watercraft- but, what did I do? I wrote on this blog post, instead.
The purpose of said post? To inspire someone. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and I am she.
I believe truly that you can be inspired just about anywhere at any time, but if you want to REALLY be inspired, get away from your norm.
Leave the house, drive a few minutes away, leave all your interruptions behind. I had no Internet connection at the marina, no telephone service, no nothing but water, sky, seabirds and to some extent, salvation. I finally found enough quiet to hear my muse talking.
That is what we all need. SILENCE. Yes, total utter peace and quiet. If you listen to silence long enough, you will hear the voices begin to speak. I promise you it will happen! And once it does, you better have that laptop or journal handy because there will be some GREAT stuff falling from your fingertips.
Here is a little checklist for your retreat:
1. Take a drive a couple hours away from home. Being alone is not required. I had the captain(my brother) of the Last Resort (the sailboat’s name) with me and he was a great retreat buddy because he read, napped, handed out snacks, and waited patiently for me to go to bed so he could. I am now past midnight writing this to you, filled to the brim with happiness at just being able to THINK clearly and thoughtfully.
2. Get to the place where you need to be in order to create. I like nature. I like silence, or very little man-made noise. The things I hear right now are chimes from the gentle breeze blowing, a whirring of rigging, a fan blowing on me and music of my choice on my laptop. It is wonderful!
3. Sit at your laptop, or notebook, and begin writing something even if it is a blog post to me. Tell me what you hear, what you smell, what you are thinking, what is bothering you. Better yet, begin working on that WIP that you have been putting aside for so long.
4. Don’t overdo it! You want to leave that muse happy, not exhausted!
I hope you find this helpful!
