A Room of One’s Own (If only for a weekend): Sarah Todd Taylor

It was Virginia Woolf who espoused the necessity of a room of one’s own if one is to write fiction. Some lucky writers may achieve this with a private office or, oh such bliss, a heated cabin in the garden. For others, the room may be shared with the spare bed for visitors. And then there are those of us for whom life means the ‘room of one’s own’ is only achieved by banishing one’s spouse to elsewhere in the flat. Writing space can be hard to come by.

Which brings me to the joy of a writing retreat. For several years now I have headed up to the beautiful Gladstone’s Library in North Wales to write. Gladstone’s is the UK’s only residential library. Yes, you heard me, a library you can stay in. Sadly not among the bookstacks themselves, but in very comfortable rooms, many of which are decorated with bookshelf wallpaper.

All but two of my books have been ‘born’ or worked on at Gladstone’s and there is something magical about the place. I can get a month’s worth of words done in a weekend. A writing retreat can be a brilliant way to kickstart a project. Away from the pressures of life and without those ‘little jobs’ that will distract you, just begging to be dealt with, all you have to do is write, write, write. Last time I was at Gladstone’s I wrote 15,000 words over two and a half days. And they’re not terrible…well, not all of them anyway.

That said, I do have some tips for how to approach a retreat to get the most out of it.

Firstly, it’s good to go with a plan – if you are a plotter like me and you want to get maximum wordcount done, plot out those chapters before you go so that you don’t have to stop and think about ‘what happens next’. You can just let the words flow (in-between stops for necessary tea and biscuits of course).

Secondly, scout out the local area around your retreat place for things to do during downtime. Gladstone’s has a beautiful park nearby that I go for a daily walk in. Check out where you might want to visit for a break and a rest to recharge the writing batteries.

Thirdly, take snacks!

The bulk of my writing life is snatching an hour here and there after work or at weekends, but once a year it is brilliant to get away from it all and sink into three day’s writing in one of my favourite places in Wales.

Plus, they make excellent scones!

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You can read more about Sarah Todd Taylor here.