“In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion.”

[The Minotaur]”
― Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays

Sometimes the hardest thing to do as a writer is to find time to write. I know that for myself, I often go to bed with the best of intentions: “I’ll write first thing in the morning and if that falls through, I’ll get some time in the afternoon and if that doesn’t work then I’ll write when the kids go to bed.” What happens the next day, you ask? Nothing. Life gets in the way-kids won’t nap, laundry piles up, the dog needs a walk. By the time the kids go to sleep I can hardly string a coherent sentence together.

I was lamenting about this problem the other day while bouncing a teething baby on my lap and I came across this link while scrolling through Facebook.  A whole blog by School Library Journal about writer’s retreats for children’s writers! I gotta say that I read the page several times, day-dreaming about each retreat.

Look at those cozy cabins!

Wow, the view from that place!

Could I really sneak away to Oregon??” 

While I probably can’t make it to Oregon (at least not this year), there were so many other retreats that seemed doable. The list had something for everyone and I am desperate to go.

“You mean there is a quiet place I could focus on my writing? No screaming kids? No barking dog? Sounds like heaven!” 

So if you see me picking up pennies on the street, just know what I’m saving for. Hope to see you there.