I renewed a commitment to myself this year. I took some time and intention to remind myself that I’m a writer. And writers are writers because they write. So, I’ve worked to build a content calendar and make regular weekly posts here and on Word Ninja. (Subscribe to both if you’d like fresh weekly content served up straight to your inbox!)

I’d taken a weekend away in January to go to the Kohler Resort in Wisconsin. It was something I booked right after Kallie died to help me with something new and different to look forward to. It was a nice change of pace, but at the time, it was difficult for me to enjoy it.

Since then, I’ve spruced up my writing enclave at home with a sign to serve as a daily reminder. I see it early in the morning when I work out, and it makes me smile when I glance over when I’m writing. I’d forgotten how little touches like this can make a huge difference in my writing output. Sometimes, a visual reminder of something can act as an accelerant.

Not long after the Kohler excursion, I decided, as I recommitted to writing, to take myself away on a writing retreat to Wisconsin. (Why Wisconsin? Firstly, it’s easy for me to access from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, and secondly, I’d picked Door County after having camped there years ago because it was bucolic, quiet, and serene.)

I found this house on Airbnb and booked a few days, embracing Ken’s “why not?” spirit. So I packed up my Mac and my stack of notebook scribblings and headed to Wisconsin for a few days of writing immersion. To say it was idyllic would be an understatement. It was perfection. And it served as a foundation for how I want to show up as a writer going forward.

But like any project where you expect results, you have to go in with a list of things you want to accomplish. I bought flipchart paper to stick up around the cottage and write down thoughts, brainstorms, and a narrowed-down list of projects I wanted to accomplish. And by the time I left, I’d made a big dent in a list that includes

• Beginning an outline for a new book project
• Tightening up two essays
• Reviewing/updating both of my websites
• And a few other miscellaneous and sundry things.

It felt good and purposeful. And it won’t be my last writing retreat.

The weather was cool and rainy, which was perfect. Without the hope of outdoor activities distracting me, I was “forced” to sit on the enclosed back porch and work for hours, pecking away at the keyboard of my Mac. And I loved every second of it.

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