Pocket Retreats

As much as a rhythm of seasonal retreats anchors my practice, most weeks I am not on a retreat. Most weeks it’s the near daily work at the desk, the rhythms of care. The piles of books, the pot of soup, the floors swept.

Charlotte Donlon has created a wonderful 4 part cycle that can be molded into retreats that fit the flow of daily life. The retreats can be 40 minutes, 4 hours, or a full day, but the cycle is the same: sit, read, move, and take notes.

After using Charlotte’s beautiful rhythm in my own practice, I’ve made a few adjustments.

Read :: Write :: Walk :: Reflect

Read

My favorite thing to read on retreat is the “Art of…” interviews from The Paris Review. I’ve got a stack of interviews printed out, and I love to read slowly and annotate.

Write

10 minutes. Or even 7! Does that feel like a cheat? Like you should get more writing done because you’re on a retreat? That feeling means you’re on the right track! Maybe try a one word prompt in the voice of a character from your larger work?

Walk

Move from the page to the world. This is the essential work of the writer. You might even consider moving this to the beginning of the retreat.

Reflect

In her Daily Nourishment posts, Charlotte asks the very best questions. These are the sorts of questions that can lead to good places. Reflection—at the end of a writing session, at the end of a retreat, at the end of a project—helps a writer acknowledge and celebrate where they’ve been and make a few plans for what comes next. Emily Stoddard calls these field notes.

This simple rhythm can be a reliable foundation. It’s a way to Decide Once, to build a scaffold so the time isn’t just empty. I aim for an hour retreat each week and a longer 4 hour retreat a few times each year.

Because of the paid subscribers here on Substack, I’ve got plans for an end of June retreat at a rose garden to celebrate this season of creative work! Can you imagine such bounty?!

What might happen if you devote yourself to this practice?