Welcome to the Virtual Writer's Retreat!

I am SO glad that you have made the commitment to hit "submit" on that article. Imagine the feeling when it's finally written and off your plate! You've taken the first step towards that AWESOME (also scary) feeling.

Today I'll be talking about what to expect during the retreat and how to prepare for our time together (including how to choose your draft).

What to expect

Time: The retreat requires about two hours of time commitment each day for 14 days (4 prep days and 10 revision/writing days). This is an average, and you can distribute that time in a way that is personalized to work for you (and I can help you do that!). For example, if you don't/can't work on weekends, then you don't have to. Just know that you might need to pick up some extra time during the week (again, depending on how fast you work on the different tasks). All tasks are designed to move the needle, no time will be wasted here!

Scheduling the Work: I am a big fan of shorter (1-2 hour) writing blocks implemented consistently over time. You don't need to block 2 hours in a row; you can divide the time up into two sessions during the day if you want. Your goal should be to reserve writing time during your most focused hours. That way, you'll get the most out of your time investment.

Much of this retreat will be asynchronous. There will be new material here for you to read or watch each day (some will likely be released ahead of time so you could even get ahead if you wish).

We will use a Facebook group for Live Q&A sessions and other sharing activities. Synchronous events like the Q&A sessions will be scheduled with consideration for all members' time zones.

We will also have one coaching call using Zoom. More information about when those will happen will come after I've surveyed the retreat participants for time zone information.

Participation: Just like we tell our students, the more you participate, the more you will get out of the retreat! Facebook will be a main source of interaction, and I look forward to "meeting" you all there, and on our Zoom call.

The teachable platform: The material in this platform is designed to be followed in sequence, though of course you can customize your own path by jumping around. Each "chunk" of content is called a lecture (this could be text, a video, handouts--whatever). When you finish the lecture, you can mark it as complete and move to the next one. When you log back in, you'll pick up where you left off.

Facebook group: We will have a closed Facebook group for easy interaction on the go and to use Facebook live.