My At-Home Fall Themed Writing Retreat

For me, nothing screams “fall” more than pumpkin spice, colorful leaves, sweaters, and writing all day 🍂☕ So what better way to enjoy the second day of fall then to dedicate the whole thing to writing?! 

In 2023, I organized a little fall-themed writing retreat for myself (you can read all about it here), and enjoyed it so much! So, naturally, I wanted to do something special this year. 

If you’re a writer needing some motivation or a fun way to spruce things up a bit, then stick around! I’ll talk about what I did, then share some ideas for hosting your own writing retreat. 

What my retreat looked like

There were a few things that were important to me as I planned this retreat. The first thing was that I wanted the day to be as laid-back as possible. I planned on making a schedule, but knew that I probably wouldn’t stick to it 100%. It would serve as a guideline to keep me on track & not get overwhelmed. 

I also wanted some yummy fall foods/drinks to make it more cozy and seasonal. I had chai tea, hot cocoa, pumpkin eggnog, extra cheddar goldfish, and mini pies on hand—and if you’re curious, yes, I had some sugar rushes 😂

Another thing that I wanted was to have writing prompts available during the retreat. That way, I would have some help if I got stuck at any point in my story. I wrote out a bunch of different words on my notes app and tucked it away as a handy reference. 

Additionally, I knew that it would be more fun if others were involved too! So, I reached out to my writer friends and told them what I was doing. Two of them decided to do their own mini retreats on the same day. 

The day before my retreat, I prepped my workspace to make it as cozy and functional as possible. In a little box on my desk, I kept some of my snacks, airpods, bluelight glasses, pens & pencils, a phone charger, and a notebook.

My space was prepared, my snacks were available, and the whole day was blocked out to do nothing but writerly things. 

With that, I was ready to tackle my goal: brainstorm & write a full short story in one day. 

My day began at 7:00 in the morning with my quiet time & chocolate creme pie. After that, I wrote up my schedule for the day. 

At around 9:15, after a nice prayer time, I started gathering my writing prompts and brainstorming. There, I started putting my story ideas together. (I had been passively thinking about that plot the few days leading up to the retreat, so I wasn’t starting from scratch.) 

At 10:15, I brought a bean bag chair outside to start drafting the story. The weather was beautiful, and it was so quiet and peaceful. There wasn’t much fall foliage, but some leaves were starting to change color. During that one hour writing session, I wrote about 650 words. My progress was a bit slow, since I didn’t fully understand the plot and was hoping that it would unfold itself as I wrote. 🤪

The next thing on my schedule was to play music (on the piano or my lyre) for a half hour. But, rather than doing that, I spent time with my mom. We talked about my story and she helped me put together the missing pieces of the plot! She was my absolute hero! On top of all of that, she surprised me and made cheddar broccoli soup for lunch (one of my favorite meals). 💖

From 11:45 to 12:45, I was back at my desk eating lunch and drafting away. I also ended up with a glass of eggnog to fuel me! I think I wrote around seven or eight hundred words that time. 

When that session was finished, I went outside and walked for a bit. I was able to pray, get some fresh air, move around, and clear my head. 

I came in at around 1:15. The next thing on my schedule was to go on Canva and design something pretty until 2:30. But, at that point, I was dealing with some cold-like symptoms and was very tired (but in good spirits!). My parents had gone out and my brother wasn’t home, so I just crashed on the couch and rested for a half hour. Then, I designed a collage that went along with the story I was writing.  

At 2:30, I took the chair back outside and pulled out my computer for a zoom call. My two friends hopped on the call and we did a writing sprint together. Basically, we chatted for a bit, turned off our screens & did some writing, then got back on the call and talked about how it went! It was great motivation, accountability, and community. I wrote about 400 words during our session. 

At this point, it was around 3:45 and I was in the zone. I didn’t want to stop anytime soon! I spent about an hour and a half writing, and finally finished up my short story. By the end of the day, I had written 3,269 words—the most I’ve ever written in just one day! 

Even though I was dealing with some symptoms all day, they never really hindered my progress. My retreat was so productive and enjoyable! I now have a completed short story, and a huge confidence booster that I can write way more than I thought I could. It was such a wonderful experience. 🥰

At-home writing retreat ideas

If you’re considering your own retreat, then here are a few things to get you started! 

Know what you want to work on. Whether that’s writing a short story, journaling, editing a project, drafting, or just using a totally random & new writing style. Make it fun—the focus doesn’t have to be productivity! 🤩

Do something to make it special. Maybe that looks like eating chocolate, busting out your coziest outfit, using a new journal. It could literally be anything! Also, you could totally make something delicious, complicated or not. I found 25+ fall flavored popcorn recipes that look so good! Well… most of them do. Some of them had me like 🥴 

Don’t stress it. Everything goes so much better if you’re not worried about it going perfectly. Writing flows best from a place of rest: spiritually, physically, and mentally. However it plays out, it’s gonna be good 🙃

Let others in on it! Making sure the date worked with my family’s schedule worked out really well for me. They knew when my retreat was coming up & how important it was to me. They really helped me make the day special. 🥰
Also, I enjoyed doing my retreat with other people (virtually). I felt a sense of community and camaraderie, and the zoom call helped break up my day. Being with other people made me feel like I wasn’t completely secluded the whole time. 

Involve God in all of it. I encourage you to pray about your retreat! God knows what the desires of your heart are, and He loves to bless His children with good things. He knows just what would make your day super special and memorable. I love this Smith Wigglesworth quote: “God is more eager to answer than we are to ask.”