For the last couple of summers--and looking forward to this upcoming one--I have abandoned my family and retreated to my family cabin in the woods outside of a little central Utah town called Mount Pleasant. It's my "writing retreat", a place I go to in order to more clearly focus on my writing. There are a few steps that I take, which I'm going to outline here, in order to get the most out of the time I'm away. While it's a procedure that's unique to my situation, I know other authors will do similar sorts of things in order to get a lot written at a single time. Whether or not anyone who reads this can use this advice is...well, immaterial. It's out there now.
Before I Go
Before I go, I make sure that there isn't anything to slow down my work. I spend the week or two building up to the retreat by imagining my daily routine, picturing myself at the keyboard, the smell of the cabin in my nostrils and the sound of my instrumental music playing over the speakers. I purchase or check out from the library albums that I'd like to listen to, again making sure that they're instrumental only (lyrics end up getting transcribed into my writing, so I can't write to songs with words in them). I check out a couple of movies that I've been meaning to watch but never gotten around to yet.
Most importantly, I make sure that I have enough of the story to write that I will be able to make it as productive as possible. I outline lightly on note cards, with a rough calculation that each card will be between 1,600 and 2,000 words when it's typed up. With that as an imprecise guide, I make sure that I have enough material to write my goal. Generally speaking, I try to get between 30- and 35,000 words down. That means I need approximately 17 to 22 cards, possibly more, ready so that I can write toward my goal.
I can't stress this part enough: The only way I get over 30,000 words in three days is that I walk into the cabin with my story ready to rock and roll. I'm not fully an "outliner" nor am I a "pantser", but I'm a bit in between. Having the world built and the plot sketched out twenty scenes/chapters ahead is how I plan on utilizing my time to its best level.
Writing as a Job
I break my day into a strict schedule: I wake up, take a nature walk (it's about a mile to take a scenic loop from the cabin and back), shower, eat breakfast, and then read. I bring with me a handful of books that I'm reading--usually something classical (still working through The Iliad), something light (a fantasy novel usually), and maybe something historical. The reading only takes about thirty minutes--ten in each--and it's done to give a little variety to the day. Sometimes I read while I eat breakfast...that much I leave to wiggle room. But by the time 10:00 comes, I am in the seat, writing.
And I just go. I've found that I get more productive the longer I go--the story requires less effort to get out, I don't get as distracted, and the speed increases. This means that from 10 until noon, noon-thirty I am only pausing to pick up a new card or to switch the CDs. Other than that, I'm pounding away.
When lunch comes, I take a 45 minute break. If I can, I bring up a TV show on DVD. That way, I can watch one episode while I eat some lame lunch--chips and bagel bites, that sort of thing--before I put away the distractions and hit the keyboard again.
The post-lunch session is longer--I usually don't stop until 4:30 or 5:00, depending on where I am for the daily goal. I generally want between 12,000 and 15,000 words per day (for the full days, that is; fewer on travel days), and I tend to get the most words done at the end of the session. If I'm really moving, I've been known to put down more than 2,000 words in an hour. I don't know what others do, but I've heard told that many writers view 1,000 words a day as their goal. (Because I only do this writing once a year, it doesn't burn me out on writing intensive days. I doubt I would have that sort of output if I were a professional writer, as I would have other things to do with my time besides just write.)
In a lot of ways, I treat the writing process of the trip as a job: I'm there on time, I take breaks when I feel them, but I don't get distracted and I don't lollygag. The entire point is to be free of distractions in my internet-free, no cell-coverage cabin. If I waste that time with plotting details, doing research, or getting sidetracked by any number of possible other options, then I'm really wasting a rare opportunity. I've finished more books in the last two years because of this (and NaNoWriMo) than I had in the first five years of my marriage. (Admittedly, these books are shorter than that one, but I think the point still stands.) What I'm saying is, the only thing I'm there to do is write, and I can't let anything distract from that.
Rewards
I am, however, a guy who is incredibly carnal, selfish, and habitual. I love my creature comforts, and though I like to cook, I also like to eat out. So I reward myself at the end of a long writing day (which goes by way too fast). Once I've finished my daily goal, I head into town. There I get a diner dinner, or perhaps take in a movie from the local theater. I stop by the grocery store if I'm wanting a different drink for while I'm writing, or whatever else strikes my fancy. I also call home and chat with the family, once I'm in cell service areas again.
When I get back from my dinner, I turn on the TV and veg. I watch the movies I've been missing. I read a book. I decompress. I basically spend four to five hours--maybe even six--relaxing and recharging. Sometimes I take an evening walk. Whatever the case is, I make the day about writing and the night about relaxing, striking a balance that keeps me interested in my story without making me dread the next day's work.
Write Away From Home
That's it. I know it's not something that everyone can afford--if you don't have a cabin, you have to rent a hotel room, and that's hard because there's WiFi and the endless allure of the Internet, plus a pool and you're paying a lot more than the cost of some groceries and a couple of dinners for one at a restaurant. And the time away from work and family can be taxing. Because my wife and I are both teachers, we have summers off, which takes care of work, and she can watch the boys while I'm away for half a week. It's an incredible show of support to me, especially because she worries about my depression and what that might do to me when she's away from me. Of course, writing helps me cope with my depression, so it's usually a pretty okay situation.
Anyway, if you're a writer who wishes she had more time to write, there are ways of slamming out a lot of words in a (comparatively) short amount of time. This is one of them. I recommend it.
Dang.
Now I wish it were summertime.