Recently I took a writing retreat for myself to work on a new book idea.

I wanted to go alone so I’d have the privacy to write without other people’s projections.

People have been asking "How did the writing retreat go?"

It's a hard question to answer.

Great, amazing, life changing.

My mind darts between all the things I experienced 4 days alone writing in the wilderness.

The storms, the fireflies, the moments of panic, peace, sorrow and joy...

A writing retreat isn’t just a single experience, it's many experiences rolled into one journey.

Each day came baring a gift of its own, each day I experienced new things, which makes it hard to sum up in a sentence or even a blog post.

Lucky, I kept a journal during my retreat to jot down my experiences in real time without having the distraction of social media.

I want to do a quick summary showing how rich this writing retreat was for me and how you can have an incredible journey of your own.

THE JOY

"Here there’s a great sense of peace - the creek bubbles “Come play!” the birds are happy and free. The wine - ruby red - Apothic - sings sunshine on my tongue - tastes like gemstones and the earth beneath my bare feet has a pulse - fast and excited… — "Here there’s a great sense of peace - the creek bubbles “Come play!” the birds are happy and free. The wine - ruby red - Apothic - sings sunshine on my tongue - tastes like gemstones and the earth beneath my bare feet has a pulse - fast and excited like a lover waiting to mate" - Excerpt from Writing Retreat Journal / Shane Manier.

“TIP 1: Book your retreat in an inspirational setting.”

Spending time alone in the mountains gave me a chance to really connect with Creator and truly be present in the moment.

There were so many moments of joy, where it soared all through my body.

Having such beautiful surroundings helped when I needed a break from writing, to bring me back to center.

Since I was writing about my life, it was easy to get submerged in my past.

By stepping outside and seeing the wide open scenery, I was able to get an instant sense of refreshing and comforting energy.

You discover things about yourself to celebrate, you can feel the gift of accomplishment, of being at peace and connecting to something pure in nature.

Out there alone, you realize the only thing you need at that moment is to be.

Spending time for my own personal goals held a great sense of self-love. It felt so amazing to do something for myself. Something that meant much more to me than I realized.

THE PAIN

"Had a moment of dread outside on the porch in the dark and just cried. Cried for a life gone. Cried for a life taken. Cried for the life I been too scared to return to - to live." - Excerpt from Writing Retreat Journal / Shane Manier.

“TIP 2: Be prepared for the painful moments.”

Our memories hold lessons and life shifts.

Being alone for 4 days trying to write down as many as possible within the time given is hard enough, but what’s harder is facing the bad memories in a place where you can't help but be submerged in them.

I booked my private retreat in a beautiful place in the mountains, but I also kept in mind the space where I’d be writing.

I grew up on the road in a trailer my family pulled from state to state, campground to campground. When I set out to write a book about my life growing up, I wanted to stay in a similar trailer so it would help with memory recall.

I knew painful memories would be part of the process.

I prepared myself for it and knew what to do when the pain of the past and the fear to continue writing hit.

It’s important to have a healthy structure in place for a writing retreat.

The memories seemed overwhelming at times, coming from everywhere, all at once.

I found myself turned around and twisted within them, jotting down memories as fast as I could.

When I was writing a poem that was hard to relive, I made sure I offered myself grace and took breaks when needed to process each line.

I knew all of this was important, and I knew it all had to be told regardless.

I found comfort in my persistence and found even in the pain, there was peace through the process of forgiveness.

Sometimes even the happiest of memories are hard to remember because nostalgia holds a tinge of sadness for what’s no longer there.

THE DISCOVERY

"Set free all those who are captive. Poets move more than mountains, you write history as you’re living it. You change the hearts and the minds of men. You breathe life back into the dead" - Excerpt from Writing Retreat Journal / Shane Manier.

“TIP 3: When you make time for yourself, you’re building self love.”

58 pages of poetry later.... After 4 days of little to no communication with the outside world, I came back with a great sense of accomplishment and rejuvenation.

The experiences out there were enough for a book of its own.

That's only in 4 days time.

Imagine a lifetime of setting retreats for yourself, the growth, the experiences, the things that could be accomplished.

I learned I can love myself enough to make time for things that matter to me.

I learned I was strong enough to write my story and make peace with pain.

I learned if you want to connect to Creator - then go to the source.

I learned it's okay to just be.

I learned that I don't need anyone's approval to tell my story.

That you can find yourself out there, that you’re worth the work and space.

Here are 6 lessons I wrote down in my journal from the retreat that I wanted to share:

Make time for this - it’s worth it.
Everyday is a chapter - capture it.
Crawdads are gangstas of the riverbed.
Open your eyes to all of this wonder, life. Be present in the moment as much as you can.
The dark doesn’t mean something wicked is waiting. Sometimes the empty spaces draw our fears out because we want to fill it with something. Learn to sit with the darkness and let it be itself, without having to fill it with your own projections and prejudice. Night comes different in the wilderness - the light of life can be found in sound - the creek, the trees, the crickets, the bullfrogs. They say the problem with man is that he can’t sit alone with himself. He’s got to conjure up something to do. Let the universe be what it is. Let yourself exist. In love, without having to try to prove your existence matters by what you do.
PROVE IT. WHEN THE LIGHTS COME BACK ON. PROVE LOVE. When the world is waiting, watching for a sign of what a human looks like, remind them of one.