I’m a writer. I like to write. I like having a nice, quiet place to write.
I’m a dad. I like being a dad. I like doing fun things with my kids.
Unfortunately, those two things aren’t compatible. It’s impossible to find a nice, quiet place to write with four kids around.
Some writers deal with this problem by going on a writer’s retreat. They get away from distractions by going off to a nice resort or spa. Unfortunately, as a writer who hasn’t made much money writing, I can’t afford a traditional writer’s retreat.
I drive a mini-van. It’s an old mini-van. Aging vehicles need maintenance–belts, fluids, filters, tires and such.
What does this have to do with writing? Well, when I took the mini-van in for maintenance, I brought my laptop–I took my writer’s retreat at the car dealership!
On the day of my appointment/retreat, I arrived at the dealership very early at 7:00 AM. I was actually happy when they told me they were going to keep the car all day–I had a full 10 hours for my writer’s retreat!
I set myself up in the dealership’s waiting room. It’s a fairly large room with reasonably comfortable chairs, free wi-fi, complementary fountain drinks, and unlimited popcorn. It also contains a large television. I picked a chair with a nearby electrical outlet, but no view of the screen. Surprisingly, the television wasn’t much of a distraction. Three hours of local news are easy to tune out when they repeat the same stories every twenty minutes. Also, it’d be difficult to find a television show more effortless to ignore than “Live with Kelly and Whoever.”
Of course, I wasn’t alone in the waiting room. People came in and out all day, but most of them spent their time gazing at their hand-held rectangles, only occasionally interrupting the quiet with short, one-sided conversations into their phones.
I didn’t spend all day in the waiting room. (Unlimited popcorn has its limits.) At lunchtime I wandered over to a nearby restaurant for some lunch. It was good to stretch my legs, and I came back to my waiting room chair refreshed, recharged, and ready to write.
It turned out to be a very productive day. I got more writing done in ten hours than I would have in three weeks at home with the kids. But, as great as it was, I wouldn’t want to do it too often. (I’m a dad, and I love being around my kids.)
Still, overall it was a fantastic writer’s retreat, and it didn’t cost me anything! (Well, except for the hundreds of dollars I paid the dealership for the mini-van maintenance.)