On writing retreats

I often find myself daydreaming of taking a few-week creative retreat, especially to a cabin in the woods or another secluded location, where I can write in peace and quiet. However, this is a reality that many of us cannot afford due to other responsibilities. I recently read Neil Burkey's Writers' Retreats: Literary Cabins, Creative Hideaways, and Favored Writing Spaces of Iconic Authors and one important passage stuck with me (emphasis mine):

“A retreat means different things to different writers at different times. For established, successful writers, or ones with the benefit of wealth, it might be an extra room in the house or a shed in the garden - perhaps especially built for that purpose. A place to find some peace while you knit your tapestry of words. Walls and a door to put you at a remove from external disturbances such as children or journalists. For others it might be a literal escape from persecution - or from the threat of death. It can also be more of a concept than a single location. A hotel room. A region. A movable feast.”

“Some authors are born with writers' retreats, some achieve writers' retreats, and others have writers' retreats thrust upon them. It's all down to class, political context, gumption, luck, and, of course, greatness. It's what they do with their writers' retreats that matters.”

When I fantasize about such a solitary getaway, I lose sight of the purpose of these writing retreats. I fail to recognize that taking a longer break is often unnecessary, and that thirty minutes of writing on the balcony might serve as a good substitute. Similarly, decluttering a workspace can help in finding a new environment for peaceful work. Writing consistently for a few minutes each day seems healthier than occasional bursts of inspiration. I'm leaving it here as a much needed reminder for myself.