Guest post by author Randileigh Kennedy, who talks about writing in a creepy cabin in the woods & offers advice for the isolated writer. Read on:
Sage Advice for the Isolated Writer
There are a lot of things I love about being an author – the creative freedom, the sense of accomplishment when I finish a project, the extra income …. Hands down my favorite thing, however, is connecting with other authors. There are so many ways to keep in touch with people these days thanks to modern technology – email, Facebook Messenger, texting – but I thrive on meeting other authors face to face. It’s not always easy, but it IS always worth it.
Author Friends – Why They Matter
Every year, I attempt to pull off at least one “writing retreat.” It sounds fun, sneaking off to some remote cabin in the woods, writing a scary story about that exact creepy cabin – except, well, I’m a wimp. Once I think too much about it, I’m not cut out for writing alone at a cabin in the middle of nowhere.
Cue author friends.
One of my upcoming projects takes place near Lake Tahoe, so I decided to fly across the country to stay in a cabin by the lake so it would feel really authentic to me. Ironically, one of my favorite author friends in the universe (John Marrs, a brilliant thriller writer from the UK) was going to be passing through that area in May, so I decided to book my trip to coincide with his visit. We’ve been friends for years, I’ve read all of his books, and he supports every single book launch of mine – yet living continents apart, I never imagined we’d meet in person – until we did.
We sat in a local brewery right by the Lake Tahoe shoreline, talking as if we were old friends, sharing book information and talking about upcoming projects. He has encouraged me to branch out from my usual genre to try something new – and his support truly makes me believe I can do it. That meeting alone made the entire trip worth my time, yet there was more…
A Writing Retreat … Alone in the Woods
I scheduled a couple of extra days to write in the woods – although as the trip neared, the thought of writing in the woods alone really creeped me out. Luckily, in one of my Facebook groups, I found another local author in my genre who was interested in a writing retreat! Her name is Mary Frame, and she is a brilliant romance writer. (As fate would have it, we discovered we went to high school together twenty years ago, even though we currently live across the country from each other.) 
For two days, there we were – two authors who had never met before, feverishly writing and chatting about our progress, goals, and techniques – it was pure bliss. Honestly, every time I write with someone else, I learn more from them than from any book I’ve ever read.
Find Your Tribe: Advice for the Isolated Writer
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not encouraging you to meet up in a remote location with a stranger you just met on the internet – that’s pretty much everything my mother has warned me against my entire life. But I do encourage you to find your “tribe” – people who are just like you, people who are completely different from you who you still connect with, and people simply up for a getaway to pound out half a book over a long weekend. Find a spot that inspires you (for me, that’s always Lake Tahoe, Lake Michigan, or heck – even sitting by a stream under a pretty tree if that’s as far as I can “get away” from my regular life) and simply learn and connect and be inspired by another author with the same goals as you.
I’ve never met a more supportive “group” of people than the fellow authors I’ve come across on my writing journey thus far. They will share your book news, give you feedback on your work, use their talents to help you (editing, graphics, etc) and above all, they support you and encourage you through their own successes and triumphs.
Bottom line – find your people – find your spot – and let the rest pour out.
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