Now and again, it’s a good thing to step away from the keyboard. Friday brought a break from the daily grind for my two favorite words: road trip. I packed up my truck and headed up I-5 into Washington. Destination? The 2008 Writers Retreat at the Dumas Bay Centre in Federal Way. Beginning Friday at noon, writers from around the area collected at the Centre for two days of talks, workshops, and panel discussions on a variety of writing-related topics.

The Dumas Bay Centre is a former convent, perched on a gorgeous tract of land overlooking Puget Sound. While the grounds are stunning, the Centre itself humble. My tiny room held a twin bed, a spindly desk, and a chair. The walls were godly white, unblemished by decoration. There was something about the smell of the place; one whiff of dust and cleaning products and I was seven again, at Sunday school in the church basement. Ah, the aroma of piety.

One of my favorite writer’s writers, Elizabeth Lyon, gave the keynote on the topic of Banishing the Three Blind Mice: Doubt, Distraction, and Perfectionism. If you write, you’ve no doubt met those stinkin’ rodents. Afterward, I sat in on her novel writing workshop and reconnected with the basics of the craft.

The real benefit of a gathering like this is getting to know your peers. Friday night was all about wine, cheese, and talk. I fell into a gabfest with Elizabeth Lyon and a handful of other writers about random current events, Oprah, electric cars and the presidential race. We might have talked about writing at some point too, I don’t recall.

More workshops filled Saturday morning. My personal picks were Heather Larson’s Freelance Writing talk (or as I call it, How I Paid the Mortgage While Wrestling my Novel), and Jacquie Rogers’s short story session. I came away with some new info from each. Then came the main event: lunch (mmm, lasagna), followed by author and poet Terry Persun holding forth on the business of writing. A great panel discussion with Sasquatch Books acquisitions editor Terence Maikels, agent Elizabeth Wales, and Terry Persun rounded out the event with some lively free-ranging discussion.

I found out about this retreat fairly late in the game, and I almost didn’t go. I’m glad I did. It was a good time in a gorgeous setting, talking about things I love and making new friends. Next year, this one goes on the calendar.