Writing in Joshua Tree: Finishing Fahli in the Desert
- Chris Biggin
- Dec 17, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 19, 2025
(Joshua Tree Writing Retreat — Part 1 of 3)
For five days, I disappeared into the desert.
No notifications. No errands. No background noise except wind, birds, and the low hum of something in the background (which I think may have been an air force base up the road). I went to Joshua Tree with one clear intention: finish the prequel to IYANWA—a book called Fahli.
This is the first post in a three-part series about that writing trip. There’s also a video to go with it (below).
But first—why Joshua Tree?
Why Joshua Tree Is a Powerful Place to Write
Joshua Tree isn’t just visually striking. It’s serenely empty - and that was exactly what I needed.
The desert strips things back. There’s no phone distraction (I did take some photos of course), no TV in the home, no constant movement. Everything is exposed—rock, sky, and what I soon realized to be the most important thing, time. And for this book, the environment was perfect.
Weird thing to say, but writing in Joshua Tree felt like time was paused. The only thing that moved were shadows, and of course the sun. But the main high street being 20 minutes away, there was nothing to go to, or nowhere to hop between. No casual “I’ll just check this one thing.” The remoteness forced stillness—and that stillness created space for the story to surface fully, for which I'm incredibly grateful.
Writing Without Distractions (and Why That Matters)
What was crazy to me was I didn’t realize just how fragmented my attention had been until it wasn’t. The pressure of the phone disappeared, the world became calmer (goodbye doomscrolling), and the outdoor shower centered me on the planet. Sounds quite out there, but it was freedom like I hadn't felt before - wild.
What I found was no distractions doesn’t just mean fewer interruptions, it means your thoughts get longer. Deeper. Detailed. Scenes don’t stop halfway through. Characters don’t lose momentum because you had to switch mental gears.
In Joshua Tree, my days became simple:
Wake up
Write
Walk
Write again
Let the desert do its quiet work
That rhythm made it possible to finally move Fahli forward in a way I hadn’t been able to before.
What Fahli Is (Without Spoilers)
Fahli is the prequel to IYANWA. It's not a side story, not an afterthought, but a foundational piece of the world. I often explain that IYANWA is the second half of the circle, and FAHLI is the first.
It explores:
Origins
Life of death
How loss, protection, and choice shape what comes next
Writing it required emotional honesty and uninterrupted focus. The desert didn’t soften that work—but it supported it. There’s something about writing a story born from fragility and resilience while surrounded by a landscape that has both in spades.
The Desert as a Creative Mirror
Joshua Tree didn't rush me at all, but come the night time, it doesn’t comfort you either. The place I stayed had no curtains, so the blackness of the outside was both fascinating and quite uncomfortable. But ultimately, the night became a place for review, and the day a place for intense writing.
By the end of the five days, Fahli wasn’t just finished. It completed the circle, really in ways I didn't see coming.
Watch my first Video
In the accompanying video, I talk more about:
Why I chose Joshua Tree specifically
The creative pressure (and relief) of committing to finishing a book
A bit around the cabin!
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