9 Great Writing Retreats You Should Visit
Why am I writing about 9 great writing retreats you should visit? Because I think retreats like these are woefully underused. Before I started writing professionally I’d never heard of writing retreats. Now I don’t know how writers can do without them. Writing whilst living in an urban environment and working a nine-to-five is tough. Even if you don’t do a nine-to-five and earn enough from writing to cover living costs, it can still be a slog.
The grind of urban living, whilst offering plenty of material for the writer’s imagination, can be an enemy of the creative process. As can the needs and demands of others. Yes, I said it. There is nothing wrong with looking out for number one sometimes.
If you don’t spend some of your time on yourself, people will use your time up for what they need and you will only have yourself to blame. Whether it is locking yourself away in a study or a remote cottage, it is vitally important to carve out time for yourself not just as a writer but generally.
It’s not about locking yourself away for weeks or months on end. The myth of the writer doing this to emerge months later with a masterpiece is exactly that… a myth. Despite its solitary image writing is very much a collaborative process. You need feedback to improve your work. You need other people’s eyes on it.
I can guarantee that the earliest writers had a person or cadre of people whose opinions they valued and sought out. We don’t always hear about these unsung heroes and heroines, although in more recent times it is now the norm to wax thankfully at the front or back of one’s book. And that’s only right.
However, for many of us, there are no trusted muses. Very few of us have a cadre of people waiting to read our work and offer up constructive advice. Relatives who think everything you do is genius, unfortunately, carry little sway in the field of publishing. So where do we get such guidance?
Writing retreats offer an invaluable opportunity to not only gain incredible feedback on your work but also gain a network of people willing to help you develop as a writer. The right retreat can offer the perfect balance of solitary writing time and enriching social time among like-minded people.
These retreats can help get you past that block or help you bring that embryonic idea to life or even finesse the 3 Big Firsts Every Script Should Have, which I covered in a previous post. Below I’ve listed a few retreats that I think are worth visiting. If you can get to one you will be doing yourself a great service and very likely have an unforgettable experience.
A Writer Within
A Writer Within is a writing retreat held in Tuscany, Italy, where your host, Kathryn Kay, works with writers in group meetings and private writing workshops. Attendees are met at the airport in Florence and driven 45 minutes to a beautiful villa where you can relax in the lovely surroundings of the olive grove, enjoy the privacy of your own room and enjoy delicious food. In your free time, you can take part in guided tours of nearby historical places of interest and soak in the Tuscan atmosphere.
Circle of Misse
Circle of Misse is an ideal writing retreat for both budding writers at the beginning of an idea and more experienced writers trying to move on from the first few chapters. Situated in the small farming commune of Missé in the most southern part of the Loire Valley, Circle of Misse offer customized stays.
You will be provided with a comfortable room, delicious food and wine, and the freedom to use the time in a way that suits your creative process. Choose to work undisturbed on completing your unfinished project or choose to be mentored. It’s up to you and all with the option of group discussions and progress check-ins. There are social activities that include wine cocktail hour, movie night and open mic for those who want to read their work.
Hamlet’s Hideaway
Hamlet’s hideaway in Fredensborg, Denmark, is designed for people who need a few moments of peace in their hectic lives. This retreat offers the opportunity to share ideas and inspiring moments with writers from all over the world.
Participants will stay at the historic Fredensborg Royal Inn, next to Fredensborg Castle in Denmark. With a daily workshop led by writing professionals not only on writing but also topics such as marketing for publication, writing personal stories and research.
But there is plenty of time left to explore local attractions, such as the Royal Danish Library and the Hans Christian Andersen Cemetery.
Retreats for You
This traditional 1600s thatched house rests deep in the heart of the beautiful North Devon countryside, where you can enjoy great British cooking. It is up to you how you use your time in this idyllic setting. Choose the solitary comfort of a quiet room or spend time with like-minded people in the comfort and warmth of the woodburning fire.
Enjoy the “Just Write Weeks” for writers who need some extended writing time, in addition to themed opportunities like editor-introduction weekends and development retreats that accompany the novel.
Constructive feedback on your work is on hand if desired, as well as lovely country walks and a local pub.
The Garsdale Tutored Retreat: Novel Writing
The Garsdale Retreat is a creative writing retreat in the remote and beautiful setting of The Yorkshire Dales. If this setting doesn’t inspire you I don’t know what will. It is a matter of a short walk to some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the UK.
The retreat provides inspirational courses, such as The Novel Writing Retreat, tutored by professional writers. This is a four-day course for writers who need time and assistance moving forward with projects.
The Garsdale Retreat also offers daily writing workshops on effective writing techniques and offers individual tutorials.
Casa Ana Creative Writing Retreat
A complimentary mini-bus ride from Malaga airport transports you to Casa Ana which is located near the beautiful Alpujarra and Sierra Nevada National Park, where you can enjoy breath-taking mountain scenery and historic villages.
Each day you can enjoy delicious meals combining Spanish and Moroccan flavours prepared by the chefs, all included in the price.
Casa Ana hosts four to five creative writing retreats each year, each lasting from one to two weeks. You can choose to work uninterrupted in your own room or take part in part in groups led by published authors with years of experience in teaching.
Krouna Writing Workshops
This retreat is held in the stunning surroundings of Papingo, Greece, and hosted by writers Henriette Lazaridis and Rebecca Morgan Frank.
Krouna Writing Workshops’ six-day retreat is one of the more demanding retreats on our list. This is really for the focused and determined writer who has got some of the work completed on their project.
There are daily group workshop sessions where facilitators analyze up to 100 pages of manuscripts. Each participant also receives one-on-one consultation on their project.
But don’t worry it’s not all work, work, work. There is plenty of time for free writing, taking part in discussion groups, tours of the beautiful surroundings, as well as ouzo and canapés at sunset.
Story Rebels
Story Rebels creates unique and immersive environments that take writers, artists, and creatives out of their comfort zones and into new perspectives.
Writers are led in search of individual stories in magical places and wonderful spaces all over the world. Malika Ali Harding, an American writer, photographer, and wanderer is the founder of this travelling writing retreat, which has hosted retreats at various locations.
This year’s retreat is delivered in Manteigas Portugal where writers will be invited to enjoy the heritage and hospitality of spaces from Lisbon to the mountains of Serra da Estrella and the picturesque landscape of Casa De São Lourenço, where you will tour, stargaze and relax in spas. But don’t worry there will be plenty of time for writing as well!
Paris Writers’ Retreat
Wendy Goldman Rohm, New York Times bestselling author and respected Literary Agent, hosts this five-day retreat in Paris, now in its 12th year.
The group activities take place in a private loft in downtown Paris, however, participants are responsible for securing their own accommodations but the hosts can help with this.
This retreat is limited to 15 writers who participate in a series of personalized workshops, group readings, networking events, and writing activities throughout the five days.
Rohm has developed quite the reputation for inspiring writers to new heights and even has fans among literary agents.
That’s it for now. There are other retreats I can recommend but I will leave this as a starting point for those interested in giving the writer within the space they need to create.
I will end with saying this. There is something genuinely inspiring in being with a group of people who are in the same mind space as you as a writer. If you are genuinely interested in pursuing your writing, either professionally or as a hobby, having been on a number of them, I cannot recommend retreats highly enough.
Happy writing!