Write away
Why should you go on a writing retreat? Tina Jackson highlights some of the many benefits
What could be better than going on holiday? Well, if you’re a writer, the answer is probably ‘going on a writing holiday’. Because, let’s face it, going on a normal holiday, where it’s supposed to be about relaxation, or exploring, or adventures, or hedonistic levels of partying, is never going to offer the writer the same thrill they feel as getting into the writing zone and spending an intense period of creative time with their own words.
If you’ve never been on a writing retreat before, get it on your radar. Imagine the benefits of devoting a period of uninterrupted leisure time to pursuing your passion. And don’t think that there’s only one type of retreat, and that it involves solitary confinement and never speaking to another human being. That would be heaven for some writers, and hell for others but whatever kind of writer you are – there’s a writing retreat to suit you and open up new doors for your work.
WHAT KIND OF WRITING RETREAT COULD I GO ON?
• Tutored retreat
On a tutored writing retreat, a group of participants takes part in workshops and exercises led by an experienced writer. On a tutored retreat, you might focus on a particular aspect of writing or the writing process, ie starting a novel, writing nature poetry, getting started in life writing, or creating characters in fiction. A typical day might start with a tutored workshop after breakfast and include allocated writing time, lunch, another workshop and perhaps an evening activity. Solitary time will be built into the structure of the retreat so that each person has time to think, process what they’ve learned and work on their own projects in the light of what they’ve discovered during the workshops and tutorials.