Why it’s a great idea to go on a writing retreat

1. It won’t make you a writer, but it will make you a writer

One of the hardest things about writing, besides the actual writing, is getting those words out of your mouth: ‘I am a writer.’ Of course we rationally know that a baker doesn’t have to be baking 24/7 to be allowed to call themselves a baker, so neither do you have to constantly write to be a writer. Writing doesn’t even have to pay the bills for you to be a writer. But still, there’s that voice in your head that won’t allow you to say it out loud. 

Here’s the solution. If you go on a writing retreat, you get to say to people: ‘I’m going on a writing retreat.’ 

To which they’ll respond: ‘Oh, you’re a writer?’

And then all you have to do is say: ‘yes.’

2. No laundry

A writing retreat takes you away from all the distractions of daily life. You won’t have to make shopping lists, there’s no vacuuming or taking the dog to the vet. All there is, is time to write. You won’t even have to think about how to structure your days, we’ll do that for you. All you have to do is show up and write. 

3. The creative well

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from organizing writing retreats for over eight years now, is that at each and every one of our retreats there’s a specific kind of magic. It’s always there from the start, like the coming together of this group of writers has unlocked something. The magic shows up in different ways. Some are more tangible than others. During a writing session, the same bird will show up in three different stories. Or there will be a morning where half of the group decides to write about their mother. It’s as if for the length of the retreat, we all get to tap into the same source. And the source is not just feeding us, we are feeding it and each other as well.

4. Inviting your body to the writing party

At Wide Open Writing retreats, we always offer the option of starting your day with a yoga session. We love this part of our writing retreats. By starting our day with gentle movement, we allow ourselves to sink into our bodies. And then we get to take those bodies into our writing practice. We form words and sentences in our brain, but the story lives in the body.

5. Taking the writing ritual home

With everything that needs a place in our normal day to day lives, it can be hard to make space for a regular writing practice. At a writing retreat, you get to build a strong foundation for a writing practice. Dedicating a week to writing, can help you formulate a writing ritual that works for you. A ritual that you can take home with you, that will let you bring some of the writing retreat magic to your own desk.

6. Build a community 

How often do you get to spend a week with people who love writing just as much as you do? How often do you get to share your favorite poem and get to listen to other people’s favorite pieces of writing? To us, it’s pure luxury to be surrounded by people who share our passion for stories, whichever form they come in. It forms a connection that can always be called on when it’s necessary. Some of the people who have come to our retreats have formed book clubs or writing groups.

7. Individual attention

During our writing retreats, we always offer the option for a one-on-one session. You can use this session whichever way you want. Maybe there’s a story you’ve been working on that you would like to have feedback on. Or maybe there’s that synopsis for a novel that’s been laying around forever, because it’s hard to formulate a plan for how to actually write it. Our retreat leaders are skilled writers who can help you talk through your writing questions.

8. Taking risks in life grants us the possibility to take risks in our writing

Giving yourself a week dedicated to writing can feel like a really big thing. Are you allowed to just be away from all the things that make up your day to day lives for a while to focus solely on the thing you love to do most? Of course we would say: yes, you are! But the step to come is still yours to take. It is you who has to brave the threshold. What stories lie on the other side? We can’t wait to discover it with you.

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Next May, Wide Open Writing is hosting its very first writing residency in Tuscany. Are you looking for a week that’s dedicated to writing, surrounded by delicious Italian food, optional morning yoga classes and evening salons to share your work with other writers? Think this WOW Residency might be for you. Read all about it here