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  • 14 Writing Retreats for Women: Dream, Then Apply

    14 Writing Retreats for Women: Dream, Then Apply

    If you’re looking for a women’s writing retreat then keep reading. We’ve curated this list of options just for you.

    Many people who identify as women feel their writing lives can be made all the more challenging due to their lives as women.

    Perhaps they are largely responsible for childcare or housework, putting their creativity on the backburner; perhaps they were not encouraged to follow their dreams and skills in the same way their male counterparts were.

    Whether or not that sounds like you, there’s no doubt many women writers crave the idea of retreating from their everyday lives to focus on their creative work with groups of like-minded women. Enter the writing retreat, made sweeter when you’re surrounded by other writers who are women who also get you. 

    Whatever your motivations for seeking out a writing retreat, you will likely find one that suits your needs.

    Retreats are an investment worth taking from time to time—you’ll get a chance to reset your creativity, be newly inspired and meet good friends.

    Is a women’s writing retreat just what you need?

    These women’s writing retreats happen annually (or many times a year), in a variety of North American and international locations.

    There are itineraries to suit all kinds of interests, plus budget-friendly (or free!) retreats as well as more luxurious options.

    Our team at The Write Life has not personally attended these retreats, so please consider this list as a starting point and do your own due diligence before attending.

    A stock image of a group of females sitting and standing, some looking at the presenter and some writing in notebooks. This is to illustrate the post with women's writing retreat options.

    Here are some women’s writing retreat options to consider

    1. Pink Pangea Travel Writing Retreats

    Pink Pangea is a community for women who love to travel, and in addition to holding online writing workshops, they run international writing retreats.

    While travel writing is the primary focus, writers interested in a broader range of genres are encouraged to attend.

    What’s special about Pink Pangea’s Travel Writing Retreats is several are held throughout the year, in different locations all around the world: Iceland, Switzerland, Spain, Israel, Greece, Portugal, France and Italy.

    The prices are a bargain and include many accommodations, which definitely make Pink Pangea retreats an affordable option for non-funded retreats.

    Pricing: Varies.

    2. Sacred Expression Women’s Retreat

    The Sacred Expression Women’s Retreat is held at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala a couple of times per year.

    In a peaceful and inspiring setting, the calming lake spread out below the resort plus the pointed volcanic peaks rising behind are just some things that will make it easy to engage in the retreat’s intimate and honest gatherings.

    The retreats incorporate yoga, meditation, and spiritual and creative expression. And the best part is participants don’t need to formally consider themselves writers—just be interested in a “self-exploratory creative and spiritual journey of the pen and heart.” 

    Before you register for one of the multiple retreat opportunities available, know the organizer admits this isn’t the best retreat for those who have a single project they want to focus on.

    Pricing: Starting at $2,650 USD.

    3. Page Lambert Retreats

    Nature writer Page Lambert has led some unusual and adventurous writing retreats for women for more than 20 years.

    Each retreat provides a secluded place to work on a novel, memoir or work of poetry. In addition to the unique kind of writing and artistic focus found here, adventures like hiking and snowshoeing will no doubt inspire participants in new ways.

    Writers can enjoy a retreat in the Grand Canyon, or one in Lambert’s renovated cabin in the mountains of Colorado, making it the perfect retreat for any writer who wants to be surrounded by thousands of acres of open space meadows

    Pricing: Starting at $2,472. USD

    4.  The Taos Writer’s Retreat

    Led by writer and personal growth pioneer Jennifer Louden, these writers’ retreats for women are mainly held in Taos, New Mexico, but she’s also hosted them in Mexico, California and other parts of the U.S. 

    Unlike many writers’ retreats for women that include daily yoga/meditation or activities designed to be therapeutic, the Taos Writer’s Retreat was created specifically to help women writers hone their craft and work on a project. 

    Jennifer’s retreats are for writers of all levels who work in various genres and have a story they intend to deepen, clarify and shape.

    Pricing: Starting at $3,510 USD. 

    5. Creative Revolution Retreats

    These retreats are held in Salta, Argentina, with Nicaragua and Costa Rica destinations in the past. The Argentina retreat is held in a three-bedroom private space in the heart of the city, so you know the only distraction you’ll have is resisting the urge to endlessly explore all the picturesque attractions.

    The philosophy behind the Creative Revolution Retreats is that all women have an amazing story inside of them. 

    “I want to help more women feel confident with their writing, finish their masterpieces and build professional careers.” —host Leigh Shulman

    No writing sample required, just a short questionnaire.

    Pricing: Starting at $2,500.

    6. Hedgebrook

    Hedgebrook is technically a writing residency, as successful applicants are given a fully-funded stay on a 48-acre peaceful country property for a period of two to four weeks, throughout the year.

    The beautiful handcrafted cabins that house the residents are tucked away on Whidbey Island in Washington State. While there, writers of all backgrounds and experience levels explore their work, share their processes and stories with other writers—not to mention tour beaches to see cliff top views.

    Fair warning: The application process is competitive! 

    Pricing: Free for all women.

    7. The Kentucky Foundation for Women Retreats and Residencies

    The catch with the Kentucky Foundation for Women Retreats and Residencies is you have to be a resident of Kentucky to be eligible to attend.

    However, if you meet the criteria, know the retreats and residencies are open to women artists of all genres who are committed to feminism and activism. If you also want to advance artistic expression and social justice for women and girls in Kentucky, even better. 

    Participants of all stages in their artistic and social change development are hosted in Hopscotch House, a renovated old farmhouse on the 10-acre property of a classic Kentucky ranch.  

    Pricing: Free.

    8. Storyknife Writers Retreat

    These two- to four-week residencies in mountainous Homer, Alaska are all about celebrating vital stories by women, whether they’re in the form of plays, novels, essays or memoirs. 

    Since these stories aren’t promoted as often as those authored by men, Storyknife Writers Retreat provides this time for woman-identified or nonbinary people to explore their craft in a distraction-free, supportive environment where each writer knows their work is valuable. 

    Pricing: Food and lodging is included so all you need to pay for is the application fee and travel to and from Homer, Alaska.

    9. A Writer Within’s Writing Retreats for Women

    Writer and editor Kathryn Kay hosts week-long writers’ retreats in a villa in Tuscany, Italy, where she invites women to use this time to expand the boundaries of their imaginations. 

    Here, all writers have to do is relax, attend workshops to learn how to master writing elements, generate new ideas and break through writing blocks. With the stunning views and mouthwatering cuisine to boot, Kay hopes participants can reconnect with their creative flow and write like they never have before. 

    To create a stress-free environment, all accommodations are taken care of, including meals, transportation, plus a robust schedule of outings and excursions.

    Pricing: Starting at $3,900 USD.

    10. Unplug and Write All-Inclusive Writers’ Retreat

    At author Jess Lourey’s Creative Writing Retreat in St. Paul, Minnesota, your focus will be on four objectives: Claiming your voice, nourishing your body, honoring your courage, connecting with your creativity.

    And as a tenured writing professor who has authored 20 books (and counting!), she has the skills and experience to help you accomplish those things through group workshops plus a private coaching session.

    While your mornings at the beautifully-restored Summit Avenue mansion will feature meditation, yoga and writing, you’ll be free to read or relax in the afternoons. This retreat is open to female writers of all stripes and stages.

    Pricing: Starting at $1,150 USD.

    11. Find Your Story: The Life Writing Conference for Older Women 

    If you’re an older writer looking for a writing coach to help you start (or get unstuck with) your memoir, Jennifer Westrom’s conference in Dallas, Texas is where you need to be. 

    As an author, writing coach and licensed professional counselor, Westrom focuses on telling and shaping the stories of older women. That’s why she hosts these guided writing events, where she assists writers with therapeutic writing exercises and instruction about story structure organization. At this retreat, Westrom aims to find and feel your story, so you can have more confidence writing it. 

    Plus, proceeds from Westrom’s event help women even more: all profits pay for long term, individual trauma counseling for women who want to exit work in the sex industry. 

    Pricing: Starting at $899 USD for the six week online version of this retreat.

    12. Poets on the Coast: A Weekend Writing Retreat for Women

    Authors Kelli Russell Agodon and Susan Rich bring poets together in La Conner, Washington to write, read, share work and be a part of a creative community. 

    Their main goal for Poets on the Coast is to support and encourage writers, so participants are welcome to spend this time however they choose. (Even if you only want to write to yourself and walk along the riverfront.)

    Since sessions are designed so writers can find something valuable to take away, there’s plenty of opportunities to nudge writers of all levels out of their comfort zones. 

    While Agodon and Rich give each writer personal attention to help them along individual goals, everything from the sessions, workshops, one-on-one’s with the authors, writing prompts and more are all optional. 

    Pricing: Starting at $559 USD (does not include lodging).

    13. The Salty Quill Writers Retreat 

    Imagine this: A week-long retreat on a 110-acre private island filled with rocky coves and beaches, fields, forest, and wildlife; days of uninterrupted writing time in rooms with ocean views; catered meals; and after-dinner readings and critiques. 

    That’s just some of what awaits you at The Salty Quill Writing Retreat for Women at McGee Island in Maine. In the real world, writing time is a luxury most can’t afford. That’s why this women’s writing retreat aims to help writers dedicate themselves to their craft. 

    After kayaking, hiking, boating, and enjoying relaxing (or adventure-filled) afternoons, you won’t want to leave this retreat. But when you do, you’ll leave with a renewed sense of purpose and value in your work—not to mention a brand new supportive community of writers.

    Pricing: Starting at $2,100 USD. Scholarships available. 

    14. Edgewalkers Women’s Writing & Walking Weekend

    Dr. Erika Jacobson is a creativity specialist who has spent the last 15 years helping people connect with their self-expression and creative source—when you attend this Edgewalkers creativity and walking retreat in Australia, she can do the same for you.

    Whether you need inspiration to start or revive a writing project, or if you just need time in nature to explore ideas and write, this is just the three-day retreat you need to discover how creative you truly are. 

    Set in the beautiful town of Margaret River, this retreat invites you to go on exciting walks and dive into storytelling and techniques as you learn from a dedicated team of artists. Most of all, go to celebrate your strength and how sensational you are.

    Pricing: Starting at $2,880 AUD.

    Want more options? We have another post on writing retreat getaways for all.

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  • 5 Lessons I Learned at My First Writing Residency

    5 Lessons I Learned at My First Writing Residency

    In January, I packed my car and drove 12 hours alone from Florida to North Carolina. This was not a typical road trip, but I had plenty of soul-searching planned: I was headed to the Penland School of Crafts, a bustling art school nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

    As I embarked on my first writing residency, I knew I’d be joined by artists from all over the country seeking a focused period of independent work. I was ready — or so I thought.

    I had packed and repacked the car. I had checked out helpful library books for research. I had acquired plenty of snacks. I had obtained not one, but two new notebooks waiting to be filled with the fresh inspiration that was sure to come.

    What I didn’t expect was to feel like a fish out of water, as the only writer attending during my two-week session. Being a lone ranger wasn’t a big deal. But I had no other writers to turn to for perspective, or for a boost of encouragement. It was up to me to forge my own writing path.

    I made the most of my time at Penland and returned feeling accomplished. But I also learned important lessons about planning for writing productivity while you’re away from home.

    1. The first few days will probably be a wash

    Anyone who’s sat down at their desk and waited (and waited…and waited) for words to come knows the anxiety of not being productive enough during a writing session. This gave me some anxiety as I embarked upon my first residency.

    A friend advised me to give myself a few days to settle in, both to my surroundings and my temporary writing routine. Of course, someone doing a shorter retreat or residency may not have the luxury of spending a half day importing their chapters to Scrivener, or avoiding writing by reading a book on Cold War-era bunkers, as I did. But I was grateful to have the first few days of my stay to putter around and get comfortable, not only with my space but with myself, and no other tasks to complete but writing.

    Tip: Plan a few low-energy tasks to get you started in the first few hours or days of your residency. A valuable way to start your stay may be to read over the work you’ve already done, to remind you why you’re here — and what needs work.

    2. It’s good to have goals

    Here’s where my strategy of “ease into the residency!” has its drawbacks.

    Working in a residency for primarily visual artists meant it was easy to say, “Hey, what did you make today?” to a fellow resident, and be shown beautiful works-in-progress at a moment’s notice.

    When they turned that question back to me, asking, “What did you write today?” I would chuckle half-heartedly and give them a big toothy grin. Then I would change the subject.

    I didn’t always have something to show for my day of work.

    In my first week of my residency, my major accomplishment was figuring out the emotional catalyst for my entire story, and summarizing it in a paragraph. It was a huge accomplishment for me, but on paper, it didn’t look so massive.

    My colleagues were still excited for my progress. But because I didn’t set any goals before I started my work, I couldn’t truly gauge my progress during this valuable time.

    Tip: Make a work plan, however minimal. Whether it’s a set of chapters, a character development arc, or research for technical aspects of worldbuilding, you’ll want to be able to look back on your time and say, “Yes, I did (at least part of) what I set out to do.”

    3. Distractions are everywhere

    It’s natural for others to be curious about your work at a residency, and it’s natural to be curious about theirs.

    But it’s easy to let those side conversations about your work, your life back home, your pets, and that one city you visited once derail your productivity.

    An artist at my residency referred to procrastinating as “chasing squirrels.” Everyone did it. Some of us more than others. If you let distractions like conversations, social media, and fiddling with the coffee pot take over, and you’ll wonder where your day — or entire residency — has gone.

    Tip: Set a writing schedule, even if it’s as simple as working two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. That way, you can protect those hours — and let distractions run rampant outside those limits without feeling bad.

    4. You will hit a wall

    Right when you think you’ve hit your stride and it’s going to be nothing but multi-thousand-word writing sessions from there, you’ll hit the wall. Stuck. Burned out.

    It happened to me: I started my second week of residency with a super-productive day where I wrote several pivotal scenes in my work in progress. I felt like I was on top of the world.

    Until the next morning, when I sat back down at my desk and…nothing.

    The cure? A 90-minute hike on a cold, but sunny day fixed me right up. I knew I needed to clear my head, and when a fellow resident volunteered to keep me company along the path, I happily took her offer. Leaning into this opportunity for distraction helped me reset my brain and sit down at my laptop with clarity and confidence the next day.

    Tip: Accept that even in a special environment, some days will be more productive than others. Embrace the ebb and flow of your residency and listen to your body, mind and surroundings along the way.

    5. Make a work plan before you depart

    Your residency might feel like a rush of creativity and uninterrupted writing. But you can’t take it with you — at least, not in the same form.

    When I returned from my residency, I chatted with my mother on the phone, who asked if I had a productive trip. Then she said, “Now you’ll have to keep up the momentum.”

    Again with the half-hearted chuckling and toothy grin she couldn’t see through the phone.

    I didn’t have a plan. In fact, in the month after my return home, I wrote zero additional words. I did zero additional plotting. I felt inert, sluggish back in my surroundings, with a day job to attend to and errands to run.

    The momentum of a residency is hard to replicate for writers who don’t typically get time and space to write.

    Tip: Before you depart, make a plan for how you’ll continue writing when you return home. Sure, maybe life will require you to tone it down from 2,000 words each day to 500 three days a week. But setting expectations for yourself will help you feel motivated to follow up on your residency-facilitated burst of creativity.

    My lessons might seem obvious to someone who has taken writing trips before. But for a newcomer who loves planning and reviewing agendas, I felt overwhelmed with lightbulb moments. Of course it takes planning and preparation to make the most of your time — just like writing at home.

    Now, it’s a matter of applying those lessons as I daydream about my next residency.

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  • A Step-By-Step Guide to Planning Your Writing Retreat

    A Step-By-Step Guide to Planning Your Writing Retreat

    Now that holiday festivities are over and withered, tinsel-clad Christmas trees line the gutters, it’s time to think of warmer things.

    While it’s cold and blustery outside, why not skip town for a destination writers retreat?

    Winter is the perfect time to head to a warm and sunny locale to focus on your newest creative endeavor. Whether you prefer an organized retreat or residency or a DIY getaway—solo or with pals—you can take advantage of the season to get away, warm up and make some progress on your projects.

    Don’t be discouraged if a getaway isn’t in your budget—you can also use these techniques to enjoy a closer-to-home retreat.

    Read on to put those New Year’s writing resolutions to work with a focused retreat.

    What kind of retreat?

    When planning a retreat, the first step is to decide what kind of retreat you’d like.

    There is no one right answer. Feel free to mix it up with different retreat styles, sometimes even within the same retreat.

    Consider going to an official writers’ retreat or residency. These programs offer various formats and levels of structure. Some have formal workshops, classes and more, while others just offer a space for creativity and leave you to your own devices.

    Going to a formal retreat is good if you’re not quite sure what you’re doing or if you’re seeking to meet other writers and work in community (though be sure to check and make sure the type of retreat or residency you’re going to encourages writers and artists to interact regularly if that’s what you’re seeking—some are more hermit-like).

    Retreats and residencies have applications and deadlines, so apply now if you’d like to attend one this year. You can subscribe to their email lists and follow them on social media for updates as well.

    If you’re looking for something more flexible than a formal structured program, consider a DIY retreat. You can enjoy these self-hosted retreats solo or in conjunction with writer pals.

    Solo or with other writers?

    Some people need solitude to get their creative juices flowing, while others crave community and co-collaborators to work through ideas with.

    When planning your retreat, it’s important to decide if you’d rather have a solo retreat or join like-minded writers for a community-oriented weekend.

    You can even try a retreat that includes solo time and group time (consider arriving a couple days early or staying a couple days late for alone time).

    If you opt for the group experience, it’s helpful to have a meeting ahead of time to discuss goals.

    See how much time everyone wants solo versus together. What will your days look like? How will you collaborate? How much social time will you schedule? Make sure everyone is on the same page and has similar expectations for a successful retreat.

    Where to go?

    Now that you’ve decided what type of retreat you’d like, it’s time to figure out where you’d like to go. While staying somewhere close to home is always an option, some people prefer to get a bit farther away.

    If you’re applying to a formal retreat or residency, you’ll know exactly where you’re going.

    But if you’re doing a solo or group DIY retreat, you have the whole world to select from. Figure out how much time and money you (and your retreat mates, if you’re going as a group) have and plan accordingly. Make sure your dates sync up and put it on your calendar as soon as you have a tentative plan.

    Warm places are favorite winter getaways, but that leaves a huge range of possibilities, from Hawaii to California to Thailand to Costa Rica. Or you could find a place an hour or two away from home. If you’re far away from warm climates, cuddling up with your laptop by a roaring fireplace is also a great way to thaw out and get some work done.

    How much does it cost?

    Any writing retreat will have expenses.

    If you sign up for a structured program you’ll have to pay program fees as well as transportation and perhaps room and board and other expenses, depending on what the program offers. But if you’re opting for a DIY retreat, you can flex it to your budget.

    Teaming up with others and sharing expenses can be a great way to reduce cost. If you’re able to rent a VRBO or Airbnb in a town a few hours away (or even in your own town) and carpool there and cook your own meals, you’ll spend a lot less than if you fly somewhere and stay in an expensive hotel while indulging in constant fine dining.

    There’s nothing right or wrong about any approach, just tailor it to the needs of the participants.

    Some expenses may even be tax deductible, though you’ll have to check with your tax professional to see what you can legally deduct. Make sure to keep all your receipts and, even if you have a DIY retreat, you may be able to deduct things like pens and notebooks. Check with a pro to find the right information for your specific situation.

    Or opt for a staycation writing retreat

    If a getaway is not in the budget, or you simply don’t have the time to get out of town, you can still have a rewarding staycation writing retreat.

    Consider switching up your surroundings to add to the novelty and spur your creativity. Perhaps go to the coffee shop across town or the library you rarely go to. As long as you switch up your environment and carve out the time, you should be able to find a nearby place that will be conductive to a productive retreat.

    How to prepare

    Before you head out, make sure you have packed everything you’ll need.

    And be sure to have digital backups of any files you might need to refer to during your retreat. You don’t want a technical mishap to spoil your time.

    Bring a variety of mediums to spur your creativity, including old fashioned pen and notebook or even some watercolors or another art form to challenge your creative side. If you’ll be working outside, be sure to have everything you’ll need to make the most of it.

    If you’re attending a structured residency or retreat, you should receive information on what to do and how to prepare to make the most of your experience. But if you’re DIYing it, make sure to take some time to plan before you go.

    First, figure out what you’d like to achieve and set goals for the retreat. If you’re meeting with others, have a group discussion about goals, strategy, scheduling and everyone’s individual needs.

    Create an itinerary and schedule planning your time. Block off hours for solo writing, brainstorming, creative outlets, and collaborating. Make sure to schedule time each day to clear your mind, exercise, and enjoy the new environment, whether that means going for a swim or relaxing on the beach for a bit.

    Do as much preparation as possible ahead of time so you can maximize the amount of time you spend being creative. If you’re planning on cooking, figure out your meals ahead of time and consider shopping ahead if you’re driving. If you’ll be going out to eat, take some time at home to research restaurants and select a few options so you’re not spending an hour each day poring through restaurant recommendations for a place to eat.

    Plan your leisure activities in advance and know what you’d like to do each day other than writing to maximize your time.

    Once you’ve planned your retreat, you know what you need to do. Go create!

    After you return home, make time to evaluate the experience and see if you’ve met your goals. Figure out what went well and what could have gone better and use that knowledge to plan your next writing-focused getaway.

    Have you ever gone on a writing retreat? Share your experiences in the comments below.

  • Beyond Productivity: What to Expect From Your First Writing Residency

    Beyond Productivity: What to Expect From Your First Writing Residency

    Everyone knows the benefits of writers’ residencies.

    The greatest of all might be your manuscript rapidly expanding in a frictionless work environment — one free of a job or of friends texting to meet up.

    You find pockets in the writing day that you never knew existed: The hours after dinner when you can hammer out another page; the early morning hour when you turn a sentence over in your mind without worrying about being late for anything.

    Productivity. It’s what we all want, and what most residencies promise. Tell your friends at home that you’ll be gone, compose a vacation reply, turn off your phone, and experience the true size of an afternoon.

    But even though it’s what we most crave out of residencies, productivity is not why we go. If it were, you’d just rent a cottage on an island in Maine or a cabin upstate. Better yet, you could save money by staying home and spending your vacation days in the basement of your local library.

    The real reason we go to residencies is that they jolt us out of routine and familiarity, which often frees the mind to perform more creatively and sharply on the page.

    What happens when we step away from the computer is the reason we spend our time camped out with a bunch of creative strangers. The unexpected benefits — the stuff beyond page count — is the good stuff.

    One residency doesn’t fit all writers

    Those unexpected benefits vary from residency to residency.

    Choosing the right residency is mostly about the experience you want. There’s the rural, the urban, the large, the small, the ones with three sit-down meals a day, the ones with readings, with workshops and without, the ones with no required events, the ones with a lecture series, the ones with visual artists and musicians, the ones with only writers, the ones abroad, and the ones two towns away.  

    You might find yourself nearly alone for a month in the mountains, or holed up for a week in a fancy apartment in a city. You could lose yourself in a new country.

    If you go to the large Vermont Studio Center, for instance, way up in northern Vermont, you have the opportunity to ponder a plotline or character while walking on a mountain trail. You might listen to a fellow resident’s reading in a historic performance hall and discover a new way of thinking about your own work. You might make friends with a painter or sculptor over after-dinner tea. You might take up figure drawing in the mornings or begin meditation.

    At the tiny Lighthouse Works residency on Fishers Island, you’ll fill the hours when you’re not writing with fishing and swimming at the beach, or spending the night shooting pool down in the local pub. At Hewnoaks residency, in a lakeside town in northern Maine, you might cure writer’s block while canoeing, paddling along miles of lakeshore, listening to the echo of loons’ calls.

    You create a day that scaffolds your writing hours, rejuvenates you and productively repositions your thoughts.

    Offline time is key to a successful stay

    This year, when the owner of a 105-year-old hotel on Cuttyhunk Island — an island off of Cape Cod with a year-round population of 18 — asked if I wanted organize a writers’ residency, I knew I had the chance to offer people an experience with a high premium of those unexpected benefits.

    The island is all salt-stunted trees and windswept fields, with an oyster pond on its western side. The town that exists there today looks not unlike it did in the 19th Century: that fishing-town feel towns farther up the Cape used to embody.

    It’s the type of place I imagined writers could wander and think. There’d be evening swims at the beaches, bad cell-phone service to snuff out Facebook and Instagram, and 360 degrees of ocean.  Any writer who’s spent time on an island will know that it catalyzes a potent brand of focus.

    As I welcome the first residents this summer, I’ll encourage them to work hard on their writing projects, but, more importantly, to shut the computer every once and a while for a long walk, to sit on the porch and read for the afternoon, or to spend an extra hour at the dinner table, engaged in conversation over a few cups of tea before bed.

    You know—the stuff that you can’t do in the basement of your town library.

    Making the most of your residency

    Ready to pack your bags and attend your first residency? Before you dig out your suitcase, here are a few tips for making the most of your journey.

    Research the residency and area before you go

    Write up a list of things you want to do besides writing. Check them off during your visit. Depending on the huge range of residencies (from New York City to Wyoming wilderness to coastal New England to Estonian countryside), activities could include:

    • Canoe for a day
    • Spend a day hiking through the hills
    • Go to one morning of life drawing
    • Go to yoga every morning
    • Go swimming every evening after writing
    • Go snowshoeing at least once

    The list, really, is endless, depending on season and location. Try to write down at least five activities to try.

    Don’t burn out

    You’ll be facing hours upon hours of free writing time. Don’t feel guilty for taking a “day off.” Don’t burn yourself out — doing so will kill your creative drive.

    Be spontaneous

    When another resident asks you to join him on a walk, or bike ride, or swim, or a drink at the pub, do it.

    Unless you’re in the middle of a brilliant paragraph, you’ll be happier, ultimately, for taking advantage of spontaneous adventures.

    Set reasonable goals

    Have a project in mind, and focus on that project. Don’t work on a thousand things — you’ll only get frustrated, and you’ll squash any chance for exciting stuff to happen beyond your writing desk.

    There’s always more to work on, and more to write. Accept that, and then let it go.

    Know the residency

    Is it a retreat, a workshop, or a conference? Some programs listed as “residencies” don’t actually give you much time to write. Take a look at the schedule, and adjust your expectations accordingly.

    Is this a time to listen to lectures, to absorb, or a time to increase page count? Surprisingly important: Do you have to cook your own food? Having meals provided for you frees up much time and mental space.

    Have you attended a writing residency? What other tips would you give to first-time attendees?