Writers’ Retreats: Why You Should Go and Where to Find Them

Midnight Publishing is a Phoenix-based editing, ghostwriting, and marketing company that has made it a goal to assist authors in whatever ways we can to complete their manuscripts and polish them to publication-worthy status. As our blog is all about offering tips and tricks of the trade that our award-winning writing staff often uses themselves, this post will discuss a really useful resource for the budding and experienced writer alike: writers’ retreats.

What They Are

Writers’ retreats are typically a scheduled trip when writers gather together in a house, hotel, or other meeting places to do two things: spend uninterrupted time working on their current manuscript, while also attending various workshops, manuscript critiques, and other social events. Retreat activities can vary, from a running-and-writing combo like this Writers Who Run retreat, or the mixture of writing, yoga, and meditation that this retreat in the French Alps scheduled for October 2017 offers.

Where They Are

Writing retreats are scheduled all over the world, oftentimes in gorgeous locales that are meant to inspire and provide a therapeutic, vacation-like quality. Favorite destinations include the Greek islands, Italy, France, and Ireland—you’ll find a plethora of options for variously themed retreats to any of these locations. Writers’ retreats can last for a few days up to several weeks, and if you’re traveling internationally, a longer trip is going to get you the most bang for your buck due to airfare alone.

How Much They Cost

Retreat prices vary, but most of the national options are between $500 and $1,500, while international options hover in the $1,500 to $2,500 range for a weeklong retreat. This normally includes airfare, other traveling expenses, and at least your breakfast and dinner. Most retreats offer an early bird rate, so the sooner you sign up for one (even a year in advance!), the better.

Why Retreats Are Valuable

Writers’ retreats are a fantastic way to achieve two things many authors struggle with: blocking out the time to write a large portion of their manuscript, while also making lasting connections and finding community in the writing world. Whereas conventions are geared toward networking and workshops, retreats offer a more relaxed atmosphere with a considerable amount of free time to write and a much more flexible schedule for daily social activities.

How to Decide Which Retreat is Right for You

The best way to identify the right writers’ retreat for you is to become familiar with a lot of the various ones offered, while also exploring what you most want to get out of the experience. Is your main goal to finish a manuscript that still needs 50,000 words written? Then perhaps you’ll want to select a local or national retreat that provides a considerable amount of free writing time for just that. If your hope is to sit in on workshops taught by the likes of bestsellers Sara Gruen and David Lebovitz, then consider a retreat like this one in Iceland.

For a list of some of the most popular writers’ retreats scheduled for 2017, check out this post from The Write Life. For further tips on locating the best retreat for you, here’s another helpful link from Huffington Post.

Midnight Publishing offers editing, writing, and marketing assistance to authors based locally in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona, as well as around the globe. Contact us today for a free editing sample of your work, and to discuss your vision for the book you dream of querying or publishing!