Writing retreats like the Squire Summer Writing Workshops are good for the head and good for the soul.
You learn a ton. But along with honing our writing chops, there’s the added benefit of being impacted by other writers over an extended period of time.
Call it “community.” Call it “support.” Regardless, being around other writers gives us the freedom—for some of us, for the first time ever—to take ourselves seriously as writers.
Writeaways, run by Mimi Herman and John Yewell, offers annual writing retreats in France and Italy as well as Camden, NC, as part of the “Writeaway by the River” program. These getaways offer memorable meals, useful writing workshops, time to write, and excursions.
Writeaways was recently profiled by the online magazine Books Make a Difference.
One of many takeaway quotes comes from Heather Wiley, an “English teacher at Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem.”
“I have been writing since high school, but I never showed it to anyone. I never would have told anyone I was a writer. I never would have called myself a poet, but at the Chateau I owned the fact I was a poet. It was really important for me.â€
For the full write-up, click here.
It’s true though: participants in our own Squire Summer Writing Workshops have occasionally described the experience as “life-changing.” We flatter ourselves and credit the programming, or the exquisite planning, but sometimes writers just need permission to take their craft—and their calling—seriously.
For more about Writeaways, visit www.writeaways.com or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.