Writing Connections

If you followed along with episode 33 to create your plan to promote your writing retreat, and episode 37 to create you registration or application page, now is the time to put your marketing plan to work.  Show Links: Planning a Writing Retreat Checklists, Phase 6 - Promotion Episode 33: Planning a Writing Retreat - Create a Marketing Plan Episode 37: Planning a Writing Retreat - Create Registrat...

I'm always on the lookout for more venue options for writing retreat hosts, so I was thrilled to have this week's guest on.  In this episode, I chatted with Sara Lewis, owner of the Lakefront Retreat Network. She works with retreat hosts to find the perfect lake house that fits the vision for their retreats. Sara's company can also take care of planning your retreat, as well as arra...

In this episode, Australian author, Jacinta Dietrich shares her experiences at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre.  During her two-week residency, Jacinta finished the structural edits for the first 20,000 words of her upcoming middle grade fantasy novel.  We also talked about why she thinks writing retreats or fellowships are so amazing for writers, and some unexpected things she lear...

Kathy Garland, a business and leadership coach and consultant, shares her takeaways from the three solo writing retreats she booked for herself. We also chatted about how she completed the first draft of her historical fiction novel during her third retreat, the importance of finding what works best for you and your writing, and how she gives her brain a break from writing while staying in the cre...

Once you're ready to create your registration or application page for your writing retreat, make sure you know all of the elements that will entice writers to want to attend. In this episode I walk you through the checklist so you don't forget anything. I also talk about why you would want potential guests to fill out an application rather than be able to register directly.  Show Links:...

In this episode, Kristi Leonard shares how the idea for Writers in the Wild Retreats came to her. In addition to being an author and writing retreat host, Kristi is an audio narrator for nonfiction books, future podcast host, and president of the Women's Fiction Writers Association, so we had a great conversation about all of the writer adjacent projects she's involved in. As a new writi...

Figuring out how much to charge each person to attend your writing retreat is probably the least fun part of the planning. But definitely one of the most necessary. If you're still struggling to decide the cost of your retreat per person, I've got you covered in this episode. I share the simple formula for figuring out a base fee for your retreat, plus factors to take into account for  y...

If a writing retreat in Italy is on your bucket list, this episode is for you! Wendy Ridolini, host of Creative Writing Retreats in Italy and Greer Glover, one of Wendy's workshop leaders chatted with me about the retreat coming up in September 2024. We also talked about creating a place where writers feel comfortable sharing, the powerful impact writing retreats have, and all of the details...

Your amazing writing retreat won't inspire, motivate, and support writers unless they know about it. It's not enough to book a venue and put up a registration page with payment options. If you expect people to use their valuable time and money to attend your retreat, they have to know more about your retreat and what it offers. That's where a good marketing plan comes in. In this bo...

In this episode I talked with Susanne Dunlap, Suzette Mullen, and Barbara Boyd about their Mainely Memoir Writing Retreat. All three of them are Author Accelerator Certified Book Coaches and we had great conversations about how their retreat guests will get feedback and perspectives from all three of them, as well as the powerful impact their retreat had on them and their participants. We also cha...

Writing retreat attendees value conversations  with fellow writers and sharing their work as much as they value the free writing time. In this episode, I give you tips on how to encourage connection and collaboration among your writing retreat guests naturally, without taking anything away from their individual time. Putting together this plan before setting up your registration page will make it...

If you've ever tried to understand who you are as a writer, a creator, or artist, this episode is for you! Nkem Chukwumerije, an international author and writing teacher/coach, shares how she used solo writing retreats to discover her writing voice. Each one served a different purpose along her journey and helped her finish her book of poetry and get her first novel ready for edits. I love ho...

Create a plan for onboarding writing retreat guest before you even open your registration page so that once they've signed up for your writing retreat, you can easily welcome them without stressing if you're sending them all the right info. Or even worse, not knowing what to send them. In this episode, I guide you through creating a plan for your welcome email and what to send to make su...

What are your goals for your writing in 2024? Or, if you're planning to host a writing reterat in the next 12 months, what goals have you set to see it through?   In this episode I share my 2024 goals for the Writing Retreat Directory, this podcast, and my Plan a Writing Retreat workshops and courses.   Show Links: Get the latest information about promoting, planning, or finding a writing ret...

 After you have your schedule of activities, several dates that work for you, the duration of your retreat, and your venue criteria you can start searching for the right space to hold your writing retreat. The sooner you start researching online and contacting venues, the better chance you'll find a place you want. Especially if you're looking at a popular destination during the time of...

If you've been looking for a writing retreat that pushes your writing to the next level - including live editing, in depth craft workshops, publishing panels, and more - you'll want to check out this writing retreat cruise led by Jane Friedman, Allison K Williams, and Dinty W. Moore. Amy Goldmacher, an  Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach who is leading several of the workshops durin...

Once you know what you're going to offer at your writing retreat and the length, your next step is to decide the criteria you'll use to determine which venues will suit your and your guests' needs during the retreat.   The last thing you want to happen is to send a deposit to reserve some place only to find out it's not a good fit.   In this episode, I'll run through my Pl...

In this episode I talked with award winning author and writing retreat host Janis Cooke Newman about her writing retreat, conference, co-working spaces, and other ways she supports writers.   I loved how she emphasizes helping emerging writers. We talked about how she pivoted to create more community in her events, how her business evolved organically by listening to what writers were asking for,...

After your writing retreat schedule is outlined, the next step is to decide the length of time for your retreat and choose the dates.   In this episode I share tips on what to consider when planning the duration and dates for your writing retreat. You'll want to give potential guests and anyone you bring on board to help out plenty of time to prepare for being away from home and work.   Show...

I had a wonderful conversation with Andrea Savage about writing her memoir that focuses on the time she spent in the Peace Corps in Malawi, Africa in her mid-twenties. She attended several Writeaways Writing Retreats to help keep her on track and understand how to structure her story, and found they also helped her be more honest with herself about what she was writing.  We also chatted about how...

Deciding on activities before you choose a venue will ensure you search for locations that will fit your needs. In this episode, I share ideas to consider for writing and non-writing activities and how to plan your daily schedule to fit those in.   Show Links: Planning a Writing Retreat Checklists, Phase 3 Participation Writing Retreat Hosts Community Facebook group   ------------------------ Conn...

In this episode I talked with author and writing retreat host Valeria Vescina about her writing retreats in Switerland. Valeria opened up about the challenges she had when she planned her writing retreats and how important it is for her to be flexible while planning and hosting them. We also had great conversations about how an application process makes it more likely that writers will choose a wr...

No matter how many writing retreats you hold, each one will be different. You'll make changes based on previous retreats and your guest list will probably have some writers who haven't attended one of your retreats before. When planning your writing retreat, you have options for who you want to serve. Maybe you want to focus on one genre or host a writing retreat that caters to a distinc...

Have you ever thought of doing a solo writing retreat but weren't sure how to plan one? This week's guest, Kristin Morrison, gives us an inside look at how she created the perfect environment to spark her creativity and finish 70% of her book in two long weekend solo writing retreats. She also shared how writer's block threatened her progress and how she changed course to get past i...

Identifying your purpose for hosting a writing retreat is crucial in order to attract the right participants and to plan your daily schedule. If you don't know why you're hosting a retreat or what you want your guests to get out of the experience, they won't see any reason to attend. In this episode, I walk you through a series of questions to help you get clear on how you want to h...