Writeaways
What is a Writeaway?
Writeaways are weeklong writing workshop retreats designed to free you from your daily cares so you can devote your full attention to your writing.
For over a decade our workshops have provided rigorous attention to craft for all genres and writing levels, individual consultations, and a lively community to help writers thrive and inspire them to create their best work.
In France, Italy, Ireland and New Mexico, we indulge you with stunning locations, fabulous food and drink, and the company of thoughtful writers devoted to each other’s success.
Who Comes to a Writeaway?
Writeaways workshops are project-based, which is why they work for writers of all genres and ability levels, from beginners to published authors.
Many people have come to Writeaways not thinking of themselves as writers, but they invariably leave with a project to continue and the confidence to pursue it. Others have arrived with a deep well of experience and left with a renewed passion for their writing.
Our workshop model works equally for those still figuring out the kind of writer they want to be, and those who have been writing for years. In a Writeaways workshop, because we each have much to contribute to the discussion and we’re all committed to helping one another, everyone’s voice carries equal weight.
How the Workshop Works
At the beginning of the week, John and Mimi help you figure out the project of your dreams. You do not have to come with a project in mind, although some do—and some change after they arrive.
Mornings are available for your writing. Workshops take place after lunch, and everyone attends. Each writer reads aloud one to two pages written since the previous day’s workshop, which are then discussed by the group. We do not ask that work be printed and critiqued by each writer in advance. We want you to be free to spend your time writing.
Unlike the standard workshop model, in which the writer is silent, we encourage you to take part in the discussion of your work.
The Two-hat Deal
Hat #1: When you wear your writer hat, we ask you to be open to suggestions and “what-ifs” offered in the workshop. We do everything in a spirit of searching for answers: What has the writer gotten right? What has the writer overlooked? How can the writing be improved?
Hat #2: When you wear your listener hat, we ask you to be constructive without assuming you have all the answers. The best service each of us can provide is to help each other see blind spots. We ask you to be rigorous in your attention to craft, with the intention of understanding what the writer is trying to do and improving the work. Our goal is to help each person’s writing be what it wants to be when it grows up.
Your Writeaways Day
All Writeaways include three meals a day. Lacto-ovo vegetarian meals are available, but unfortunately, we are limited in our ability to further accommodate special diets. We offer optional outings (see below), cooking classes, and consultations with Mimi and John. Otherwise, your time is your own: to write, wander, read, think, and talk with interesting people in our writing community.
Mornings
Buffet breakfast
Writing time
Afternoons
Buffet lunch
Workshop
Spend your free time writing, consulting with Mimi and John, chatting with friends new and old, taking a walk or excursion in the countryside. Possible group options include wine tastings, cooking classes, and trips to local markets.
Evenings
Cocktail hour: we are nothing if not civilized.
Out of this world gourmet dinners
Socializing or writing time
Accommodations
Rooms—All accommodations are either single-occupancy or, by your choice, shared with someone you know. Beds are roomy and comfy. Some rooms may share bathrooms. Our policy is not to ask strangers to share a room. There is no maid service.
Wifi—Available in all our locations. In France and Italy it can be spotty, thanks to the thickness of the old walls.
Laundry—All our locations have washing machines. In New Mexico and Ireland we have driers, with in-room drying racks in France and fresh-air clotheslines in Italy.