Retreats Archives - Page 2 of 4

An MFA in Creative Writing: Is It Worth It?

Read the bios of a dozen new fiction writers, and the chances are good that at least half will list among their credentials an MFA in Creative Writing. I completed my own MFA in Creative Writing through the University of British Columbia, and I’m often asked by my writing students: is a Masters in Creative Writing essential, if you want to see your work in print? Arguments Against an MFA in Creative Writing A Masters Degree is expensive and some writers might argue it would eat into the limited time they have available for writing. Many MFAs also require you to diversify in ways you may not wish to. Why take a course in poetry, screenwriting or memoir, if what you want to do is [...]

January 23rd, 2023|Retreats, Writing Advice, writing retreats|

Historical Fiction Prompts for Writers

In our last blog, we looked at how online resources have transformed a writer's research process. So let's explore this idea with a creative writing prompt. Writing Prompt: Historical Fiction Write down a daily task or hobby that interests you. Now, choose a specific historic period and location. Come up with a close approximation of your interest that may fit with the period and location. Write down what you already think you know about that activity. Now, set a timer. Give yourself 15 minutes to research that specific activity online. Read everything you can about it. Look at illustrations. Become an expert in something very precise. An example for this writing prompt: Present day interest: racing cars Historic period/location: Roman Empire Approximation: Chariot racing; how [...]

January 23rd, 2023|Resources, Retreats, Writing Advice, Writing Prompts, Writing Resources, writing retreats|

The Benefits of a Creative Writing Retreat

I've attended many Creative Writing retreats over the years. A writing retreat in a fishing village in Mexico. Another on the wind-swept moors in Devon, England. Retreats in Scotland and Wales. I've also run dozens of retreats myself. Our creative writing retreat centre in Canada hosted more than 100 writers, and these days, we run creative writing retreats in Costa Rica: and a new writing retreat in Mexico. Why Attend a Creative Writing Retreat? Writers rarely have the opportunity to focus exclusively on writing. We're spouses, parents, sons, daughters, home owners, and whatever it is we do for a living. We may want to write a novel, complete a memoir, write poetry or finish a screenplay, but life pulls us in other directions. Attending [...]

January 6th, 2023|Retreats, writing holiday, writing retreats|

Poem from the Creative Writing Retreat to Merida, Mexico.

At the end of our creative writing retreat, we created a list poem together, reflecting our shared experience over the course of the week. Here is the poem, created by Shay, Nichol, John, Jeffrey, Virginia, Betsy, Sara, Patricia and Julie: Flying in the Depths The air is charged with creativity: we are writing stories to the sound of water falling and our tender words are received like party guests. Hearts pound as wooden steps descend into darkness revealing magical, healing waters. Ancient stones, hot under the eternal sun, rise improbably from stubbled ground. Unpronounceable ruins on a day when rabbits Hop. Hop. Hop. The pink line stretching far across the lake turns into hundreds of flamingos. Poems for Pacheco’s paintings in a plaza pulsing with [...]

December 23rd, 2022|Retreats|

Mexico Creative Writing Retreat, 2022

Yesterday I returned from teaching our second annual Creative Writing Retreat in Merida, Mexico – and what a studendous week it was. Great writers, wonderful scenery, memorable experiences, daily writing workshops and so much great food! Creative Writing Retreat: Merida! Such a special city. Street festivals, wandering the Plaza Granda and people-watching along the Paseo de Montejo. Visiting the Mayan World Museum. Exploring the art. Wandering the parks. Live music and dancing most evenings. Our Creative Writing Workshops in Merida Each morning, we met for 3 hours, deepening our writing experience as the week went on. Sometimes we met on a terrace with flowers and sunshine, and at other times inside, around a large table in our beautiful hotel. We explored poetry, memoir, character [...]

December 20th, 2022|Retreats, writing holiday, writing retreats|

A Creative Writing Prompt!

Welcome to the fifth in my series of creative writing tips, techniques and prompts! Today, I’m sharing a creative writing prompt you can use at any time. Creative Writing: Tell the Story of a Life On a trip to Spain a few years ago, I saw in Grenada a traveller with a typewriter and a sign reading, “I tell your life story in 10 minutes”. Tourists lined up before his desk on the street corner, eager to share their stories. While they spoke, he typed furiously. Each customer dropped coins into his hat, and took away their ‘life story’ as a souvenir. I heard the street writer tell someone that he turned down no job. He wrote declarations of love or hate, official letters, dream [...]

July 1st, 2022|Retreats, Writing Prompts, writing retreats|

Creative Writing Tips and Techniques: How to Create Characters for Fiction

Welcome to the fourth in my blog series on creative writing tips and techniques! Today I want to examine character creation. Read on for information on how to build characters for short stories and novels – and in the meantime, don’t forget to check out our Creative Writing Retreats in Mexico and Costa Rica! A Character Creation Technique There are many ways to build fictional characters for a novel or short story, and ‘status’ is one approach I want to discuss today. While we may find it unpleasant to think about, all of us project a ‘status’ in our interactions with others, and that status is ever-shifting, depending on the people we are with, the spaces we move through, and our comfort level. A student [...]

June 29th, 2022|Retreats, Writing Prompts, writing retreats|

Journaling for Creative Writers

This is the third in our series of creative writing tips and prompts for writers interested in our creative writing retreats to Costa Rica and Mexico, and our virtual creative writing classes. Read on for advice for writers on how journaling can help you hone the craft of writing… particularly if you hope to write a memoir, of fiction inspired by life experiences. The Connection Between Journaling and Creative Writing Journaling is a way to document your life experiences. Imagine yourself in your late years, sitting by a sunlit window with a pile of journals on your lap, reliving your life, year by year, in stories. That’s how I’ve always seen journaling. But keeping a journal can mean other things, too. The Advantages of a [...]

June 25th, 2022|Retreats, Writing Prompts, writing retreats|

A Creative Writing Prompt for the Weekend!

Our Creative Writing Retreats in Costa Rica and Mexico are close to full now – but some spots remain! In the meantime, we’re offering a series of creative writing prompts – and creative writing tips – for fiction writers, memoir writers, poets and anyone interests in getting their work published, or improving their creative writing skills. A Creative Writing Prompt… This prompt works for writing fiction, or poetry. It is particularly helpful for writers interested in fantasy and science fiction… Go for a walk. Observe your surroundings. Trees, houses, bikes, cars, people. Now, imagine nothing is what it seems. Try to look beyond appearances, for stories. The old man who passes you is a decorated war hero. The car is on its way to a [...]

June 23rd, 2022|Retreats|

Building a World: A Writing Prompt

World Building for Creative Writers Many forms of fiction – historical, steam punk, fantasy, science fiction – require the construction of an entire world, which then becomes integral to the plot, and to the protagonist’s challenges. But how do you create a fictional world from scratch? A creative writing tip: some part of the world you build for your novel must reflect our own. Readers need to see themselves and their lives reflected in the fictional world you create, in order to relate to it. A Creative Writing Prompt Here is a simple world-building prompt for fiction writers: Compile a list of everything that seems certain about our lives; concrete aspects of our reality that we take for granted. As an example: People grow older, [...]

June 15th, 2022|Retreats, writing retreats|