Writing Courses, Holidays & Retreats
in Costa Rica
Welcome to our Creative Writing Retreats in Spectacular Costa Rica!
We all crave inspiration in today’s hectic world: the freedom to dream, the space to think, the time to focus on creating rather than consuming. We need to recharge and re-imagine how we see ourselves. To laugh, learn new skills, be alone when we choose to and be part of a community when the mood takes us. To reconnect with the natural world, and re-assert our connection to it.
It’s hard to imagine a more perfect place to satisfy these needs than beautiful Costa Rica. Join us for a creative writing retreat in sunny Quepos, a coastal town close to the famous Manuel Antonio National Park. Or, if rainforest serenity and immersion is more your vibe, choose a beautiful eco-lodge in the heart of Arenal National Park. Have two weeks to spare? Then take part in both weeks and enjoy two very different sides of Costa Rica.
Our creative writing retreats are not only informational – they are transformational.
Click here to download information about our forthcoming Costa Rica Retreats!
Who joins our creative writing retreats?
Most writers attend our retreats alone, though some bring family or friends. We welcome beginning writers and those with completed manuscripts. Some participants choose to focus entirely on their creative work, while others combine our morning workshops with sightseeing tours. Whether you enjoy writing fiction, memoir, poetry, and even if you’re not sure what you like, our daily workshops will offer you the inspiration and techniques you need to further your writing skills. On retreats like these you quickly meet like-minded people, making them ideal for those travelling alone.
Whoever you are, whatever your needs, you’re welcome on our retreats.
Also check out our Writing Retreat in Mexico!
Also check out our Writing Retreat in Mexico!Join us for an experience of a lifetime at our urban creative writing retreat in Merida, Mexico.
Click here to see more information.
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 [...]
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. [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
