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.
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 [...]
Young Writers: 8 Markets Looking for Your Work!
Getting Published... There are plenty of places that young writers can submit their creative writing: magazines and writing competitions are great options. If you have a short story, poem, novel excerpt or even art piece you would like to see in print, check out the following options: https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/teens/young-voices.jsp This is a creative writing magazine published annually. They accept art, too! You must live in the Toronto area to submit your creative writing. https://thewalrus.ca/amazon-first-novel-award-youth/ This one is a great choice for young writers working on a novel! https://www.breakbreadproject.org/submissionguidelines This magazine promotes work by creative writers under the age of 25. https://www.nawe.co.uk/DB/magazines/cuckoo-quarterly.html This [...]
Creative Writing Retreat in Mexico 2021!
I just returned from our first ever Creative Writing Retreat to Merida, Mexico! Our creative writing retreat focused on memoir, poetry, planning novels, writing short stories, playwriting, creating characters, getting an agent and more. A wonderful time was had by all. Our Mexico Writing Retreat was structured the same way as our Creative Writing Retreats in Costa Rica, with creative writing classes held for 2-3 hours every morning, sightseeing opportunities most afternoons, group dinners and writing-related social events on occasional evenings. Our creative writing classes in Merida, Mexico included a session on sources of inspiration, and another on incorporating secrets and [...]
How do you Plan a Novel?
So you love creative writing and you have an idea for a novel – but where do you begin? Here Are Some Tips to Get You started! 1. Map out your story. Begin by doing this in a general way. What is the ‘status quo’ for your characters before the story begins? What is the climactic event of the story? How is the character changed by the end of the novel? 2. Identify key elements of the novel What is the ‘inciting incident’ that sets story in motion? Look for rising and falling action in the story. Will the reader be [...]
