Writing Workshops on Our Retreats

After breakfast each morning, throughout our week-long retreat, we gather for a shared writing workshop which is a minimum of 2 hours in length. Our group is always small (7-10 writers) so workshop content is tailor-made to suit the interests and needs of the group. Typically, each session begins with a ‘free write’, allowing us to flex our creative muscles. We then move on to explore a specific writing technique, doing so through discussions, readings and two or three varied and inspiring prompts. As an example, we may spend a morning looking at character development, exploring techniques such as subtext, motivation and character transformation as ‘ways in’ to a greater understanding of the characters we create. Other workshop themes may include story structure, beginnings and endings, point of view, editing techniques and genres such as memoir and poetry. Workshop content can easily be adjusted to meet the needs of playwrights, novelists, short story writers and more. Prompts are chosen carefully to offer growth opportunities for writers at all stages, from beginner to experienced. All sessions are lively and informal, with a balance between intense writing and friendly discussion, and everyone has the opportunity to share their work with the group, should they wish to do so.

Facilitator

Julie Hartley has 20 years’ experience as a writer and writing instructor, and she has been running creative writing retreats in Costa Rica, Mexico, England and Wales for the past decade. Her young adult novel, The Finding Place, was published in Canada and the US by Red Deer Press. In 2018, Theatrefolk Press released her book for teachers and directors, Practical Approaches to Shakespeare, and in 2019 Mansfield Press released her poetry collection, Deboning a Dragon.  Julie now writes historical novels for Bookouture UK (a division of Hachette). Her first historical novel came out in September 2024 and her second in February 2025. In addition to her fiction, nonfiction and poetry, Julie also writes plays, several of which have toured England and Ireland. Originally from England, she lives in Toronto with her husband and daughter, where she is co-owner and director of Centauri Arts. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia.  You can read more about Julie at  JulieHartley.ca