Posts tagged Writing retreats
Stay-Home Writing Retreat
Stay-Home Writing Retreat
 
 
 

During August 2024, I invited writers from all over the world to join me for a productive, nurturing 5-day writing retreat at home with twice-daily inspiration and a supportive community of other writers.

This 5-day self-paced writing retreat was designed for any kind of writer, including those who aspire to carve out just an hour or two of daily writing time and those who are looking for a full-on immersive experience.

If you missed this event, you may wish to read some of the excellent tips and tricks shared by writers below. And if you’re keen to try it for yourself, you can conduct your own solo writing retreat for free, any time by registering below.

Here’s WriteSPACE Event Manager Amy Lewis’ personal account of the retreat:

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Motivated by the uplifting support of fellow writers, this stay-at-home retreat provided the ideal opportunity to focus on those long-neglected writing goals. Helen’s videos each day posed challenges and taught us frameworks for productivity, such as SAFE goals (Simple, Attainable, Forgiving, and Easy!) and the SPACE rubric for pleasurable writing (Socially balanced, Physically engaging, Aesthetically nourishing, Creatively challenging, Emotionally uplifting). Helen encouraged us to set a new SAFE goal each morning and enhance one part of our writing SPACE before reflecting at the end of the day. These frameworks help us to be present in our mind and body when we sit down to write.

I was grateful to read everyone’s reflections, many of which were filled with useful tips and resources. I’ve compiled a selection of lively links for you to browse through below:

Shake it out during a writing break!

Be carried away by the music!

  • Hans Zimmer's ‘Green Card’ movie soundtrack (not too distracting and keeps a good tempo) and the Bridgerton soundtrack (upbeat and motivating) are two good options.

  • For classical music, consider Cosi fan tutte or the Magic Flute (classics!) or Jordi Savall’s baroque chorale music (nice morning music). If you like sound of the mandolin in the afternoon,  try Chris Thile’s acoustic songs.

  • Helen recommends bringing nature into your writing space by listening to birdsong recordings. Here is a beautiful recording featuring New Zealand native birds (At the beginning you can hear the voice of the Tui bird - my personal favourite - which mimics other birdsong, creating a surprisingly melodic cacophony of caws, trills, guttural splutters)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhvCsYFZ0vQ

    A key takeaway for me was the idea that a chapter or writing breakthrough could be associated with a piece of music. When you hear it again, you can remember that powerful writing moment!

Time your writing sessions!

I’ll end this quick summary with one writer’s reflection about beautiful writing:

My aim has always been to craft a beautiful thesis - in fact, when my supervisors asked for a plan it was in bullet point format and started with 'write 100, 000 beautiful words', then 'obsess over commas (a little too much)' - I said I wanted it to be a page-turner, a good read, but they said that can wait until the thesis is turned into a book. My argument is: why wait? Why forego the pleasure of crafting words that are, as Helen describes, 'aesthetically nourishing' to both me and my readers? I’m so glad I signed up for this week!

I look forward to seeing you at the next WriteSPACE Special Event!

Not a member? Join the WriteSPACE with a free 30 day trial, and access our full Library of videos and other writing resources as part of your membership plan.

 
August 2024Helen Swordproductivity, Writing retreats
Open Chalet at Mountain Rise 2024
Open Chalet at Mountain Rise 2024
 
 
 

In the heart of the beautiful summertime Swiss Alps, Helen hosted her annual virtual retreat sessions from Chalet Alpenheim in Wengen. Each session offered a tour of the retreat venue, followed by some reflective writing designed to shift writers into the relaxed-but-energized creative mindset of "retreat mode."

If you missed this event, you can register below for the video recording of the live session, or read Amy’s personal account and follow the exercise prompts below.

Here’s WriteSPACE Event Manager Amy Lewis’ personal account of the live event:

……………

Wengen is not only an ideal place to hike and admire nature, it is a fabulous place to write. Maybe it’s something in the air that sweeps in through the beautiful valley. Perhaps it’s simply the exceptional company of like-minded writers. Whatever it is, inspiration flows freely there!

This year, Helen took her Open Chalet visitors on a simulated retreat, journeying up and back down the mountain with multiple writing prompts. It’s definitely a good idea to dedicate half an hour to follow along with the live video (click the green button above), or you can sample the first few reflective prompts below:

  • Where are you starting from on your journey today? For example, ‘I am starting from a place of anxiety’ or ‘I am starting a new project that is exciting but needs quite a lot of mental heavy lifting.’ How far have you travelled to get here? (2 minutes)

  • Where do you want your next writing journey to take you? Interpret this question however you want! It could be your very next chapter or your next 6 months of writing… (2 minutes)

  • In Wengen, you can take the cable car up the mountain and walk up to the viewing platform shaped like a crown. What are some of the values and interests that have brought you to this place? (2 minutes to brainstorm)

  • Of all the interests and values that you’ve identified, what are some of the brightest jewels in your crown?

For the full series of prompts, register for the video above—it’s well worth it!

I want to say a warm thank you to this year’s retreaters (it is you who make Mountain Rise so special), to all the writers who came along to the Open Chalet this year and simulated their own retreats, and to Helen for guiding us through these fun and insightful writing prompts. After seeing the drawing of my dissertation structure, I hope you might be inspired to create your own structural map of your project or a reflective map of your professional writing journey. And if you would like to share it with us, you can send it via this link! I would really love to see it.

See you again at the next event!

WriteSPACE and WS Studio members can find the Open Chalet at Mountain Rise 2024 video in their Video library.  

Not a member? Register to receive an email with a link to the video of the first hour.

Better yet, join the WriteSPACE with a free 30 day trial, and access our full Library of videos and other writing resources as part of your membership plan.

 
June 2024Helen Swordreflection, Writing retreats
Open Chalet at Mountain Rise
Open Chalet at Mountain Rise
 
A collage by Helen Sword depicting a stylised mountain in dark red and green with a snow cap against a blue and pink swirl background.
 
 

At this live Special Event hosted from my Mountain Rise writing retreat on June 22, 2023, I took attendees on a virtual tour of Chalet Alpenheim, our gorgeous retreat venue in the Swiss Alpine village of Wengen. Following a greeting from some of this year’s retreat participants and a brief Q&A session, I guided my visitors through a reflective Walking and Writing exercise designed to shift them into the relaxed-but-energized creative mindset of writing on retreat. We ended with a surprise video — read on to find out more!

Below is WriteSPACE Event Manager Amy Lewis’ first-person account of the live event.

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“Freeing and creatively sustaining” . . . “Ridiculously scenic” . . . “A great community” . . .

These are just some of the phrases that came up to describe the Mountain Rise retreat during this live Open Chalet session. We wanted to open the door so you could see what a mountain retreat might look like for you — whether that be a physical retreat next year in Switzerland or a virtual retreat in the comfort of your own workspace — and meet some of the 2023 retreat participants.

During this week-long retreat, we atended at daily workshops with Helen, where she guided us through various experiments to tackle some of our writing-related problems: from improving book structures to forging more productive habits; from playing with creative expressions of our research to undertaking nitty-gritty editing….

I found Helen’s retreat workshop on structure particularly insightful and useful. It involved creating several metaphors designed to deepen my understanding of my project’s layout and guide the reader through my work in a concrete and considered way. My Master’s thesis suddenly became like the Lauterbrunnen valley, our spectacular retreat venue. In my notebook, I drew an ascending cable car, the introduction where my readers begin their journey. Which information will help set the scene and carry them up to the mountaintop? The lookout spot represents the heart of my work, where the key concepts shine. The reader then travels along a ridge-top path and ascends three undulating rises — aka the case studies — before traveling down gently on a cogwheel train through the discussion and conclusion.

 

Amy’s map of her reader’s journey to the top of mountain and back down again.

 

After a greeting from some of this year’s retreaters and a brief Q&A, Helen took our Open Chalet visitors on a similar journey, complete with photos and videos marking every stage along the track. It’s well worth setting aside half an hour to follow along with the live video in WriteSPACE Videos, notebook in hand (timestamp 12:20 - 43:30). Alternatively, you can respond to these prompts:

  • Begin your journey in a village halfway up the side of a mountain. This is your standing place, where you spend most of your time. What does it look like to you? For example, ‘I am starting from a place of anxiety’ or ‘I am starting a new project that is exciting but needs quite a lot of mental heavy lifting.’ (3 minutes)

  • Take the cable car up the steep mountainside above the village and walk along the ridge until you reach a viewing platform shaped like a crown. What are the crown jewels of your writing project or your writing practice? These gems are your values or touchstones that motivate your practice forward and inspire you when you feel fatigued. Write a list of as many as you can, then pick the three most sparkling jewels. (3 minutes)

  • Continue your hike along the ridgeline high above the valley—it curves up and along to a destination just out of sight. Where do you want this journey to take you? What is the overall goal of your project? (2 minutes)

  • Now you arrive at a small alpine café and stop for a break. What fuels you to keep going? Who is there with you? (2 minutes)

  • Farther along the path, we encounter some alphorn players. What melody do you want to send out to your listeners (readers!) in the next valley? (2 minutes)

  • Travel up and over the ridge. Now you’re approaching the end of your journey — but how will you bring yourself back down to your starting place? Helen offered us a few options (5 minutes). :
    -        Take a train – peaceful and gentle.
    -        Walk down the steep track – quite a challenge but great for fitness.
    -        Follow Helen’s example and paraglide your way down – an adventure!

 

Helen celebrating her birthday on June 21 by paragliding over the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

 

I want to say a big thank you to the retreaters who were there during the open chalet, to all the writers who came along and simulated their own retreats with us, and to Helen for guiding us through the insightful writing prompts. As always, it was such a privilege.

If you would like to know more about our retreats or have any new questions, we would love to hear from you!

A recording of this two-part WriteSPACE Special Event is now available in WriteSPACE Videos.

Not a member? Register to receive an email with the video link.

Better yet, join the WriteSPACE with a free 30 day trial, and access our full Library of videos and other writing resources.

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WriteSPACE members enjoy a complimentary subscription to Helen’s Word as part of their membership plan (USD $15/month or $150/year).

 
June 2023Helen SwordWriting with Pleasure, Writing retreats