If you’re looking for an amazing writing retreat in the Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia or D.C. area, you’re in luck. Innovative Editing and author Lia Mack are sponsoring The Genuine Writer’s Retreat 2020.
Once again set in beautiful, inspiring, downright delicious Annapolis, we're right back at Gibson’s Lodgings of Annapolis, a B&B. Its origins go all the way back to 1681, and while it’s had plenty of modern updates since then, it still retains an old-world charm that’s hard to beat.
As for the writing retreat itself, it features precisely what it did at last year’s event… scrumptious food, great accommodations, wonderful company and plenty of time, space and encouragement to write.
Sound amazing? It will be.
But before you sign up, let’s make sure you know what a writing retreat really is and what it’s meant to do.
That might seem like a stupid statement or perhaps even a gimmick, but it’s far from it. This is about making sure that, regardless of the writing retreat you choose... if you choose one at all...
You get the most out of your decision.
Writing retreats are hardly a dime a dozen. But there are quite a few to select from based on your preferences and price points.
You could look for writing retreats in Maryland or in Iceland. You could specify that they be up in the mountains or out at the beach. And you could make it a full week event or a weekend getaway.
Location and duration aside though, unless you’re making it a one-person affair, most writing retreats do come down to the same basic, tempting description.
Oh so tempting...
Writing Retreat:
The real world is filled with distractions, distractions and more distractions from working toward your writing goals. That’s why writing retreats exist.
They’re meant to offer you time and space away from the responsibilities, time-consuming diversions and flat-out excuses that are keeping you from making progress on your poetry, short stories, novel or nonfiction work.
Relaxing environments… Encouraging instructions… Fellow writers surrounding you… What’s not to love?
The answer to that question would be the price point, of course. Some of these getaways are a couple thousand dollars depending on who’s giving them and where they’re being given.
For the record, that’s not the case for The Genuine Writing Retreat. Parking, two presentations, most meals and tons of time to write: It's all under $750 per attendee.
Also for the record, that’s about as low as you’re going to get for a quality four-day, three-night writing retreat – in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, D.C… or really anywhere else.
Wherever you go for your writing retreat and however much you pay, you need to expect to leave encouraged. If you don’t leave encouraged, you didn’t get your money’s worth.
The relaxing environments and fellow writers surrounding you are supposed to be perks of attending. But they’re not necessarily the main dish, particularly for anyone who struggles with writing insecurities.
Which, we all do to some degree. Some of us handle them better than others. Some of us are more practiced at our craft and therefore less prone to doubting ourselves.
But every single one of us still has our moments of doubt: that little voice in the back (or front) of our creative or nonfiction brains that tells us we really shouldn’t bother.
Writing retreats like The Genuine Writer’s Retreat 2019 are designed to tell that little voice where to go and what to do with itself. In no uncertain terms.
Moreover, they do so in amazing places filled with remarkable potential. Like Annapolis, Maryland.
If you’ve never been there before, trust me. It’s more than worth a visit.
Editor’s Note: Read the next post on writer's retreats here.