“ People look for retreats for themselves, in the country, by the coast, or in the hills . . . There is nowhere that a person can find a more peaceful and trouble-free retreat than in his own mind…So constantly give yourself this retreat, and renew yourself. ”
— Marcus Aurelius

Do you need a getaway to get things done?

In the writing world, the potential projects are endless—both the new ones you carry in your head on a perpetual list of things “to do when you have time” and the ones the rear their ugly heads demanding your time and attention with no notice (hello rewrite requests months after you file a story!).

  1. Bang out an entire month’s of blog posts (especially the ones on destinations you visited more than six months ago…).
  2. Buckle down on pitches and start landing bigger brand partnerships.
  3. Get pitches drafted, written, and out to those magazines you promised yourself your name would finally appear in this year.
  4. Finally finish that first draft of your book proposal/novel/screen-play/e-book/email sequence/pitch letter.
  5. And so on…

Whatever your personal list is, science has a clear answer: focus or flow state.

Time magazine calls it “those peak moments of total absorption where self vanishes, time flies, and [this is the important part!] all aspects of performance go through the roof.”

(The books Deep Work and Flow go into a lot of great detail on the science and practice if you want to know more.)

But for travel writers, the problem is figuring out when it could possibly be possible to create these flow or deep work experiences. Social media may beckon, but the world calls more strongly.

How could you take a retreat somewhere to get work done and not get pulled into the destination?!

Bearing all of this in mind, at our writing retreat house, we strive to create an environment that fuels concentrated creative work, minimizes distractions, and includes just enough hygge to keep that itch to explore in check.

How Do the Creative Residencies Work?

To ensure that all residents have the space to do the work they’ve come to do, we’ve created a system to ensure that everyone is able to interact on the level that fits their work style.

When you check in, you set up a card on the resident’s board with your name, what you’re working on, how often you do or don’t want to chat with others during your residency (i.e. “I’ve got a deadline on Wednesday, so don’t talk to me until then, but I’m happy to take a break and have dinner with folks that day.”), and anything else other residents should know about you.

That way, if you’re working hard and pop out to grab a snack, you don’t have to break your flow to get to know other residents or chat with someone who’s on a break even though you’re not. All residents agree to respect these boundaries and their fellow resident’s process and need for focus by applying for a space in the residency program.

For $150 per week, you’ll get a private room with writing desk and full access to the entire facility, including the 1,000+-magazine-and-200+-book library and sauna.

You can also opt to have your food prepared for you in advance according to your preferences with produce from our and other local farms and set up for your arrival, so you don’t have to break your work flow thinking about what to eat or preparing food. Personalized, brain-fueling food will all be there for you to grab or quickly heat up and eat.

Spring, Summer + Fall Residency Dates Now Available

For the rest of 2019, we have fewer residency dates available to announce than usually, as:

  • Some are already gone!
  • We have a bunch of events going on that include an optional one-week individual residency following the group retreat, like our new tour-focused program.
  • We’ve got the highlight of our summer–summer camp!–coming up.

From now until December 2019, you can book residencies for:

  • Sunday, May 19 – Saturday, May 25
  • Sunday, June 23 – Saturday, June 29
  • Sunday, July 14 – Saturday, July 20
  • Sunday, August 4 – Saturday, August 10
  • Sunday, September 8 – Saturday, September 14
  • Sunday, September 22 – Saturday, September 28
  • Sunday, November 3 – Saturday, November 9
  • Sunday, November 17 – Saturday, November 23

We’ll only accept bookings at the current $150/week rate for these days through July 1st, 2019.

Learn more about the creative residency program here.

Ready? Apply for your spot here.

Your next great writing project is waiting for you.