Writers’ Retreat

(Part of the Writers’ Development Programme)

The next session of the Writers’ Development Programme will be a 3-day / 2-night Writers’ Retreat facilitated by Professor Sarah Moore of the University of Limerick. The focus of the Retreat is on producing quality written work ready for submission and publication. The purpose of writing retreat is to provide dedicated writing time, while developing productive writing practices and discussions around writing-in-progress. The format of structured retreat uses the ‘typing pool’ model. Writers are all in the same room, writing in scheduled time slots, using goal-setting, peer monitoring and warm up activities to progress writing projects. Two-day retreats have proved particularly productive.

Because everyone is writing in the same room, there can be brief discussions (of 10 or 15 minutes), to create writing-focused dialogue and relationships, but almost all the retreat time is writing time.

Preparing for retreat: to make best use of the time, participants choose a writing project to work on – e.g. journal article, chapter or grant proposal – do as much of the necessary research before retreat on the journal/publisher/funder and on the topic as possible and arrive ready to write. The facilitator will suggest strategies for making this model work and will also be working on a writing project herself at retreat.

For more detail on this type of retreat, see Murray and Newton (2009) in the journal Higher Education Research and Development. The paper attached below.

The Retreat will take place in the Connemara Coast Hotel in Furbo from 9.30am on Wednesday 09 May to 4.00pm on Friday 11 May. It is open to all staff of the College of Business, Public Policy and Law and staff members of the Institute for Business, Social Science and Public Policy. The Retreat is not open to PhD students. Participants do not need to have attended the previous sessions to take part in the Retreat.

The programme is being funded by the Institute for Business, Social Science and Public Policy, that is covering the costs of the expert facilitator and overheads. Participants will pay for the cost of their meals and accommodation (€80.00 per night B&B). The Retreat is primarily designed as a residential retreat, but bring resident is not a requirement; however it is still necessary to book a room, in order to have a quiet space for writing.

If you would like to attend the Retreat, please send the following information to valerie.parker@nuigalway.ie by Friday 27 April at the latest:

Name
Discipline
School
College
Research Institute
Email

You will also have to contact the hotel directly to book your room. Rooms are being held until Tuesday 01 May. www.connemaracoast.ie, Tel: 091 592108. Early check in and late check out has been arranged, and the Hotel has kindly offered free upgrades to superior rooms for participants.

Please note that a minimum of 10 participants are required to run the retreat.

Pre-registration required

Downloads

Murray&Newton Paper