writing retreats california 2023

2023 RETREATS

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Get away to write: 7 writing retreats happening in 2023

These seven upcoming writing retreats should be on your radar.

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Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

California: SoCal

2023 spring writers retreat.

Date/Time Date(s) - 05/04/2023 - 05/07/2023 12:00 am

Location Arrowhead Pine Rose Cabins 25994 CA-189 - Twin Peaks, CA 92391

Attention Writers of MG and YA

Spring Writers Retreat – May 4-7, 2023

Registration is now full!

If you’d like to be placed on our waiting list, please email Bev Plass.

Featuring these fabulous faculty members. Click on their photos to read their bios.

Want to perfect your novel? Want to connect with other creative writers, three agents and an editor? Want to get away? Arrowhead Pine Rose Cabins are tucked away in the mile-high forests of the San Bernardino Mountains. Picture yourself strolling on a nature walk in a protected national forest, surrounded by fresh mountain air and majestic pine trees, the ideal setting for a writer’s retreat. There are a multitude of streams, ponds, and walking trails throughout the property, perfect for quiet reflection or soul rejuvenation. Although we are serious about our craft, the vibe of our retreat is relaxed and fun, reminding us of the joy and the reason we are authors.

You can see more photos of the location here: https://pinerose.com/

Our retreat features four small-group critique groups, written critiques prior to the event, a 15-minute 1:1 coaching session with a faculty member of your choice, writing contest, happy hour, hiking, and mingling. There is even a swimming pool, jacuzzi and firepit!

Four Small-Group Critique Sessions

Meet with one of the faculty and six other writers where you get to read pages from your manuscript and get valuable feedback on what is working, and what could be improved. We’ll have four critique sessions, and time between session so you can decide to either revise and re-present those pages, or move forward with new pages.

Written Critiques:

Prior to the retreat, you have the option to sign up for a paid written critique of your work. We will return the written critique to you one week prior to the retreat so you can revise before we meet in person. If you register for a written critique, please follow these instructions:

Email: Email ten (10) pages of your manuscript and a one-page synopsis as one attachment (doc or docx) to [email protected] .

Subject line: Critique/Agent or Editor’s last name/Your full name; for example: Critique/Lewis/Bev Plass

Deadline: midnight 3 /23/2023

Formatting: Your manuscript must be saved as a Word document, double-spaced, Times New Roman, one-inch margins, and must have a header with your name and page numbers. The synopsis may be single-spaced, one-page, one-inch margins. Your synopsis may be the eleventh page, but please do not send more than ten pages of your manuscript. Save your manuscript as Your Name, Title, Genre. For example: Bev Plass, Camp Loyalty, MG.

Free 1:1 15-minute Coaching session

Are you stuck on an aspect of your story? Need to deepen your character? Make your plot more compelling? Create a synopsis or pitch that’s irresistible? Included in your registration fee is one free 15-minute 1:1 coaching session with one of our faculty. You will be able to choose which faculty member you’d like to meet with. Bring two copies of what you plan to discuss to the session.

Covid Safety

To help everyone feel safe and healthy, to minimize the risk of Covid-19, we are following the regulations and guidelines established by SCBWI, federal and local health officials.

By registering for this event, you agree to the following:

Cancellation Policy

If you need to cancel for any reason, you may do so by April 20, midnight, for a full refund. If you or anyone in your household comes down with Covid, you may cancel up to May 4, 8:00 am for a full refund. If you need to cancel, please contact Bev Plass .

This event is fully booked.

Payment Information

Total: {{total_amount}}

Event Extras

Writing Retreats

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Find the Best Writing Retreats in 2023

In this day and age, when we are constantly bombarded by the internet and media we need a place where we can go to relax and gain a peaceful mind without the outside world interrupting our train of thought. This can be done at a writers retreat. A writers retreat allows you to get in touch with your creative side and work to produce your best work.

Writers have described the writing process as being a lonely business. While it often is a lonely one, it can actually be best to share the process with other writers. Writing retreats and workshops allow a writer to meet with other authors in the same boat, giving you a chance to share ideas, ask questions, and even help each other with the writing process.

Here are the best places to write this year so you can plan your trip and get in touch with your creative side.

Why attend a writers retreat?

Anyone who has ever tried to write a book knows that the creative process involves a lot more than just sitting down and writing. It requires a fair amount of planning, research, outlining, editing, and most of all, feedback and participation. A writer's retreat is a great place to get all of these things. It's not just a place you go to get away from the busyness of everyday life; writers' retreats are a great place to become more productive.

A writers retreat is a place where writers can go to get away from their normal lives and just write. For some this is a weekend. For others it’s a month or two. The important thing is that they get to write and they get to relax. And when you’re at a writer's retreat, you don’t have to worry about anything else. You don’t have to worry about your spouse or kids or boss or your job. You don’t have to worry about your car or your house or any of that stuff. You get to focus on writing. It’s a good way to get away from life and just submerge yourself in your writing.

Best locations for a writers retreat

The best places for a writer's retreat are those that are away from the distractions of everyday life. Most writer's retreats are held in secluded places that have a lot of natural beauty. A place that is quiet and has a lot of peace is a perfect place for a writer's retreat. The place chosen need not be expensive. It just needs to be secluded and quiet.

How much does a writing retreat cost?

The average cost of a 7-day writer's retreat is around $2500, though varies depending on location and length.

What should I bring to a writing retreat?

Top Rated Writers Retreats in 2023

7 day house of light writers retreat on marathos island, greece.

The House of Light is situated on the secluded island of Marathi, Greece (8 nautical miles east of Patmos, the island of revelation).

It is the perfect writers retreat with total tranquility during the autumn and spring months. It has breathtaking views from the coast of Turkey to Amorgos in the south Cyclades.

4 Day ReWrite Your Life Journaling & Tarot for Intuition, UK

Are you ready for 4 special life-changing days?

Imagine if someone could wave a magic wand, allowing you to step into your best life. Well, someone can, and that someone is you - because you have the power within you to change your life.

You are probably feeling stuck at a crossroads in life, or struggling to find your purpose. Are you lacking passion and inspiration? No clear sense of direction?

Soul Sisters Community retreats will allow you to take time out, join an intimate group of like-minded women and find some real change in your life.

Get ready to discover your best self. With the help of journaling, tarot, and fun meaningful conversation, all in a beautiful environment.

5 Day "Write Your Story" Writer's Retreat in Southern France

“You Should Write a Book!”

We all have a story to tell, we all have a book inside us.

During the Write Your Story retreat, you will have the irresistible opportunity to write, without interruptions and distractions, amongst idyllic surroundings in this unspoiled and forgotten part of the deepest rural south of France - and walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostella pilgrims' route for inspiration!

This writing retreat is different from other retreats. It’s not just about writing. Of course, it’s about improving your writing, finding your own voice, developing a regular writing habit, etc. but it is also about writing your own story to help you understand who you are and connect with the real you.

It is about editing your own story in such a way that your past is empowering instead of debilitating. It is about enabling you to process and then incorporate challenging events in your past into your writing.

During this powerful and possibly life-changing writer’s retreat, you will find out exactly how you can make this happen.

11 Day Rewrite Your Life, Find New Purpose & Have Fun, Sri Lanka

This unique combination of a luxury retreat and learning new life-changing skills in a stunning location is unbeatable!

It will allow you, the mature women, the perfect opportunity to get away on your own with no worries about traveling solo, as you will welcome straight into our group of wonderful like-minded ladies looking to add new experiences into their lives.

Aside from making new friends, exploring paradise, and lots of laughter, you will be free to be your best self with the help of journaling, tarot, yoga, soul food, and fun and meaningful conversation, all in a beautiful environment.

Nature abounds - get close up to the majestic blue whale or elephants, try paddleboarding or surfing, explore Buddhist temples or relax with a massage by the pool, cocktail in hand!

Get ready to kick off 2022 as you mean to go on and wave that magic wand to open the door into this beautiful house by the beach and your best life. That's what this retreat will offer you - a way to harness the special powers within to achieve the life you wish for.

COVID GUARANTEE **THE RETREAT COST IS 100% FULLY REFUNDABLE IF SRI LANKA MOVES TO THE RED LIST **

8 Day Holistic Yoga & Writing Retreat in Kefalonia, Greece

Join our retreat, with meditation, yoga, and personal journaling, with magnificent views of the majestic Mount Aenos and the Ionian sea. The aim is to nourish your soul and relax in wonderful natural surroundings. A holistic and mindful experience, emphasizing yoga, meditation and writing to tap into a well of creativity that lives within you. A regular writing and meditation practice will make you more focused and connected with yourself so that you can live with more joy and a sense of purpose. Find and honor your unique, authentic voice.

Yoga Retreats

We are so pleased to be back in person, finally!

When: march 29th-april 2nd, 2023, author-in-residence.

Kirstin Chen

is the New York Times best-selling author of three novels. Her latest, Counterfeit , is a Reese’s Book Club pick, as well as a Roxane Gay book club pick. It has also been recommended by The New York Times , The Washington Post , People Magazine , Entertainment Weekly , Vogue , Time , Oprah Daily, Harper’s Bazaar , Cosmopolitan , and more. Translation rights have sold in six languages and television rights have been optioned by Sony Pictures. Her previous two novels are Bury What We Cannot Take and Soy Sauce for Beginners . Born and raised in Singapore, she lives in New York.

Guest Agents

Melanie Figueroa

is a literary agent at Root Literary , where she represents children’s literature and adult fiction. What she loves most about the job is the balance of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. After graduating with a masters in creative writing and book publishing from Portland State University, she worked in-house as an editorial project manager and freelance editor before joining the agency in 2018. Melanie was born and raised in Southern California in a multicultural, blended family, so she has a soft spot for books that shine a spotlight on the nuances of relationships and identity. When she's not working, you can find her stress baking, watching something scary, or snuggling with her chocolate lab, Oakley.

Michelle Brower

is a Founding Partner and Literary Agent at Trellis Literary Management . With more than fifteen years as an agent, her list spans the spectrum of literary and commercial fiction, from thought-provoking story collections to page-turning thrillers. She is primarily interested in work that focuses on storytelling and emotional connection, and believes that the best reading experience engages both the heart and the head. She is looking for book club novels (a commercial idea with a literary execution), literary fiction, literary suspense, genre fiction for a non-genre audience, and upmarket women’s fiction. In all of these areas, she is looking to support underrepresented voices. Michelle received her Masters degree in British and American Literature from New York University. Originally from New Jersey, she now lives in Seattle with her family.

Ebooks, Publishing, and Everything in Between

Top 2023 Writing Retreats from All Over the World

Every writer’s dream is to be able to enjoy some quiet time so they can focus and get creative. But with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, this is pretty hard to do. That is what makes writing retreats a great opportunity for writers to get their much-needed focus time.

If you’d like to join a writing retreat but don’t know where to start, we have got you covered! Check the retreats happening these years and prepare yourself for some quality writing time.

ACPA: 2023 Writer’s Retreat

The Clockhouse Retreats

Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway

Winter On the Farm Creative Writing Retreat at ZigBone Farm

Puerto Escondido, Mexico Retreat

Winter Writers Retreat

Casa Ana Creative Writing Retreat

Island Time Writing Retreat

Write Here, Write Now

Foxes’ Writing Retreat

Centauri Arts Creative Writing Retreat

Art of Writing Retreat

Stay at Home Writing Retreat

The Rainforest Writers Village Retreat

The Garsdale Retreat: Untutored February Retreat

Stylish Writing Intensive

Gunnas Weekend Writing Retreat

Foxes’ Retreat Festival of Writing

Ossabaw Island Writers’ Retreat

Susan Hagens: Women’s Writing Retreat

Spring Novel Retreat

Writing on the Big Sur Coast with Laura

Himalayan Writers Retreat

Haven I The Writing Retreat

Mission of the Algonkian Writer Retreat and Novel Workshop

Ego Break Retreat

Foxes’ Quilting Retreat

Ireland Writing Retreat

Western Caribbean Writing Retreat Cruise

Rocaberti Writers Retreat

Mission of the Writer Retreat in California

Weaving Words and Women

Write Your Way In: A Week in Spain

Retreat. Create. Revitalize.

The Taos Deep Dive & Revision Writer’s Retreat

Iceland Writers Retreat

Shine: Creative Writing + Pilates Retreat

Paros Greek Island Retreat

Deep of writing

The Garsdale Retreat: Untutored May Retreat

Foxes’ Reiki The Awakening Retreat

Writeaway in New Mexico

The Writer’s Residency

A Retreat For The Senses

A Writer Within Retreat in Tuscany

The Garsdale Retreat: Developing Your Poetry

Write, Travel, Transform: Tuscany

The Writing Retreat

Memories into Memoir Writing Retreat

Paris Writers Retreat

Literature & Landscape of the Horse Retreat

Rainforest Writing Retreat

Composed Writing Retreat

The Garsdale Retreat: Untutored June Retreat

Greece Writer’s Retreat

Greece’s Writer’s Retreat

Mountain Rise Writing Retreat

All-Genre NIP Bookcamp Workshop & Writing Retreat

Come to Your Senses Writing Retreat with Author Karen Karbo

Tuscany Writing Retreat

Open You Art Retreat

Writeaway in France

Casa Ana Novel Writing Retreat

The Garsdale Retreat: Novel Writing

Summer on the Farm Novel Writing Retreat at ZigBone Farm

Writers’ Retreats with Tours of Ireland

Write. Run. Connect.

The White Mountain Book Writing Retreat

Write Away Plovdiv Retreat

Creative Writing Retreats in the Pyrenees

Foxes’ Wellbeing Retreat

GoodLit Writers Retreat

The Garsdale Retreat: Untutored August Retreat

Writing Retreat in Tuscany, Italy

Fiction Writing Masterclass

A Creative Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago

Mythic Creativity Retreat

Write Away: France Writing Retreat

The Okoboji Writers’ Retreat

The Garsdale Retreat: Untutored October Retreat

Himalayan International Writers Retreat

Autumn Novel Retreat

Writeaway in Italy

Fall Retreat in the Beautiful Berkshires

True Life Stories

The Garsdale Retreat: Untutored November Retreat

The Garsdale Retreat: Untutored December Retreat

La Bodeguita Writing Retreat

La Casa Grande Writing Retreat

Words and Wanderlust Retreat

Whatever your writing expertise is, you could definitely use a writing retreat to finish your manuscript, meet fellow writers, or just relax and get some writing done!

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Thank you guys, you’ve spent a lot of time gathering all these retreats and organizing them in one place. Good job!

Thank you Nour for your kind words 🙂

I really appreciate the information you provided. Now I can properly prepare for my next writing retreat. Congrats on a wonderful job. All the best!

CALL TO WRITERS: Applications for 2023 Writing Retreats Now Open

Sonoma County, CA, Unknown

Applications for 2023 Writing Retreats are Now Open. There are five retreats with up to nine placements available for 2023. Please read details for each retreat carefully before applying as the length of stays do differ. All of the retreats may be applied for as a solo residency.

New in 2023 – Inspiration Retreats – Ultra Deluxe 2 night mini-escapes ideal for fine tuning a book proposal, reviewing a work in progress, or contemplating a new project. The Inspiration Retreats offer an exceptional opportunity to immerse int he beauty of the vineyards and release the muse within.

2023 Retreats & Dates Moshin Vineyards — February 5-11th, 2023 2023 Keller Estate (co–residency) — February 6-10th, 2023 West Wines (co-residency) – February 6-10th, 2023 DeLoach Vineyards – February 6-8th, 2023 Jordan Winery (co-residency) February 6-8th, 2023 Deadline to apply is November 28th. Consider submitting your application early especially if you will be applying for a co-residency, of which there are several options. Curious about the writing retreats? Check out what our Past Residents have to say about their Writing Between the Vines experience.

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