What’s it Like to Attend an Online Writing Retreat?
Why attend an online writing retreat? Adventures in Writing retreats offer the environment and space to unplug from daily routines, demands, and expectations. They allow your creative self to be the focus of attention. Carving out the time to attend an online writing retreat is the first step in saying YES to yourself and your writing journey. With each day of the retreat, more tension releases from your body and you expand into deeper levels of inspiration.
Pause, take a moment to think about what attending a retreat could mean for your writing goals this year. Now take a few more moments to write your response in your journal. Notice how your body feels as you explore what is possible.
One thing I love about facilitating writing retreats is the energy created when people of like spirits come together – people who have said yes to crafting their stories within a circle of trust. When the pandemic forced everyone into lockdown, and our ability to gather in person was restricted, I felt a sense of loss. Who knew how long we would have to wait before meeting once again? Then, thanks to the power of technology, my mentor offered her first online retreat. It was here that I discovered the transformational power of a well-crafted online event. I also discovered that the structure for my writing retreats could be successfully adapted to online.
Since then, I have offered Writing from the Heart for writers of all levels of writing experience.
Here’s what one participant from 2022 wants to share:
An Online Writing Retreat to Start Your Year
I suspect you are curious about what Writing from the Heart, my online writing retreat, might be like, so here is a brief overview.
I begin by encouraging you to set up a personal space that allows creativity to flourish. Our retreat groups are structured so that everyone gets individualized attention as well as group time. A typical retreat day starts with a brief grounding meditation, followed by group writing practice.
After lunch break, there are unstructured afternoon hours, dedicated free time to create, explore, rest, or connect with fellow retreat participants. Every day we arrive and connect more deeply with the stories we are longing to write, as well as the audiences we are meant to serve.
I invite you to arrive with a beginner’s mind, open and ready for exploration. You will be amazed by the results, as you discover that your words come more easily each day. As you lean into the support created within the group, you begin to see the beauty of what you have written. For most writers, having your words received and honored so deeply is a new and liberating experience.
Everyone has a deep well of expression inside them, waiting to be revealed; an unlimited and overflowing reservoir of creativity where laughter, pain, sorrow, and love all reside. During an online writing retreat, you are likely to reclaim your sense of playful self-expression. You may discover just how much your words matter.
A lasting take-away of an online writing retreat is that you learn how to build an ongoing practice that includes loving your newborn pieces and mindfully revising them in a nurturing way. You learn the elements of strong writing using an organic process that arises directly from the body. It is a place beyond thought, beyond the rational mind. This is where magic happens.
If you too would like to move your writing journey forward, join me for an online writing retreat unlike any other! Writing from the Heart online retreat, January 25 – January 29, 2023.
marie
If something in this newsletter inspired you, send me a note at marie@mariemaccagno.com.
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