The best retreats for aspiring writers

Woman sat writing in a notebook outside a wooden building

Getting away from it all can spark creativity

(Image credit: Nature Picture Library / Alamy)

"Some say everyone has a novel in them – and the recent boom in self-published books suggests it could be true", said The Times. Whether you're a successful author with a "three-book publishing deal" or you're embarking on your very first writing project, "the hardest part of the process is getting started". Here are some of the best writing retreats where you can put pen to paper in peace.

Silk Road Slippers, Marrakech

Alexandra Pringle, Bloomsbury's editor-in-chief, and Alex von Tunzelmann, the author and historian of the bestselling "Indian Summer", are helping writers to "unlock" their literary skills at this "book camp" in Marrakech, said the Financial Times. The "fully immersive" five-day workshop includes everything from "hands-on exercises" to "one-on-one feedback" and talks from a star-studded line-up of guest authors (Alan Hollinghurst was "top billing" at the spring masterclass). The "literary double act" covers all bases; Pringle specialises in memoir and fiction, while von Tunzelmann "delights" in history and crime. Each course has a maximum number of 14 attendees, and previous experience "isn't necessary".
silkroadslippers.com

Hawkwood College, England

"If you're looking for total luxury, Hawkwood isn't for you," said Laura Hackett in The Times. The 19th-century country house in Stroud has a "well-worn feel to it" with "creaking floorboards" and threadbare sofas. "But for me this was all part of its charm." It's the type of place where you feel relaxed enough to "tiptoe down to the kitchen in your pyjamas for a bedtime cup of tea". The five-day course I attended was run by horror writer Ally Wilkes and freelance editor Cat Camacho; their "real skill" was making us feel "comfortable enough to share our work with strangers". The daily masterclasses felt "collaborative" and laid-back, and you could sign up for as many as six half-hour one-on-one tutorials. I arrived with a "hazy idea" for my novel; by the end of the course, "I had a first chapter and confidence that one day I may actually write the whole thing."
hawkwoodcollege.co.uk

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How Fiction Works with Claire Keegan, Ireland

Claire Keegan's summer retreat in Co Carlow, Ireland, tackles the ins and outs of fiction, with a focus on several key components of the novel. This is very much centered around theory and you'll need to complete a reading list before arriving, said Hackett in The Times. "But if that sounds exciting rather than daunting, you'll have the chance to learn from one of contemporary fiction's great writers." After quiet mornings spent reading and writing, the bestselling author of "Small Things Like These" will give a series of lectures on topics spanning everything from the structure of narrative to character development and dialogue.
ckfictionclinic.com

Casa Ana, Andalucia

"Writing courses are everywhere these days, but environments that support writers at work are much harder to find," said Lulu Norman in The Guardian. Shortly after arriving at Casa Ana in the Alpujarra region of Andalucia, "I was sure I was in the right place." The whitewashed house is nestled in the quiet village of Ferreirola with a view across the mountains that "stuns newcomers to silence". Writers can come for one or two weeks, and while there's "no social obligation", it wasn't long before my "fellow scribblers" felt like "old friends". Days here are filled with silence and evenings can be spent strolling through the hills or taking a dip in the swimming pool at a nearby hotel. "What really sets Casa Ana apart, though, is that there is help at hand if you are stuck." The excellent resident mentor Mary-Jane Holmes offers one-on-one sessions and there's optional group feedback sessions a couple of times a week.
casa-ana.com

Irenie Forshaw is the features editor at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.