transformational writing retreats

Yvonne, Cindy and Annie enjoying a moonlit boat ride to send their lantern wishes into the river.

Hooray! In February we’re returning to heavenly Hoi An as the Vietnamese new year begins with a weeklong yoga and writing retreat on the river, surrounded by rice fields. Escape the worst of the southern summer and northern winter in the pleasantly balmy weather of the Vietnamese cool season. Join a group of like-minded creative folk and explore the craft of writing in daily workshops by experienced authors with decades of experience teaching the essential skills of narrative.

We had such a wonderful time in Vietnam last year at our inaugural Heavenly Hoi A writing holiday! Some of our guests created their own special writers group and are still connecting to share work regularly. That’s what I love about these retreats, helping writers connect with others on the same path! Writing can be a lonely business, with more than it’s share of criticism and rejection too, having a supportive tribe of fellow writers makes it all so much more fun!

Are you longing to connect with other writers?

Have you always wanted to visit Vietnam, but don’t want to do it on your own?

Are you searching for ways to make your writing more powerful?

Would you love to learn more about the craft of writing?

Relax with daily yoga and breathing, deeply relax and release the stories that have been stuck in your head for way too long. Isn’t it time you treated yourself to the writing holiday of your dreams?

JOIN Kerstin and Edwina, published authors and experienced retreat facilitators, university educators and yoga teachers for a week of yoga, writing, feasting and fun in beautiful Hoi An.

6 nights/7 days — February 10-16, 2025.

EARLY BIRD ends September 30

Have you always wanted to write but never have the time, motivation or courage to seriously commit to your dream?

Need guidance getting started, setting goals, or finishing a draft?

Want to learn about the essentials of the craft of writing (ie. plot, character, form, narrative drive, pathways to publication)?

Yearn to reconnect with your creativity and your body in the vibrant yet tranquil environment of Hoi An, Vietnam?

Join us for six nights and seven wonderful writing days, February 10 – 16, 2025.

EARLY BIRD to September 30!

The time around TET, Vietnamese Lunar New Year, is a special time of the year when the streets are filled with flowers.

Imagine unlimited writing time
Imagine finally getting the stories out of our head and onto the page
Imagine the joy of deep creative connection.

The retreat is held at beautiful An Villa, and Anicca Villa around the road, both small, boutique resorts on the banks of the Thu Bon river. You’ll love the overwater yoga deck.

This retreat is for anybody who yearns to creatively reconnect and who is in need of some nurturing and TLC for their creative spirits.

Whether you have an established writing practice
or have always wanted to write but never had the time, this retreat led by experienced and knowledgeable, fun and friendly hosts, may just be what the doctor has ordered.

To make this a stress-free writing holiday for you, we’ve created an all-inclusive package:

daily writing workshops with TWO experienced writing teachers & published authors

1:1 feedback on your writing

daily gentle morning yoga

your personal tarot reading

daily pranayama (breathwork) sessions and evening meditation

5 nights accommodation in 4 star riverfront boutique resort

all meals, prepared with loving care, following traditional recipes

PLUS A CULTURAL EXCURSION!

authentic Vietnamese cooking class and feast

All activities are optional, so if you’d rather skip morning yoga and sleep in, or just want to focus on writing in your room and miss a workshop or two, that’s fine.

Plans are also afoot for onward travel for participants keen on exploring more but not on their own.

Private rooms start at AUD $3050 (all prices in Australian dollars) PRICES INCLUDE ALL MEALS AND ALL ACTIVITIES including a tarot reading, one on one feedback and plenty of time with the teachers to ask every writing question you’ve ever thought of!

EARLY BIRD PRICES END SOON! Don’t miss out on this affordable international retreat which will renew your body, mind and creative spirit.

“I feel renewed as a writer, and as a human being.” Bianca Millroy, past retreat participant.

“So much more than a writing retreat!” Vicki Bennett, Author of THE BOOK OF HOPE and over 40 published titles.

For more info and to book your place, visit here. New Transformational Writing Retreat website coming soon!! Keep your eyes peeled for special opening bargains!

To get a good idea of what life’s like on retreat see my rundown on this year’s retreat – we had so much fun!

You don’t have to slog it out on your own, join your tribe of fellow creative spirits, learn the craft of writing, stretch and release stories from your body with yoga, and explore the beauty and wonder of Vietnam with us! We always have a wonderful time.

So hope you can join us in 2025! Free your creative spirit and inner explorer and put yourself at the top of your to do list for once!

Lots of love

Edwina 🙂 xx

Happy campers with our vision boards, freshly minted.

The magic of Bali and the kindness of the people worked their miracles again this year on retreat. With a small group due to some last-minute mishaps, (poor chookies, luckily we ask all participants to hold comprehensive travel insurance) we were able to spread out over the beautiful grounds of Bali Ecostay and enjoy the peace and privacy of our exclusive use of the unique open air bungalows, lulled by the ever-present music of the stream running through the property and powering our lights. With water drinkable straight from the taps, sourced from Bali Ecostay’s own spring, and all organic bath products as well as delicious food prepared with love and sourced from their own incredible permaculture gardens and food forest, we were able to totally relax into the Bali of days gone by.

Every day the local elder, dressed in traditional garb, prepared floral offerings and delivered them to our bungalows, the temples in the gardens, and to the sacred waterfall, making every day feel blessed indeed. On our first day the local women dressed us up in traditional kebayas with sashes and taught us how to prepare our own floral tributes then led us to the temple to offer them to the gods of the property, the river and the village, to bless us all, and all the staff. We even blessed the kitchen utensils! To close the ceremony, we daubed our foreheads and throats with grains of rice, tucked flowers behind our ears and scattered them through our hair. Such a beautiful ritual and an honour to be included in this sacred ceremony.

As usual on our writing retreats, our greatest joy is watching new writing friendships blossom. Writing can be a lonely business so connecting with other like-minded souls in a supported environment is a special element of these writing adventures away from home. From Victoria, with 35 books under her belt, to Carol, right at the start of her writing journey, to Kylie straight out of the outback sharing her hilarious stories about bulls, to Yvonne writing of her battle with debilitating illness, to Yuan fascinating us with stories of her great-grandmother who was a Chinese pirate of the south seas, we had an intriguing group, growing closer through the week, until we all felt like sisters by the last morning, sad to say goodbye. So much creativity and inspiration and many epiphanies about projects underway and new projects to begin. Because all activities are optional on our retreats you are free to create the retreat you most need – lots of learning or lots of writing time. Interaction or time alone.

Our mornings began with gentle yoga in the spectacular open-air yoga shala, a mandala of fresh petals at the centre, incense and flowers scenting the air. Then to a plentiful breakfast – fresh tropical fruit, coconut yoghurt, toast, eggs, tomatoes, fresh delicious greens, coffee grown on the property, ginger tea for me, plus pancakes with butter and sugar palm syrup and homemade jam and other sweet treats depending on the day. Yes, we were stuffed like Christmas geese! Luckily many scenic walks through the food forests to the waterfall and spectacular rice paddies are easy to find. And writing takes energy too!

The morning workshops were fun and interactive as well as informative and inspirational, incorporating guided meditations to get our retreaters writing up a storm. From freewriting to carefully curated prompts, to sharing craft knowledge and know-how on structure and all aspects of creative writing, these workshops incorporate sharing and discussion as all voices and input is valued and appreciated. It’s basically an entire university course on creative writing crammed into a week, so retreaters needed to put on their brain-caps, and wear their happy pants too.

Afternoons were reserved for rest, writing, adventures, swims in the waterfall, and one on one feedback sessions with Kerstin and I, plus tarot readings later in the week to offer new insights as participants prepare to move into a new phase of their lives after the retreat – empowered and believing in their right to tell their stories, rewrite the past and create a brave new future of their own making.

As the sun set each day, we gathered again in the yoga shala for some calming yoga breathing (pranayama) to clear our minds, relax deeply and prepare for a restful night. Cocktails and glasses of wine were ordered as our lovely kitchen ladies brought out our dinners, each one delicious and followed by scrumptious desserts. Everyone had their favourite. I love the black sticky rice pudding with hot coconut cream. Kerstin craved the lime dairy free cheesecake, or was it the dairy free chocolate gelato or chocolate pie? Let’s just say we feasted happily without having to lift a finger!

First collage by the very lovely artist and writer, Julie Parsons

On the final day we discussed publishing options and got our heads around submitting our work and, as is traditional in the final session, we left words behind and used collage to create vision boards for the future using images and colour. We shared what we’d created and our dreams, laughed and encouraged each other as we set intentions for the lives we want to lead, and the pain we want to leave behind. Our final night bonfire took our pain and our dreams to heaven as we stood together by the rice fields dancing with fireflies, creating light of our own. Our readings night saw both laughter and tears, with people sharing work and testing their voices, inspiring us all.

As always, I found this retreat richly rewarding, connecting with many special writing souls who gave as much as they received. So thank you my dear new friends for sharing this special week with Kerstin and I and for giving so much of yourselves, for supporting each other, for listening and for speaking up, for your writing, your inspiring creativity and your kindness, laughter and smiles.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s the people who come along on these retreats that make them so special. THANK YOU!

Are you ready for a grand adventure? Bookings are now open for Blissful Bali 2025 June 23 – 29. All the info here.

In 2025 we have Vietnam in February (10 – 16) also open for bookings, Bali in June, Italy in October and introducing our first Writing for Wellness Retreat in Byron Bay in November. You can book both Vietnam and Bali now and we’re working on getting the others up as soon as possible.

Super keen? Make sure you’re the first to know by joining the waitlist for your preferred retreat. Just drop me a line and I’ll add you to the list. And for all the latest retreat news, writing advice and publishing opportunities subscribe to my newsletter.