writing retreats for women

The view from our spectacular private lookout in Springbrook

Have you made it all the way to the end of your first draft? Most of the way? Or at least a bit, but then you got stuck? Need some help and motivation to move onto the next stage of writing? Do you like a deadline? Make this retreat the deadline for your first draft! Need to prepare pitch documents and figure out how, and where, to submit your work?

This retreat is for you!

This special retreat is for those with a bit of writing under their belts, looking for some advice and information on self-editing and structure. Get ready for your second draft!

Workshops are focused on:

Finding the themes and key messages of our stories and honing in on those in the manuscripts,
STRUCTURE – working out a structure that will support and enhance your plot and make it a compelling read.
Fixing your sentences. Get your head around the nitty-gritty of sentences and learn ways to clean up your prose to make it strong and vigorous.
Pitch to agents or publishers and learn how to write that dreaded synopsis.

Connect with other writers at a similar level and get useful advice and feedback on your work in progress in small feedback groups, or pay a little more for written feedback from Edwina and an individual session to talk through any issues you’re facing.

All in beautiful Springbrook in the Gold Coast hinterland with plenty of room to spread out and lie in the grass to write, or prop yourself up against a giant tree, or hole up in your room all weekend and just write your heart out without distraction. Ask questions and get all the answers you need from Edwina and the braintrust of attending writers. Have fun and relax. Stretch out with yoga every morning and let go of all your worries with deep breathing and relaxation techniques in the evening.

Explore the beautiful grounds, take long walks at the nearby National Parks, or wander down to our lookout and waterfall and rock hop your way to solitude in nature. Let the birdsong and rustle of leaves soothe you as you write and rewrite, then come sit by the fire and talk through any challenges with your project with other writers as you feast on Gay’s delicious home cooked meals and treats.

A weekend out of time, just for you and your story. You’ve been working hard on your book. Treat yourself to this weekend of connection and information, to help elevate your story and prepare it for publication.

THIS RETREAT IS ALL INCLUSIVE

All meals, workshops and accomodation in comfortable but basic single rooms with a desk and electric blankets for those cold winter nights are included, all for only $500 (early bird unwaged) or $650 (early bird – employed).

EARLY BIRD PRICES CLOSE 30 June 2024. BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW to avoid disappointment, places are already filling.

Check that spaces are available with Edwina first, then PAY YOUR $200 DEPOSIT before 30 June to secure early bird prices.

Any questions or to get the flyer, contact Edwina.

Come and join the fun and joy of connecting with other like-minded writing women. Make this August your time to have your first draft finished and reward yourself with this uplifting, informative and inspiring retreat!

Hope you can come!

Lots of love

Edwina xx

Once again the sun shone for us in Springbrook as our group of wonderful women writers gathered to relax, write, feast and connect at the beautiful Theosophical Society Education and Retreat Centre high above the bustle in the Gold Coast hinterland.

We wrote up a storm and shared our stories, connecting heart to heart, writer to writer, learning from each other and growing in our skills and abilities to get those stories out of our heads and onto the page.

The weather was so beautiful we even had a session outside on a picnic blanket, listening deeply to the stories of the ancestors of this spectacular country, the Yugambeh people, and our own ancestors with their own stories to tell.

Chief cookie, the fabulous Gay Liddington, whose own memoir will be published in 2024 – WATCH THIS SPACE – tempted us all with delicious treats, and what a treat it is to walk into the kitchen at the end of a long day writing to smell a feast ready and waiting. THANK YOU GAY!

This retreat, we saw many repeat retreaters reconnecting and other new friends finding their writing gangs. Writers need other writers. When we are deeply immersed in our own stories, we can’t see our way through what can seem like a tangled forest of words, but other writers can look at our mess from a different angle and clearly see the path through the trees for us.

We laughed and we cried together, wrote, talked and even sang. We relaxed and stretched our bodies with yoga and indulged in healing bodywork treatments by the amazing Monique De Goey of Reconnect Holistic Bodywork.

Each one of us, yours truly included, came away feeling refreshed and renewed, with new ideas for our stories, a clear path ahead and writing companions to cheer us on and pick us back up again if we fall.

As Heidi would say, “I knew the mountains would make her well!”

Here’s what some retreaters had to say.

“A beautiful space of learning, reflection, sharing and mutual honouring of our stories.”

Retreat participant October 2023

“This had been such a wonderful experience for me. I love being in community and experienced wonderful community this weekend. The writing workshops were inspiring, exciting and ignited my creative side again.”

Retreat participant October 2023

“Thank you for all the inspiration, warmth, listening and LOVE.”

Retreat participant October 2023

As is traditional, we finished our retreat with collages – here are some of the beautiful results!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, these retreats are only as special as the women who come along. I love how women come together and lift each other up. THANK YOU to all the wonderful women writers who made this retreat such a beautiful experience for us all, me included.

Sometimes I feel like the luckiest person in the world, getting to uplift and inspire others for my job!

Would you love to come along to the next memoir retreat? Dates are already set for next year’s Memoir and Life Writing Retreat – MAKE A NOTE – 18 – 20 OCTOBER 2024. You can book in HERE by paying your deposit. Hurry repeat retreaters are already signing up! Prices have gone up as retreat costs have risen along with everything else. I’ve created a tiered system for the waged and unwaged but if you’re still burning to come, but can’t see your way through to paying that much, DROP ME A LINE and I’ll see how we can help.

And, just quietly, a new JUST WRITE RETREAT of 4 or 5 nights is planned for early April, 2024. More on this soon!

Vietnam Relax and Write Your Journey Retreat is fully booked and we’re all getting super excited, but places are still available for Bali! I cannot wait to get back to the divine Bali EcoStay to swim in our own waterfall and fall asleep every night to the gentle lull of running water. Tempted? Check it all out here – you’ll have the time of your life!!