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The ideal writers' retreat
If you had one week to write away from home, job, pets, etc., what would be your ideal surroundings? Would you choose to board a plane to a foreign country, or would a half-day car ride away be enough to jog your senses? Would you seek a retreat where you could immerse yourself in solitude, or one where workshops fill your notebook with new pages?
With these questions in mind, I set out six months ago across Costa Rica in search off the perfect spot to offer writers' retreats---and I found it. Docelunas is a 20-room, eco-friendly oasis at the foothills of the rainforest on the Pacific coast. I sought to fill a need that I'd heard expressed time and again from talented writers leading busy lives. These writers spoke of "stealing time" for their writing, but I wondered, what about space? I've noticed that my best writing has emerged when I have the space to delve deep, and that doesn't always happen in a single afternoon. Costa Rica Writers' Retreats are designed for writers seeking that space--an entire week of unencumbered writing time AND space, intimate hands-on writing groups with carefully selected faculty, and a schedule that offers a blend of instruction, freedom and flexibilty.
Another key component of the Costa Rica Writers' Retreats is the carefully designed pace. While I sought to offer stimulating workshops and room for suggested excursions each day, I kept the "creative space" concept central to my original vision. Having attended numerous summer writing programs, residences and conferences, I designed the retreats with a slower pace in mind for participants to fully absorb being in the "now" of such a remarkable environment and for their writing to benefit from that.
The result is a writers' retreat that participants can truly make their own; where writers will "create their day" as much as create dazzling pages. And last but not least, I chose Costa Rica with the North American writing community in mind. A 2 1/2 hour plane ride away from Florida, Costa Rica isn't too far nor too pricey. And yes, Florida does offer palm trees and tropical sun. But when you land in the Central Valley surrounding by stunning peaks and see your first blue butterfly in the rainforest, you know that you've given yourself an experience unlike any other.
How do you envision your ideal writers' retreat?
With these questions in mind, I set out six months ago across Costa Rica in search off the perfect spot to offer writers' retreats---and I found it. Docelunas is a 20-room, eco-friendly oasis at the foothills of the rainforest on the Pacific coast. I sought to fill a need that I'd heard expressed time and again from talented writers leading busy lives. These writers spoke of "stealing time" for their writing, but I wondered, what about space? I've noticed that my best writing has emerged when I have the space to delve deep, and that doesn't always happen in a single afternoon. Costa Rica Writers' Retreats are designed for writers seeking that space--an entire week of unencumbered writing time AND space, intimate hands-on writing groups with carefully selected faculty, and a schedule that offers a blend of instruction, freedom and flexibilty.
Another key component of the Costa Rica Writers' Retreats is the carefully designed pace. While I sought to offer stimulating workshops and room for suggested excursions each day, I kept the "creative space" concept central to my original vision. Having attended numerous summer writing programs, residences and conferences, I designed the retreats with a slower pace in mind for participants to fully absorb being in the "now" of such a remarkable environment and for their writing to benefit from that.
The result is a writers' retreat that participants can truly make their own; where writers will "create their day" as much as create dazzling pages. And last but not least, I chose Costa Rica with the North American writing community in mind. A 2 1/2 hour plane ride away from Florida, Costa Rica isn't too far nor too pricey. And yes, Florida does offer palm trees and tropical sun. But when you land in the Central Valley surrounding by stunning peaks and see your first blue butterfly in the rainforest, you know that you've given yourself an experience unlike any other.
How do you envision your ideal writers' retreat?
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