Annual Writing Retreat

[Michael Carr]

If you're an aspiring writer, let me recommend attending a retreat/workshop. You might consider something like Clarion or Viable Paradise, but even better would be something you can attend on an annual basis. I go to a weeklong workshop every summer with 5-8 other writers at Gibraltar Point on the Toronto Islands.



For one week every year I am able to leave my other responsibilities behind--father, husband, innkeeper--and focus 100% on being a writer. I write in the mornings, read other people's manuscripts in the afternoons, and attend critique sessions at night. I learn a lot, make good progress on my WIP, and contribute to the professional growth of several friends. Most importantly however, I return from Toronto every year with a renewed sense of purpose.

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