Run Away to Write!

Writing is something you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t. It’s so easy to put other things first – the kids, work, volunteering, even craft. You’re not entirely sure what’s stopping you from making the commitment, or if those barriers – having the time, having the energy, having the creative force – are just excuses. Somehow, it just feels both scary and self-indulgent.

I know how that feels. My M.A. in Creative Writing felt like the ultimate selfishness- a year writing poetry, with a trip from Hawke’s Bay to Wellington each week. The reality was that it was scary – scary to put myself out there, scary how hard I found the writing, scary to navigate that space on my own, away from the comforts of home. I think I’m almost prouder of facing up to those fears than I am of the degree.

Writing retreats are great – a chance to remove yourself from all those pressures and find your writing self. Often, you find both words and insights into what makes you tick. It can be almost magical – that time snipped out of your everyday life.  Conversely, if you’re doing a writing course from home, you learn how to incorporate writing into your life, but it’s much harder to allow yourself the time to succeed. So how do you manage to find both your writing energy, and the space in your life to write?

We think we’ve come up with a compromise that will allow you to take a step back, but still feel engaged with ‘real’ life. Our inaugural writing runaway will be in the glorious Art Deco city of Napier. You’ll be with other people who want to write, working to find your own voice on the page. You’ll be inspired by the Master classes and energised by workshops. You’ll feeling the energy of a writing community around you. As well, we’ll draw inspiration from the sun, the sea, the food and wine, the cityscape, the people and the gorgeous Art Deco Masonic Hotel itself.

Looking around, whether you’re from the city or beyond, is different when you’re looking with writer’s eyes. It’s more intense, more focused, more attuned to small sense details – the broken tile under a window, the baubles on a white wall, the chalked sign leading you into temptation. When you’re looking in this way, you notice people hurrying, hesitating, happy or hoping. You give yourself permission to wonder why.

Each day, we’ll help you look in a fresh way at the world around you. Instead of looking inwards for inspiration, you’ll have this newly vibrant reality, as well as your imaginings, when you sit down to write each day.

The runaway will help you find your writer’s voice. Yes, it might be scary to take that leap. Yes, it will feel self-indulgent. Lean into both – enjoy the beauty of the Art Deco Masonic hotel and the energy of the city as you (finally) indulge your inner writer. Find out if you’re a memoirist, a novelist or a poet. Indulge your body and engage your mind. Take this time for you. Run away, out of your life and into writing, and leave revitalised, and with something you’re proud to say you’ve written.

Want to learn more? Read and register here,