Summer Structured Writing Retreat (Online)

Date/Time
Date(s) - 25/08/2025 - 27/08/2025 9:30 am - 1:00 pm

Audience:

NARTI Online Summer Structured Writing Retreat

 

Monday 25-Wednesday 27 August 2025

09.30-13.00 (UK time, all days)

All welcome!

You are invited to join an online Structured Writing Retreat, organised through NARTI and facilitated by Jo Garrick. The retreat will take place between 09.30-13.00 (UK time) each day and this will provide time and space for you to work on your writing projects and keep you on track over the summer. We set goals and write together so it is a good opportunity to meet fellow researchers and share writing challenges and tips. The retreat is open to anyone with a writing project.

The schedule for each day is as follows:

09.30    Join the session, set goals

09.45    Freewriting

10.00    Focused writing (individual writing project)

11.15    Break

11.30    Focused writing (individual writing project)

12.45    Group discussion

13.00    Close

Please note, this is not a writing workshop, and I will not be providing advice on writing technique or critiquing your work. The emphasis is on you progressing your individual writing project in a supportive environment.

Retreat works best when you:

  • Focus exclusively on writing (worry about editing, reading or adding references later).
  • Keep internet usage to a minimum and use only if absolutely necessary (emails drain time and energy!)
  • Define specific goals and sub-goals, i.e. sections of funding application/paper, chapter, conference presentation
  • Define and discuss content and structure for writing sub-goals
  • Take stock of your achievements of these goals throughout the programme
  • Discuss your writing-in-progress –> mutual peer support

Before you go to retreat:

  • Decide on a writing project or projects (always have a back-up project to work on)
  • Read Murray R. & Newton M. (2009) Writing retreat as structured intervention: Margin or mainstream? Higher Education Research and Development, 28(5): 527-39 – attached
  • Review the retreat programme: plan your writing tasks for each timeslot
  • Do reading and other preparation before retreat
  • Get notes, plans, outlines etc. together. Outline the structure of your research funding application
  • Download anything you need before you go, e.g. articles, resources, notes

What you will need for the retreat:

Laptop, downloaded materials/notes

You don’t need to join all three days, just join when you can. If you would like to participate in the retreat, please respond to this email and I will circulate the Zoom joining details in due course.