How to run a DIY writing retreat

A retreat from reality. A whole day, or maybe even several days, wholly devoted to writing. An opportunity to focus solely on your work-in-progress: to smash a word count goal, get under the skin of your story idea or wrestle your plot into perfect shape. 

Sounds great, right? It’s no wonder that attending a writing retreat is on most authors’ wish lists for 2025 – mine included!  

However, writing retreats can be prohibitively expensive, especially in the aftermath of Christmas. They can also be tough to fit into everyday life if you have other commitments to consider.  

Luckily, there are ways you can bring the principles of a retreat into your own writing practice, whatever your budget and time constraints may be. Here are five helpful ideas for running your own DIY writing retreat. I hope they help you get 2025 off to a strong, creative start.  

1. Pick (or prepare) a place 

If spending a few hours away from home – perhaps in a particularly nice coffee shop – is an option for you, then this might be a good place to start. Alternatively, it could be that a day or two in a local hotel or B&B is within reach. If so, this could offer sufficient distance from the daily grind to boost your productivity.  

If you can head further afield, that’s great, too – though (unless your retreat is also a very specific research trip) beware the temptation to book accommodation in a location where you’ll be tempted to explore. Trekking to Scotland for some peace and quiet is all very well, but you’re unlikely to get much writing done if you can’t resist checking out local hiking trails or touring whisky distilleries… 

Which leads me nicely to my point. While the word ‘retreat’ probably makes you think of going away somewhere, in reality this is far less important than the decision to retreat – as in, step back – from what you normally do and think about. You could travel to a perfect, picturesque cottage in the middle of nowhere and still struggle to concentrate on writing if you can’t put down your mobile phone or silence the voice in your head that keeps whispering, ‘Don’t forget tomorrow is bin day!’ 

As you prepare for your DIY writing retreat – which can certainly happen in your own home – think about the distractions that typically pull you away from writing. How can you tackle them? You might consider asking a friend or partner to take charge of children or pets for a day, for example.  

If you’ve booked a day or two of leave from work to write, turn your ‘office’ phone off and put it in a drawer. Refuse to think about your day job until your retreat is done! Also, make sure those around you know that just because you have booked a day off work, it doesn’t mean you are ‘off’. This is not the opportunity for accepting invitations to brunch, or tackling those extra projects around the home you’ve been meaning to do. You’re still working. It’s just a different sort of work. 

Give yourself permission to de-prioritise any chores and errands you’d usually get done during the time you’ve set aside for your DIY writing retreat. That said, make sure the space you’ll use for writing is clean and tidy… otherwise ‘neatening it up’ could easily become a smokescreen for procrastination.  

If you’re keen to dedicate some more time to your work-in-progress but don’t have the opportunity or funds to go on a traditional writing retreat, signing up for The Ultimate Start could also be a great option for you. This one day, online writing workshop offers five tutorials with expert authors, and is designed to kickstart your creativity for the New Year. Best of all, it costs just £49 for Jericho Writers Premium Members and £99 for non-members.

2. Set strategic goals 

So, you’ve decided when and where your DIY writing retreat will take place. Now it’s time to define what you want to achieve during the time you’ve set aside.  

Perhaps you want to plan your next project. Maybe you have a completed draft that you’re keen to self-edit. It could be that you’re desperately trying to get to ‘the end’ with a work-in-progress, and just need some focused time to help you bring home the final act of your story.  

Wherever you are on your writing journey, think about the best way to invest the time you’re devoting to your retreat. What can you get done in that period, and what impact will it have on your project overall? What aspects of writing do you normally find most difficult – and does this distraction-free time offer an opportunity to get to grips with them?  

Before you begin your DIY writing retreat, you need to know upfront what ‘success’ means for you. Without a clear goal in mind, you may struggle to stay motivated – and you also risk ending without that clear, satisfying sense of crossing the finish line.  

You must also make sure that, whatever goal you set, it’s realistic. If you have a single day to work on your writing, for example, don’t tell yourself you’re going to produce 10,000 perfect words. Aim for a number you know is feasible, then pat yourself on the back if you overshoot!

3. Create a schedule 

The phrase ‘writing retreat’ probably conjures up cosy images of people thinking very deep, writerly thoughts, snuggled up in front of roaring fires and sipping from bottomless mugs of hot chocolate. Lovely as such images are, the truth is that you can only spend so much time contemplating and quaffing sugary beverages if you want to get stuff done.  

By all means, make regular hot chocolate breaks a core component of your DIY writing retreat plan – but schedule them in advance. Make them a reward for an hour of good work. Think about how they can push you closer to achieving your goal, rather than hamper you from focusing on it. 

When you’re planning your DIY writing retreat, it’s a good idea to consider in advance how you can incorporate regular meals, small treats, physical movement and rest – particularly if you’re spending more than a day on focused work. It may sound puritanical, but creating a schedule will not only help you stick to writing, planning or editing; it will also encourage you to take good care of yourself.  

Through The Ultimate Start, we’re offering five workshops in a single day to help you plan a new project, review your work-in-progress or provide a fantastic framework for self-editing. You can view the schedule for the day (which includes plenty of all-important breaks!) right here on our website.  

4. Prepare your resources  

Think about ways you can prepare for your DIY writing retreat in advance. Could you batch cook a few meals, for instance, or stock up on healthy snacks that will keep your creativity flowing? If you’re a lover of fabulous notebooks and snazzy pens, would having a couple of new ones help motivate you during your retreat?  

You’ll also want to consider more mundane things like ensuring any research notes, files or books you might need are readily available. Collect everything together in one place so that, even if you’re staying at home, you won’t waste precious time hunting for them.  

Think about making sure you’re comfortable, too. If you have a favourite cushion, blanket or scented candle, incorporate this into your workspace.  

Such items should be a welcome reminder that your writing retreat is supposed to be pleasurable, as well as productive. Focusing on your writing in this way is something you get to do, not something you have to do. 

5. Celebrate your success (and analyse how you could improve) 

When your writing retreat is over, make sure you give yourself credit for the time and effort you’ve put into it – whether or not you achieved everything you set out to.  

If you didn’t quite hit your target, see if there’s anything you can learn from that. Was your word count goal too ambitious? Did you underestimate how long editing or planning certain sections of your story might take you? Or, did you find an idea you’d thought was good didn’t have legs and come up with something else instead? 

So often in writing, what seems like a setback is a learning experience, or an opportunity to pivot and improve something. When you look back on what you’ve managed to do during your DIY writing retreat, consider it with positivity and without judgement. That way, you won’t be discouraged from carving out time for another writing retreat in future – and you’ll be even better equipped to make the most of it.  

So, there you have it! Five tips for creating a DIY writing retreat that will help you start your writing year right.  

And if you’d like to find out more about the affordable mini ‘writing retreat’ we’re running for online this January, check out The Ultimate Start page on our website.