Reflections from our Writing Retreat attendees - 2024
This Writing Retreat is the Best Event I've Attended in 2024!
Bonan Liu, 2ndyear PhD student, Muenster University, Germany
Recommended by my friend, I flew all the way from Germany to attend this writing retreat, and it was absolutely worth it.
The Key to a Writing Retreat is Writing!
From an efficiency standpoint, I accomplished in three days what would normally take me half a month. During the retreat, there were no distractions, allowing me to fully focus on my research. Engaging with scholars in related fields helped clarify my thoughts more than ever before. The lack of a fixed schedule for waking up was especially comfortable for a night owl like me. I could maintain my usual work habits and write at my own pace. The relaxed daily routine allowed everyone to follow their own habit.
Peer Pressure Can Be a Good Thing Here!
Another fascinating aspect of the retreat was the positive peer pressure. Post-pandemic, many universities in Germany have adopted optional remote work, which sometimes lacks the ‘connection’ of working together in an office. This writing retreat brought us together, and the productivity of others motivated me without fostering unhealthy competition. During writing breaks, we would gather to drink tea and discuss our research and progress, which I found incredibly helpful.
The Writing Retreat is in a Beautiful Place!
My first impression was of the beautiful cottages, which were unlike any buildings I had seen before—fresh and charming. The vast meadows were incredibly soothing. When we were tired of writing, we could go for walks, accompanied by adorable dogs. There were also many pleasant surprises, like rainbows after showers. And, of course, the ‘Honesty Box’ (brilliant idea!).
This Writing Retreat is More Than Just Writing
 | I am very grateful for the workshops conducted by Professor Natalie Coulter (one of the other delegates on the retreat). For someone like me, who is new to academia, these were extremely helpful. Learning how to curate my CV and present my best self was truly interesting. I had expected the content to be heavily focused on human geography, but the knowledge shared—things you can’t learn directly in university or from literature—was incredibly beneficial. I thoroughly enjoyed the communal living experience, cooking, eating, and chatting with everyone. Through this process, I also made new friends. Throughout the retreat, everyone was incredibly supportive of one another. This mutual support was truly important and made a significant difference in our experience. Knowing that we were all in it together, cheering each other on, created a positive and encouraging atmosphere that enhanced our productivity and enjoyment. |
The Honesty Box
Maxine Mpofu, Postgraduate Researcher, Centre for Global Development – Northumbria University
I feel the lump in my throat getting bigger as I try to resist the urge to cry. Why am I crying, I barely even know you! I say to Bala whilst still in her warm embrace. It’s the last morning at the GCYFRG Writing Retreat and we are saying goodbye to the first team that is carpooling to the train station. Yes, I have known everyone for three days, but I cannot help but feel connected to them. This has been more than the writing, it’s been about the camaraderie built through the meal preps, the long dinners filled with casual conversations, the walks by the beautiful countryside in the Cotswold, the light-hearted tension during a game of cards and the stomach aches from all the laughter during attempts to play scrabble the correct way in the evenings.
More than the three empirical chapters I have drafted and started populating for my thesis, (which is a miracle that I have managed to do that in a space of three days!), I have also learned new recipes that I cannot wait to try out when I get back home. I have been so productive, yet I feel like I have been on holiday. It’s been interesting to learn about the different strands of work that everyone is working on and the various stages in which they are in on their career paths. We have had moments of mentorship, moments to vent about the struggles and most importantly we have appreciated being in the same space with people that speak the same language - geographies of children, youth, and families.
I am one of the students that received the bursary to attend the retreat and have shared a room with Bala and Bonan, and it’s been lovely for us to connect even more. The girls have been so kind and courteous regardless of our different schedules, Bala has been the early bird and, Bonan on the night owl, yet my sleepy self never gets interrupted by either of them as I go to bed early and wake up after the two of them.
 | Thinking of them as I write this, I am reminded of the Honesty Box at the Donnington Brewery not too far from the Flagstone Farm Cottages where we have been staying. This Honesty Box is a payment system, where when one gets beer they leave their payment in the box, based on the mutual trust that everyone is honest enough not to take more than they have paid for, and that the money is safe even though there are no security measures put in place. The honesty box works based on mutual trust, consideration, and reciprocity (on Ubuntu really in my opinion). I have felt this honesty box vibe throughout the retreat as people set individual goals and privately work on them despite the running joke that writing retreats are designed for procrastinators and people who are ever in the mood to have a lovely chat instead of working, or when peeps tiptoe around the writing rooms when others are on full concentration mode in order not to interrupt their most productive waves. This seamless conductorless orchestration is part of the magic of the retreat. |
When I came to the retreat, I was a bit concerned that this would be my first and last, since by this time next year I would have submitted my thesis. Meeting people who are beyond their PhD writing phases and are working on journal articles, book chapters, conference presentations and non-academic writing inspires me to come back next year to work on whatever else lies ahead beyond PhD submission. Alice has been an incredible convener! A massive shout out to Natallie for facilitating a CV workshop and sharing terrific tips during the retreat. As I look forward to life post PhD, I am excited to document everything in my career path and use that as a springboard and track record into new prospects. Who knew you could have a CV of rejections!
When our turn to carpool to the station comes on that last Friday morning, I am less sad to say goodbye. I am happy I met all these awesome people and will be seeing some of them again at the RGS conference next month and during the GCYFRG coffee and chat sessions or many other networking opportunities organised by the research group. I head home with a fresh wave of motivation to pick the writing from where I have left it off during the retreat!
I often wondered about the idea of a writing retreat
Balawansuk Lynrah, National University Singapore
I often wondered about the idea of a writing retreat. This year, I received a bursary from the GCYFRG group, which allowed me to attend one. The retreat was held at a beautiful farmhouse in the UK Cotswolds. My writing experience at this retreat started when I began my journey from Oxford. Here are a few things I have learnt about writing, companionship, food, exercise, rest, and laughter.
I arrived at the platform on time, waiting for my train; just like my best-laid writing plans, I waited to motivate myself to start writing. As I wait, I start postponing doing a million things but writing and then the writing gets delayed. Just like my train - delayed by 1 minute and then 5 minutes, it spirals on. I shared my writing challenges with others during the retreat, and this seems like one of the common problems. As we all know, procrastination has its own consequences.
When I arrived at the station, my anxieties started. I was worried about how I would adjust to a new place and whether I could write at all. It is similar to the anxiety of not knowing what to write and the fear of putting my writing out there. It is here that I think that if we talk to others and have a dialogue with our work, the readings, and the people around us, the anxieties start going away. A new bond and relationship is developed with both writing and the people around me. This is what the retreat offered me.
We were asked beforehand to set an intention for the week, and of course, it was all on us, and there was no one policing. Setting this intention helped me arrive at my document and focus on my work. The intention gave me a destination. Initially, there was a bit of delay, but I started moving towards my destination. Like my usual anxiety about writing, I did not know anyone in this retreat, and I was worried about whether I could speak with others. My writing goal was successful because of the fantastic people who kept checking in and motivating me. We worked together (again, there is no pressure to work together, and one can work alone, too). I would also be wrong to think that a writing retreat is only for writing. Here, I took my breaks regularly, going for walks, eating, talking, and sharing with others.
Finally, I want to share about companionship. Once a day, mostly in the evenings, we ate, laughed, talked, and played games. We spoke about our struggles with writing and the temptations—slipping into social media, replying to emails, and so on. If we think that doing all of these other things would take away time from our writing, I would say my writing would not just get delayed but cancelled! (which means never writing my article). In addition, I had enough personal time, even when I was writing and a good rest. Doing all these helped me reach my writing goal for the first time, as I intended. The retreat has been a fulfilling experience for me. I return with a reignited spirit, new friendships, and contentment.
I want to acknowledge and thank the GCYFRG for awarding me the bursary that enabled me to attend it and for the wonderful people I met during the retreat.