Getting Away to Write
Turning the fantasy into reality...
Dear Writers, Readers and Creative Friends,
Most writers know the feeling of wanting to get away to write.
Enjoying the fantasy of an exotic getaway can definitely help us feel better about our everyday avoidance habits. Putting the hard stuff off until the conditions are right makes so much sense — and your inner monologist doesn’t need much convincing.
‘If I could just get away for a few days, I would get so much done, I can’t even think about getting to the desk with everything that’s going on at home…’
Your home office might not be looking as cluttered as this one, but you long for a clear surface to write on, room enough for your laptop and a couple of note books —that’s all you need. Only don’t forget the large picture window to a fabulous view!
My fantasy getaway is is a cabin like this one high in the Himalayan Ranges or lean-to on a wild Baha California beach. But how often do you actually book the mountain chalet or the beach shack? Just for you, nobody else, that’s what you need — time alone with no interruptions, no meals to cook, no questions to answer, no demands.
Let’s say you DO book an airbnb down the coast, but when you get there to sit at your fantasy writing desk — uh,oh — no words come!
You reassure yourself that you need time to ease in to it, that once you’ve had a good sleep, words will flow.
By Day Three you still feel like a dry desert, you know there are some good ideas in there, you’ve made lists and jotted down some ideas but you just don’t know if they will fly. And if they have no aerodynamic potential, why put all this effort into developing them?
If you could just call someone and run a few ideas by them that would really help. But you made such a big deal of coming out here alone, you’d feel like a such a failure if you picked up the phone. Besides, you planned your getaway so thoroughly you made sure there would be no phone reception.
You have two days left — surely you can pull something out of the bag. An outline at least, a list of scene headings, character descriptions, a mind map — a promise to yourself that you WILL write a scene a day when you get back home.
But what if there was another way to do the writing getaway?
I recently hosted a getaway resident in the Glasshouse Mountains, Queensland, Australia. We’ve held writers’ retreats here before but this was my first one-on-one. Conveniently, the retreat centre where I now live has an airbnb apartment at one end, with ensuite bathrooms, an outdoor dining area, pool and orchard. My caretaker quarters, situated at the other end of the converted 80s farmhouse, offers privacy and contact as required. There’s also a meditation hall, a dance mandala and a community kitchen looking up hill to the dar-cho, a maypole like arrangement of prayer flags which is the best place to view the guardian mountains. Meditation retreats run by the centre happen throughout the year and in between it is open for hire.
Andrea Lemon had sent me her manuscript a week before I picked her up from Glasshouse Mts Station (she’d flown Melb - Brisbane then 1.5 hour airport train to GH) for her 4 day, 3 night, writing getaway.
Her book ‘Inheritance, A Memoir of Stuff, is a collection of fragments – tiny stories about treasured objects; about a mother who bequeaths them; a daughter who inherits them; and the spiralling lives they contain.’ (AL).
The late afternoon and evening was spent on orientation and settling in and next morning we went through Andrea’s MS page by page. I use this way of working with all my mentoring clients whether in person or on zoom. Together we discuss what is working and what is not. Questioning, evaluating, appreciating, laughing, crying, brainstorming — pinpointing the emotional truth and celebrating the creative essence of the work.
By the end of the afternoon Andrea had a structural back bone for her book with notes for tweaking existing stories and developing new ones. We had identified the narrative throughlines, underlying flash points and themes. I set Ande some writing tasks for the remaining time and left her to it, coming back at intervals to listen and discuss the new pieces, suggest new directions and leading guided meditations to take her deeper into the heart of her stories.
On short residency like this one, all meals are provided. Breakfast and lunch are self serve from a delicious array of local produce and and all dietary requirements are catered for. Dinner is a hot meal cooked by yours truly.( Green curry tofu and baked sumac salmon, just a couple of my specialities. Desert on the last night was frozen mochi.
This is what Andrea said..
‘What a fabulous time it was - and such a brilliant thing to do to kick my writing along ten fold.
This retreat was a sweet mix of:
‘Time out’ in a beautiful (and warm) environment - trees, mountains, birds, walks, views and quiet space - with my own self-contained super comfy accommodation.
Focused writing time - with Jan providing detailed feedback on my manuscript, suggested directions for next steps, guided meditations to inspire daily writing, plus lots of private writing time on the back patio listening to the trees and birds (plus occasional dogs barking and lawn mowers).
Great chats over the evening meal each day, enjoying a glass of wine and delicious fare - provided and cooked by the host!
I felt absolutely spoilt. Energised. Inspired. Relaxed. And motivated. Do I recommend? Completely! Don’t think twice. A totally special experience.
Listen to Andrea reading a couple of her stories on Substack here and here.
If you would like to get away on a mentored residency like this one get in touch, I have dates available through the year. We can tailor it to suit your needs — choose from MS feedback, daily goal setting, meditative writing exercises, targeted critiquing— what ever fits your writing needs. Come for 4 days, a week, 2 weeks. Longer stays are self catered, and we can co-ordinate food shopping. Fly into Brisbane airport, train to GH Mts, or come by car.
Artists and makers are also welcome. While we don’t have an artist’s studio as such various spaces can be set up for art making. Choose a mentored or self guided retreat. Mentored could include goal setting, daily checkins, discussions and feedback on your creative process.
Want to come with a writing/artist friend or small group? Also possible!
If you want to come NEXT WEEK, we have one spot left on our Glasshouse Mts Winter Writing Retreat. See here and below for details.
WRITERS JOURNEY NEWS
DRAFT BUSTERS ONLINE Next module begins Mon Aug 10!
Monthly modules of twice weekly workshops for writers of all genres. Motivation Mondays, and Feedback Fridays. Excellent support for your writing process. Read testimonials of past DBErs here. Let me know if you’d like to join!
MENTORING: Don’t forget, I’m always available if you need individual help or attention on your draft MS. My mentoring package can be tailored to your current needs.
Coming Up!
Glasshouse Writers’s Retreat, July 20 -24, 2026. ONE PLACE LEFT! Five days, four nights, a residential retreat in the Glass House Mountains, QLD. Escape to the tropics — cool evenings, warm days. A great opportunity to really progress your writing project. Morning workshops, afternoons free to write, evening readings. Enjoy meditation sessions, forest and lake walks, the nearby Lookout cafe, meals together and the cameraderie of fellow writers. I will also be available for one-on-one mentoring and advice. Fly in to Brisbane Airport, train to GlassHouse Mts, station pickup, or bring your own car. , Contact Jan to book.
Glasshouse Mts Residency. (Available throughout the year). Stay at Glasshouse Mts Retreat Centre for 4 days (catered), one or two weeks (self catered) while working on a specific writing or arts project. Self directed or with mentoring support. Contact Jan for available dates and fees.
Writing the Healing Journey, Swansea, Tasmania, Oct. 9- 13. For women on the cancer journey.Still room to join!
With myself and cancer navigator Grace Gawler. A unique opportunity to reflect on and integrate the cancer experience through a supportive storytelling and writing process. Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of Tasmania’s eastern coastline. Take time out for self care while learning the art of deep relaxation, self empowerment, journaling skills and writing practice. Info and bookings here.
Haiku Walking in Japan Nov 23- 28, 2026. A Shikoku Pilgrimage for artists and writers. 2 places left, but hurry!
Join us on a 6 day autumn pilgrimage on the smallest of Japan’s four main islands, Shikoku is home to a sacred route that connects the 88 temples where the famous monk (calligrapher and poet) Kūkai, trained over 1,000 years ago. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, this pilgrimage has been practiced for centuries and remains a vital part of Shikoku’s cultural identity. Our tour starts in Matsuyama, birthplace of the renowned haiku master Masaoka Shiki, where you can post your haiku in local postboxes. Read more about what is planned here. Daily haiku workshops and before guided walks supported by our own back up mini van and driver. More info here. Let me know ASAP if you want to come!
A warm welcome to new subscribers!
I generally post writing/creativity tips and motivational articles, workshop and writing retreat news. Plus on the homepage menu you can find eps from my various writing projects: a segment called Brush with Fame; a cancer journal, Letters to Leftie Bestie (My Left Breast) and a satirical flash fiction novella: The Everyday Musings of Louisa Greene and my travel memoir, Looking for Duras, a Mekong Journey, ( where I go searching for traces of the French writer, Marguerite Duras in Vietnam and Cambodia).
Thanks so much for your support here on Substack. Writer’s Journey is a one woman band (me!) that gets by on the smell of an oily rag. I’ve been leading international workshops and creative journeys for over two decades and have enjoyed the wonderful company of numerous writers and artists along the way. See where we went, what we did here! Paid subscibers don’t forget to DM me for your complimentary annual brainstorming session on your writing project!