“It’s about the writing, and it’s about so much more: Safety, boundless inspiration, curiosity, acceptance, joy and love!” Gloria S, Puerto Escondido 2023

“Do it for your writing, do it for yourself and do it for your heart.” Amy E., Tuscany 2022

Our newest offering: a live, online, 8-session retreat that begins January 2026 and meets biweekly till May.

Taking place over Zoom, this retreat-in-place will roughly follow the structure and content of Wide Open Writing: Embrace Your Creative Genius, using multiple sources as prompts, stimuli, and activities, all designed (1) to tap into your creativity, authentic voice, and deep knowing; and (2) to develop in each participant not only new writing, but an individual blueprint for living the writer’s life. This online retreat will equip you with the practices, routines, rituals, and habits that turn writing into something you do with purpose and consistency; a roadmap for transforming your creative practice into a deliberate and focused feature of your everyday life.

Very often, at the end of a WOW in-person retreat, the question surfaces: “Now what?” We’ve considered any number of answers to that question, from a mini-MFA to writing a book about how we do what we do (which we DID: Wide Open Writing: Embrace Your Creative Genius) to this idea right here that we’ve been tinkering with and are now ready to launch.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM LIVING THE WRITER’S LIFE

We’re highly skilled, nice, warm writer folk. We’re expansive and positive. And while we’re not specifically craft-development focused, we are passionate about what we see as job one: guiding and inspiring you to go deeper and reach farther in your writing. Our sweet spot, what many have called our WOW special sauce, is opening the heart, the mind, the spirit, the pen, the magic. In other words, taking you on the journey into the center of your creativity.

WHO THIS IS FOR

You’ve been to a Wide Open Writing retreat; you loved it, you want more.

You’ve not yet been to a writing retreat, and you’re wondering if now is the time to deepen your connection to those stories, poems, and manuscripts you’ve been imagining.

You’re working on a writing project and looking for a genuinely positive community to support your process.

You are just discovering writing and looking for a place to start.

Or just … wherever you are in your writing existence.

Registration includes a copy of WOW’s award-winning book, Wide Open Writing: Embrace Your Creative Genius.

THE DETAILS

Each session (2 hours in duration) will follow roughly the same format: opening stimulus, mini-craft talk, one or more short writes, one long prompted write, and lots of reading and feedback. Sometimes we’ll introduce other activities—movement, games, music, etc. Our writing bible, Wide Open Writing: Embrace Your Creative Genius, serves as both starting point and ongoing reference as we dive deeper into the exciting and important content areas that make up the course (see below).

Following each session, participants will be paired with an accountability buddy, or accountabilabuddy, (a new one each session) with whom to check in, share “homework,” and give and receive feedback. Staff will be readily available to help with questions and concerns for the duration of the retreat.

WHO’S LEADING THE RETREAT

Unlike an in-person retreat in Italy or Mexico or on the Maine Coast, where one or two staff members take the lead, this retreat-in-place allows us to put you in the room with most of the remarkable WOW staff in turn, each of us offering what we know best.

As lead author of the WOW book, Nancy Coleman, Ph.D., will coordinate this series and act as course director and facilitator, with the outstanding support of Pam Dumlao and Franny French, M.A., as well as our stellar consulting faculty, Dulcie Witman, MFA, WOW’s Founder and Director, and other special guests.