Moniack Mhor – A Highland Writing Retreat
In 2019, I went to the beautiful Moniack Mhor Writing Retreat, situated in the heart of the Scottish Highlands.
I spent a marvellous week ensconced in an old but beautifully refurbished croft house with nine other writers. We spent much of the day sitting cosily on the sofa in front of a roaring fire.
Together, the other writers and I worked on our manuscripts. Some were works-in-progress, others were new pieces inspired by the croft, the hills and the company.
We were all there for the same reason. We needed the solitude and space Moniack Mohr writing retreat gave us to mull over our ideas, discuss them with the tutors and, most importantly, get our manuscripts up and running.
Expert help and encouragement
In between our free time to write, we had the honour of working with two visiting tutors, Kerry Hudson and Janice Galloway.
Both highly acclaimed and award-winning writers gave their time generously. They shared their insights and experience, offered suggestions on our work and generally encouraged us to keep going with our writing and not give up.
What was just as valuable as the 1-2-1 sessions were the conversations around the dinner table and cake breaks!
Industry Insights
They offered insight into their writing processes, the publishing industry and the realities of being a published author. Some of it was very sobering.
For example, it was there I learnt that the average traditionally published author (from JK Rowling at the top of the income tree, all the way down to the unknown debut author) is £10,000 ($12,000).
My wholehearted thanks to both Kerry and Janice for their enthusiasm, generosity and encouragement to go for our dreams.
Are you a writer?
If you are a writer, be it fiction, non-fiction, memoir, poetry or songs, I cannot recommend enough the impact a week away with like-minded people can have.
Find out which retreats are available here.
It’s a real soul booster because you’re with people who talk your language, whether it be about syntax, punctuation, story structure, rhythm, verse, or even where our creative impulse comes from.
Not everyone in our day-to-day lives understands why we creatives want to create – sometimes they think we’re a bit crazy!
But on a retreat such as Moniack Mhor, or even a local weekend class, we’re with others equally crazy!!
If you’ve had time away to create, let me know. I’d love to hear about your experience. If you fancy it but haven’t been able to yet, get in touch because perhaps I can help you find somewhere just right for you.
Looking for more time to write?
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