What is a virtual writing retreat like?

At the beginning of each year our writing group makes plans for the year ahead. Along with writing goals, these plans include our schedule of workshops and our annual writing retreat. It has become a tradition for our writing group to assemble for a couple of days each August for our much anticipated writing retreat in Coney Island. 

But this year, like so many other planned events, we had to review and revise our ideas for the writing retreat, just as a good writer edits and re-edits their work.

We've managed to continue to hold a monthly 'virtual' writing workshop throughout lockdown and easing arrangements. We were loathe to cancel the retreat so considered having a 'virtual' get-together was the best option for our writing retreat. Over two days we gathered together over Zoom meetings to chat and share our writing and in between times we wrote, edited, revised and read.

There were some elements of our writing retreat which remained the same this year as in previous years.

The sun shone most of the weekend; coloured pens had been purchased; we ate good food; we received support from each other; the 'craic' was good; we wanted to write; there was no pressure to write; and we could guarantee a real belly laugh - probably the first I've experienced since lockdown commenced where I laughed so much I cried.

But it wasn't a writing retreat as we knew it. The views were different; the accommodation was different. We missed the anticipation when it would be decided which one of us would be lucky enough to secure Maddie's beach house for the weekend. The food was different. We missed Maddie's speciality dishes. We missed each other's company; we had distractions as life intervenes more when you're still fully immersed in it; and a level of anxiety hovered.

I still managed to fit in walks by the shore, albeit a different piece of shore and managed to write a couple of new pieces.

And just as many of us have managed to survive 2020 so far, we adapted to this new normal and made the best of it and wrote.