The LSRNW Writers' Retreat gives participants the opportunity to devote a whole day to writing in a quiet, structured, and supportive atmosphere. The retreat will take place on Monday April 19th, and is free to attend.
The retreat is facilitated by Dr Pam Lock, a lecturer from the English Department at University of Bristol who has been running these retreats in person and online since 2014. The feedback from these sessions is always resoundingly positive and so I highly encourage you to sign up.
The retreat is open to Life Sciences research staff and final year PhD students from any Welsh HEI.
We have limited places, so please sign up ASAP to avoid disappointment. There will be a waiting list for those who don't get a space initially.
Event Timetable
| 09:45 | Arrival and setting up (time to connect) |
| 10:00 | Introduction and Warm up |
| 10:30 | Write |
| 11:30 | Break |
| 12:00 | Write |
| 13:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 | Write |
| 15:00 | Break |
| 15:30 | Write |
| 16:15 | Summing up and planning for your next writing session |
| 16:30 | Finish |
Event Details
You will need to arrive 'ready to write' so please have any materials (books, data etc) to hand. There will be some short discussions on good writing practice and how to approach your writing as a professional task, but the vast majority of the day will be devoted to writing without distraction.
Please arrive promptly for a 9.45am start. We will finish promptly at 4.30pm
Please note: exceptions to this may be granted if you let me know in advance (relating to childcare/other responsibilities). If you then need to sign off after the first half an hour (which is crucial to the running of the day) you can do so. You also need to be available for the last 15 minutes of the day 4.15 - 4.30 pm.
The retreat will take place online via Zoom. Joining details will be sent out nearer the time. Please be reassured that this is not going to be 'death by zoom'. As you can see, you have two hours of breaks through the day. We will also recommend that you turn off your cameras and mics during the writing periods to minimise distraction. The sessions you must attend for are the introduction (10.00-10.30) so you understand the set-up of the day and the summing up/planning session at the end (16.15-16.30).
We will also 'check in' at the beginning and end of each writing period and have a quick stretch together at the beginning of each break. I hope this clarity will help you negotiate with those with whom you share caring responsibilities and/or reassure you that the screen time (on video) will be smaller than a standard 'taught' course.
