Writing Retreats! In a small village in the province of Groningen
3- to 5-day writing retreats for PhD students and other researchers
Dates 2025:
- Feb-March: 3, 4 or 5 days from Monday, February 24th to (including) Sunday March, 2nd.
- March: Friday 28th to Monday 31st.
- May: 3, 4 or 5 days from Monday, May 26th to (including) Sunday June, 1st
- June: 3, 4 or 5 days from Friday 25th to (including) Tuesday 29th
Why?
This retreat provided the perfect opportunity to boost my writing process. I felt really motivated and focused on my writing. Being in a beautiful location also helped me escape distractions. Joy is also very supportive, offering guidance and feedback throughout the retreat. Thank you for having me in the retreat and all the tips.
Welcome to Groningen's Hogeland and treat yourself to a writing retreat! This will give an enormous 'boost' to text production. You will spend three, four or five days working with a group under the guidance of professionals. There is time and space for lots of thinking, writing and working, for lots of talking and learning and for relaxation.
For more information or registration, please, send your message and/or questions via "contact" or directly to academischschrijven@dds.nl.
What makes such a writing week effective?
• There is concentration; fleeing is out of the question (and you've turned on your 'out of office')
• You receive guidance in segmenting the writing process
• You receive guidance in carrying out various sub-steps: strategies for better orientation, more effective planning, faster writing and more focused revision.
• Collaboration: in discussion, you learn from each other. Explaining to others what you want to write down helps enormously.
• A new environment and other people give a fresh perspective on research and writing.
What will we spend time on? Depending on your wishes, this could be:
• An effective writing process: what works and what does not work for you? In search of an effective approach.
• Analysis of the 'rhetorical situation': Setting the Scene. Where do you want to publish? What are the requirements?
• Picturing Your Research: using a model by Heinze Oost, you map out the what, how and why of your research.
• Ready for a trash version? Start writing!
• How do you make an outline of the paper that really gives you a grip on the writing?
• How to get a first version on paper at high speed? Keep writing!
• What are effective strategies for revising content, organisation/structure and style? When to tackle what?
Cost indication: standard programme 4 days € 375 (4x lunch; 3x dinner); 5 days € 475. (5x lunch, 4x dinner). Including tea, coffee, fruit, soft drinks, etc., guidance and the book Effective Strategies for Academic Writing (Eng) or Handboek Academisch Schrijven (NL). You are kindly requested to book your overnight stays elsewhere. I can provide a list of affordable B&B's and campsites in and around Eenrum.
Optional Extra: Effective communication with your supervisor/s
If there is sufficient interest, we can invite Judith Schut. With her you could practice conversations with your supervisor/s. Maybe you are not so happy with the way they are going? How do you get a better grip on communication, how do you come across, how can you respond to your supervisor's behaviour?