Summertime brings out our wanderlust and people typically plan a trip or vacation between June and August. As writers, we want to turn those summer excursions into worthwhile creative experiences, delving deeper into writing. We asked our writers what writing outings they have enjoyed in the past or are planning this summer. Read what they had to say below.

But wait, before you read about their writing outings, we want to hear from YOU. Please complete our Writing Retreat Survey to help Project Write Now develop a future writing retreat.

PWN and book inc writer, Liz deBeer attended the SCBWI New Jersey affiliate conference at Montclair State University in June. Of the conference, Liz said:

“This was my first in-person SCBWI conference. Included was a round-table with an agent or editor plus small workshops and keynotes. An extra fee bought me individual meetings with a different editor and an agent of my choice, both of whom had previously read the first fifteen pages of my manuscript. I left with concrete input about how to improve my craft, my queries, and my manuscript. The best was receiving affirmation from publishing professionals, encouraging me to keep working. I’ll be back next year!”

Our operations & communications manager Liz Jannuzzi realized if she was going to meet her Memoir Incubator deadline last year she better plan a writing weekend in which she sequestered herself in her office and asked her family to leave her alone.

“I’m happy to report, my DIY Writers Retreat was a success. My family mostly ignored me and I was able to write some additional scenes and review my memoir’s outline. When I wasn’t writing, I used my free time to read a memoir or review notes on craft.”

Read more about Liz’s writing retreat experience in her blog DIY Writers Retreat.

book inc Peer Artist Leader Shanda McManus began her Baldwin For The Arts residency with high expectations. But she quickly learned, she is the initiator of her distractions.

The truth is I was lonely during my week away. Also, as comfortable as the space was, I realized I am most comfortable at the desk in my family room. Another truth I came to understand was, wherever I am, I am the initiator of the distractions and procrastination hampering my writing time.

Go to What I Learned On My First Writing Retreat to read more about Shanda’s residency experience.

Vivienne Murphy, one of our PWN Teen Interns, traveled to Ireland this summer to participate in a program for high school students at the University College of Dublin. Of her experience, she said:

“When I first arrived, I stayed with my Godmother in her Dublin home for a night before driving to a hotel in Limerick to see my family. During this time before the program, I took over Project Write Now’s Instagram story and posted writing tips, books I was reading, poems, and different places I visited on my trip to inspire other writers viewing the story. I also worked on my article about screenwriting for Real Voices Right Now, a blog run by Project Write Now written by teenagers.”

This July, Deb Rivera, a current Memoir Incubator writer, attended a Summer Writing Camp at the Highlights Foundation in Milan, PA.

“For five peaceful days, I stayed at a Highlights lodge, and attended writing camp classes in their Barn conference space. I was lucky to have my one-to-one meetings with one of my favorite middle-grade authors, Alex Gino. There was time between classes for writing, sharing, networking, and fun. I loved the peaceful and welcoming atmosphere of sitting around and mingling with authors and fellow students.”