by Alison Heathcote - Published: July, 2026

1-Day Writing Retreat

Introduction

Idea

The idea for a one-day writing retreat came from my friend Johanne and this was after we realized that she could not make out planned summer writing retreat this year in Whistler, to which I traveled by coach, as she had to cancel.

However, she had a plan.

She suggested that over the summer we take one day each month, so that is the months of June, July and August, and we set each of the three days aside as our One-Day Writing Retreat.

Planning

Choosing the Dates

We decided that Sundays work best for both of us in our creative lives.

Leading on from that, we chose the second Sunday of each month during the summer of 2026.

The days are Sunday, June 14th, July 12th and August 9th.

Venue

Our choice for the venue was the central library in Vancouver city.

This is a huge building and has seven floors stuffed full of books and other things like public use computers, printers, musica instruments and podcasting recording studios.

There are little writing nooks dotted about on each floor where we can settle in and do our writing.

Times

The library only opens at 11am on Sundays so we met up for coffee at the café nearby beforehand.

Johanne brough a packed lunch and took a few moments on the roof garden to eat it.

I bought a tea and pastry in the café and went up to the top floor to enjoy the good weather and get a break in the fresh air.

Our retreat times was therefore set for 11am until 5pm.

Dinner

We decided to end the day with dinner in a restaurant in the city.

We went online and booked the table for 5:30pm which was a good idea as they were actually packed by the time we got to the place, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Remember this was FIFA summer in Vancouver and there were tourists everywhere having flooded in from around the world.

Defining a Writing Retreat

What is a Writing Retreat?

A writing retreat is a time you set aside for writing. It is usually away from home.

The idea is that you are focused on the writing for a certain period or amount of hours so you can get things done.

Often for those of us who do work from home the distractions never ends.

You’ve got the dishwasher to unpack, that next load of laundry to do, a child who needs your attention or a partner asking for something of you even though they know you are trying to work…

What Goes on a Writing Retreat

Projects

On my writing retreats I like to plan what I'm going to be writing about before I leave home.

So, for this one day writing retreat I had a list of three projects that I was halfway through but could not just find the time to complete.

In my writing journal I listed the three article I had to complete.

My list looked like this.

• Write my next Heathcote Living newsletter with links and schedule it to send on its publication date in Kit.
• Complete uploading the FIFA fever images and make sure the images are correct in the blog post and the newsletter.
• Draft out my answers for a piece which I was being interviewed by an online magazine, "InFlow", based in Sydney, Australia. The deadline for this was for the next month, but I wanted to get it done.

Benefits of a Writing Retreat

What You Get Out of It

There are several things that you can get out of a writing retreat. I've listed some here:

• You get a chance to complete an article which has been on the back burner for a while.
• You can clear your thoughts on a trickly chapter plot twist in your novel.
• You can draft out the working chapter headings for you proposed book for next year.
• You can redo your About Me page to more closely reflect who you are now and what interests you now.
• Time to invest in your writing career.
• Clarity from spending time organizing your thoughts about where you are going with your creativity.
• The plan of a new course, training or book which you may, or may not, complete.
• Time for creative writing.
• Time for yourself which is an investment in yourself.

What is a One Day Writing Retreat?

Ideas

A one day writing retreat is a day you put aside for your writing.

You can go alone or with your writing buddy.

We went to my local public library for our 1-Day writing retreat.

Multiple Days

1-2-3

We chose to spread our writing retreat over three days.

So even though it's called a one day writing retreat there were three separate days in total for our one-day writing retreat.

This was instead of the three-day writing retreat we were to have gone on together and which in fact I attended by myself.

You can read more about that here.

Day One

Sunday

Day One was on Sunday, June 14th, 2026.

It was a glorious sunny day and the city was busy.

We met up and entered the library to find a spot on the 3rd floor near the window overlooking the plaza below.

The Desk Setup

The library has desks which face each other so two people can sit quite comfortably.

Unfortunately, at our first spot we had to move as the Sun eventually moved around and the beams came straight onto out keyboards.

We slipped over to another spot three desks along which was much better.

Each desk features a light, a power electrical outlet where we could plug in our laptops.

Day Two

Sunday

Day Two was on Sunday, July 12th, 2026.

On this day we chose to sit on the north side of the 6th floor where there was no sun directly beaming onto our desks.

Writing

I worked on continuing to bring my older articles from my soon to be retired art blog into the fold at Heathcote Living.

The reason I'm doing this is as I plan to close down that website later this year and before I do so I need to republish the pieces I feel are worthwhile and of value to my readers and get them onto Heathcote Living.

Once the website is closed and I no longer pay for the hosting or domain name, it ceases to be found by Google or anyone else for that matter.

Lunch

This day I brought a lunch of a quiche Lorraine and a bottle of coconut water.

Again I spend my lunch break on the 9th floor roof garden.

The roses were out but some were already looking a little faded.

Day Three: Sunday, August 9th

Today is the last day (day 3) of our three 1-Day Writing Retreat for the summer.

I am still at home preparing the Word files that I'll be working on in the library.

Gorgeous Weather

We had some glorious weather and the whole day went so well.

Birthday Bookends

J and A

It was interesting that we managed to bookend the 2026 writing retreat series to our birthdays.

Johanne's birthday is on June 10th and mine is on August 11th.

This seemed appropriate and even serendipitous for us.

Overarch

Simplicity

This summer's one-day writing retreat reminded me that a retreat does not need to be elaborate, expensive or far from home to be worthwhile.

Sometimes all you need is a date in the diary, a place to work and a commitment to show up for your creativity.

Don't Wait

I believe many of us wait for the perfect opportunity.

We imagine a cottage by the sea, a cabin in the woods or a week away with uninterrupted time.

While those experiences can be wonderful, they are not the only way to nurture your creative practice.

A single day can make a surprising difference.

Prioritize

What struck me most was how much progress could be made simply by stepping away from everyday distractions.

The library gave us a temporary creative home where writing became the priority rather than something squeezed into the gaps between other responsibilities.

Companionship

There was also something special about sharing the experience with a creative friend.

We were each working on our own projects, but rather than feeling isolated, there was a quiet sense of companionship and accountability.

Knowing someone else is showing up for their creative work can help you show up for yours as well.

Space for You

I believe that even if you are writing a novel, drafting blog posts, planning a course, journaling or simply exploring ideas, a one-day retreat can give you the space to move your project forward.

You do not have to wait for more time.

You can begin with the time you have.

Getting Things Done

Perhaps the real value of a writing retreat is not what you produce on the day, but rather the message you send yourself.

• Your creativity matters.
• Your ideas matter.

And sometimes the most important thing you can do is set aside a little time and give them your full attention.

Creatively yours,

Alison

Author Bio

Alison Heathcote writes about living creatively and building a meaningful life on your own terms. Through gentle reflections on solo living, home and everyday creativity, she explores how to shape a life that feels calm, intentional and deeply your own. More