Today's guest is Fiona Ritchie Walker (who you may know as Fiona Thomson from her stories in The People's Friend).
A little while ago Fiona mentioned on this blog that she attended a month-long writing retreat at a castle in Scotland. She's kindly agreed to talk about the experience and share some photos taken there.
Fiona, how did you find out about the retreat?
I was living near Newcastle and every so often a member of my writing group would disappear for a month! I discovered they’d been accepted as Hawthornden Fellows at the castle just outside Edinburgh. I was working full-time then, so it didn’t fit in with my lifestyle, but after my husband died I decided to apply and was accepted.
It looks fabulous—what was the experience like?
It was amazing. I went in November/December and the castle was incredible to live in, with beautiful modern libraries in the grounds, as well as all the formal rooms we could use. There were six of us: three from the UK, two Americans and one from the Czech Republic (the only male). We each had a comfortable and warm study bedroom.The administrator lives on site and we all ate dinner together every evening. Breakfast was flexible, so people came and went, after which there was silence in the castle until people gathered before dinner and words were spoken!
Did you find the daytime silence helpful?
I did. Often, I’d write in my room, but it also meant if I wanted to work anywhere else and others were there, we knew there would be no distracting chat.
Internet wasn’t available when I was there (it is now) and that, plus a very weak phone signal and no TV, really helped as well.
What did you work on during your time on the retreat?
Reflecting on it now, I think it would be perfect for a bigger piece of work like a novel, or some solid research for one, but I was still getting used to my new ‘solo’ lifestyle, so I wrote ‘literary style’ short fiction and a few poems – just whatever I felt like doing.
I enjoyed sitting at my desk and writing for a couple of hours, then having a complete break. I wrote loads and some of work was later accepted by magazines and anthologies, with a couple of pieces winning prizes. At that time I’d not had any womag stories published (how I went down that route is another story!)
I might ask you about that sometime! But back to the current subject… This is an ongoing thing that other writers (particularly those with a liking for Scottish castles) could apply for?
Absolutely. There was no help with costs when I was there, but quite generous stipends are available now, which could help with taking time out. Applications open in March 2026 for residencies in 2027. The website has plenty of information about Hawthornden Castle and the Foundation’s other writing retreats. https://www.hawthornden.org
I've made a note to post about that at the appropriate time.
Not everyone could give up an entire month to devote solely to their writing – but for those who can, would you recommend it?
You need to be happy with removing yourself from day-to-day life for the month if it’s going to work. My last job involved travelling to many different countries, sometimes for up to three or four weeks at a time, so I already knew I could do it. There’s also the question of whether family and friends would cope without you being around.
The residency helped me re-establish myself as a writer after being a full-time carer – and being able to add Hawthornden Fellow to a CV is also good!
Would you do something similar again yourself?
I have a different lifestyle now which would make it more difficult for me to disappear for four weeks, so probably not. But if things changed, I’d definitely consider applying again.
What were the main advantages?
The absolute luxury of having everything done for me so that I could write. Every meal made for me, no dishes to do, all my usual commitments disappearing. Lovely staff looked after us so well, including doing our laundry.
Getting to know other writers. Poets, novelists, screenwriters – we were all so different but got on well together.
Obviously, we could leave the castle whenever we wanted, and the grounds were great to explore. Sometimes a few of us would go to the nearest town, Bonnyrigg, for a coffee. I was the only one who had a car, so one Sunday drove two of the other writers to the service at nearby Rosslyn Chapel (of Da Vinci Code fame).
I also went swimming twice a week at the nearby leisure centre, partly because I love it but also to help counteract all the delicious meals and homemade cakes!
Any downsides?
Getting used to the absolute luxury of having nothing to do but write!
It took a few days for me to accept that time out, walking, swimming and reading were also an important part of my writing process and not bunking off. I think some of the others felt the same.
Although we got on well, we didn’t socialise in the evenings much, which I know other groups have done, but on the plus side, we never had to deal with hangovers at breakfast.
Did you learn anything, or develop any habits you've continued with away from the retreat?
At Hawthornden, I wrote as soon as I got up, but when I got home, I went back into my old routine of swimming at 7am. That meant writing was squashed into spare moments or didn’t happen if I was busy. Eventually I realised that early morning is my best time for writing, so that’s how I start my day.
There are lots of writing retreats offered, usually for shorter periods, and often with some teaching / workshops / mentoring. Do you think those would be as useful?
I went on a week-long writing course at Ty Newydd which had teaching included and guest tutors visiting. It was completely different because of the structured days and the expectation of producing work, but I got some really good feedback on poems and we had a lovely evening at the end when we all read.
I received a bursary for that course, but there are lots of others in the UK and around the world that are free and for different lengths of time. I’d recommend checking out Erika Dreifus’s list.
https://www.erikadreifus.com/resources/grants-fellowships-and-awards/fee-free-writing-residencies/
Could people do their own writing retreats at home, do you think – or do you really need to escape the daily routine?
I think it depends what your commitments are and how good you are at being disciplined.
I’d recommend finding somewhere that becomes a writing only space if you get easily distracted by other things on your ‘to do’ list.
Before moving to Birmingham, I was a member of the wonderful Lit and Phil library in Newcastle, which has lots of nooks and crannies, so I’d often have a writing afternoon there.
Any tips for making the most of a writing retreat, or any other extended period of time available for writing?
Have a writing plan before you go, but not set in stone, so you don’t feel guilty if you don’t follow it. Be open to new ideas and vary what you write. Sometimes when I took my picnic lunch outside, I’d write haiku and other days would give myself little flash fiction challenges. I also used notebooks as well as my laptop to write things down.Try to be realistic about how much time you will be writing each day and go at your own pace, not comparing output or number of words with others.
Consider what else you might want to do, like swimming or walking, so take anything needed for that with you.
Two of us brought knitting and after watching us, another writer felt compelled to get the bus into Edinburgh to buy wool and needles!
Thanks, Fiona - that was very interesting and despite not long having come back from a trip to Scotland in the 'mobile writing retreat' I was a bit jealous!
You can learn more about Fiona here.
What does everyone else think? Would you like to do something like the month long retreat, if circumstances allowed? Or perhaps something on a smaller scale?
If you liked the sound of the writing retreat Fiona discussed in the last post, but would find that too much of a commitment, how about a one week online version? Thanks to Vivienne Moles for telling me about this 'Winter Writing Sanctuary'. Vivienne says, "I've been following these courses now ever since their inception during the pandemic. There really are no catches: absolutely free. The material she uses is original and new every year and inspiring and it sort of boosts your creativity without judgement."
