Motivation: An aim for the writing retreat was that it should be a motivating experience for the students. Motivation and support were mentioned by many of the students in their feedback. One student said ‘I realise I am not as lazy as I thought if I am in a room full of other writers’ The atmosphere at the retreat was quite intense when students were writing but also supportive during the breaks when students were able to discuss their writing and ask questions about some of the technical aspects of academic writing. Many students remarked on the energy which they felt in the room from being with others who are working.
Learning Community: The MA dissertation group have formed into a supportive learning community, so the retreat was intended to build upon this. Wenger (1998) describes a community of practice as having 3 basic features; shared repertoire, mutual engagement and joint enterprise. All of these elements were present in the retreat. One student’s reflection shows that community was an important element of the retreat. ‘The collective intent harnessed…productivity and focus in an unprecedented way for me’. Although students were all working on their own dissertations, they were also working within a community. This sense of community was further developed with shared meals and social time.
Productivity: At the start of the writing retreat all of the students wrote their goals for the retreat. Many of the students were quite ambitious setting goals such as to write a chapter or two. Others had less firm goals and simply wanted to ‘find a state of mind which is conducive’ At the end of the retreat most of the students were please and surprised with how productive they had been with a couple of them mentioning that they had written over 1000 words. Another student remarked that the writing blocks structure had enabled her to ‘push through and past the desire to stop [and] get to some nuggets’.
Confidence: Another intention for the writing retreat was to help students to identify their own writing habits, build their writing confidence and to begin to see themselves as writers. Wenger emphasises the importance of identity in learning, so in the final free writing exercise students were asked to reflect on what they had learned about themselves as a writer. The students mentioned the pace of their writing at the retreat and the habit of regarding breaks as a time to recharge rather than an excuse to stop. This is likely to be useful when they are alone writing so that they know that they can write productively and take breaks like an experienced writer.
Free from distractions: In the event the lack of internet access was seen as a bonus by everyone. One student said that it had meant that she had to get herself organised before the retreat which she may not otherwise have done. Others said that the lack of internet meant that they were not constantly distracted by it and they felt more inclined to ‘commit’ their ideas to the page. Another student noted ‘no internet is wonderful. The main thing that usually stops me from writing is pointlessly scrolling through Facebook.’
