After going as far as you could on your own, with a book coach, or courses, you’ve decided you need a writing retreat. Maybe you’re stuck on chapter seven. Or, like many of us, you’ve been saying “I’ll write when life slows down” for the past two years. But life hasn’t slowed down. Whatever brought you here, you’re ready to make a bigger investment in your writing, which poses a new question: should you go solo or join a group?
Both types of retreats can be transformative. Both can help you make more progress in a week than you’ve made in months. But they’re fundamentally different experiences, and the type that works brilliantly for your writing friend might be completely wrong for you, and vice versa. Here’s a solid breakdown to help you choose.
What Is a Solo Writing Retreat?
A solo writing retreat is exactly what it sounds like: you, your manuscript, and uninterrupted time. You might rent a cabin in the woods, book a room at a B&B, or reserve a spot at a dedicated writing residency. There’s no instructor, no cohort, no agenda. You set your own schedule, write at whatever hours suit you, and answer to no one.
Solo retreats can range from a single overnight trip to several weeks away. Some writers do them in a different city — the change of scenery being the whole point — while others book a hotel across town just to get away from the dishes and the to-do list.
What Is a Group Writing Retreat?
A group writing retreat brings writers together in a shared setting. Some are highly structured, with workshops, craft lectures, manuscript feedback sessions, and guest faculty. Others are more loosely organized — writers gather in the same place, share meals, and write side by side with minimal programming. Many fall somewhere in between.
Group retreats are typically led by an organizer or facilitator, and they often attract writers working in similar genres or at similar career stages. They can last anywhere from a long weekend to two weeks, and they’re frequently held at scenic or inspiring destinations that add to the creative atmosphere.
The Case for Going Solo
Total creative freedom
When you’re alone, you write on your terms. Night owl? Write until 2 a.m. Need three hours of walking before a single word comes? Walk. There’s no workshop starting at 9, no group dinner at 7, no obligation to show up anywhere looking presentable. For writers with unconventional rhythms or deeply personal projects, this freedom isn’t just nice to have — it’s essential.
Deep, uninterrupted immersion
Group retreats, even great ones, introduce interruptions. Conversations at breakfast run long. Someone wants feedback on a thorny scene. You don’t want to be rude. Solo retreats protect your mental bandwidth in a way group settings rarely can. If you’re in the middle of a complicated draft and need to hold a whole narrative world in your head for days at a time, solo immersion can be the difference between a breakthrough and a frustrating week.
It’s often more affordable
A cabin rental or an Airbnb outside the city can cost a fraction of a guided group retreat, especially once you factor in the program fees that come with organized retreats. If budget is a concern, going solo gives you flexibility to choose your price point and location.
You might be surprised how much you produce
Without the social energy of a group, many writers are shocked by how much they actually write. When there’s nothing to do but write — no workshops to attend, no group dinners to prepare for — the words often come faster than expected. Some writers finish entire first drafts in a solo week.
The Case for Joining a Group
Accountability and momentum
For many writers, isolation is the enemy of productivity, not its friend. Without external structure, solo days have a way of drifting. A group retreat gives your day shape. Knowing that other writers are gathering to write at 9 a.m. makes it much easier to show up. The shared energy of a room full of people working hard is surprisingly motivating, even if no one is speaking.
Craft development and feedback
If your retreat includes workshops, manuscript feedback, or access to an experienced instructor, you’re getting something a solo retreat simply can’t provide: an outside perspective on your work. This is especially valuable if you’re stuck not just on word count, but on a structural problem, a character who isn’t working, or a voice you haven’t quite found yet. A skilled facilitator can unlock something in a single conversation that might take you months to figure out on your own.
Community that lasts beyond the retreat
Writers who attend group retreats frequently describe the relationships formed there as among the most meaningful of their writing lives. You’re sharing something real: vulnerability, creative risk, the particular exhaustion and exhilaration of a productive writing day. Those bonds tend to stick. Many writers leave group retreats with critique partners, accountability buddies, or simply friends who genuinely understand what the work costs.
The experience itself is the destination
A solo trip to a cabin is restorative. A week writing in Tuscany with nine other novelists under the guidance of an author you admire is transformative in a different way. Group retreats often happen in exceptional places and are built around experiences — excursions, communal meals, evening readings — that add richness to the week beyond the writing itself. If you want the retreat to feed your creative life in multiple ways at once, a group setting usually wins.
Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Decide
Answering these will point you in the right direction:
- Do I write better with external structure, or does structure feel like an interruption?
- Is my main goal to produce more words, or to improve the quality of what I’m already writing?
- Do I find other creative people energizing or draining after extended time together?
- Am I at a stage in my project where feedback would help, or do I need to get more words down before showing anyone anything?
- How comfortable am I with solitude (be honest)?
- Is budget a significant factor in my decision?
- Do I already have a writing community, or am I looking to build one?
Neither Is Better. Both Are Tools.
I've talked to many experienced writers who cycle between solo retreats when they need deep immersion and group retreats when they want community, craft development, or a jolt of external energy. The best retreat isn’t a fixed answer; it’s whichever one meets you where you are right now in your writing life.
If you’ve never done either, lean toward whichever feels slightly more exciting and slightly more intimidating. That tension is usually a good signal.
And if you try one and it doesn’t work? That’s information. You’ll show up to the next one knowing yourself a little better, which isn't a bad thing for a writer to know.
Ready to Find Your Retreat?
Whether you’re drawn to the quiet of a solo escape or the energy of a curated group experience, we have you covered at the Writing Retreat Directory. Browse our listings by date, location, and retreat type to find the one that fits where you are in your writing right now.