Creative space: writing retreats for HE lecturers

Writing and publishing are increasingly crucial to the development of a successful academic career. However, academics typically receive little guidance and support on how to establish and maintain this strand of their job. Any advice that does exist tends to focus on the technical and practical aspects of writing for scholarly publication and this in turn makes the practice or writing seem an upheaval, a challenge to be endured for the sake of one’s career rather than enjoyed and used to aid vocational and personal development. Instead of a sense of achievement and pride, academics are finding that writing is another unwanted pressure that can be demoralising and damaging to their levels of self confidence. This combination can dramatically affect stress levels and also the quality of the work that is being produced. Writing is often seen as a solitary task when the reality is that the sharing of work and the giving and receiving of feedback is fundamental to any writer’s growth and improvement. By using the methods adopted on a Creative Writing module at the University of Brighton, we hope to empower academics with the confidence, motivation and inspiration to write.