32. A DAPPLE Project writing retreat

Becky Anderson-Kittow
Sep 26
2 min read

Last week, some of our research team went away on a writing retreat in North Yorkshire. Like some of our team, you may be wondering, What is a writing retreat? This was a chance for us to get away from our desks and focus on writing, planning, and spending time together.

Travelling to the retreat! We enjoyed catching up with each other on the train

Arriving

We travelled to the retreat by train. Life is busy and we’re not always in the office at the same time, so it was nice to sit, chat, and catch up with each other. The retreat was in a big, beautiful house surrounded by countryside. The first thing we saw was a group of llamas in the field next door! It felt like a special, calm place to work.

The retreat was in a big beautiful house in the North Yorkshire countryside

As well as our team, there were four other people on the retreat, all working on completely different things. We all shared what we hoped to get out of being there and how we were feeling (intrigued, nervous, optimistic…)

Writing Projects

Each person had their own writing tasks. Some of us were writing about the DAPPLE project or our last project, The Victoria and Stuart Project. Others were making plans for new projects. We wanted to make progress and also think about what comes next.

Everyone focused on their own work in the writing sessions

The Routine

We had timed writing sessions that usually lasted 90 minutes. These were quiet times when everyone focused on their own work. Then we took breaks. The breaks were full of movement and fun. We did things like yoga, stretching, walks in the countryside and playing tennis. Moving our bodies gave us energy to go back to the writing.

Enjoying a break from writing with a countryside walk

Such a structured routine was quite different and new for us (there was even a gong to tell us when to start and stop writing!) We’re used to working in a big team and often have to change plans at the last minute according to the needs of our team members and the new and unexpected things we learn working together. On this occasion the structure was useful though, and we all soon fell into this routine and found ourselves being very productive!

One of the best things about the retreat was being away from emails. At home or in the office, the day is often broken up by messages and calls. At the retreat, there were no interruptions. We could give all our attention to writing.