It’s been months since I’ve written a formal update blog, mainly because I spend most of my energy on YouTube with Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing. But also because I’ve been planning a few exciting opportunities for all you writers out there. This is one of them!
Retreat at Sea
Most of us write when we can. We squeeze in bits and pieces whenever we have a few minutes to ourselves: when family’s otherwise occupied, during lunch at our desk, or early in the morning before any other demands take hold. Dedicated writing time, when creating words are the priority and everything else can wait, remains precious and rare. Which is why writing retreats are such a boom to a writer’s life.
Considering those realities, Wave Writers has decided to step in. They’ve set up a writing retreat on the water! This unique opportunity will take you away from the real world to a magical ship where all you have to do is write. Private areas will be set up dedicated to the Wave Writer guests to get your words in without distraction—or you can stay in your cabin and enjoy the view while finishing your WIP.
Retreat at sea was all you needed to hear? Then head straight to the website and reserve your bunk now.
Things to look forward to:
- Camaraderie -> Are your friends tired of hearing about your imaginary friends? Are they useless when you need someone to help you work through that plot twist that isn’t quite twisting? This is one of the magical aspects of writer retreats that people forget. There will be other writers there! We love to talk story and work through plot holes. It’s part of the joy of this endeavor. Come meet fellow writers and know you’re not alone.
- Change of location -> Sometimes to freshen up your work, you need a change of location. When that corner of your bedroom you call your office, the once-charming cafe, or your steering wheel during sports ball practice have all lost their magic, it’s time to find inspiration somewhere else. What better place than on the ocean with new smells, sounds, and experiences to draw from?
- Basic needs covered -> Having been on writing retreats before, it was always frustrating when I was in the middle of a great work flow but had to stop to cook a meal or wash dishes. This time everything is handled for us and it’s all included. Some retreats, we split the cooking and the cleaning. Here no one has to do a thing except eat to satisfy our stomachs, neglected for the sake of a good tale. That’s a huge advantage as far as I’m concerned.
- Excursions -> Need a break from writing while aboard, no worries. For a little extra, you can go on an excursion off ship. Bring your laptop and write in an exotic locale or take the afternoon off and explore somewhere new. It’s completely up to you and your goals for the retreat. (You can also use the excursion as motivation for getting your words in while on ship. Gamifying my workflow works great for me.)
Want a more detailed schedule?
They’ve got you covered. The full details are here.
Notice that all of the activities are optional.
If your introverted heart needs quiet time one evening, no worries. You don’t have to make an appearance at every bar takeover. But I’d recommend going to at least one to really get to know the people who are attending. You’ll hear talk of Bar Con within the publishing world and this is what they mean. It’s where a lot of handshake deals are struck and vital career relationships are started.
If you’re an extrovert and need a lot of time with a lot of people, it’s a cruise. There’s always something to do whenever you need to break away from the keyboard. In other words, this retreat caters to whatever kind of writer you are and offers opportunity for beginners all the way to seasoned veterans.
If you’re somewhere in between like most of us, then pick and choose whatever works best for you that day. We’ll be there when you need us and leave you alone when you don’t.
But wait! There’s more!
I know. That’s crazy. How could there possibly be more? The Wave Writers wanted to offer an extra incentive for authors to join us on this adventure: a professional editor. This editor will critique ten pages of your submission as well as a full two-page synopsis. They’ll give you detailed notes about:
- Content-> character, tropes, setting, world building
- Grammar -> word usage, punctuation, sentence structure, the dreaded commas
- Style -> formatting, voice, point of view, pacing
During the cruise, you’ll get a one-on-one consultation with your editor and the opportunity to meet the other editors aboard. The more authors who register, the more editors will be available. You’ll also get to eat dinner with your fellow authors and your assigned editor each night.
This is what truly makes the Wave Writers Retreat so unique. Not only will you be on the ocean making progress on your manuscripts, you’ll also get to improve your craft with the guidance of an experienced editor.
One Last Special Announcement
So how many caught on to where I was going next? I’m proud to announce that I will be the first editor to set sail with the intrepid authors. Check out the announcement here. As we get more authors registered for the retreat, we’ll add more editors. The next two are already on the website, waiting for their slot to open.
I adore writer retreats, almost as much as I adore working with writers. I cannot wait to write with you during the day and discuss your WIPs at night (or around the pool). I’ve been employed as a professional editor of fiction, specializing in speculative genres, for almost ten years now. For the last six, I’ve been the Publisher and Editorial Director at Cursed Dragon Ship Publishing, which gives me a unique perspective on the spectrum from self publishing to indie publishing to traditional publishing. For more details on what I do, check out my editor page here.
Ready to Register?
The cruise will be held April 13-18, 2026 with a registration deadline of December 14, 2025. So don’t wait! For all of the details including a full itinerary, check out the Wave Writers website.
