The first AUT Postgraduate Writers’ Retreat of the year was held at Vaughan Park last week and proved to be another positive opportunity for thesis students to have quiet and focussed writing time. Vaughan Park is beautiful, rain or shine, and the perfect location to reflect and focus. And write, of course.
Here are some of the participants’ comments about their retreat experiences:
The retreat was a fantastic opportunity to briefly step away from ‘real life’ and consider the writing from a new perspective. I also appreciated the diverse group of postgraduate researchers and their input – I learned a lot from just being around them. Jennie Watts
I really appreciated having time to write in a writing-focussed environment – so was able to achieve more quality writing in a shorter time. Even though the event is held frequently it still had a sense of freshness – not something that had been done over and over. I have no doubt that behind all of that was a lot of planning, thinking and talking. I very much appreciated the whole environment and as well as the individual guidance from both Jennie and Kathryn. Thank you also to the team at the PG office for helping to organise it. Katharine Hoskyn
Thank you again for giving us this wonderful opportunity to attend the writing retreat at Vaughan Park. It was a great place to get away and achieve some quality writing done in such a peaceful and beautiful setting. The workshops were useful and it was great that we were able to pick and choose to attend the ones that applied to us or carry on with our own independent writing.
Loved the opportunity to meet and discuss research in such a great setting. And write too. Lee Harrison
Thanks for the retreat. It balanced writing and socializing very well. The group session was a great opportunity to meet the challenges and learn the strategies of writing a thesis; socializing with researchers at meals triggered self-reflection on my research and writing; and the individual writing at the beautiful Vaughan Park was productive. In one sentence, it is a good place to meet nice people. Jennifer Wang
I really appreciate the opportunity to attend the post-grad writers retreat at Long Bay. I was feeling overwhelmed by the job ahead and starting to avoid thinking about it. My supervisor suggested I put time aside and go to the retreat to get things moving, which I did and am grateful for it. I now have 33 pages written and a plan for the next 5 months. I think the turning point was when Jennie spoke to me about how to get thing moving. For me it was writing with a pen and not a computer. And the other great part was getting to spend time with some really interesting people! Thanks a million. Andrea Dempsey
The writing retreat was very productive for me as I get closer to submission, the quiet setting, food and resources were excellent. It was also great to chat to people about their projects and get enthusiastic about mine again. Ruth Herd
The Writers’ Retreat came at the right time as I am working on preparing my PhD thesis for submission. It was useful to have a space for writing and the workshops and advice of the facilitators and fellow students was really helpful. John de Jong
The retreat gave me such a good kick start, I’ve been busy writing my thesis. I think I have made more progress in the last week due to clarity of thinking than the last few months and hope to keep the momentum going. Thanks, Catherine
If you can’t help but feel motivated to attend one of the next Writers’ Retreats of the year after reading these comments, here is the information you need to know:
Masters Writers’ Retreat
This retreat is specifically designed for Masters research students at AUT.
Date of Retreat: Monday 7 September to Thursday 10 September
Closing Date for Applications: Friday 31 July 2015
Blank Application Form to Complete: found here
Postgraduate Writers’ Retreat
This retreat is on offer to all postgradute research students at AUT.
Date of Retreat: Monday 2 November to Thursday 5 November
Closing Date for Applications: Friday 25 September
Blank Application Form to Complere: found here
