Writing Retreat at Loch Lomond ✍️✨

From Tuesday afternoon through to Friday morning, I joined twelve other writers for a writing retreat on the shores of Loch Lomond. I arrived the day before, which gave me a head start and an extra day of writing before the official sessions began.

The loch was beautiful, even in December. Cold, yes, but atmospheric in a way that made the whole experience feel special. A storm swept in from Tuesday into Wednesday, bringing wild winds and rain that rattled the windows and kept us firmly indoors. By the time I left, the roads were shrouded in mist.

The retreat was held at the Oak Tree Inn in Balmaha — a stunning spot right on the lochside — and organised by Acorn Writing Retreats, whose structured sessions kept us focused and productive.

We worked in blocks of 60–90 minutes, with breaks in between to keep us fresh. Most of the group were academic writers, which made it fascinating to hear about their projects and see the progress they made. There’s something very motivating about sitting in a room where everyone is completely absorbed in their own work, yet sharing the same rhythm of focus and rest.

Writing Retreat Goals and Plans 🎯

My focus for the retreat was Draft 5 of Death and Visions Book 2.

• Goal: Edit Death and Visions 2 by the end of December
• Plan: Retreat + a schedule mapped out in Notion
• The Maths: 1,000 words per 25‑minute sprint
  • 92000/1000 = 93 sprints
• Estimated End: 1st January

The official writing retreat breaks down into 33 sprints, which gives me a target for the week of 33k words

Writing Retreat Progress 📊

Overall (including my early start):
🚀 69,503 / 92,000 words

Next Up 🔄

As I worked through the middle of the manuscript, I realised that tackling so much of the story at once had revealed a flow issue in the order of events. On Friday evening into Saturday, I sat down and mapped out a plan to fix it.

That means progress over the next few days will be slower, as I go back and restructure the sections that need changing to reflect the new order. It’s a necessary step, though, and one that should make the whole draft stronger in the long run.

Reflections 🌿

The retreat gave me more than just word count. The structure of timed sprints, the accountability of writing alongside others, and the rhythm of breaks all helped me sustain momentum. The storm outside only added to the sense of focus, as though the weather itself was urging us to stay inside and keep going.

I’d love to build something similar into my everyday writing practice, even when I’m working alone. And I’ll definitely do another retreat — next time in a different location, but with the same energy and structure that made this one so effective. Loch Lomond, with its winter wildness and fleeting mist, will always be memorable, but I’m curious to see how a new setting shapes the experience.

And of course, while Book 2 is underway, don’t forget that Book 1 of Death and Visions – Blurred Lines is out on 3rd April.

Two wounds. One corpse. Zero clarity.

Set in Edinburgh, Detective Logan Fraser is pulled into a murder at the Calamity Theatre — a gothic church‑turned‑playhouse where the drama offstage is deadlier than anything on it. Logan must untangle old grudges and buried secrets, with every psychic Vision showing the victim dying a different way. The line between truth and performance blurs, and one wrong step could cost him everything.

👉 Pre‑order Death and Visions – Blurred Lines here

Closing Note 🌟

If you’re tempted to try a retreat yourself, I can wholeheartedly recommend Acorn Writing Retreats. They’re designed for creatives and academics alike, offering the kind of structure, focus, and community that makes a huge difference to your writing.

A huge thank you to Rebecca at Acorn Writing Retreats for running such a well‑organised retreat, and to the Oak Tree Inn for being such a welcoming and beautiful location.