Mya Kirkwood, Business and Management, University of Liverpool (2023 Cohort)

It’s rare to go to a writing retreat and actually enjoy yourself – but the collaborative writing retreat between the NWSSDTP and Liverpool John Moores University was a fantastic experience which did just that!

When I arrived at the Leonardo Hotel (Liverpool) for the retreat on a rainy Friday morning, I was very nervous as I didn’t know anyone else attending, but the day was even better that I’d imagined. The morning and the afternoon both started with some goal setting and friendly encouragement, where we shared our writing goals and progress with the group. The day was then broken down into four 1-hour work slots, with 20-minute breaks in between for a chat and a coffee and a warm lunch provided in our lunch hour at the hotel restaurant.

The friendly atmosphere was my favourite part of the day. It was a really supportive and friendly environment to work towards our goals. Everyone was dedicated to meeting their own goals and supportive and encouraging towards one another. People were genuinely happy for one another. Despite being strangers, I even had other attendees I’d not yet met stop and congratulate me in the breaks for hitting my writing goals!

PhDs can often be lonely and isolating – but the retreat provided a rare opportunity to get away from my desk and informally network and chat with a diverse range of Doctoral students outside of my subject, school, and university. I had so many interesting discussions with LJMU students and staff that I would not have met otherwise. I am so glad I was able to meet these people and share our genuine interests and advice; it really enriches the PhD experience and I’m looking forward to seeing them again at future retreats!

The retreat also provided me with structure and focus to work towards my goals so I could focus all my efforts on writing. As a testament to the comfort and focus provided by the retreat, many of us even went beyond our goals! It was a great feeling to have both a productive and social Friday and know that at 4.30pm I could leave it all behind and enjoy my well-deserved weekend!

It was also a lovely location, to be able to look over the Albert docks and River Mersey when you look up from writing. 

The collaborative writing retreat is a perfect balance of focused productivity and social community-building, to get your work done and connect with the wider PhD community on a personal and professional level. I am so glad I went to this event, and I hope to attend them all throughout my PhD! Thank you to everyone involved in providing the retreat for us!