Daniela Fazio Vargas, Sociology, University of Manchester (2021 Cohort)

Writing can be frightening. We all know the cliché of the “blank page” and how much anxiety it creates to “make sense of things” with words – especially during the PhD when we are constantly expected to write, organise and analyse different sources of information. I have been feeling this anxiety even stronger ever since I started my third year. Being aware that the “end” is approaching and that I would need to put all my chapters together has haunted me these past few months. For that reason, when I saw the possibility of joining the collaborative writing hubs, I did not doubt for a second! That is why I decided to join the first writing retreat organised by the NWSSDTP in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University, which took place on the 20th of October.

Before the session, they asked us to have a clear goal and all the material available to use our time wisely. In my case, I decided to focus on the analysis because, after my fieldwork in Chile, I ended up having more data than I was expecting. Once there, the first thing we were asked to do was share with the other colleagues what our aim was and how we were feeling: “Inspired”, “Tired”, “Motivated”, “Stressed”, and “Energised” were some of the words I recall hearing. Since it was my first time attending one of these sessions, I said that I was “nervous” but also motivated to take the best from this opportunity – especially after knowing the experiences of my friends who had attended similar writing retreats. 

I have heard that online writing retreats can also be helpful, but having the chance to go to a different city and work in a venue where you have not worked before can also inspire your creativity so words can flow easily. At the beginning I thought I would arrive to Liverpool tired, partly because the train station is not close to my house, but also because that day -unsurprisingly- it was raining heavily, making it difficult to arrive at the Hotel. Nevertheless, once I got there, with a hot drink in my hand, I forgot all the tiredness of the day (and even of the week), and I could focus on my research and writing.

When you are inspired, time flies, but I also think that it passed quickly because of the efficient organising method of the hub: focusing on writing for a limited time and then having a short break to debrief, relax and meet nice people while having tasty snacks and lunch. Not only did I accomplish my goal, but I did it in a very inspiring environment, together with a group of people from different backgrounds and a wide variety of research interests. I only have positive words to describe how wonderful that experience was, and I hope similar activities will be organised in the future!