One of my resolutions this year is to apply for writing fellowships. This is something I’ve never done, and it seems a little daunting, so I’ll be blogging about my experience–hopefully I’ll be able to provide a little insight into the process, e.g. how difficult the various application processes are, etc. But first I’d like to hear from any of you who happen to know something about the matter.
Step #1 is of course coming up with a list of retreats. Perhaps it’s because I ate too much over the holidays and my mind has been replaced by mashed potatoes, but I can’t seem to find a good list of writer’s retreats anywhere on the Google. Retreats that come to mind are Yaddo, McDowell, and Breadloaf. (I should probably specify that I’m looking only for places that provide at least partial financial support–there are any number of places that seem essentially to be B&Bs wanting to cash in on the writerly appeal of holing oneself up in a small room with a window overlooking an apple orchard.)
Can anyone point me to a good list of writer’s retreats? Failing that, could you post a link to any you know of which provide partial or total financial aid? Once I’ve decided which ones to apply to, I’ll post about the decision of what to include in my writing sample.
(I’d also love to hear from anyone who’s been to a writer’s retreat–was it what you’d expected? Were you productive there? Would you go again?)