Santorini Novel Writing Retreat with Kelly Dwyer and Jonas Saul
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Writing Retreat With Kelly Dwyer and Jonas Saul, with Rania Stone!
Join us October 7 – 13, 2026 • Santorini Island in Greece for seven days, six nights!
Join us for a six-night Writing Retreat on the breathtaking island of Santorini, where stories come alive against a backdrop of sea and sky. We’ve designed a week filled with laughter, connection, and inspiration—a getaway you’ll treasure long after it ends.
Meet your favorite authors, join intimate discussions and Ask Me Anything sessions, enjoy dinner with authors and fellow writers each night, and collect signed books to remember it all. Come for the stories—stay for the memories that will last a lifetime.
🧠 The Craft of Storytelling
Find Your Novel’s Core Idea: Discover the heart of your story and build from a foundation that excites you—and your reader.
To Outline or Not?: We’ll break down story planning methods so you can find the writing process that works for you.
Build Motivation: Set a writing rhythm that fuels your creativity, whether it’s word counts, goal tracking, or intuitive flow.
Show, Don’t Tell: Learn how to evoke emotion and action with vivid examples and hands-on practice.
Active vs. Passive Voice: We’ll demystify this key technique with practical tips and examples that will immediately sharpen your prose.
💡 Style, Pacing & Emotional Impact
Strengthen Your Style: From removing filler words to improving cadence and sentence flow, you’ll learn what makes writing sing.
Mastering Pacing: Understand how to keep readers turning pages—what to speed up, what to slow down, and what to cut.
Create a Powerful Character Arc: Learn how to craft a character arc that will engage readers and help you map your character's transformation and story's plot.
Write to Reader Psychology: Discover how to deliver emotional satisfaction, surprise, and connection—so your readers stay hooked.
Self-Editing Mastery: Save money and impress agents by tightening your prose with proven techniques and checklists.
🔥 Make It Unputdownable
Inject Tension: Learn practical tools for adding suspense and urgency, no matter your genre.
Heighten Emotion: Discover ways to amplify feelings on every page so readers care deeply about your characters.
🎯 Publishing & Promotion Essentials
Industry Standards: Understand proper manuscript setup, formatting, and submission etiquette to present yourself as a professional.
Cover Design Tips: Whether self-publishing or traditionally publishing, get insider advice on what sells visually.
Publishing Pathways: Explore the pros and cons of self-publishing vs. traditional routes—and how to succeed in either.
Query Like a Pro: For those submitting to agents, we’ll demystify the process and share examples that work.
📣 Author Platform & Long-Term Support
Promotion on a Budget: Learn how to find readers organically—and amplify your reach with affordable, efficient strategies.
Promotion 101 with Author Rania Stone: A beginner-friendly guide to social media marketing, landing pages, funnel building, and essential website strategies to strengthen your online presence.
Ongoing Community: After the retreat, you’ll receive continued support, including video calls to discuss your writing goals and personalized guidance for your career.
✅ And as your work comes into the world, we’ll promote your book launches across our combined platforms—reaching over 50,000 followers.
🌟 This is more than a retreat. It’s the next chapter of your writing journey.
✨ A Day in the Life at the Retreat
Each morning begins with a relaxed buffet breakfast, served between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m., allowing you to ease into your day with good food and great company.
Our morning writing sessions run from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with a short break to recharge. (You’ll find full session details in your personalized itinerary.) These sessions are designed to deepen your craft, spark new ideas, and provide you with practical tools that you can use immediately in your work.
Afternoons are yours. Whether you want to dive into your manuscript, walk the beach, swim, hike, nap, or reflect, you’ll have the freedom to use this time however your creativity requires. We also offer private one-on-one sessions with our guest authors, dedicated to addressing your questions, work, and goals. We gather again around 8:00 p.m. for a delicious group dinner, followed by relaxed and inspiring evenings centered around all things writing: ✨
Readings & peer critiques ✨ Stories of publishing success ✨ Career Q&As and advice ✨ Marketing strategies to find readers without spending a fortune. Whether you’re seeking motivation, feedback, or simply a community that truly understands, the evenings offer a perfect blend of camaraderie and creative momentum.
Excursion #1
Experience the magic of Thira, Santorini’s stunning capital, on a leisurely four-hour walk that reveals why this island captures hearts around the world. Wander along cobblestone lanes that wind between whitewashed houses, blue-domed churches, and flower-draped terraces that seem to float above the shimmering caldera. With every turn, breathtaking views unfold—the endless Aegean below, the volcanic cliffs glowing gold in the sunlight, and the rhythm of island life all around you. Along the way, you’ll discover hidden courtyards, artisan boutiques, and cafés where time slows to the sound of the sea. This guided walk isn’t just sightseeing—it’s an intimate encounter with the beauty, history, and spirit of Santorini itself.
Excursions #2
End your Santorini day with an unforgettable sunset walk through Oia, the island’s most iconic village. As the afternoon light softens, wander through narrow marble streets lined with art galleries, blue-domed chapels, and cliffside homes carved into volcanic rock. Your guide will share the village’s rich maritime history and hidden viewpoints while the sky begins its nightly transformation. Then, as the sun dips below the horizon, watch Oia glow in hues of gold, rose, and lavender—an ethereal spectacle that has inspired poets, painters, and travelers for centuries. It’s more than a view; it’s a moment of pure Mediterranean magic you’ll carry with you long after the light fades.
Excursion #3
Akrotiri Excavations Add-On Tour with a Guide! (Cost 45 euros per person)
Step back nearly four thousand years into the Bronze Age as you explore the awe-inspiring Akrotiri excavations—Santorini’s own “Greek Pompeii.” Guided by a local tour guide, you’ll wander through remarkably preserved streets, homes, and frescoes that reveal the sophistication of one of the ancient world’s most advanced civilizations. Beneath the volcanic ash that froze time, you’ll uncover stories of art, trade, and daily life that connect directly to the myths of Atlantis. This is more than a tour—it’s a journey into the origins of creativity and human resilience, set against the breathtaking backdrop of Santorini’s sunlit cliffs and the Aegean’s deep blue shimmer.
Join us October 7 – 13, 2026 • Santorini Island in Greece for seven days, six nights!
Join us for a six-night Writing Retreat on the breathtaking island of Santorini, where stories come alive against a backdrop of sea and sky. We’ve designed a week filled with laughter, connection, and inspiration—a getaway you’ll treasure long after it ends.
Meet your favorite authors, join intimate discussions and Ask Me Anything sessions, enjoy dinner with authors and fellow writers each night, and collect signed books to remember it all. Come for the stories—stay for the memories that will last a lifetime.
🧠 The Craft of Storytelling
Find Your Novel’s Core Idea: Discover the heart of your story and build from a foundation that excites you—and your reader.
To Outline or Not?: We’ll break down story planning methods so you can find the writing process that works for you.
Build Motivation: Set a writing rhythm that fuels your creativity, whether it’s word counts, goal tracking, or intuitive flow.
Show, Don’t Tell: Learn how to evoke emotion and action with vivid examples and hands-on practice.
Active vs. Passive Voice: We’ll demystify this key technique with practical tips and examples that will immediately sharpen your prose.
💡 Style, Pacing & Emotional Impact
Strengthen Your Style: From removing filler words to improving cadence and sentence flow, you’ll learn what makes writing sing.
Mastering Pacing: Understand how to keep readers turning pages—what to speed up, what to slow down, and what to cut.
Create a Powerful Character Arc: Learn how to craft a character arc that will engage readers and help you map your character's transformation and story's plot.
Write to Reader Psychology: Discover how to deliver emotional satisfaction, surprise, and connection—so your readers stay hooked.
Self-Editing Mastery: Save money and impress agents by tightening your prose with proven techniques and checklists.
🔥 Make It Unputdownable
Inject Tension: Learn practical tools for adding suspense and urgency, no matter your genre.
Heighten Emotion: Discover ways to amplify feelings on every page so readers care deeply about your characters.
🎯 Publishing & Promotion Essentials
Industry Standards: Understand proper manuscript setup, formatting, and submission etiquette to present yourself as a professional.
Cover Design Tips: Whether self-publishing or traditionally publishing, get insider advice on what sells visually.
Publishing Pathways: Explore the pros and cons of self-publishing vs. traditional routes—and how to succeed in either.
Query Like a Pro: For those submitting to agents, we’ll demystify the process and share examples that work.
📣 Author Platform & Long-Term Support
Promotion on a Budget: Learn how to find readers organically—and amplify your reach with affordable, efficient strategies.
Promotion 101 with Author Rania Stone: A beginner-friendly guide to social media marketing, landing pages, funnel building, and essential website strategies to strengthen your online presence.
Ongoing Community: After the retreat, you’ll receive continued support, including video calls to discuss your writing goals and personalized guidance for your career.
✅ And as your work comes into the world, we’ll promote your book launches across our combined platforms—reaching over 50,000 followers.
🌟 This is more than a retreat. It’s the next chapter of your writing journey.
✨ A Day in the Life at the Retreat
Each morning begins with a relaxed buffet breakfast, served between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m., allowing you to ease into your day with good food and great company.
Our morning writing sessions run from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., with a short break to recharge. (You’ll find full session details in your personalized itinerary.) These sessions are designed to deepen your craft, spark new ideas, and provide you with practical tools that you can use immediately in your work.
Afternoons are yours. Whether you want to dive into your manuscript, walk the beach, swim, hike, nap, or reflect, you’ll have the freedom to use this time however your creativity requires. We also offer private one-on-one sessions with our guest authors, dedicated to addressing your questions, work, and goals. We gather again around 8:00 p.m. for a delicious group dinner, followed by relaxed and inspiring evenings centered around all things writing: ✨
Readings & peer critiques ✨ Stories of publishing success ✨ Career Q&As and advice ✨ Marketing strategies to find readers without spending a fortune. Whether you’re seeking motivation, feedback, or simply a community that truly understands, the evenings offer a perfect blend of camaraderie and creative momentum.
Excursion #1
Experience the magic of Thira, Santorini’s stunning capital, on a leisurely four-hour walk that reveals why this island captures hearts around the world. Wander along cobblestone lanes that wind between whitewashed houses, blue-domed churches, and flower-draped terraces that seem to float above the shimmering caldera. With every turn, breathtaking views unfold—the endless Aegean below, the volcanic cliffs glowing gold in the sunlight, and the rhythm of island life all around you. Along the way, you’ll discover hidden courtyards, artisan boutiques, and cafés where time slows to the sound of the sea. This guided walk isn’t just sightseeing—it’s an intimate encounter with the beauty, history, and spirit of Santorini itself.
Excursions #2
End your Santorini day with an unforgettable sunset walk through Oia, the island’s most iconic village. As the afternoon light softens, wander through narrow marble streets lined with art galleries, blue-domed chapels, and cliffside homes carved into volcanic rock. Your guide will share the village’s rich maritime history and hidden viewpoints while the sky begins its nightly transformation. Then, as the sun dips below the horizon, watch Oia glow in hues of gold, rose, and lavender—an ethereal spectacle that has inspired poets, painters, and travelers for centuries. It’s more than a view; it’s a moment of pure Mediterranean magic you’ll carry with you long after the light fades.
Excursion #3
Akrotiri Excavations Add-On Tour with a Guide! (Cost 45 euros per person)
Step back nearly four thousand years into the Bronze Age as you explore the awe-inspiring Akrotiri excavations—Santorini’s own “Greek Pompeii.” Guided by a local tour guide, you’ll wander through remarkably preserved streets, homes, and frescoes that reveal the sophistication of one of the ancient world’s most advanced civilizations. Beneath the volcanic ash that froze time, you’ll uncover stories of art, trade, and daily life that connect directly to the myths of Atlantis. This is more than a tour—it’s a journey into the origins of creativity and human resilience, set against the breathtaking backdrop of Santorini’s sunlit cliffs and the Aegean’s deep blue shimmer.
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Where is it happening?
Santorini, Greece, Athens, Greece
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherImagine Greece Retreats
