I Went on a Last-Minute Writer’s Retreat in Paris. Here’s How It Went (Exclusive)

Story Magic Paris is a two-day experience for writers of all genres, aimed to stir inspiration in one of the world’s most literary cities

NEED TO KNOW

• Rise Literary hosted its inaugural Paris writer’s retreat at the Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe on June 5-6
• The two-day event invited writers from all genres to immerse themselves in project development, cultural experiences and the city itself
• PEOPLE’s Books editorial assistant Carly Tagen-Dye flew to France to try out the experience for herself

When I started the work week on Monday, June 3, I didn’t expect to wind up in Paris by Thursday. But that's the kind of serendipitous surprise (and assignment) that falls perfectly in tune with the ethos of Story Magic, a writer’s retreat hosted by publishing venture Rise Literary.

Rise’s mission is to help emerging authors get their stories told. In addition to publishing books, the company also hosts events, including one-day writing retreats typically held in New York. 

Story Magic Paris was a new two-day writers retreat, in which participants worked to develop their stories in one of the world’s artistic epicenters.

“I wanted to bring the focus of those one-day retreats that we were doing in a conference room, but bridge them into something that felt more creative,” Rise CEO and Publisher Kristen McGuiness told PEOPLE of Story Magic Paris' creation. “We do think that putting people in these really romantic creative settings helps them to really tap into that side of their storyteller.”

Even though I write every work day as a journalist, I hadn’t seriously turned my focus to fiction for a while. I studied the genre in college, but as life after school got busier, I turned to the age-old excuse of not having enough time to dedicate myself to a personal project. This retreat seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to return to a draft of a novel I’d been slowly developing for years, which coincidentally had ties to the French art scene.

Besides, I had never been to Paris before. What better place to reawaken my creativity?

Day One

The retreat was held in the historic Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe, in a room festooned in classical art. I joined my fellow writers at a set of tables that wrapped around the room, and was pleased to be among a variety of people — those who had flown in from various parts of the United States, but many Paris locals as well. There was a diversity of gender, age and genre, as participants spoke of a wide range of works-in-progress, from memoir to fantasy to children’s books.

We kicked off the retreat on June 5 with a series of rituals. McGuiness introduced a game called “Mary Oliver Roulette,” where a participant would shout the name “Mary” as she flipped through a copy of the poet’s book Blue Horses. McGuiness would read aloud from whichever poem she landed on. We also pulled a tarot card, to “open up the room to magic.”

Day one was dedicated to just that — finding the magic, the meaning, of our projects. We spent the morning working on a series of writing prompts, aimed at finding our project’s emotional core. On our lunch break, we were given time to wander Paris and observe the city through the lens of our story. Time flew by as I sat on a bench in the Latin Quarter, scribbling in my notebook as vendors sold artwork along the sidewalk behind me.

In the afternoon, we were encouraged to share what we’d written for live editorial feedback in front of the group. I was admittedly too timid to read aloud that first day, but most of my peers were not. I was intrigued by how different the voices, stories and missions of everyone’s projects were.

Participants had the option to join Rise leaders for a series of evening events, like a local gastronomy tour and a trip to see the play Scènes due Mariage. While some of these experiences, like the theater outing, cost extra, they were offered so participants could view Paris as a creative, rather than a tourist. 

I opted to visit the Montmartre district, walking the hour from my hotel toward the historic neighborhood’s open air cafés and breathtaking views of the city. If you’re an introvert like myself, Story Magic Paris' nighttime schedule is flexible, allowing you to explore on your own terms.

Day Two

The retreat’s second day was framed around shaping our individual writing approach. To kickstart the day, we engaged in a series of somatic exercises together, led by Rise author and creativity coach Dufflyn Lammers. We explored how being physically present could also translate to the page.

That morning, we completed a quick succession of more writing prompts, brain-dumping scenes about our characters’ desires, life-changing moments and biggest adventures. A chronic overthinker, I was grateful we were only given two minutes for each prompt — I had no time to ponder whether what I wrote was good or not.

One highlight of the retreat was getting to speak with working writers. On day two, we were joined by authors Robinne Lee (The Idea of You, Crash Into Me) and Ajiri Aki (Joie: A Parisian’s Guide to Celebrating the Good Life), who held a discussion about their respective career paths.

“I also was in a place once, where I really wanted to write and publish a book,” Ajiri told me. “It's really nice to speak to other people that are doing that. I think that's the best way to advance and to get inspired and to do your work.”

“I went to as many writing retreats or conferences as I could,” Lee added, of her retreat experience. “I did all these things where I could be in conversation with other writers who were actually doing it… They were so instrumental in starting up my writing community.”

Lee and Ajiri’s jolt of inspiration carried us through to the end of the day. We had one final opportunity to share our work, and this time, it was mandatory. Perhaps it was because I was surrounded by other writers, who had the guts to be vulnerable with their work, but the nerves of the previous day disappeared as I read aloud.

We closed out the retreat much like we had begun — with poetry and motivation. We were encouraged to continue our projects over the summer, and were given a worksheet to help keep track of our progress. The rapid-fire prompts and integrated outings had me visualizing where I could squeeze in pockets of time to write back home.

I was also reaffirmed by other ways to engage with my novel when life got hectic. Taking a short walk, reading a chapter of a similar book or jotting down scene notes on the subway could all count as work, the retreat reminded me.

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Though I embarked on Story Magic Paris alone, I didn’t feel that way by the retreat’s end. As we finished the day with a group photo, and cocktails at an apartment near the Centre Pompidou later that evening, I felt the sense of community built into the experience itself. It stemmed from going on this journey alongside other artists, embarking on the unknown together, and the reminder of just how magic the potential of a story could be.

To learn more about Rise Literary and their retreats, visit their website and Instagram pages.

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