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Autumn Inspiration: A Writers’ Retreat at Thinkers Lodge

Date/Time:
at - at
Venue:
Thinkers Lodge National Historic Site
Location:
249 Water Street, Pugwash. More info
Link:
https://www.marjoriesimmins.ca/
Calendar:
Member-organized event

Join us for Autumn Inspiration, a writers’ retreat at the glorious Thinkers Lodge National Historic Site in Pugwash, October 2-4, 2026! Set at the harbour mouth of the Northumberland Strait, the lodge is the perfect setting for writings, discussions, creativity, and fun. Come on your own, or bring a friend with whom to share the adventure.

The seven rooms are spacious and comfortable (double occupancy, if wanted), and the lodge is ours to enjoy. We bring our own food and grog for the weekend. The rooms cost $99/night, tax in. Funds go directly to the lodge, a national treasure.

Bring your non-fiction project, or your novel or poetry collection – whatever you’re working on. This weekend is all about writing and discovery. In addition, we’ll start our time together with supper at Inn the Elms on Friday night, and on Saturday morning, make trips to the delightful Farmers’ Market and Sheryl’s Bakery and Cafe, famous for its seafood chowder and cinnamon buns.

Please submit up to 10 pages of a work in progress (or ideas in progress) prior to the retreat. I will respond in detail, to give you some impetus for your writing time.

The fee is $350 for the weekend. We are a small and select group. The spots tend to go quickly, so early registration is recommended.

Contact: mls@marjoriesimmins.ca

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Experience Levels

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) uses the following terms to describe writers’ experience levels:

  • New writers: those with less than two years’ creative writing experience and/or no short-form publications (e.g., short stories, personal essays, or poems in literary magazines, journals, anthologies, or chapbooks).
  • Emerging writers: those with more than two years’ creative writing experience and/or numerous short-form publications.
  • Early-career authors: those with 1 or 2 book-length publications or the equivalent in book-length and short-form publications.
  • Established authors: those with 3 or 4 book-length publications.
  • Professional authors: those with 5 or more book-length publications.

Please keep in mind that each form of creative writing (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children, writing for young adults, and others) provides you with a unique set of experiences and skills, so you might consider yourself an ‘established author’ in one form but a ‘new writer’ in another.

Occasionally, WFNS uses the phrase “emerging and established writers/authors” to mean ‘writers and authors of all experience levels.’

The “Recommended experience level” section of each workshop description refers to the above definitions. A workshop’s participants should usually have similar levels of creative writing and / or publication experience. This ensures that each participant gets value from the workshop⁠ and is presented with info, strategies, and skills that suit their experience. 

For “intensive” and “masterclass” workshops, which provide more opportunities for peer-to-peer feedback, the recommended experience level should be followed closely.

For all other workshops, the recommended experience level is just that—a recommendation—and we encourage potential participants to follow their own judgment when registering.

If uncertain about your experience level with respect to any particular workshop, please feel free to contact us at communications@writers.ns.ca