4–11 March 2026
Corralejo, Fuerteventura, Spain
This six-day writing retreat is an immersive getaway designed to help you enter a focused writing mindset, deepen your writing practice, and make meaningful progress on your work.
The retreat combines structured conversations about craft and writing process with generous time for independent writing and reflection. Place plays a central role: the landscape, light, and atmosphere of Fuerteventura support disconnection from daily routines and immersion in the creative process.
This is not a traditional writing workshop with constant feedback, nor a high-pressure productivity retreat. It offers a spacious, thoughtful framework for writers who want to work seriously, quietly, and in good company.
Fuerteventura as a literary setting
With its volcanic terrain, wide horizons, and sense of elemental solitude, Fuerteventura has inspired writers as a setting for their literary works. Miguel de Unamuno’s time on the island during his exile left a lasting imprint on his thinking and writing, shaping his reflections on solitude, ethics, and inner life.
Source: Internet
More recently, the island has appeared as a powerful literary setting in works such as the poems of Juan Luis Calbarro Morales and the novels Fuerteventura by Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa and She, the island by Irina Papancheva where the island becomes an active force in personal and creative transformation and a main character on its own right.
What the retreat offers
Writing & craft
- Six dedicated days focused primarily on your own writing
- Three 1-hour in-depth sessions on writing craft, led by a seasoned novelist and professional coach
- Three individual, place-based prompts, inspired by She, the Island: A Novel about Fuerteventura, including suggested locations to visit independently
- A copy of She, the Island
- A behind-the-scenes blueprint of the novel’s creative process
Process & integration
- Three 2-hour group sessions dedicated to writing process, integration, and common challenges
- Space to reflect on blocks, consistency, direction, and completion
- Coaching or mentoring support on demand if you need more tailored guidance
- A 90-minute online group follow-up session approximately 4–6 weeks after the bootcamp, offering space for integration, reflection, and next steps in your writing.
Place & inspiration
- A guided visit to the House of Miguel de Unamuno in Puerto del Rosario, including context on his connection to the island and how it shaped his writing
(bus and museum tickets included) - Daily immersion in the volcanic landscapes and open spaces of Fuerteventura, supporting presence, clarity, and creative focus
Community
- A small group of 2–6 participants
- Exchange with fellow writers who share a serious commitment to writing
- Time to experience the island together without over-programming
Group sessions will be held in carefully chosen outdoor cafés in and around Corralejo, allowing us to work in the open air and enjoy the mild climate, light, and atmosphere of Fuerteventura. The specific venues and all practical details will be shared with participants closer to the start date.
Writing Retreat PLUS option
The Writing Retreat PLUS option includes one 45-minute individual coaching/mentoring session, offering focused support on specific issues in your writing practice (e.g. structure, confidence, direction, or next steps).
Tutor
The bootcamp is led by Irina Papancheva, author of six published novels, an illustrated children’s book, and numerous short stories, as well as a professional coac
h.
Irina’s work brings together literary craft and reflective practice, supporting writers in developing both their voice and a sustainable relationship with writing. She has travelled to Fuerteventura more than ten times for research and writing related to her novel She, the Island: A Novel about Fuerteventura.
Her latest novel, Brussels. Naked, was ranked second in the 2022 Contemporary Bulgarian Novel Contest organised by the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation and Open Letter Books at the University of Rochester. It was also shortlisted for the Orpheus Prize and selected for the 2025 Brussels public libraries campaign “1 City, 19 Books”.
Irina lives in Brussels, where she regularly leads creative writing workshops.
Participants
2–6 participants
Who is this for
This writing retreat is for writers who already have a project and are looking for time, focus, and thoughtful companionship rather than instruction.
It is especially suited to:
- writers working on a novel, memoir, short stories, or a longer essay
- writers who are in the middle of a project and need space to deepen or unblock it
- people who value place, walking, thinking, and conversation as part of their writing process
- writers who prefer reflective discussion to critique-heavy workshops
- writers who are comfortable working independently during the day and sharing process rather than polished work in the evenings
This retreat is not designed for:
- absolute beginners looking for step-by-step guidance
- productivity-driven “write-a-book-in-a-weekend” approaches
- writers seeking formal feedback or line edits on their work.
The focus is on presence, continuity, and listening to the work, supported by a small group and a shared literary relationship with place.
Travel and accommodation
Participants arrange and cover their own travel and accommodation. If helpful, the tutor can connect participants who may wish to explore the option of sharing accommodation.
Programme
5 March – Arrival & orientation
9:30–10:30
Introductions, intentions for the week, ideas
Distribution of the first individual place-based prompt
Rest of the day: independent writing, visiting your prompt location, walking, informal connection
6 March – Place & influence
9:00–12:00
Visit to the Unamuno House Museum, Puerto del Rosario
17:00–19:00
Group session: reflecting on writing process, visits to places, emerging ideas, and challenges
7 March – Development
9:30–10:30
From ideas to a literary work
Distribution of the second individual place-based prompt
Rest of the day: writing, walking, visiting your prompt location
8 March – Integration
17:00–19:00
Group session: process, obstacles, opportunities, and sustaining momentum
9 March – Practice & consistency
9:30–10:30
Consistency, practice, and completion
Distribution of the third individual place-based prompt
Rest of the day: independent writing
10 March – Closing
17:00–19:00
Final group session: reflection, the way forward, and closure
Fees
Writing Retreat
€650
As this is the first edition of the Writing Residency, two places are offered at a founding price in recognition of the trust of early participants.
Founding price (two places): €450
Early bird: €550 (until 31 January 2026)
Writing Residency PLUS
Residency fee + €80
(includes one individual coaching/mentoring session)
Payment options
Full payment upon registration
-
- Two instalments:
- 50% upon registration
- 50% by 4 March 2026
- As this is the first edition of the Creative Writing Bootcamp, it is offered at a preferential introductory price. Future editions may be priced higher.
Registration
To register, please email ipapancheva@gmail.com.
You will receive payment details and further practical information by reply.
Registration deadline: 10 February 2026
The bootcamp runs with a minimum of 2 participants.