Join us for our extra long Fall Colours Writing Retreat in Muskoka

 

Fall Colours Writing Retreat in Muskoka

Sunday, Oct 18 – Thursday, Oct 22, 2026
Sherwood Inn on Lake Joseph
1090 Sherwood Road, Port Carling, Ontario, Canada (Map here)

This retreat runs a full day longer than any of our previous retreats.

Treat yourself to five days of writing time – five days of instruction, inspiration and creativity. Five days of being treated like royalty. No distractions, no dishes to do, delicious food at every meal, and with the leisure you need to sit with your feet up and write.

The retreat will feature both instruction and guided writing exercises, plus one-on-one critiquing and coaching from Brian.  You’ll also have lots of time to relax, rejuvenate, and reconnect with your creativity. All writing levels welcome. Whether you’re just beginning or have a novel in progress, please join us. 

The setting: Sherwood is an elegant resort started some eighty years ago by Harry Draper, a Toronto lawyer who fell in love with the Muskokas. He envisioned Sherwood as a charming estate rather than as a sprawling hotel and wanted guests to feel as if they were staying at a friend’s cottage.  Sherwood Inn, especially the Inn building itself, still maintains that warm, old-Muskoka charm.  

Thomas B. Costain, author of numerous best-selling historical novels, including The Chalice and The Black Rose, was a regular guest, so the Inn has a track record as a good spot for writing. Lawren Harris and George Thomson (brother of Tom Thomson) both painted here, though the century-old pines surrounding the Inn would have been a bit younger then.

Rates include accommodation. Rooms are located in the main Inn. Each room includes a queen bed, an en-suite three-piece bathroom, and a desk (for writing).

All meals – Sunday dinner, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday breakfast, lunch and dinner, Thursday breakfast and lunch – are provided, as are coffee & snack breaks. Alcoholic beverages are extra, as are golf and Spa treatments.

Activities included: We’re between seasons – too late for swimming, too early for cross-country skiing – but if the water is still warm enough, canoes and kayaks will be available. There are also hiking trails, fat bikes, tennis courts and shuffleboard, and a regular bonfire. Unlike our Algonquin retreats, there is also Internet (alas), so if you must know what’s going on in the world, you can keep up.  We recommend, though, that you relax in one of the many strategically placed Muskoka chairs throughout the property, enjoy the soothing wilderness sounds and let your creative juices flow.

Additional activities: The Inn also features a comfortable licensed lounge and a spa. “True North MVMNT is dedicated to getting you moving towards your happiest and healthiest self! We provide professional Massage Therapy and Esthetic services for all ages and backgrounds.” Spa treatments are not included in the package, but if you're interested, you should certainly book an appointment (here).  

There are various attractions in the area, including the Muskoka Lakes (Cranberry) Farm and Winery, just 8 minutes down the road, cruises out of Port Carling, weather permitting, plus an outstanding golf course that will still be open, depending on the weather (something of a theme here). Muskoka also features spectacular night skies which you can enjoy just by stepping out of the Inn, but if you have a special passion for stargazing, the Torrance Barrens Conservation Area and Dark Sky Preserve is just 24 minutes down the road.   

Check-in on Sunday is 4 p.m. Our first writing get-together will be at 5 p.m. Check-out on Thursday is at 11:30 a.m. Followed by lunch. Feel free to arrive early – your room may well be ready – and in any case, before 4 p.m. on Sunday and after lunch on Thursday, you're welcome to use the resort's facilities. 

Instructor Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada's most popular blog for writers, taught creative writing at Ryerson University (now known as Toronto Metropolitan University) and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Saskatoon to Toronto to Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published and launch their careers as authors.

Read reflections on Brian's classes, workshops, and retreats and pieces inspired by them here {and scroll down}.

Fees: 

Including both the writing retreat and accommodation, meals, coffee & snack service, and all resort amenities: $2061.06, plus 13% hst, for all four nights.

All fees include tips.

Not included in any quoted prices: alcoholic drinks, spa services, golf, or other extras (tipping for these is also extra).

Bring a (non-participating) significant other along for the weekend to share your Inn room for an additional $176.11 plus hst per night ($199 per night). Includes accommodation, meals and all resort amenities, but not the writing part of the retreat or our coffee breaks. 

Book early – space is limited! 

For more information or to register, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Note: Bookings for accommodations for this retreat must be done through Brian (unlike our retreats in Algonquin, where you book your accommodations through the resort). Participants may be able to tack on additional nights at the resort before or after the retreat; these are offered at a special discounted rate. Additional nights need to be booked directly with the resort, after booking your space in the workshop.

Who can attend the retreat?

Everyone interested in developing their writing skills is welcome to attend, whether you're aspiring writer or an accomplished author or simply enjoy writing as a hobby. There is no requirement for you to have been previously published or even to have an intention to publish.

Should I bring my work in progress?

Yes! If you have an on-going writing project, bring it with you. Bring more than you expect to get to; you'll have lots of time for writing. Besides, you may want to switch projects or share a project that’s just started or one that’s all done, except for reading it to a small, appreciative audience. If you’re not currently working on anything, don’t worry, we’ll get you writing.

Should I bring my laptop?

Yes! Unless you only work on paper. Even better, bring both – your laptop and your writing pad. No sense being short of essential supplies.

I'm a poet / playwright / other writer. Is this retreat for me?

The retreat is open to anyone who enjoys writing. Instruction will focus on narrative writing; i.e., stories, whether fiction or memoir. But if you’re an essayist or poet or whatever, you’re entirely welcome.

Can you cater to specific dietary requirements?

Yes! But please let me know ASAP. The resort would like those sorts of details at least a month in advance. 

I want to stay longer or arrive early. Is that possible?

If you want to arrive early or stay longer, that’s fine. You’ll book Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights with Brian, and arrange any additional nights with the resort; just make sure they know you’re with Brian Henry’s writing group – they’ve got a good rate for you.

Is there cell phone reception and WIFI?

Yes.

How about alcohol?

The resort serves alcohol with meals and has a licensed lounge. Guests are also welcome to bring their own wine, beer or whatever for consumption in their room. (Though do note that Hemingway’s advice to write drunk, mostly produces drivel.)

Can I use the spa at the resort or play a round of golf?

Yes, you can certainly book a spa treatment, though that’s extra, and you book these directly with the resort {not through Brian}. See here. And just before you go up, you can check with the resort whether golf courses in the area are open. Muskoka Highlands Golf Links and The Fairways at Kirrie Glen, both in Bracebridge, typically stay open late into October, weather allowing.  

Can I bring my spouse (or partner or friend)?

If you want to share your room with a partner, they’re very welcome. Just let your partner know you’ll be spending most of your time writing, (though you will have some free time every day). Inn rooms each have one queen bed. If you want a king bed, upgrade to a room in the Maplewood, a separate building a short walk from the inn. If you’re interested in this upgrade, email me.

For more information or to register, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca   

***

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, afternoon workshops, and writing retreats here.

John’s published his YA thriller: The Magician’s Revenge

Hi, Brian. 

I'm excited to announce that my YA thriller, The Magician's Revenge, has officially been published, and it’s available everywhere you buy books.

Many thanks to you and your writing classes for helping me reach this achievement.

John Miscione

https://www.johnmiscione.com/ 

The Magician’s Revenge

by John Miscione

Best friends Freddy and Tim expect try to make a fool of retired magician Ivan Prestoff. Instead, they end up with a demonic board game that grants Freddy a wish he never expected to come true.

With his abusive father dead and his Mississippi hometown besieged by murderous crows, Freddy hits the road for Memphis on a quest to find safety with his long-lost mother. Along the way, he meets an assortment of strangers. Most are dangerous. All fall victim to the sinister power Freddy unwittingly carries along with him.

​Back in Jackson, Tim sets off to find Freddy, along with his mother, the magician, and a clairvoyant who bills herself as Madame Wanda. Their goal: to send the demonic board game back to the depths of Hell – before is consumes Freddy entirely.

The Magician’s Revenge is available at Indigo here.

About the Author

John Miscione is a natural storyteller who has honed his craft in writers’ groups and creative writing courses over many years. His short fiction has been featured in a number of online literary journals. The Magician’s Revenge is his debut novel.

​John lives in Burlington, Ontario, and besides his passion for storytelling, he enjoys reading, travelling, cycling, and the great outdoors.

Visit John’s website here.

See more new books by your fellow writers  here (and scroll down).

If you’ve had a story (or a book!) published, if you’ve won or placed in a writing contest, if you’ve gotten yourself an agent, or if you have any other news, send me an email so I can share your success. As writers, we’re all in this together, and your good news gives us all a boost. Email me at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca  

See all my upcoming weekly writing classes, afternoon workshops, and wonderful writing retreats here. ~Brian

Congratulations to Connie, Sue, Yvonne, Evelyn, and Nella!

If you’ve had a story (or a book!) published, if you’ve won or placed in a writing contest, if you’ve gotten yourself an agent, or if you have any other news, send me an email so I can share your success. As writers, we’re all in this together, and your good news gives us all a boost. 

Email me at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Hi, Brian.

Been a while since I wrote this during your writing classes in Burlington and Mississauga, but The Queen of Swords: A Tarot Card Murder Mystery is finally out. It’s available on Kobo, Kindle, Friesen Press publishing and on Amazon. Many thanks to you and the fellow writers I met along the way.and for your help in my first book published in 2021, Follow the Money, A Diana Darling Private Investigator Novel.

Kind Regards,

Connie Cook

Read more about The Queen of Swords here and Follow the Money here.

 

Hi, Brian.

Two publishers are interested in A is for Ancestor and CANSCAIP just longlisted Grandmother Moon.

Colour me happy – couldn't have done it without you.

Sue Kelly

 

Hi, Brian.

Views to Die For is longlisted for CANSCAIP. I like the competition – it keeps me writing. Now I better get this book done. I do have it sketched out. See you in the fall course for sure! 

Couldn’t do it without you and the class :-)

Yvonne Denomy

 

Congratulations also especially to Andrea Bishop, Kyla McGrath, Sally Wylie and to everyone else who made the longlist for CANSCAIP’s Writing for Children competition. Full list here.

 

Hi, Brian.

I'm pleased say I won 2nd prize at the writing contest hosted by the Friends of The Library here in Linsday for a short story that I submitted. There were 27 entries and this was my first entry into this contest.

I actually won last summer as well. The Town of Lindsay had a promo for the bus shelters called “Words While You Wait.” I was awarded a $200 honorarium for it. My words were paired with an artist who happens to be a writing friend but had no idea who the owner of the words was, so for me it was a double win.

Thanks Brian

Evelyn Anne Nielsen

 

Dear Brian,

I am writing to let you know that my collected translations of Carol Shields' poetry, La Poesia di Carol Shields, have been published by I Quaderni del Bardo Edizioni di Stefano Donno in Italy. I have just returned from Italy where the Italian launch was generously hosted by Carol Shield's daughter, Anne Giardini. What a wonderful way to release this unique collection! 

My hope is that this work will bring awareness of Carol Shields' unique poetic voice to readers who may know her only as an accomplished, award-winning novelist.  Before the novels, though, came the poems, her initial foray into the world of literature. 

This is a first bilingual collection, with facing English and Italian versions of the poems. It is now available from the publisher, IQdB Edizioni, or from Amazon. I attach the cover image and hope you will pass this information on to your wide circle of followers, including my past classmates from your wonderfully helpful workshop sessions. 

With my warm regards and thanks,

Nella 

Nella Cotrupi 

Writer, Scholar, Translator
Member, The Writers' Union of Canada
www.NellaCotrupi.com

La Poesia di Carol Shields is available here.

 

See where else your fellow writers are winning accolades or getting short pieces published here (and scroll down). 

And see more new books by your fellow authors here (and scroll down).

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, afternoon workshops, and wonderful writing retreats here.

“Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright” by Margaret Ruttan

I passed by the Strip Club on the corner many times, and although women taking off their clothes and dancing naked for a living had always intrigued me, I never felt compelled enough to go inside. That is, until I heard about the tiger.

The long white semi-trailer was parked on the side street next to the club for several weeks. The newspaper said the show was held over for just one more week and featured the lovely Jane Jones and her lovable co-star, Qadesh, a 465-pound Siberian tiger. The act also featured a large python, a boa constrictor and exotic birds.

The python, boa constrictor and birds didn’t particularly interest me, but the tiger. This I had to see.

Maybe it was the writer in me looking for new material for my next novel or short story, but I was determined I wasn’t going to miss my chance to see it before they left town.

My mom, who was in her eighties, was visiting from Toronto for the weekend. Of course, she wasn’t my first choice. I asked a couple of my friends to accompany me, but they weren’t interested, and the more I tried to convince them, the more I feared I sounded like a bit of a weirdo.

So, I thought, maybe I could convince my mom to come with me.

“Aren’t you at all curious?” I asked her.

“Not really.”

“Don’t you want to see the tiger?”

“Nope.”

“Oh, c’mon, Mom. I can’t go by myself.”

“Can’t you get one of your friends to go with you?”

“I would, but they’re busy this weekend.” Which wasn’t quite true.

“Please mom, I’d go alone, but I’d feel better if someone came with me and I don’t have anybody else.” 

Even my husband wasn’t interested in going, which frankly surprised me.

 “I’m too old for this,” my mom protested.

“No, you’re not. I’m sure people of all ages will be there.”

I was right. There was at least one other elderly person, a man sitting to the right of the stage who appeared to be there alone. He gave my mom a welcoming smile when we looked his way. She snubbed him, turning her head in the opposite direction.

There was an admission fee of $5.00.

The man at the door asked us to hold out the back of our hand so he could stamp it, just in case we left and tried to come back in on another night without paying. I watched as the black ink from the ink pad smudged over my mom’s thin, wrinkled skin.  What was I thinking, bringing my mom to a place like this?

The room was dark and I wondered if that was so people wouldn’t recognize one another or if they couldn’t afford good lighting. I read later it was deliberate to create a sense of privacy for the patrons and to lower inhibitions. For whom, I wondered, the performers or the people watching?

We found some seats not too far from the front of the stage. When I leaned my arm on the table, my skin felt sticky when I lifted it off again, perhaps another reason for the dim lighting – to hide the lack of attention to cleanliness.

I looked around me to see if I recognized anybody. I thought I saw a woman I knew and her boyfriend, but it was hard to tell, two familiar silhouettes.

We ordered a drink and waited for the show to begin.

A petite blonde woman who looked somewhere in her late twenties to early thirties walked by our table towards the stage. She was dressed in a buckskin thong and tight top. She stood about 5 feet tall and didn’t seem to have an ounce of fat on her small, toned body.

The noise in the room went quiet as she walked on stage, removed her clothes and began painting herself in multi-colours. She then turned on an overhead shower washing all the paint off as she ran her hands over every part of her body.

Once she was dried off sufficiently, she reached into a bag and pulled out a flute. I couldn’t imagine what she had in mind for that, until she raised it to her mouth and began to play.

I turned to mom and whispered, “She’s clearly multi-talented.”

The old man at the side of the stage was jumping up and down in excitement, clapping his hands.

“Look at him,” my mom said. “He’s making a spectacle of himself.”

We watched as the dancer twisted her naked, compact body around a rope hanging from the ceiling, climbing high in the air and slid back down again.

Then she walked to the back of the room and in less than a minute returned, dragging a heavy braided rope along the thin, stained carpeted floor.

At the end of that rope was a nine-foot-long female Siberian Tiger named Qadesh, pronounced Kadesh. I’d done my research and the name originated from an ancient Semitic root meaning holy or sacred.

The room fell silent as all eyes were now on the tiger.

As the beast sauntered right past our table, we heard the sound of its heavy breathing.  It was so close mom could have reached out and patted it.

The lovely Jane Jones, as it said in the newspaper, guided her oversized pet to an area on the stage and instructed it to lie down. Then she lay naked against the tiger, cuddling into it like a giant soft plush toy.           

Across the table, I looked at my mom, her mouth open and her eyes wide. 

We stared at that majestic beast, huge and golden and its naked mistress, the tiger’s solemn eyes staring back at us.

In that moment that tiger truly was holy.

Margaret Ruttan is an award-winning contemporary visual artist, performing artist and published author based in Belleville, Ontario. 

During the past several years, she turned her hand to writing one-act plays, several of which were performed in local community theatres and one even went international being performed in the United Kingdom earlier this summer. Presently, she is working on a novel with the feedback and support of online classes offered by Brian Henry.

See some of Margaret's artwork here. 

For more short stories, poetry, and essays by you fellow writers see here (and scroll down).

See Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, afternoon workshops, and wonderful writing retreats here.