# Revision, Rewriting, and Re-Visioning Writing Retreat with Author Matt Bell in Greece

Trade daily distractions for a deeper relationship with your work-in-progress. On the Greek island of Zakynthos, surrounded by sun, sea air, and spacious skies, join author Matt Bell for a creative writing retreat built around revision, structure, and the long arc of a manuscript in motion.This retreat welcomes all genres and forms, including fiction, memoir, hybrid work, and narrative nonfiction. All levels are invited. You don’t need to be published, but you’ll get the most from this experience if you bring a draft or partial manuscript you’re ready to work on.Inspiration will come from Zante Town’s vine-covered facades and weathered stone and from a boat ride to Navagio Beach, where cliffs rise above a rusted shipwreck and bright water. As the retreat continues, you’ll build a stronger draft, refine your voice, and learn how to prepare your manuscript for submission. Later sessions will include guidance on queries, synopses, and the realities of publication.Stay in a peaceful Greek villa surrounded by island stillness and open skies. A local chef prepares meals each day with fresh ingredients. Evenings give you space to continue writing or enjoy time with fellow writers. You’ll end the week with fresh pages, a plan for what comes next, and a sharper sense of how to move your book forward.

## Details

- **Dates:** June 6 - 13, 2026
- **Location:** Planos, Zakynthos, Greece
- **Starting Price:** $4,250
- **Category:** Painting

## Program

### Strengthen Your Manuscript - Writing Retreat
Leave distractions behind and spend a week in conversation with your work-in-progress on the island of Zakynthos. Join author Matt Bell for a generative and revision-focused writing retreat shaped by craft, clarity, and momentum. This retreat welcomes all genres, from fiction and memoir to narrative nonfiction, hybrid forms, and anything that lives in between. You do not need to be a published writer to join, and all levels of experience are welcome. Whether you’re returning to a long-dormant project or knee-deep in the third draft of something new, you’ll be in good company. While brand-new ideas are always welcome, bringing a rough draft or partial manuscript is strongly recommended so you have something real to work with across the week.Spend two days drawing material from the island itself. In Zante Town, walk among shuttered balconies and vine-covered walls, noting the textures and language of a place shaped by centuries of rebuilding. Write from the harbor or beneath the arcades, taking time to gather detail and voice. A boat will carry you along the coastline to Shipwreck Beach, where the cliffs rise around chalk blue water and the rusted hull of the MV Panagiotis rests on white sand. Take this time to gather imagery and questions, and return with a new material shaped by the scale and texture of the island.Throughout the retreat, you’ll work closely with Matt to explore a layered approach to revision, one that encourages curiosity and intention. Learn how to revisit your draft with sharper focus, how to identify scenes worth keeping, and how to build new ones that deepen narrative movement. Strengthen your understanding of structure by looking at plot across a book-length project, and use your time here to clarify what your story is doing and how it might grow. Study how to prepare your manuscript for submission, how to write a synopsis and query that reflect your project’s voice, and how to navigate the publishing process from initial pitch to final edits. Close the retreat with new writing in hand, a fuller understanding of your own work, and a forward-looking plan for revision.During your workshops with Matt, you’ll cover:Building a stronger connection with your manuscriptPlanning a focused and effective revisionUsing specific strategies to work through major changesStrengthening your understanding of narrative structure and how plot functions across scenesLearning how to prepare your writing for submissionUnderstanding the path from draft to publication and what to expect after acceptance...and much more!Your venue, a stunning Greek villa perched high above the sea, offers the perfect setting to reconnect with your creativity. Connect with fellow writers in inviting shared spaces, and relax by a serene infinity pool. Delight in chef-prepared Greek cuisine and local wines, form lifelong friendships, and taste the wealth of Greek hospitality. As you slow down and immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and flavors of Zakynthos, you’ll find your voice strengthened and your perspective renewed.Please note: The retreat venue is located on terraced grounds, with access to the studio, common areas, and accommodations requiring the use of stairways. The beach can be reached by descending a steep stairway of approximately 50 meters (164 feet). Additionally, the trips involve moderate walking, so this retreat may not be ideal for those with limited mobility.

### Day 1: Arrival
Arrive at Zakynthos Airport for your 3:30 PM transfer to a breathtaking seafront venue overlooking the Mediterranean. Settle into your elegant room and take a moment to recharge before joining a guided tour of the grounds. Discover the inviting pool, the shala studio, and thoughtfully designed communal areas. In the evening, savor a delightful three-course welcome dinner in the lively company of your fellow writers. Enjoy a glass of wine with Matt and the group and plan out the week ahead.

### Day 2: Classes at the venue
Wake to the smell of fresh coffee and a nourishing breakfast, with time to gather your thoughts before easing into the day. Join Matt for a relaxed conversation about your goals and the scenes you might work on, whether drawn from the villa’s atmosphere or your own evolving narrative.The morning session includes introductions and an interactive craft talk on how to assess a work-in-progress or something recently finished. You’ll begin planning revisions and rewrites with a set of practical tools. Matt will share frameworks and tactics for building on the strongest parts of your work and spotting areas that may need further development. The focus remains encouraging and clear-eyed, celebrating what’s already on the page and mapping out where to go next.After a refreshing lunch break, turn your focus to writing better scenes by exploring action and choice. Whether you're working on novels, memoirs, short fiction, or narrative nonfiction, scenes carry the story forward. In this craft talk, Matt will show how to anchor each scene in meaningful decisions and clear movement, creating change that resonates emotionally, morally, and intellectually. Explore ways to write dialogue that reveals character and drives momentum without losing the thread of voice or tension.As the sun begins to set, you can cool off in the pool or keep writing at your own pace. In the evening, everyone gathers for dinner and conversation while the light fades over the Zakynthos countryside.

### Day 3: Trip to Zante Town
The morning unfolds with sun on the terrace and a table set for breakfast. As you sip your coffee, you’ll prepare for the day’s trip into Zante Town, a place where centuries of layered history meet the everyday rhythm of island life.Built along a natural harbor and once ruled by the Venetians, the town has long been a center of art, religion, and island life. Earthquakes in the 20th century reshaped its skyline, but echoes of its past remain in the bell towers, neoclassical facades, and cobbled streets. As you wander through shaded alleys, notice the balconies bright with bougainvillea, hillside views, and gardens tucked between old stone walls. You are invited to enjoy this experience; should inspiration strike, note whatever marks you, be it a face, a sound, or a bit of overheard conversation.You’ll return to the venue for a nourishing lunch and a short break before diving back into your work.In the afternoon, settle in for a craft talk on outlining and planning for revision. Matt will introduce a range of outlining approaches for both fiction and nonfiction, suitable at any stage of your project. You’ll look at real examples, then learn how to use your outline as a practical tool for shaping revisions with intention and clarity.As evening approaches, spend time however you need. You might swim, write, or rest before gathering again for dinner while the sky softens over the Zakynthos hills.

### Day 4: Classes at the venue
Start the morning with a hearty breakfast and a clear head, then gather your notebook and whatever else you need for a full day of writing.Ease into the day by building on everything you’ve learned so far. With guidance from Matt, outline your own work using the method that suits you best. There will be time to share your approach and reflect on what you’ve taken from the process, all in preparation for what’s ahead. You’ll also shape your outline into a focused logline or synopsis that captures the essence of your project in a few sharp lines.After a light lunch and herbal tea, settle in for a craft talk on narrative structure and plot shapes. Matt will explore storytelling patterns drawn from novels, film, and theater, with a focus on how different structures support emotional movement and momentum. You’ll see how these approaches can work in your own writing and use them to rethink or refine what’s already on the page.Spend the rest of the afternoon however it suits you. You might stay with your writing, take a break by the pool, or simply sit with your thoughts. Later, meet your fellow writers for dinner and relaxed conversation, paired with a glass of wine.

### Day 5: Boat trip to Navagio Beach
Settle in on the terrace with a refreshing breakfast and a warm cup of coffee as sea air rolls in and morning light reaches across the water.Board a boat at Porto Vromi and travel along the coast of Zakynthos. The calm sea will reveal pale stone beneath the surface. Pass sea-carved caves and steep cliffs where wild coastal plants cling to the rocks and take in the island’s natural rhythm. Near Navagio Beach, the boat will pause so you can see the MV Panagiotis and its rusted hull resting in a white cove surrounded by blue water and open sky.Return by boat to Porto Vromi and head back to the venue for lunch. Afterward, settle in for a structure exercise. Using ideas from the previous craft talk, you’ll take an existing structure and apply it to your own work. With Matt’s guidance, you’ll strengthen your outline or synopsis by analyzing what’s already on the page and making a plan for what a future draft might need. By the end of the session, you’ll have new ideas for scenes and new writing, as well as a clearer sense of how to boost the impact of what’s already working.Later in the day, follow your own rhythm. In the evening, enjoy a three-course dinner, a delicious glass of wine, and lively conversation with the group.

### Day 6: Classes at the venue
Have breakfast and coffee on the terrace as sea air wakes your senses. Walk with Matt to the day’s writing space and settle in for a focused morning session.In the morning, focus on practical tactics for better rewrites. Drawing from the strategies found in Matt’s craft book "Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts," he will present a practical, layered approach to revision that breaks the often daunting process of rewriting into smaller, more manageable actions. You’ll discuss the various kinds of revision that are useful at different stages of the process, as well as answer one of the most daunting questions a writer faces: How do I know when I'm done?After lunch, return for a stretch of writing with a session on generative rewriting exercises. In this session, Matt will offer a "lightning round" of generative revision tactics that you’ll apply to a chapter or short story in sequence, working in layers to transform and enliven part of your larger project. In addition to improving the chapter in question, you’ll also be building good habits and discovering effective tactics that you can use throughout your manuscript after you return home.As the afternoon winds down, take the time you need. Keep writing, walk through the garden, or rest before the evening. Then, join the group for a three-course dinner with wine and relaxed conversation.

### Day 7: Classes at the venue
Enjoy a nourishing breakfast, then sit down with Matt and the group for an easy conversation. Reflect on your process, notice what shifted, and revisit the moments on Zakynthos that shaped your work.Spend the morning in a publishing talk that moves from idea to agent to pub day. On this final day, Matt will offer an overview of publishing a book from start to finish, including specific tips on finding agents, writing query letters, and otherwise approaching publishers. You’ll also discuss what happens after a book is accepted, including the editorial process, promotion and publicity, book royalties, and much else.After a relaxed lunch, gather for a closing ceremony that marks the end of the retreat. Share your plans for the future and speak openly about how you’ll carry the work home. Take in what the week has stirred loose, and give voice to what comes next. There will be time for feedback, encouragement, and a clear-eyed look toward what you hope to build beyond this place.In the evening, come together for a farewell dinner. Greek music will drift through the air while wine is poured and conversation gathers at the table. Raise a glass, pass a dish, and step into the rhythm of the night as it carries the week to its final page.

### Day 8: Departure
Enjoy breakfast with your group and get ready for your transfer to Zakynthos Airport (ZTH). Check-out is at 10:00 AM, and you'll arrive at the airport at around 10:30 AM.

## Instructors

- **Matt Bell** - Author and Creative Writing Professor

## Accommodation

### Stunning Greek Estate

### Shared standard ensuite room

### Shared superior ensuite room

### Shared penthouse

### Single standard ensuite room

### Single superior ensuite room

### Single ensuite room - shared villa with private pool

### Single deluxe suite

## Book This Retreat

Visit [https://uptrek.com/retreat/revision-rewriting-revisioning-writing-retreat-author-matt-bell-greece](https://uptrek.com/retreat/revision-rewriting-revisioning-writing-retreat-author-matt-bell-greece) to make a reservation.

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