2027 Retreat · May 8-13, 2027
Writing Your Unexpected Life
A writing retreat for women who have lived something
worth telling.
I never planned to write a memoir. At the prompting of my therapist, I sat down at my computer two years after September 11th and typed the date — September 11, 2001 — and the words came. What started as a way to record events for my kids before I forgot them became a form of therapy in itself.
What I didn't know then, and had to learn the hard way, was that having a story is not the same as knowing how to tell it. Memoir has a shape. It needs an entry point, a turn, an understanding of what the whole thing actually meant — not just what happened. I spent a long time writing the story I thought I was telling before I found the real one underneath it.
That discovery — the moment you find what the story is actually about — is the most important thing I can help you reach. And five days, it turns out, is enough time to get there.
You don't need to prepare anything before you arrive. You don't need to know which story you're telling. We find it together, starting on the first morning.
“Having a story is not the same as knowing how to tell it. Five days, it turns out, is enough time to find the real one underneath.”
What you will actually learn
How to mine your memories.
We start here, on day one. Not with the story — with the raw material. Small, specific exercises, ten minutes at a time, designed to surface the moments you have stopped noticing because you have lived with them so long.
How to find what your story is actually about.
Most people arrive with one story in mind. Often by day two they have found the real one underneath it — the thing the surface story was pointing at all along.
How to find your entry point.
Not at the beginning. Not at the end. Somewhere precise and charged — the moment that contains the whole story in miniature.
The difference between memoir and journaling.
A journal records what happened. Memoir asks what it meant — and it needs an arc: a before, a middle, and an after.
How to handle time and memory.
Memoir is not entirely chronological. Learning to compress, slow down, and move through time is one of the core skills of the form.
How to write from inside the emotion without drowning in it.
There is a difference between feeling something and rendering it on the page. We will find that line.
What to leave out.
The story you are telling is not everything that happened. Knowing what belongs on the page — and what belongs only in your memory — is a skill, and a significant one.
Rooms & investment
Premium
€3,350 solo, per person
Cygne, Étoile, Gingko, Rossignol, Jasmin — all rooms are on the second floor, each with a private bathroom down the hall; Jasmin is a third-floor room with a full ensuite.
Standard
€2,950 solo, per person
Magnolia, Colibri, Chouette, Renard, Lapin, Paon — cozy third-,floor rooms each with a private bathroom down the hall.
What’s included
- Round-trip transport from Agen train station
- 5 nights accommodation
- All meals, beverages, and wine
- Daily writing sessions with Abby
- One-on-one time with Abby each day
- Afternoon excursions into the countryside
- Personal purchases
- Travel insurance
- Flights and travel to Agen
Your host
Abigail Carter (and Lulu)
Author · Host · Château de Borie
I led my first memoir workshop after publishing The Alchemy of Loss — the book I wrote about losing my husband on September 11th, and about what came after. I have written through the unexpected, published something deeply personal, rebuilt my life multiple times, and learned — mostly the hard way — what it takes to find the shape of a true story.
I have a unique ability to help people see the themes hidden within their own stories and find clarity in whatever they bring to the table. I know how hard it is to sit down and write, and then to find authenticity within those words. I also know that the craft is learnable, and that there is no shortage of courage in the women who are drawn to this kind of work. What is sometimes missing is the structure, the permission, and someone in the room who has actually been there.
Who this week is for
You have lived something — a loss, a turning point, an unexpected chapter — and you feel it deserves to be written down.
You have tried to write it before, and found yourself going in circles without knowing why.
You want structure and guidance, not a blank page and a prompt.
You want a small, safe group — never more than six — and a week that gives you the real thing, not a holiday with a notebook.
You are ready to do the work.
The week, day by day
SAT 8 MAY
Arrival
Arrive at Château de Borie before 4:00 pm. Settle in, meet the group over dinner. An opening conversation — no writing yet — where we take stock of where everyone is and what they are carrying.
SUN 9 MAY
Mining
Not with the story — with the memories beneath it. Short, focused exercises designed to surface the specific moments and details that tell you where your story actually lives. One-on-one time with Abby. An afternoon excursion to let things settle.
MON 10 MAY
Writing & sharing
With a clearer sense of what the story is and where it begins, the morning moves into drafting — finding the opening, following the arc, staying inside the voice. Optional sharing in the afternoon, always in a safe and generous circle.
TUE 11 & WED 12 MAY
Deepening & completion
We return to what has been written and go deeper — into the emotional truth, the structure, what belongs and what doesn't. By the end of Wednesday, you have clarity about your story. You will understand what it means.
THURS 13 MAY
Departure
Depart before noon. Coffee, a slow breakfast, time to sit with what the week has been.
Getting here & getting around
Book your own flights into Toulouse or Bordeaux, then a roughly 90 min, train to Agen — or fly into Paris and take the 3-hour TGV from Montparnasse. We recommend arriving a day early in Toulouse if you can, to shake off the jet lag before the week begins.
Transportation is provided for all group excursions, so a rental car isn't necessary. Trip and medical cancellation insurance is strongly recommended. The château is multi-level with stairs throughout, so comfortable, unassisted walking is a must — and you'll likely meet Lulu, the resident Boston terrier.
Cancellations & refunds
A deposit holds your seat. Here's exactly how refunds work as the date approaches.
Deposit is fully refundable up to this date.
Full refund if your spot is filled from a waitlist; otherwise 50% refund, or a 12-month credit transfer to a future retreat.
No refunds. We strongly recommend trip and medical cancellation insurance.
Six seats. Five days.
Write the story only you can tell.
Have a question before you commit — about your experience level, a room, or the dates? Reach out directly and we'll help you figure out if this week is right for you.