The inspiration for my novel struck me suddenly while walking across the Golden Jubilee Bridge in central London. As the twilight sky deepened, a vivid scene lodged itself in my thoughts and stayed with me until I finally committed to bringing it to life on the page. After a few months, it became evident that squeezing in writing sessions for just half an hour after work wasn’t going to get the novel completed. That’s when I turned to writing retreats—not just places to write, but sanctuaries