If you’re like a lot of would-be writers you would finish your novel if only the dog didn’t bark, Facebook didn’t beckon, and the children didn’t need attention quite so desperately.In today’s busy world it can be hard finding the time and mental space to write a book.For those writers with that problem, Jan Fraser is holding a four-day retreat at Cambridge Beaches in February based on the success of one she held last year.“The retreat is about getting out in the country and away from the sounds of digital phones, the texting, all of that, to really just soak up the environment and write,” she said.Ms Fraser, a writing coach and author, spent the last year organising similar retreats in the United States.“The first retreat I did last January was in Las Vegas,” she said. “In a sequestered environment with me, they want to write and they want to get the story out of their heads. It is wonderful to get people to recognise the creativity they didn’t think they had. I think it is a tremendous self-esteem builder. Sometimes you just need that encouragement.”Participants often turn up with multiple titles for their books. She has them stick out their arm and repeat their titles. If the arm wavers, the title is not very good. This is called arm testing.“Your body usually tells you if this is going to work or doesn’t resonate,” she said. “During the retreat we also write the copy for the back cover. I also like them to create a cover for their book. As a gift, when they are leaving, I take the cover they have drawn and mount that on a book. All of a sudden it is like ‘oh wow, now it really is happening’.”She also offers an interim service called ‘finishing touches’.“If you join the finishing touches programme I will call you regularly and see how you are doing, and we will keep in touch via e-mail and so forth.”She does this because she has found that many writers need motivation to keep going with their work. When they leave the retreat they are all fired up about finishing in a couple of months, but when she calls to check up they often haven’t done anything to advance towards completion.“I encourage them to do daily exercises that get them writing,” she said. “I don’t care how small it is.”Ms Fraser said one mistake that many new writers make is trying to put everything into their first book.“I tell them, this is just the beginning,” she said. “Don’t think you are going to stuff everything into this one book, but as you are writing this and you see some areas you could do another book on, jot it down. For the first book, keep it simple.”Another of her writing tips is to purchase voice activation software, so that you can just speak your story into the computer instead of having to type it all the time. She also suggests completing the first and last chapter, and then everything in between.“Last year in Bermuda, I identified three writers who wanted to write a book with me,” she said. “We will be launching it on May 24. It is a book for women designed to encourage tourists and locals to get inspired about Bermuda. The book is going to contain stories from our hearts about how we perceive Bermuda.”Cost of the retreat is $785, which includes four nights at Cambridge Beaches, writing instruction and breakfast.The retreat starts February 8. For more information e-mail jan@janfraser.com.