Faculty members are critical assets to universities, and large losses to institutions occur if they are not successful. Although institutions value publications and grants in the tenure process, newer professors receive little guidance in writing for these endeavors. Faculty writing retreats help apprentice professors in the craft of writing; however, little research has explored how public institutions on limited budgets can hold effective retreats. To meet this call, we piloted a writing retreat at a large, public research university to steer the junior faculty toward increased motivation and productivity. Results informed development of recommendations for other institutions to design effective retreats.