IECRWA Retreats

TAKING YOUR ROMANCE TO THE NEXT LEVEL

The 2012 retreat continues with our program theme of finishing a a polished manuscript by taking your writing to the next level. We'll spend May 4-6 at the beautiful Bear Creek Lodge. It is located at the foot of Mount Spokane and there are plenty of great hiking trails. You should also drive (or walk) up to the top of the mountain to see the excellent view of all the lakes in the area.

Our tentative schedule is as follows:

Friday Afternoon: Check-in and social hour. You may even be able to squeeze in some writing before dinner. After dinner we'll have an informal chat about the craft and/or business of writing, or you can write on your own.
Saturday: After breakfast we'll have a workshop on some aspect of the craft or business of writing. We're still looking for a published fiction author to lead this. If you have any suggestions, please let us know. The workshop runs through lunch, and the rest of the day is yours. We'll meet again for dinner and probably do something social afteward.
Sunday: After breakfast, more writing.

Cost: $160 for full day retreat. This includes lodging, all meals from Friday dinner until Sunday breakfast. If you'd like to join us for only Saturday, the cost is $80, which covers the workshop and three meals.

To reserver your spot, please make your check out to IECRWA and mail it to our treasurer Chuck Lyons (adress is on the membership list, or email treasurer@iecrwa.com). We need to have your payment the first week of February. For more information or a suggestion on a future retreat location, please email the program committee.

Workshop Outline:

TAKING YOUR ROMANCE TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Presented by MARGARET MALLORY

Writing a story full of conflict, adventure & intriguing characters.

What you want readers to say about your book or manuscript:
"I read it in one sitting."
"I couldn't put it down."
"I stayed up until 3:00am reading when I had to get up for work at 6:00."
"It was hard to make myself stop to go to the bathroom."

Techniques that Work
-An external plot that makes for a page-turner
-Dialogue
-Descriptions: small, telling details through a character's POV
-Colorful secondary characters
-Hooks & POV scene changes
-Theme

Dangers to Avoid (or, Don't Drag the Pace!)
-Excess words, phrases, paragraphs, or scenes (Say it once!)
-Exposing on a topic you love
-Long, dense paragraphs

The Heart of a Romance: Your Hero

Writing from the Hero's POV

One Book is Never Enough: Readers (& Publishers) Love a Series

Developing Character & External Plot Connections across a series that make them want that next book…

Writing under deadline, even before you publish. Finish that book!

Q&A on anything of interest

Sounds fabulous, doesn't it?!

Browse through previous year's retreat information to get an idea of what we've done before and might do again. Each of these links opens in a new browser window. Close that window to return to this page.

• 2011 - Getting Ready for Publication
• 2010 - May: Finding Time to Write, Summer: Mini One Day Retreat and Critique
• 2007 - Pampering the Inner Writer
• 2006 - First year at Western Pleasure Guest Ranch
• 2005 - Weekend Conference with Alicia Rasley
• 2004 - Weekend Retreat