GLEN EYRIE FICTION WRITER’S RETREAT SCHEDULE

(Subject to change)

Tuesday June 3

4:00 Registration: Guests may check in at the Carriage House Front Desk

6:00 PM Dinner in the Castle Dining Room

7:00 PM Keynote session with Tim Shoemaker, “Follow the Nudge” We’re passionate about writing for God. But I suspect God is more interested in writing with you. We’ll talk about the subtle ways he teaches and trains us to follow his lead . . . and just how well that works out in our writing!

Wednesday June 4

7:30—9:00 AM Breakfast for overnight guests in the Castle Dining Room

9:00-10:15 AM Morning Workshop: Jesse Florea  Writing Dynamic Fiction: What makes a story grab a reader and not let them go? This workshop looks at key story elements and structure that will help you write unforgettable fiction, including comparing the traditional three-act story structure to the three-dimensional story “cube.” We’ll also discuss where many stories miss the mark . . . and the readers.

10:15—10:45 AM Break

10:45—12 noon Breakout Sessions:

• Eva Marie Everson
  • Questions Every Novelist Must Ask Before Writing Each Scene: They’ve been called the mini story of every novel, launch pads, and not a place to lose your reader. But what must each scene hold to push the story (and the reader) forward? What questions should you, the writer, ask before writing each scene? In this workshop, Eva Marie goes over the fine details of scene writing and the questions that must be asked before (and after) writing the scene to help you, O Writer of Scenes, become the writer of great scenes. (Bring your laptop with your manuscript, a copy of your favorite work of fiction, and be ready to look at a few scenes.)
• Tim Shoemaker
  • Creating a Scene: Discover techniques to strengthen your story—one scene at a time. How do you know which scenes to include in your story… and exactly where to start and when to end a scene? We’ll also look at three elements every scene needs, and three elements for smooth transitions between scenes.
• Loretta Oakes
  • Real Life Application of the Hero’s Journey: This gold-standard, time-tested standard method for classic manuscript writing can seem simple at first, but overwhelming when trying to understand the Nudge. Though there are many resources out there for application of this method, the nuances of our own manuscripts can sometimes muddy the waters. This session will show you how to identify each phase of your story and how to apply the Hero’s Journey to make your story a success. 
• Blythe Daniel
  • Proposals that Move Me: How a plot is conveyed in your proposal is important. Let’s talk about things I love to see in a synopsis, and how you can strengthen yours. How much of your plot should you share on a proposal? We’ll cover that. And we’ll show you why a proposal is important—and will help you—even if you choose to self-publish.
• Jesse Florea
  • Do’s and Don’ts of Writing Youth Fiction—Kids are taught to follow rules. To write for them, you should follow some rules too. By learning these do’s and don’ts, you’ll have a better chance of creating fiction stories that will catch an editor’s eye and eventually entertain a child. You’ll find out audience insights and felt needs, writing tips, the use of humor and conflict, and lots more. We’ll also look at the different types of fiction stories that appear in Focus on the Family’s youth periodicals: Clubhouse (for boys and girls 8-12), Clubhouse Jr. (for kids 3-7) and Brio (for teen girls).

12:00 PM lunch in the Castle Dining Room

1:00—2PM  Q and A Panel with Faculty

2:00-6:00PM Free Time

• Scheduled One-on-Ones with Faculty 2-5:00 PM:(Eva Marie, Jesse, Blythe, Loretta)
• Tim Available in Courtyard from 2:00-5:00 PM: I’m wide open for any conferees who have questions, need coaching, or just want to talk. No appointment needed!
• Hike, rest, write, connect, recharge

6:00—7:00 PM Dinner in the Castle Dining Room

7:00 PM Keynote: Jesse Florea “Is God Nudging You to Help Heal a Hurting World?” Reaching a hurting world with compelling stories requires authenticity. We often must deal with our own insecurities and inadequacies and step out of our comfort zones to write what the world needs. As Christian writers our words must ring with truth and be grounded in reality. We live in a fallen world, but our stories can help restore what has been lost and point people to a great God who still changes lives.  

8:00—9:30 PM Courtyard Time –  Hanging out/social time around the fire in the Carriage House Courtyard

Thursday June 5

7:30—9:00 AM Breakfast for overnight guests in the Castle Dining Room

9:00—10:15 AM Morning Workshop: Eva Marie Everson Those All-Important First Pages (Fiction & Nonfiction) They are among the first things a prospective agent, editor, or purchaser of your book sees—your first pages. This means they are not just important; they are very important. They’re often not the first lines you write but they should be the last thing you “dust off” before submitting. Eva Marie invites you to join her in this workshop to look at the first pages of several works of fiction and nonfiction so you can learn why they work, and you can polish the best first pages ever. [Bring a copy of your first page and a copy of your favorite book (fiction or nonfiction) for a greater hands-on experience.

10:15—10:45 AM Break

10:45—12 noon Breakout Sessions

• Eva Marie Everson
  • Questions! Questions! Questions! (That Every Novelist Must Ask After the First Chapter is Written): There are questions novelists must ask after finishing the first chapter. By taking a look at these questionsand your first chapter (or the first chapter of your favorite work), we’ll have a hands-on workshop to help participants make their novels into page turners . . . starting with Chapter One. (Bring your work or a favorite work of fiction.)
• Tim Shoemaker
  • I Really Like This Character: Some thoughts from Tim on building characters . . . and making sure our protagonist is really What if the protagonist needs to be not-so-likeable in the beginning of the story? How do I get readers to care about them? And what if I’m doing a series? How can I continue to show readers that the protagonist is likeable—without overdoing things?
• Blythe Daniel
  • Introducing Me to Your New Best Friend:How you describe and introduce me to your characters—who’ve grown to be your friends—matters. Here’s some things I’d like to see more of on your proposals—especially when it comes to characters. We’ll also talk about what I believe makes for good writing in your manuscript when it comes to characterization.
• Loretta Oakes
  • Conquering Developmental Edits: This session will dive into what developmental edits are and how to be successful with them. Now that you’ve finished your rough draft, it’s time to dig in and make sure your plot, pacing, proportion (subplots and side characters), and POV are all in order to produce a polished draft ready for submission.

12:00 PM lunch in the Castle Dining Room

1:00—2PM Specialty Groups (Eva Marie, Blythe, Loretta, and Tim will each lead a discussion group and share insights on various writing topics to be announced)

2:00-6:00PM Free Time

• Scheduled One-on-Ones with Faculty 2-5:00 PM:(Eva Marie, Blythe, Loretta)
• Tim Available in Courtyard from 2-5:00 PM: I’m wide open for any conferees who have questions, need coaching, or just want to talk. No appointment needed!
• Hike, rest, write, connect, recharge.

6:00—7:00 PM Dinner in the Castle Dining Room

7:00 PM Keynote: Eva Marie Everson “The Responsibilities of the Fiction Writer”What works of fiction have inspired you the most, both positive and negatively? What responsibilities do you believe rest with the authors of those works? In this keynote, Eva Marie takes a look at the four books that shaped her life–some in positive ways and some in the “not so positive,” the responsibilities we have as fiction writers, and the legacy each of us may leave behind.

8:00—9:30 PM Hanging out/social time around the fire in the Carriage House Courtyard

Friday June 6

7:30—9:00 AM Breakfast for overnight guests in the Castle Dining Room

9:00—10:15 AM Morning Workshop: Tim Shoemaker Writing a Series—as a Pantser: What are some important things to remember when writing a series? And how do I handle the plotting/planning aspect if I’m more of a pantser? Tim will share some things he does . . . and they just might work for you, too.

10:15—10:30 AM Shorter Break today!

10:30-11:45 Breakout Sessions

• Eva Marie Everson
  • Some People Walked into a Room: In this “hands on” workshop, participants will take an abstract sentence and work it into a specific paragraph utilizing the five senses.  This workshop defines the importance of specifics as well as encouraging the ability of a writer to bring a reader to the reality of a scene.  Exciting, active, and creative are three words to adequately describe this one-of-a-kind workshop.
• Tim Shoemaker
  • Go Deep with Your Characters: If you have any confusion about what deep point-of-view is and how to use it to make your story come alive . . . that ends today! We’ll make this clear and simple, and we’ll use lots of examples so you can use deep point-of-view to strengthen your fiction.
• Loretta Oakes
  • Escaping the Muddy Middle: You’ve got the amazing beginning and the beautiful ending to your novel, but as you’re writing, you end up in the swamp of the muddy middle. No worries! This workshop will help you attack those slumping characters, boring side trips, nagging loose ends, and the dreaded exposition blues. Guidance and simple tips that can help in any situation are covered here, so that you can joyfully return to your happy writing place. Be ready to be relieved and rejoicing!
• Blythe Daniel
  • Ask an Agent: Any question is fair game. Queries. Proposals. Story pitch. Editing. And I’ll share some things I look for as an agent—and feedback I get from fiction editors looking at manuscripts. Often, we’re not seeing enough showing in the story, and sometimes the story start is backstory heavy. Let’s talk about all that in this session.

11:45-12 noon Closing Comments and Prayer as Conference Ends

12:00 PM lunch in the Castle Dining Room

Retreat Concludes