Into the Wilds:
A Christian Writer's Conference At Glen Eyrie
Take your writing journey Into the Wilds...
We want our writing journey described as a life of going into the wilds, don’t we? Where we break free from the tired writing paths that crowds of other writers have taken before us. Paths of overworked formulas and stale ideas. We want something fresh. Unpolluted. We want to write something that inspires awe just as deeply as the wonder of God’s creation. Sometimes, we need to take our writing into the wilds.
Join us at the Glen Eyrie Writers Retreat for challenging workshops. Powerful keynotes. Plenty of down time to put what you’ve learned into practice. Our dedicated faculty will help you get unstuck. Inspired. You’ll sharpen your skills, gaining fresh perspective and drive for the writing projects on your heart.
The conference is limited to 40 attendees—by design. We don’t want you feeling lost in a crowd.
Kathleen, Loretta, and Tim are available for one-on-one and group appointments—and especially for those informal conversations. Sometimes that can make all the difference. God has laid writing—or a writing project—on your heart. The thought of taking a few days off to focus on that may sound like a wild idea. Yes … wonderfully wild. This may be just what you need to get help, find answers, and move that writing forward to the next level.
So, join us at the Glen Eyrie Conference Center, set in one of God’s masterpieces of creation. Be inspired. Find help. Get into the wilds.
**If you’d like to come earlier or stay after your retreat dates, lodging is available at a Programs discounted rate. Please call our reservations line at 719-265-7050 for details.
Over the three days, conferees will have the opportunity to attend seven of the nine workshops described below.
- The Business of Writing
- Building Tension
- Communing with Your Characters: The Good, the Bad, and the Sidekicks
- Message Mapping
- Putting Words in their Mouths
- Plot Skeleton
- Crafting a Book Proposal
- Sharpen Your Skills: Show-Don’t-Tell and Deep POV
- The Wilds of the Synopsis
Group Appointments:
After lunch, we’ll break into small groups and take quick 30-minute looks at common questions that arise in one-on-one appointments. Some of these are the very questions you may have wanted to ask during that one-on-one time. Here you’ll get personal input from faculty—but in a small group setting. In each group appointment, a faculty member will share some personal thoughts and then open it up for Q&A on the topic. And remember … you’ll still have the chance to schedule a one-one-one appointment with a faculty member.
To make a reservation by phone, please call our reservations line at 719-265-7050
Event Registration for the Writer's Retreat
First select a room and then add conference registration in the second step. If you are not staying overnight, choose the commuter option below.
Standard Rooms Double Occupancy
$494
- Price is before tax
- Price assumes 2 people in a room. Total room price is $988. Call our reservations line at 719-265-7050 for pricing on triple or quadruple occupancy.
- These are standard rooms in one of our Lodges, a 5-10 minute walk from the Castle. All meetings will be held in the Carriage House and meals will be served in the Castle.
- Standard rooms contain 2 Queen beds
- This price includes 3 nights’ lodging, 9 meals, snacks, and all conference materials.
Standard Room Single Occupancy
$653
- Price is before tax
- Price assumes 1 person in a room
- These are standard rooms in one of our Lodges, a 5-10 minute walk from the Castle. All meetings will be held in the Carriage House and meals will be served in the Castle.
- Standard rooms contain 2 Queen beds
- This price includes 3 nights’ lodging, 9 meals, snacks, and all conference materials.
Premier Rooms
$820
- Price is before tax
- Price assumes 1 person in a room. Call for double occupancy prices 719-265-7050.
- These rooms are King bed rooms that are located in either the Pink House or Eagles’ Nest lodge. All meetings will be held in the Carriage House and meals will be served in the Castle. Those are both about a 5-7 minute walking distance.
- This price includes 3 nights’ lodging, 9 meals, snacks, and all conference materials.
Commuter Registration
$275
- Price is before tax
- This is for a conference attendee who will not stay overnight at Glen Eyrie
- This price includes all sessions during the conference, 6 meals and all conference materials. Breakfasts are not included without an overnight stay.
Retreat Leaders
Tim Shoemaker
Tim Shoemaker is the author of over twenty books and is a popular speaker at conferences and schools around the country. Over twenty-five years working with youth has helped him relate to his reading and listening audience in a unique way.His contemporary suspense, Code of Silence, was named in the “Top Ten Crime Novels for Youth” by Booklist.
Currently he is working on a book project for Baker Publishing intended for parents. He is also finishing a five-book YA series for Focus on the Family.
Tim loves writing mystery, adventure, and suspense that is clean, powerful, and definitely not “hokey” Christian fiction.
Tim’s energetic style of teaching helps make even difficult topics clear. He is all about encouraging and equipping writers to do what they do—better.
Kathleen Kerr
Kathleen Kerr represents authors as an agent with Alive Literary Agency. With long experience in amplifying authors’ messages, she has the passion and expertise to come alongside writers as they hone their ideas and navigate a changing publishing landscape. She’s always on the lookout for the bold voices that are shaping conversations in today’s culture.
Before joining Alive, Kathleen served as an acquisitions editor at Zondervan and Harvest House Publishers. She worked with bestselling, debut, and award-winning authors, helping to refine their messages, build their careers, and partner in their ministries. She also worked as a bookseller at an independent bookstore, where she learned that there are few greater joys than introducing kids to the books that will shape their own stories.
Kathleen graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with degrees in French and English. She now lives with her husband, Noah, and their two daughters in Oregon’s Willamette valley. She can usually be found reading, camping, and creating chaos in the kitchen.
Loretta Oakes
Loretta has been writing for over 25 years, weathering the many tides of publishing. She has five titles published in both the traditional and self-published arenas. Loretta started her career as an engineer for over 14 years, then turned to writing and teaching. She has been an educator for a decade now, teaching middle schoolers how to read literature and express themselves in writing. She’s been teaching at adult writing conferences, small group venues, and mentoring individual writers for 10 years now. Loretta has been part of the Glen Eyrie Writers Retreat for 13 years, first as a student, then as an organizer and mentor with Nancy Rue, and now as a faculty member and one-on-one coach. Loretta helps writers find their voice and grow in their writing skills. She answers questions about all artistic aspects of their work in progress.
FAQs
Payment for Glen Eyrie Programs is required at time of reservation using a major credit card. Reservations canceled more than 14 days before the event will receive a 90% refund. Cancellations within 2 weeks of the scheduled event will be refunded 50%. No refunds will be issued within 72 hours of the start of the event.
Be prepared to do lots of walking and navigating stairs, as the retreat sessions are in the Carriage House and meals are in the Castle. Please notify us if you will need extra assistance.
Please dress comfortably and casually for the retreat. You can anticipate doing lots of walking, as our meals are in the Castle and lodging and meeting rooms are in other buildings. Please pack layers to prepare for our ever-changing Colorado weather. Our property is over 700 acres and contains 8 miles of private hiking trails that you may enjoy if you choose to.
We can accommodate the following four special diets with advance notice: Gluten free, Dairy free, Vegan or Vegetarian meals. Please make a note in your reservation if you need one of these.
Anyone who is compelled to write. Our 3 speakers will address different stages of writing and publishing, from beginners to those polishing off a manuscript.
Our speakers will be mostly focusing on the fiction genre, although non-fiction writers will benefit also.
To make a reservation by phone please call 719-265-7050
