WHO: Fifteen Christian authors at various stages of our writing journey, with four cooks to spoil us rotten!
WHAT: A weekend getaway for writers to recharge, get to know each other, share their joys and challenges, pray together, go for walks, play games, and — oh yes, write, edit, brainstorm, and consult.
WHEN: Annually, I hope!
WHERE: Camp Utmost in Greenough, Montana. This camp has a very large multi-purpose lodge, which we used for dining, singing, chapel, games, and brainstorming groups. The main building also had several lounges we used for visiting, brainstorming, writing, and surfing online. Comfortable dorms with all the amenities of home and beautiful grounds rounded out the charm.
WHY: For me, the purpose beforehand was twofold, but more benefits definitely showed up!
1. This retreat met a need for hanging out with other writers. Four women came from Minnesota, including my good friend Stacy Monson. It was a blessing to spend time with her since I hadn’t seen her for two years. All the rest were from Montana except me. I’d met several of the writers through Inland Northwest Christian Writers Conference, teaching at MT Pages, and participating in Humanities Montana Festival of the Book. Others proved only to be friends I hadn’t met before.
2. My co-author Angela Breidenbach, who put the retreat together, and I had several hours to finalize some of the details for the launch of Snowflake Tiara. We’ve done a lot via texting and Google hangouts, but in-person time was truly valuable.
Additionally, book retailer Danni Schneidt-Hill gave a marketing talk that helped all of us get ideas for drawing attention to our tables during book launch and other events. The next morning she surprised the published authors with displays she’d pulled together for one (each) of our books. Lots of take-away value there.
Will I go back next year? Definitely!
How about you? What kinds of writers’ get-togethers have you attended? What’s your favorite?
PSSST! Snowflake Tiara is available on Kindle for 99 cents only through September 14. Get your copy now!
Looks like a fun and fruitful retreat, Valerie.