Weekend on the Water registration August 10

You won't want to miss SCBWI Western Washington’s sixth annual fall retreat, Weekend on the Water, taking place November 2–4, 2012. Every year it gets better and better, and this year is no different. We’ve made our own revisions to this year’s retreat, creating new paths for an even better experience. We have likable characters, a new setting, and a refreshing change of pace!

Characters: This year we welcome talented editor/author duo Jordan Brown, senior editor at Walden Pond Press and Balzer + Bray Books at HarperCollins, and award-winning author Anne Ursu. And, for the first time, our two retreat leaders are working together to create an amazing experience for you.

Setting: This year’s retreat will be held at an exciting new venue, the lovely Inn at Port Ludlow, a premier Northwest destination. Not only that, but we have bought out the entire Inn, and we will fill the beds to capacity. The Inn will provide a more intimate retreat feel that will give you the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and wonderful spots to find your muse. It will also feed your spirit, as well as your belly. The resort’s award-winning chef will be planning a menu, including an additional meal (lunch on Sunday), designed around the available fresh ingredients from the local farms.

Pacing: This year’s retreat will allow you to customize your experience a bit, with opportunities available for you to participate in, or not. It's your choice! You may choose to receive feedback on the first 500 words of your manuscript from both Jordan and Anne, all done prior to the retreat. This is an exciting change which will leave additional workshop time during the retreat for more from Jordan and Anne, including a chance for them to use examples from attendee work during a workshop. Not only that, but it allows us to give the often requested option of more writing time. Another opportunity is participate in peer group critique, a highlight for many during our past two retreats (and back by popular demand). If you wish, we will match you with approximately three other writers in your same genre. Group members will share 25 pages of their work-in-progress prior to the retreat and then have a chance to meet and share thoughts.

This intimate, craft-focused retreat will give you the opportunity to focus on your work-in-progress with the guidance and expert insight of our two retreat leaders, as well as to connect with a network of talented local authors, which will include exchanging manuscript pages with several peers.

Weekend on the Water also includes:

• Two nights’ lodging in a luxurious room (shared with one roommate or as a single) at the Inn at Port Ludlow, one of the premier waterfront resort destinations in the Northwest.
• Six catered meals (one extra from years past).
• Free time for writing, walks, kayaking, resting, and networking. 

Registration will launch on August 10 and close on August 31. Watch your inbox (and/or this blog) for more details, and be sure to act quickly!