Monday, August 15, 2011

Applications now being accepted for SCBWI WWA's Fall 2011 "Weekend on the Water" Retreat

Don’t miss SCBWI Western Washington’s fifth annual fall retreat. Every year has been better and better, and this year is going to blow all the others right out of the Puget Sound waters. So, pull out that work in progress and get ready to work with two shining stars in our industry!


We’ll be returning to past years’ hugely popular Alderbrook Resort on Hood Canal to work with Arthur Levine, author, a vice-president at Scholastic Inc., and publisher of Arthur A. Levine Books, and award-winning author Linda Sue Park.


This retreat will provide the rare opportunity to get 10 minutes of focused time on the first few pages of your manuscript from Arthur Levine. Arthur does not do manuscript consultations at conferences but has agreed to give feedback in small groups at this retreat. He’ll bring his editorial expertise to provide on-the-spot feedback in a small-group setting. A portion of the ten minutes will be spent reading two to three manuscript pages aloud, and Arthur will use the rest to respond. Retreat attendees also will have the chance to hear Arthur’s feedback about the work of many of their peers, which will also be a great learning experience that can apply to their own work.


Linda Sue Park believes every book has to be good enough to be read at least 60 times--because that's what young readers do when they fall in love with a story. She is a master at teaching the fine points of writing and revision: of choosing point of view and seeing breakdowns, of identifying the beginnings and endings of scenes to make them as powerful as they can be, and of weaving powerful details through the story so that nothing seems arbitrary or out of place. She won a Newbery award for A SINGLE SHARD and has won countless other awards for the rest of her many books. She is a masterful teacher who will transform how you look at your own work.


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. Even if you’re already in a critique group, this opportunity is special for two reasons. First, you’ll get feedback on the first 25 pages of your manuscript from the fresh eyes of three or four other writers of the caliber accepted into this retreat (many of whom are likely to have been published). Second, you’ll get to read their pages and discuss those pages and your own work in light of Arthur’s feedback and with a shared understanding of the specific topics, techniques, and lessons that will be discussed and practiced throughout the weekend.

Weekend on the Water also includes:
  • Two nights’ lodging in a luxurious room (shared with one roommate) at the Alderbrook Resort & Spa, one of the premier resort destinations in the Northwest that truly evokes “the spirit of Hood Canal.”
  • Five catered meals.
  • Free time for writing, walks, kayaking, swimming, resting, and networking.

Apply to join us at our fifth annual working retreat for selected writers and writer/illustrators this fall, November 4 – 6, 2011.


Participation will be limited and will require an application. Acceptance will be based on a blind screening of a brief application and writing sample. The sample you submit for screening need not be the project you plan to focus on during the retreat, but it should be written for children.


For more details and to apply, please click here!

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