WORD LOVERS RETREAT
This year’s Spring Word Lovers Retreat takes place April 12-14, 2024, at The Idlewyld Bed and Breakfast in Lakeside. This is the 16th year for Word Lovers! The weekend will provide an opportunity for writers to share ideas, spend some time writing, and learn more about the craft of writing. Our writer-in-residence, Jen Jones Donatelli, is a Cleveland-based creative facilitator and Co-Active Coach. Jen also works as a freelance journalist—having been published in many outlets including Glamour, REDBOOK, Business Insider, Robb Report, Natural Health, and many more. She is also the author of nearly 100 books for teens and tweens, having worked with publishers such as Capstone Press and Enslow Publishing for over a decade. Jen is a proud graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and mom to 8-year-old twins.
WEEKEND LINEUP
Critique Session: In small groups, we’ll discuss what works and what doesn’t work in participant’s work.
Workshop Session #1: Crafting a Narrative Timeline Of Your Life with Jan Donatelli: Everyone has a story — what’s yours? Come excavate your life stories by putting pen to page and taking a deep dive into the experiences, people, and places that shaped you. Taught by author and creative facilitator Jen Jones Donatelli, this interactive workshop will introduce participants to the narrative timeline technique for life writing (a concept first popularized by Artist’s Way creator Julia Cameron). Whether you’re working on a memoir, writing a personal essay, finding inspiration for fiction, or just looking to chronicle memories that matter, you’ll learn how to use this helpful building block in writing the story of your life.
Session #2: Creative Non-Fiction: The World of Personal Essays with Jen Donatelli: Your stories matter, so why not share them through the lens of a personal essay? In this workshop, we’ll explore the craft of personal essay writing — examining structure, various storytelling approaches, and that elusive “it” factor that makes personal essays relatable and memorable. We’ll also look at a few published personal essays and deconstruct the secrets of their success! You’ll leave the workshop equipped with the start of a great personal essay and the inspiration to put it out into the world.
Session #3: Unpacking The Emotional Craft of Fiction, a Book Discussion led by Claudia Taller: The Emotional Craft of Fiction, a book written by veteran literary agent and fiction instructor Donald Moss, which will show us how to use story to provoke a visceral and emotional experience in readers. While writers might disagree over showing versus telling or plotting versus pantsing, none would argue this: If you want to write strong fiction, you must make your readers feel. The reader’s experience must be an emotional journey of its own, one as involving as your characters’ struggles, discoveries, and triumphs are for you. Buy the book, and let’s discuss it.
Open Microphone: With wine in hand, we’ll be entertained by our fellow writers.
REGISTRATION
To register and choose a room, send an email to Claudia.taller@yahoo.com.