Although I already blogged about my initial introduction to Wordsmith Workshops and Retreat here, I believe I owe you all an update on the experience itself. 🙂
(Spoiler alert: It was AWESOME.)
I’ve only been back in my real life for a little over a week now, but I am more inspired and energized by my writing than I have been in a long time. My motivation is back with a vengeance, I’ve already come up with a couple new potential story ideas, AND I’m excited about my revisions again for the first time in months.
There was something about sharing the same space with so many other talented YA and MG writers that really got my creative juices flowing. It was so refreshing to have other people around to brainstorm with or bounce ideas off of, or help troubleshoot potential problems. And of course, being able to pick Beth’s and Cristin’s brains was invaluable to me. They were both so much more generous with their time than I could’ve predicted going in, and their commentary was both insightful and incredibly appreciated.
I really enjoyed the workshop elements of the whole affair as well–from the discussions about craft and querying, to our Skype session with literary agent Eric Smith. We were also given the opportunity to pick bestselling author Jennifer Armentrout’s brain about writing and publishing, which was both hilarious and enlightening.
Out of everything I enjoyed about Wordsmith, the hours of uninterrupted writing time (or talk about books time, or game-playing time) were what really made the whole experience for me. Having nothing to do but write, revise, and hang out with other writers spoiled me so much. Not to mention the complete novelty of being able to bring up just about any published YA novel and have someone nearby exclaim, “Ooh! I loved that!” Or, “I can’t wait to read that!
Basically, the experience was worth every dollar spent and every mile traveled, and I’m so glad that I managed to go. If you’re at all interested in Wordsmith Workshops, you should definitely pop on over to their website and check things out for yourself.
(Warning: Side effects of attendance may include difficulty returning to work or school, an increased appetite for stories and writing, and dissatisfaction with your own cooking abilities.)
Have questions? Ever been on a retreat of your own before? Leave a comment and let me know!