The CBB Writers' Retreat

Topic TBD, but will be related to world-building or story planning. Retreat registrants will be sent a survey a few months before the retreat to rank a list of potential topics.

Virtual Presentation by Tiffany Yates Martin

Tension and suspense are among the most important elements of compelling, readable fiction that grabs your reader and compels her to turn the page—regardless of your genre. In this detailed exploration into these concepts, learn:

• Why a lack of tension and suspense may be what's keeping you from that contract or bestseller list, or costing you reader investment,
• How to identify where your manuscript may let them lag,
• How to instill both into every single scene and page,
• What "lizard-brain" writing is and how to use it to amp up tension and raise stakes, develop character, and further plot,
• And more!

Filled with practical examples, this workshop will supercharge your writing and set your stories apart from the pack.

90-minute workshop, which will include about 20 minutes of Q&A.

Virtual Presentation by Tiffany Yates Martin

In many manuscripts, while the action and dialogue of a scene may be well established, we are missing much of the dynamics and immediacy of it because we aren't seeing the vast amount of communication that happens silently, with "nonverbals": expressions, demeanors, affects, gestures, body language, tone, volume, etc. Used well, these can paint a more vivid, realistic picture of character actions, reactions, and interactions, and convey much of the meaning and impact of a scene. Without them scenes and characters may feel flat, inert, or as if they're holding the reader at a remove. Overused, they can draw attention to themselves and distract readers, or risk making a scene feel almost comically pantomimed. We'll review the various forms of nonverbals and how to use them to enhance a scene's effectiveness and impact, with specific examples from books, movies, and TV.

120-minute workshop, which will include about 20 minutes of Q&A and a 30-minute live editing session.

In the live editing session, Tiffany will take samples of attendees' work and edit them on the spot. The sample pages will be projected so that everyone can see and participate in the process, and witness firsthand the effect judicious editing can have on their prose. There's no better way to learn to edit your own work than to learn to edit others', and this type of presentation is a visual, visceral, and enlightening way to learn to polish your own stories.

Discussion led by Katie, but also includes an open virtual Q&A with Tiffany!

Bring your questions! We will start our discussion by focusing on the concepts from Part I: Macroedits, then move into the elements detailed in Part II: Microedits.

Then Katie will answer questions about the aspects of line editing that are highlighted in Part III: Line Editing. We will then work together to line edit a sample passage.

After that, we will be joined virtually by Tiffany (the author and our retreat guest speaker), for a Q&A. Questions for the Q&A can be related to any part of the book, but we would especially encourage you to pick her brain about anything related to Part IV: Getting Feedback.

Note: It is recommended that you read the book before coming to the retreat. But even if you don't, you'll still get something out of this session!

Topic TBD, but will be related to writing craft. Retreat registrants will be sent a survey a few months before the retreat to rank a list of potential topics.

We have a collection of board games that we're going to bring with us to the retreat! Some classics (Scrabble, Rummikub, etc.) and some less universal (*cough*more nerdy*cough*) like The Big Book of Madness and Call to Adventure.

This is a communal activity.

Andrew will be prepared to run at least one one-shot campaign of Dungeons and Dragons. He's an experienced DM and is more than happy to introduce folks to the game if they've never played before!

This is a communal activity.

Katie loves crafting and so will bring a variety of crafting supplies for everyone to enjoy! Craft supplies will include:

• Paints, brushes, paper
• Embroidery hoops, needles, embroidery floss
• Embroidery floss and beads for friendship bracelet making
• A variety of writing/drawing utensils, including: colored pens, colored pencils, and crayons

This can be a communal or solo activity.

We will be carefully selecting a location that will be conducive to filling your creative cup through time in nature. Potential options (depending on final location) are: lake, running/hiking trails, forest, firepit, etc.

This can be a communal or solo activity.

As always, reading is a great way to fill your creative cup! We will be bringing a selection of books from our personal library that you're welcome to enjoy during the retreat. And you're encouraged to bring a book or two from your own TBR pile!

This is a solo activity.