Writers Retreat Workshop - different, and the same

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The late, great Gary Provost
 PictureDoc at graduation, May 2018
Writers Retreat Workshop began in 1987 with Gary and Gail Provost at the helm. It started out as a two-week program, went to ten days, then eight, and occasionally a special five-day workshop.

When Gary died in 1995, Gail continued the workshop with Alice Orr teaching, and eventually former students such as Carol Dougherty, Lorin Oberweger, and Jason Sitzes took over the teaching and operations with Gail, bringing in outside authors, editors, and agents as well.

After the May, 2017 workshop in San Antonio, Texas, Writers Retreat Workshop moved under the umbrella of Carol's Wake Up and Write WRW. Now both workshops operate under the same leadership, with Carol as director and instructor, Jason as instructor, and both working with students. Arianne "Tex" Thompson joined the staff of Wake Up and Write WRW, and will also work at Writers Retreat Workshop.

In May 2018, we journeyed to Nazareth Retreat Center in Boise, Idaho for a classic 10-day WRW - boot camp for writers. 

                                                                                                                                                Carol Dougherty, Director

Who was there?

David Corbett joined us over the Memorial Day weekend. He met with everyone who requested a meeting, taught two intensive sessions on The Plot of Character, led a discussion after a viewing of Casablanca, and continued with his final thoughts at a wine and cheese session in which we were joined by  his wife, Mette and their Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, Hamley.
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Shop Talk on the patio with David Corbett
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David Corbett at Wake Up and Write WRW
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Geese, young and old, joined the workshop
Grace Wynter aka GG Wynter (above) was a guest author/instructor for the May 2018 workshop. Grace is one of those rare writers who enjoys marketing and shared that love with the students. She worked on writing with emotion, helping students to dig deep to bring that into their work.
Lisa Abellera (right) was the visiting agent and offered three sessions on the publishing business and how craft works within it. Every student had the opportunity to meet with her one-on-one.
Jason, Tex, and Doc were all there in Boise! Each of them did some teaching, with Doc offering a daily writing practice session to help  delve deeply into character, Jason did his interactive teaching magic, and Tex presented more of her wizardry with world building in a special class. All three met with students and there were diagnostic groups, with plenty of additional action like Jason's Night Owl sessions.

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Pond at Nazareth Retreat Center
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Nazareth Retreat Center
Nazareth Retreat Center, in Boise, Idaho, is located on fifteen acres centrally located in the Treasure Valley, on the western boundary of the city of Boise.

The rolling lawns, ample walkways, natural environment, pond, rosary/rose garden, view of the mountains... all contribute to the peaceful and serene atmosphere of the retreat center.

Workshop curriculum

The original Writers Retreat Workshop curriculum developed by Gary Provost provides the basic structure for the workshop, including sessions on ideas, character, plotting, structure, tension, pace, description, dialogue, and more. At the same time, each instructor will bring his or her own flavor to the teaching, which offers students a variety of perspectives on these aspects of the craft.

Gary's 14-Step Process, taught on the final morning, takes you step-by-step through the entire process of starting, writing, and completing a novel. It provides a framework through which you can discover your own variations on the theme of telling a story.