Work or Boondoggle?
When you hear about writers' retreats, do you picture sunny beaches, cabana boys, and pina coladas, or do you see a room full of people feverishly scribbling notes and engaging in heated discussions? If you picked the first choice, you're WRONG. I just returned from the Seascape Mystery Writers Retreat , and let me tell you, we worked our [insert word of your choice] off. I'm not saying we didn't have have great time, but it was no lay-in-the-sun vacation. We worked on our manuscripts, discovered our strengths and weaknesses, and commiserated on the uphill battle of getting published.. We honed our skills at plotting, creating suspense, and developing characters. And we did it from 9 AM to 9 PM. Along the way, we made new friends, found hidden talents and laughed a whole lot. Hallie Ephron, Roberta Isleib, and S.W. Hubbard generously shared their talent, wisdom, and knowledge with us. We learned how to pump up suspense, how to develo...