Wendy on Writing

Join us for this workshop and retreat in a fantastic mountain setting, where you’ll receive personal expert instruction from two freelance writers and editors. You’ll read and workshop your writing with an opportunity for a one-on-one manuscript critique. Besides the retreat itself, you’ll also be able to enjoy personal time for writing and journaling — or just exploring the beautiful surroundings. The complete retreat fee of $345 includes all workshop instruction, one-on-one manuscript critique, lodging, meals and gratuities.

Beautiful scenery awaits the visitor to Capon Springs and Farms Resort in West Virginia.

Faculty
Wendy Hart Beckman is an award-winning freelance writer and editor. Her bachelor’s degrees are in geology and technical communications. Her master’s degree is in English, with a concentration in editing and publishing and a graduate certificate in professional writing. Wendy has published five books, nearly 300 articles in both print and online publications, and a zillion news releases (OK, maybe a thousand). She frequently leads workshops and mentors writers as they become published authors.

Wes Gilbert is a freelance writer, editor, and writing coach. In addition to teaching at workshops, he has written and published short stories, poetry, articles on writing, interviews and newspaper/website feature articles about a variety of other subjects. Wes has also been a fiction editor for Dream Weaver Magazine (a print publication targeting beginning and intermediate writers), and has written video and radio scripts, website copy, business blogs, and hundreds of fundraising letters.

Accommodations
At Capon Springs and Farms Resort, for almost 80 years, families and friends have been gathering with four generations of the Austin family at this secluded mountain resort, enjoying its heritage and traditions, along with great food and outdoor fun. Informal activities, casual dress, good healthy water, majestic mountains and peaceful rest are found in abundance here. The well-maintained 19th-century buildings and flower gardens transport you back to another era. About 5,000 acres are available for recreational activities that include badminton, basketball, croquet, fishing, golf, hiking, shuffleboard, tennis and volleyball for enjoyment in your free time.

All members of this writers’ retreat will be sharing rooms on the same floor of the Main Building. Each room has two beds and a sink (a few will also have a toilet). Men’s and ladies’ restrooms on the floors have two sinks, two stalls and two showers in each.

The meals are served family style in the Main Building. Wholesome and delicious, the foods are locally grown and lovingly prepared. The meals are accompanied by water from the Capon Spring, naturally, and topped off by seasonal fruit, home-made desserts and breads.

Enjoy a taste of the sights and sounds of Capon Springs.

Schedule
Wednesday, September 29
3:00–6:00 Check in at Capon Springs/individual writing/free time
6:00–7:00 Dinner
7:00–8:30 Session 1: Welcome — workshop logistics, group discussion of goals for weekend, creativity refresher
8:30–9:00 Individual writing/free time
9:00–11:00 Bingo

Thursday, September 30
8:25 Flag Raising
8:30–9:30 Breakfast
9:30–10:45 Session 2: Writing Basics Refresher — time for your innermost “stupid” questions here about grammar, usage and punctuation
10:45–11:00 Break
11:00–12:15 Session 3: Exercise Your Writing Muscles — writing exercises specifically designed to stretch and strengthen you (and your skills)
12:15–1:00 Individual writing/free time/manuscript critiques
1:00–2:00 Lunch
2:00–3:15 Session 4: Nonfiction Workshop — overview of nonfiction genres, plus writing prompts for you to generate new work, including personal essay/memoir, travelogue, narrative nonfiction and biography
3:15–3:30 Break
3:30–4:45 Session 5: Building Your Publishing Platform — finding your writing’s place in the world…and how to get it there, where and how to make it happen, what the possibilities are
4:45–6:00 Individual writing/free time/manuscript critiques
6:00–700 Steak dinner on the hill
7:30–9:00 Open discussion and voluntary participant readings

Friday, October 1 8:25 Flag Raising
8:30–9:30 Breakfast (On Friday, tell a person at the front desk if you will be checking out before lunchtime tomorrow and you will receive a delicious box lunch when you leave.)
9:30–10:45 Session 6: Fiction — making your fiction believable: how to create a page turner and keep readers reading, whether it’s literary, fantasy, romance, historical, mystery, science fiction or any other fiction subgenre. 10:45–11:00 Break
11:00–12:15 Session 7: Working with Editors — overview of the types of editing and editors and how to work with each kind
12:15–1:00 Individual writing/free time/manuscript critiques
1:00–2:00 Lunch 2:00–3:15
Session 8: Climb Every Mountain — obstacles every writer must face: a travel guide through the traps and travails of the writing and publishing process
3:15–3:30 Break
3:30–4:45 Session 9: Getting Your Work Into the Right Hands — the steps you need to know to send your precious cargo out into the world: how to format a manuscript, write a query and prepare a winning proposal package 4:45–6:00 Session 10: Social Media — what it is and why it matters to writers (and readers), how writers can use social media to find an audience, make new friends, and sell their words.
6:00–7:30 Dinner and downtime
7:30–9:00 Open discussion and voluntary participant readings
9:00 Movie night

Saturday, October 2
8:25 Flag Raising
8:30–9:30 Breakfast
9:30–10:00 Check-in on weekend and personal goals
12:30–1:30 Lunch
1:30 Check-out

Questions? If about the retreat itself, call Wendy Beckman at (513) 481-9884. If about accommodations, call Capon Springs and Farms Resort at (304) 874-3695.

Directions
Capon Springs is most accessible by air by flying to Dulles International Airport in Chantilly VA, taking the shuttle to Winchester then on to Capon Springs. (Check with Greyhound bus about shuttle times from Dulles to Winchester.)

Here are some directions from common departure points:

From Ohio (I-70 East): Take I-70 East from Columbus (South) to Hancock MD. Pick up Rt. 522 South and follow through Berkeley Springs, toward Winchester VA. Once you cross the West Virginia/Virginia border, continue for 13 miles to Gainesboro VA. Take Rt. 600 South and follow to Rt. 50. Take Rt. 50 West for 5 miles. Turn left on Rt. 259 and continue for 14 miles to Capon Lake. Turn left on Rt. 16, Capon Springs Rd, crossing bridge, and continue for 4 miles to Capon Springs. (Allow approximately 8 hours.)

From the Washington DC area (I-66 West): Follow I-66 until it ends at I-81. Take I-81 South to the 2nd Strasburg exit, #296. Turn right on Rt. 55 West and follow 12 miles to road on right marked Capon Springs Grade (Rt. 609). (Rt. 609 is exactly 2 miles after crossing bridge at Duck Run.) Follow this dirt road for 3½ miles into Capon Springs. (Allow approximately 2 hours.) Capon Springs Grade (Rt. 609) begins in Virginia. If you cross the West Virginia state line while still on Rt. 55, you have gone too far.

From the South (Harrisonburg VA): Take I-81 North to the first Strasburg exit, #296. Turn left on Rt. 55 West and follow 12 miles to road on right marked Capon Springs Grade (Rt. 609). Turn from Rt. 55 onto Rt. 609; Rt. 609 is exactly 2 miles after crossing the bridge at Duck Run. Follow this dirt road for 3½ miles to Capon Springs. (Allow approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.) Capon Springs Grade (Rt. 609) begins in Virginia. If you cross the West Virginia state line while still on Rt. 55, you have gone too far.

From Winchester VA: Take Rt. 50 West for 12 miles. Turn left on Rt. 259. Continue for 14 miles to Capon Lake. Turn left on Rt. 16, Capon Springs Road, crossing bridge, and continue for 4 miles to Capon Springs. (Allow approximately 40 minutes.)

From Baltimore MD: Take I-70 West to Frederick MD. Follow signs to Rt. 340 West/South toward Harper’s Ferry. Continue on Rt. 340 through Harper’s Ferry WV to Charles Town WV. Take the Rt. 340 Bypass around Charles Town and continue to the junction of Rt. 7 outside Berryville VA. Take Rt. 7 West to Winchester VA. To bypass Winchester, take I-81 North for one exit to Rt. 11 (Exit 317). Turn left on Rt. 11 South and follow to Rt. 37 South (Winchester Bypass). Follow Rt. 37 South to the Rt. 50 West exit. Refer to directions from Winchester VA to complete your trip to Capon Springs. (Allow approximately 3 hours.)

From the North (Carlisle PA): Take I-81 South to the first Winchester VA exit (Exit 317). Turn right on Rt. 11 South and follow to Rt. 37 South (Winchester Bypass). Follow Rt. 37 South to the Rt. 50 West exit. Refer to directions from Winchester VA to complete your trip to Capon Springs. (Allow approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes.)

From Pittsburgh PA: Follow the Pennsylvania Turnpike East to Breezewood. Take I-70 East (South) to Hancock MD. Pick up Rt. 522 South and follow through Berkeley Springs, toward Winchester VA. Once you cross the West Virginia/Virginia border, continue for 13 miles to Gainesboro VA. Take Rt. 600 South and follow to Rt. 50. Take Rt. 50 West for 5 miles. Turn left on Rt. 259 and continue for 14 miles to Capon Lake. Turn left on Rt. 16, Capon Springs Rd, crossing bridge, and continue for 4 miles to Capon Springs. (Allow approximately 4 hours.)

Reservations

Cost for the workshop is calculated per person in a double room in the Main Building. Running water sinks are located in every room, with shared shower and toilet facilities just down the hall. Note: If you do not give us a roommate’s name, you will be assigned a roommate. Registration is open until September 15, 2010, or until all the slots are filled. Don’t delay! Numbers are limited to 20 to keep the retreat intimate!

Print out and mail this form with a nonrefundable $50 deposit to Wendy Beckman, Capon Springs Writers’ Retreat, P.O. Box 11627, Cincinnati OH 45211-0627. Remainder of $295 is due at check-out.

Name ________________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________________ City ________________________________________________________________ State and ZIP ____________________
Phone Number_______________________________
E-mail_____________________________________________________ Please check one:
___ I will be sharing a room with [name]___________________________
[e-mail]____________________________________________________ Please assign me a roommate. I am a: ___ Male ___ Female
___ Smoker ___ Nonsmoker

Note: Smoking is not allowed inside any Capon Springs building.

I will be bringing five pages of my [check one] ____ nonfiction ____ fiction manuscript.

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If you have accommodation questions or special needs, please call (304) 874-3695 or write Capon Springs and Farms, P.O. Box 0, Capon Springs WV 26823. If you have special dietary concerns or if you wish to arrive before Wednesday, Sept. 29, please contact Capon Springs at the same number, (304) 874-3695. For more detailed information about Capon Springs and Farms Resort, go to their website at http://www.caponsprings.net.

This reading elf and inviting bench await you.