Sedona Writing Retreat
Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa
February 7-10, 2013
Pam: I will never forget the day I fell into a book that changed my life.
I attended a coaching workshop in Reno, Nevada, and spent the night in a small cabin in the Sierras. I had picked up a book on the recommendation of my best friend.
As soon as I read the first few pages, I felt like I was being pulled into another dimension. I laughed, I cried, and had light bulbs go off about the meaning of my life and the future of my body of work. I didn’t stop reading until I finished the whole thing.
The book was Finding Your Own North Star by Martha Beck.
Great pieces of writing, whether fiction, non-fiction, children’s books, magazine articles or blog posts, can be transformational for readers.
Yet for many reasons, much great writing stays stuck in the minds of writers.
Betsy: When I was twelve, I went to my first reading by an author: Madeleine L’Engle, who’d written one of my favorite books, A Wrinkle in Time. (To this day, I live by the mantra I learned in its pages: “The heart has its reasons whereof reason knows nothing.”) From that day forward, I knew I wanted to be a writer too.
I also “knew” that I’d never be good enough to achieve that dream. Ten years later, I “knew” I’d blown my only chance to learn how to write by getting a science degree because I was too chicken to be an English major. By my thirties, I “knew” it was really too late to begin–and besides, I didn’t have anything new to say, and no one would read my stuff anyway.
I didn’t realize that, in fact, I was an excellent storyteller. Unfortunately, my most convincing stories were the ones I told myself—and they weren’t true! They held me back until I learned how to tell myself better ones. Today I’m a professional writer and editor.
We want to help you rewrite the stories that hold you back and get your message out into the world!
It’s time to claim your space as a writer!
Join us at the Sedona Writing Retreat
Authors Pamela Slim and Betsy Rapoport, who is also the esteemed editor of Finding Your Own North Star (coincidence? WE THINK NOT!), are hosting a 4-day immersive writing retreat in Sedona, Arizona, from February 7-10, 2013.
We’ll help you create a powerful writing practice by developing these four key components:
- Cultivating your creative muse and establishing supportive writing practices
- Clarifying the messages you want to share with the world
- Developing your skills and writing craft
- Deciding on and pursuing the optimal outlet for your writing (books, blogs, magazine articles) and the medium of publication (self-publishing vs. traditional publishing)
Who is this retreat for?
People who love to write, or long to write, and see it as a key part of their body of work
What will this retreat do for you?
After the Sedona Writing Retreat, you can expect to:
- Get past the 4 beliefs that get writers stuck
- Put away excuses for not writing
- Develop a concrete plan for establishing a writing practice
- Embrace the process of writing, including crappy drafts and giving yourself permission to be bad for a long time
- Establish writing goals and a clear plan for fulfilling them
- Understand the fundamentals of publishing in magazines and books, including how to craft a great pitch and find the right editor and agent
- Broaden your definition of the “credentials” that you need to sell what you write
- Learn and practice writing fundamentals such as distinguishing “shows” from “tells,” separating the true from the telling detail, and defining how you want readers to be changed by what you’ve written
We will create:
- An open, safe and grounded environment in which to share your writing hopes, dreams, fears, and questions
- A luxurious, beautiful setting among Sedona’s famous red rocks where the magic of nature will help to entice and enliven your writing flow
- Strong and clear guidance from the perspective of experienced writers and coaches with extensive publishing track records and hundreds of clients
- Powerful opportunities to connect with yourself and nature through special activities such as walking meditations and Dine’ (Navajo) Beauty Way ceremony
Investment:
$3200
What’s included?
- 4 day retreat with all exercises and special activities from Thursday evening until Sunday at noon
- 3 nights in an individual room in a King Suite at the luxurious Hilton Sedona Resort & Spa
- 3 breakfasts and lunches
- Celebratory dinner on Saturday night, February 9
- Post-retreat: A one-hour session with Betsy which includes reading, evaluating and discussing a work-in-progress of your choice, either an excerpt from a manuscript, or proposal for a book or magazine pitch.
- Post-retreat: A one-hour session session with Pam which includes evaluating and discussing a marketing or publishing plan for your work of choice
We’re going to work hard, have a lot of fun, and yes, THERE WILL BE PIE!
How many are in our tribe?
We want to give everyone a lot of individual attention and feedback, so we’re capping registration at 25.
How to register:
- Place your $500 deposit
- Upon registration, you will receive a follow up email with options to pay the remaining $2,700.
Registration closed on Friday, February 1, 2013 at 6pm Pacific/9pm Eastern.
About the retreat leaders
Betsy Rapoport
Betsy has been a professional book editor since 1981, working as an executive editor at Scribners and Random House. In 2002, she ditched the suits and pantyhose for life working from home as a full-time freelance editor, writer, and ghostwriter, critiquing, creating, and editing proposals and manuscripts.
Her current collaborations include helping a librarian snag a six-figure book deal, co-writing a book with a leading light in the yoga world, and editing a witty, soulful South African’s memoir about life on a game reserve. She has worked with amazing bestselling authors like Martha Beck, Dr. Dean Ornish, Carrie Fisher, President Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter, Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Susan Love, Mary Matalin, Dr. Judith Orloff, and many more. She particularly enjoys working closely with authors to develop polished proposals and sample chapters that agents can take to auction.
Betsy’s own essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Good Housekeeping, Salon, Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, and Sky Magazine (Delta’s in-flight magazine) among others. Her humor essays have been anthologized in Mothers Who Think, Creme de la Femme, Life’s a Stitch, and A Friendly Game of Poker from Chicago Review Press. She’s also the coauthor with Rosalind Wiseman of Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads, optioned by Tina Fey (who turned the companion volume, Queen Bees and Wannabes, into Mean Girls.)
Betsy is certified as a master coach with Martha Beck, Inc., focusing on clients who want to write.
Pamela Slim
Pamela Slim is an author, long-time blogger, business coach, and professional speaker who helps people navigate the new world of work with success and joy. Her blog, Escape from Cubicle Nation, is one of the top career and marketing blogs on the web.
“Entrepreneurship at its heart is aligning your purpose for being on earth with a business idea so compelling that you simply must do it, despite the fears that hold you back,” says Pam. Being a writer is no different! Her experience teaching martial arts for 10 years to thousands of students including former gang members has helped her clients deal with fear head-on. A world traveler, Pam speaks four languages and has lived and worked in Europe and South America.
Pam’s first book Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur (Penguin, Portfolio 2009) was named Best Small Business/Entrepreneur Book of 2009 by 800CEORead and Editor’s Choice and Reader’s Choice for Best Small Business Books of 2009 from Small Business Trends. Pam has is frequently quoted as an expert in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Money Magazine and Psychology Today. Pam is certified as a master life coach with Martha Beck, Inc.
Pam’s second book, Body of Work (Penguin, Portfolio), will be published in the Fall of 2013. It will explore success and happiness in the new world of work, introducing a new and empowering career framework for professionals, entrepreneurs and leaders.
Registration closed on Friday, February 1, 2013 at 6pm Pacific/9pm Eastern.
We love questions! Send an email to [email protected] and we’ll get right back to you.
