Beach Writing Retreat in North Carolina

WRITING CLASSES TAUGHT BY INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS

Classes are subject to change to give you the best experience

2024 SCHEDULE

Saturday, November 9,

 2024

Arrival time: 2:00 p.m.

3:00-4:15 p.m. How to Free Your Inner Writer--Lori Hayes

• Introduction and networking opportunity
• Discover what's blocking you and how to release
• Free your mind to relaxing music to let go of stress and to set the tone for the retreat
• Writing activities to free your muse

3:00-5:00 p.m. Downtime to write, network, play pool, or walk on the beach or just absorb the most gorgeous views outside the windows to entice your creative self

5:00-6:00 Devour-Worthy Dinner

The rest of the evening: Write, Hot Tub, Make Friends, Relax

____________________________________________________

Sunday, November 10, 2023

8:00-9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast

10:00-11:15 a.m.

The Secret Sauce--Create 3-D Characters Who Feel Like Family--Lori Hayes

Have your characters fallen flat on your page and you wonder why? Do you want to keep readers turning the pages long into the night?

Discover how to create a strong character arc and to develop external/internal goals, motivation, and conflict to drive your character forward. Learn how to show measurable internal changes of your main character/s by the end of your story by discovering the secret sauce to writing emotionally satisfying stories.

10:30 a.m. Snack Time-- Hot fresh cookies served

12:00-1:00 p.m. Lucious Lunch

1:30-2:45 p.m. The Ins and Outs of Personality Types--Create Well-Rounded Characters your Readers will LOVE--Lori Hayes

Have you ever wondered why you get along with one person and maybe not another?

Do certain personality characteristics repel you while other ones draw you in?

Learn how to identify what possible personality type someone is while you are in the line at the grocery store, or even your best friend. This technique is that easy. You can use this information to make your characters more genuine. If you get this wrong, readers will know when something is off, and if you do it enough times readers will often set your story down forever.

3:00-5:00 p.m. Downtime to write, network, play pool, or walk on the beach or just absorb the most gorgeous views outside the windows to entice your creative self

5:00-6:00 p.m. Devour-Worthy Dinner

The rest of the evening: Write, Hot Tub, Make Friends, Relax

_____________________________________________________

Monday, November 13, 2023

8:00-9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast

10:00-11:15 a.m.

Discover the Deeper Layers of Characterization--Attachment Styles--Lori Hayes

Attachment theory considers the early stages of childhood and how kids bonded with caregivers, which deeply influences how they develop socially and emotionally throughout their entire lives. Attachment styles are perfect for creating 3-D characters by delving into their reactions. This is also perfect for love stories and writing romances due to the nature of close bonds and emotional triggers but is also crucial to character building. Most writers don't utilize this secret tool and this knowledge can make your stories stand out from the 32.8 million books published today.

10:30 a.m. Snack Time-- Hot fresh cookies served

12:00-1:00 Lucious Lunch

1:30-2:45 p.m.

Title, Tagline, Logline, Blurb: Creating the Critical Promotion Quartet--LaVern St. George

Always essential, often the author’s bane, these four brief pieces of text are essential to hook readers, agents, and editors and tug them closer to buying your book. This session will present the elements of each promo piece, what is most important for you to express, and valuable tips in crafting each.  Whether your writing will be self- or trad-published, this class will help you entice potential readers with just the right kind of promotional bait.

3:00-5:00 p.m. Downtime to write, network, play pool, or walk on the beach or just absorb the most gorgeous views outside the windows to entice your creative self

5:00-6:00 p.m. Devour-Worthy Dinner

The rest of the evening: Write, Hot Tub, Make Friends, Relax

______________________________________________________

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

8:00-9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast

10:00-11:15 a.m. 

Bring Your Words to Life: The Art of Show, Don’t Tell--Lori Hayes

Are your characters flat or your scenes falling short? Learn how to engage your readers  by turning basic descriptions into dynamic scenes that come alive. Discover how to reveal your characters' personalities, emotions, and motivations through their actions, dialogue, and interactions with the world around them. Through practical exercises, you’ll learn to craft rich, immersive scenes that not only build atmosphere but also deepen your characters, making them unforgettable to your readers. Perfect for writers of all levels!

10:30 a.m. Snack Time-- Hot fresh cookies served

12:00-1:00 Lucious Lunch

1:30-2:45 p.m.

Looking Under the Arc: Uncovering What’s Holding Your Character Up--LaVern St. George

As a writer, creating an interesting, believable character can include filling out a background fact sheet, exploring GMC (Goal, Motivation, and Conflict), finding the fatal flaw, and searching for visual images. I’ve learned that the best characters have motivations and an inner growth journey that are bound intricately with plot. In this session, I'll share a step-by-step process to help you develop compelling characters from the inside out who drive your story forward. Without a sagging middle. Ever.

3:00-5:00 p.m. Downtime to write, network, play pool, or walk on the beach or just absorb the most gorgeous views outside the windows to entice your creative self

5:00-6:00 p.m. Devour-Worthy Dinner and dessert

The rest of the evening: Write, Hot Tub, Make Friends, Relax

_______________________________________________________

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

8:00-9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast

10:00-11:15 a.m. An Extra Dash of Secret Sauce:  The Five Love Languages--Lori Hayes

Incorporating the five languages in your stories will deepen characterization by adding depth and complexity to create 3-D characters. This is the extra secret sauce to writing characters your readers will remember long after they turn the last page. Knowing your character’s primary love language can deeper their motivations and reflect more complex behavior and can help to create a book your reader won't be able to put down.

12:00-1:00 Lucious Lunch

Check-out is by 3:30 p.m. A warm goodbye until we meet again

After the retreat on Thursday, we plan to embark on an amazing opportunity to see the wild horses in their natural habitat, weather permitting and not included in price of retreat. Please email Lori at LoriHayesBooks@gmail.com if you are interested in spending an extra night in your original room.