Write that Picturebook!

February 4-6, 2022

Have you always wanted to write a picturebook but don’t know where to start? Or do you have a picturebook idea or draft you want to develop? Come with an idea (or without one) and leave with a strong manuscript. This retreat will take you through the most vital steps in picturebook writing. Through studying the picturebook form, reading successful picturebooks, and focused writing exercises that help you develop your characters, narrative and voice, this workshop will help you write a picturebook or turn your picturebook idea into a solid manuscript.

In a beautiful location in community with other writers, you will gather twice a day for lessons on picturebook writing. Learning takes place at breakfast and lunch around a big dining room table where everyone has a view of crashing waves and endless sky. The lessons will include read alouds and analyses of what makes picturebooks work. You’ll be given writing tasks to prepare you for writing and revising your picturebook in between sessions. We gather again for dinner where we share community, questions, and updates on our work. After dinner, we gather around a crackling fire to read aloud our picturebook manuscripts and to get and give feedback.

The official retreat is 3 days, two nights, but you can register to check-in the night before and/or add extra writing days to the end.

Class Offerings

Day One Breakfast: Picturebook Basics and Generating Ideas
Day One Lunch: The 32-Page Structure
Day Two Breakfast: Character Development
Day Two Lunch: The Power of Repetition
Day Three Breakfast: The Magic of the Page Turn
Day Three Workshop: All About Picturebook Publishing

ADDRESS: South Beach, Newport, Oregon, USA