WRITER'S RESOLUTIONS RETREAT
Thanks to everyone who participated in our Writer's Resolutions Retreat! We learned so much from our session leaders about creating a space in our lives for our writing, preparing our work to go out in the world, and seeking representation. Good luck to all the attendees on reaching your writing goals for 2024!
If you missed it, here's how our day went and a link to our session leaders' bios, and we hope you'll join us next year!
Have you resolved to make 2024 the year you take yourself seriously as a writer? Let TWFest help you start off right!
Saturday, January 13, 2024 - all sessions virtual!
Start your writing year right with an inspiring day of resolution-setting. Live virtual sessions on freewriting, establishing healthy habits and habitats, submitting, querying agents, and working with editors will give you the tools to meet your writing goals—all while nurturing your spirit. And it comes with the flavor and mystique of New Orleans’ long literary history.
Price: $250. Tickets on sale HERE.
FULL SCHEDULE
10 am - 12 noon Write Every Day: Begin the day with unbridled writing. A New Orleans Writing Marathon will cure your writer’s block as you learn to freewrite with no critical voices or feedback—just pure joy. Correspondents from a live French Quarter writing marathon will check in, bringing us bursts of New Orleans. Session Leaders: Dr. Richard Louth and Dr. Susan Martens; Moderator: Tracy Cunningham. If you're in the New Orleans area and would like to join in the live in-person writing marathon, CLICK HERE. It's free!
12: 05 - 1 pm Create Successful Habits & Design an Inspiring Writing Habitat: Peek into the workspaces of successful writers and hear about the strategies, habits, and organizational methods that help them structure their writing and their days. Session Leaders: Lisa Ko and Alex Marzano Lesnevich; Moderators: C. Morgan Babst and Anya Groner.
1:30 - 2:50 pm Get Published: Learn what the editors of literary journals wish writers knew before submitting their work. Plus, get a front row seat to the editorial process, as editors critique the openings of participants' fiction, essays, and poems live—anonymously, of course! Session leaders: Meakin Armstrong, Northwest Review; Aube Rey Lescure, Off Assignment; Siwar Mansanat, Prairie Schooner. Moderator: Kayla Min Andrews.
3 - 4:20 pm Find an Agent: Prepare yourself for the spotlight! Find out what you need to know—and do—before seeking representation, and get your questions answered by a panel of literary agents. Watch live as the agents dissect and discuss participants' real query letters—anonymously, of course! Session leaders: Eloy Bliefuss, Janklow & Nesbit Associates; Nora Gonzalez, The Gernert Company; Michaela Whatnall, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Moderator: Christopher Louis Romaguera.
4:20 - 5 pm Build a Writing Community: End your day at our virtual happy hour. We'll share some of our favorite New Orleans cocktail recipes in advance, so you can make one of your own while you network with your new writing friends. And we'll have advice on how to establish your online presence to make marketing yourself as an author easier. Session leaders: Daphne Armbruster of Third Lantern Lit and Annell Lopez.
