I arrived at the Franciscan retreat center in Colorado Springs, expecting to meet writers, but I met shaggy grazing deer instead. The center is the former home of a Tuberculosis Sanitorium, and numerous stone buildings sprawl under the Colorado Rockies at an elevation of around 7,000 feet. When I walked down the sidewalk, I announced my passing to the feeding deer, and it worked; they didn’t trample me. A few writers walked the grounds and fed in the cafeteria. The food was hearty but good!
The day started with yoga, and after breakfast, workshops frazzled my mind until noon. Then, we had free time to sightsee, write, or even nap. After dinner, we had group writing prompts and meditation. Snacks rained down like beads during Mardi Gras. My favorite memories include walking the courtyard labyrinth with a new friend, reading in the peace garden with a stunning mountain view, and visiting the nearby Garden of the Gods for a hike with fellow writers.
My favorite swag was a perfect glass marble intended as an offering for the writing fairies. (If the mischievous literary goblins whisper good intel in your ear, you can repay them with a marble left in a fairy hotspot of your choosing)
I learned many things, but the acronym that stuck was ARISE. You must include at least three of these in each scene:
Action
Romance, humor, or friendship
Information
Suspense
Emotion
The retreat concluded with sparkling wine and a wand ceremony, where each writer blessed a pen before handing it to the recipient. My blessing from each writer proved profound and life-changing. I'll never forget the warm fuzzies, and it still feels like a warm hug.
My lesson for you: Even if you aren’t a writer, don’t forget to re-treat yourself!
Look to your inbox for my next newsletter on July 21. You can read my writing articles Read like You're Standing in a Buffet of Steaming Hot Books and Be Like Samwise and Frodo and Help a Writer Out at Orange Blossom Publishing and Orange Hat Publishing this month. Plus, I have another Goodreads Giveaway in motion until June 30. 3,274 readers have signed up so far!
