2013 SCBWI Retreat

When: 10th - 13th May 2013 (Friday afternoon through Monday morning)

Where: Dunford House, Nr Midhurst, West Sussex

Writer in Residence: Lucy Christopher

Editor: Rebecca Frazer, Editorial Director of Orchard Books

Programme:  (please note that schedule is subject to change)

The SCBWI retreat is an ideal opportunity for space to write away from your usual day-to-day demands. This year’s programme is streamlined to give maximum writing time.

Arrive on Friday for a casual dinner and an evening relaxing with your peers.

Lucy Christopher will be running two sessions. The first on Saturday morning will be a workshop on creating vivid settings: how to make place a vital character in story. On Sunday morning her second will be on the writing life: getting on with it, motivations, aspirations, and blocks.

On Sunday afternoon, Rebecca Frazer, Orchard Book’s editorial director will be talking about Orchard Books, what she is looking for, and has agreed to open submissions to retreat attendees. She will also give an interactive session on pitching your ideas.

There will also be a limited number of one-to-one appointments with Lucy and Rebecca – these will be dealt with after registration has closed to allow as many of the retreat participants who want to sign up to have a chance of getting a one-to-one.

Cost: The cost for two full days and three nights of great food, beautiful surroundings, lodging and a productive social ambience is £285 per person for SCBWI members (£325 for non-members).

Biographies of Speakers:

Lucy Christopher - Lucy Christopher, author of Stolen and Flyaway, was born in Wales but grew up in Australia. She moved back to the UK to earn a distinction in a Creative Writing MA from Bath Spa University. Stolen was written as the creative part of her PhD in Creative Writing, also at Bath Spa University. Lucy now works as a university lecturer at Bath Spa University, teaching on the undergraduate and the MA creative writing courses.  Stolen won the Branford Boase Award in the UK, the Gold Inky in Australia, a Printz Honor Award in America as well as numerous shortlistings, including the Prime Minister's Literary Awards in Australia. Flyaway won an International Reading Association Award in America and was shortlisted for a Costa Book Award, the Waterstones prize and the Prime Minister's Literary Awards. She is currently working on her third novel which is due for publication in 2013. 

Rebecca Frazer – Rebecca’s publishing career began in New York with Harper’s Bazaar magazine, but she quickly moved on to children’s publishing, editing and acquiring with Random House, Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins, and Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, where she celebrated five New York Times bestsellers. Having conquered the big Apple she crossed the pond and is now editorial director at Orchard Books.

Hope to see you there!

Teri   

Our 2010 retreat took place in May at Pendrell Hall. We were joined by Lee Weatherly and Pippa Goodhart who gave some inspirational workshops; and Julia Churchill of the Greenhouse Literary Agency talked to us about all things agenty. Members brought champagne to celebrate the imminent publication of Jon Mayhew's Mortlock and there was a birthday cake!

And we wrote and wrote and wrote!

Our 2009 retreat took place at Pendrell Hall, near Wolverhampton, on 15th - 18th May 2009. 

Mary Hoffman, acclaimed children's author of more than 80 children's books, including the internationally bestselling picture book Amazing Grace, and the Stravaganza series of novels, talked about writing across the age ranges, and sustaining a career as a writer. Mary's novel The Falconer's Knot is one of 40 books on USBBY's list of Outstanding International Books for 2008, has been nominated for the Malice Domestic Agatha Award, and shortlisted for the 2008 North East Book Award.  Stravaganza, City of Secrets has been nominated for the 2009 Carnegie Medal. 

We also had commissioning editors from Oxford University Press andCatnip Publishing talk to us about their publishing houses; what they do and what they are looking for, and how to get involved.  And the Arts Council came on the last day to tell us about all the money they have to give to authors and illustrators, and what we had to do to get it! 

Thanks to Sue Hyams for organising the retreat!

Someone blogged about it here.