September 11, 2006  WRITER’S RETREAT I’m very excited about the upcoming writer’s workshop I’ll conduct at Oaklea Mansion in Winnsboro, Texas on January 19th and 20th, 2007. Oaklea is an idyllic venue for a writer’s workshop. Norma Wilkinson, the owner, is a very gracious lady who has contributed much to the arts and culture in Winnsboro. She has held a number of book signings in her beautiful mansion. These are always well-attended and she sees to it that they are well publicized. I’ve been there, along with Helen R. Myers, Bob St. John, Linda Broday, and others. Oaklea is a famous place, but it is serene and lovely at all times of the year. There are gazebos on the lawn, coy ponds, an aviary, and we will hold our sessions in the carriage house. Norma will serve a wonderful breakfast on Saturday morning, and lunch will be catered by the Country Inn. This is a full, delicious lunch, not sandwiches and potato chips. She gave us a special rate and I feel very fortunate to hold my writer’s workshop there. In fact, I think it will become a tradition. Many people have asked me to hold such a writer’s retreat and I promise nobody will be disappointed.. Maps to Winnsboro and Oaklea Mansion will be provided to those who register. There is a limit to how many can attend, 20 overnighters, and a few more who only wish to attend during the day. The rooms are all beautiful and all have tv sets, baths, sitting rooms. Oaklea Mansion is a Bed & Breakfast lodge. Two weeks ago, Moe Bandy and Johnny Rodriguez, from Branson, stayed there to participate in the music festival Norma created and presented. I can’t name all the famous people who have stayed there, including Janie Fricke and a number of entertainers. I am calling the day-long session, Scene & Story, because I will show those who attend how to create a scene for any novel. The scene is the building block of the novel. One scene leads to another and so on. And, I will cover the short story, which involves the same principle. Writers will learn techniques that will last them a lifetime. My method is a secret at this point, but I will reveal all during the writer’s workshop, I promise. I’m asking everyone who attends to bring their laptops or pen and paper, because we will be writing scenes and stories. And, I will read as many of these as I am able. So, participants will get the benefit of a critique that will help them improve their writing and storytelling skills. Actually, I believe I can read all of the pieces produced in the writer’s workshop, since I don’t need to see much to know what is wrong or how the writing can be improved. I have worked with a number of well-known published writers over the years, helping them elevate the quality of their work, get published, plan and finish a book. I have had great success with a number of beginning writers, all of whom have since been published. I still do this work, but no longer edit entire novels. You can find out more about my services at www.help4writers.com. I do offer mentoring and critiques for nominal fees, and I am presently working with a number of writers who are just starting out. I will cover some other aspects of the writer’s workshop in this month’s blog. I do want to say this, however. If you can master the short story, you can achieve success in all forms of writing, including the novel, essay, article, memoir, biography and autobiography. Amazon.com (www.amazon.com) has accepted two more of my short stories to post on their popular Amazon Shorts section. So, I will have 6 stories offered there. The downloads for these stories are only 49 cents each. You can read them on your computer screen or print them out. My subscriber list for Story A Month, offered on www.help4writers.com is growing by the week. I offer a new, recently written, unpublished story each month for 12 months. The cost is only $6.00 a year. These are useful to study and cover a wide range of human experiences. After these are sent to subscribers, my agent submits them to Amazon, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Isaac Asimov’s magazine and elsewhere. I recently submitted a short short, what some people are calling “Flash Fiction,” to Flashquake, a beautifully designed on-line magazine, with superb illustrations and interesting content. The short story is enjoying a resurgence in popularity around the world and I’m glad to be a part of it. I hope to see some of you at Oaklea Mansion in January for my writer’s workshop. And, perhaps I’ll be in your neighborhood sometime next year. That’s my hope. All it would take would be an invitation from a writer’s group anywhere in the United States or overseas. Keep writing, and, of course, keep reading. Jory Sherman