A Peek Into the 2024 Author’s Grove Writing Retreat

We were thrilled to host our inaugural writing retreat in Fredericksburg, TX last month. We scheduled a variety of activities throughout the week, from writing focus time to adventures in the Fredericksburg area. Keep reading to learn more about what we did at the 2024 Author’s Grove Writing Retreat!

From Writing Sprints to Constructive Workshops

Writing Activities

Our first day was full of icebreakers and activities to help get everyone started off right – from word games to character interviews to a world building activity. We also hosted a quick learning session focused on editing, as we knew some of our attendees are working on the second draft of their novel.

Dedicated Writing Time

Throughout the week, we had dedicated writing time in between exploration in Fredericksburg. There were plenty of spaces to write in the house that we stayed at, so some of us cozied up on the couch while others stayed focused at the dining room table. I spent most of the week rewriting my second chapter, which I was submitting in the workshop that we had at the end of the week.

Novel Workshop

Workshop day was helpful to everyone that attended! If you aren’t familiar with our workshops, we use the critique sandwich method. This means that we start off by discussing the strong points of the writing before moving on to some constructive criticism on how to improve things. We end each critique by reiterating the strengths of the submitted chapter. Everyone was able to walk away with some useful knowledge on how to take things to the next level! I’m really thankful for the feedback I received, and can’t wait to work on revisions soon.

Adventures in Fredericksburg, TX

What would a retreat be without some fun vacation activities? Our adventures included a trip to Wildseed Farms, a hike at Enchanted Rock, shopping in the historic downtown district of Fredericksburg, and enjoying all the local cuisine.

Wildseed Farms

Our trip to Wildseed Farms was a blast! There were even more butterflies in the gardens than when we went over the summer to check out the location, and there were plenty of beautiful flowers in full bloom. The wine tasting was a fun addition to the trip, and I really enjoyed the white wine flight. All six of the wines I tried were delicious!

Enchanted Rock

Enchanted Rock was a steep climb and a bit exhausting – but the view from the top was amazing. The hike gave me the opportunity to think about how my novel’s main character would react to some of her excursions. She’s from our world and has been dropped into the fantasy world of her favorite book. I decided she definitely needs to build up her stamina some more.

Learning From Other Writers at the 2024 Author’s Grove Writing Retreat

One of the best things about attending writing events is getting to speak with other writers and discussing the craft. We ended up adding a roundtable discussion the second day of the workshop, where we shared advice on how to better organize, better strategize, and better our novels in general. Throughout the week, we often found ourselves discussing how the activities we were doing, the people we met, or the locations we were at reminded us of something in our own novels or something that we had heard about when it comes to writing.

Overall, it was a great week! I look forward to one day reading everyone’s revised chapters – and to reading the next ones at next year’s retreat!