SpringPRING TimeIME WritersRITERS

SPRING TIME WRITERS
Writing Workshops
Words for the Mind & Spirit

Content Page: Details on Rocky Mt. tours, workshops, vacations

Workshop Calendar

including Writing Tips and Exercises


sit outsideAttend a workshop in the Colorado Rocky Mt. Region to improve your writing skills while relaxing in a mountainside retreat, with endless sunshine and deep-blue skies, breathing in fresh mountain air, and enjoying fresh foods. Be nurtured with warm, professional tutoring on how to get your book or memoirs started or refined, or write short stories and essays. Classes restricted to only one to four people to enable private attention (special arrangements for groups up to eight). Most workshops are especially designed for women. (see below "Home" page for more details.) Includes creative writing in everything you do: fiction, self-help non-fiction, and journalings.


Birthing of Creative Writing, and
Capturing Random Memories
©

newWriters Tips and Anthology available.
Our compilation book of our finest writing tips and exercises, and samples of works published on our web site over the past three years. Clear, exciting, simple and fun! Visit "Writers: Birthing Creative Writing..." for more details on this anthology. Only $11.95 plus $2 postage.


For Full Description, click the Link:

Our Most Popular Workshops
Dates are subject to Change

See our Calendar page from May to September for an easy view of what's happening this month.
Click on the Individual Workshop page on this web site to see which Sessions are Full.

attentionWe are closed for the season.
Please return in late spring 2012 for a new Calendar.

Over the winter months, we will continue to publish our bi-monthly writing tips
below, and our free quarterly newsletter. We also can issue Gift Certificates
for the summer workshops. You can read the details about our workshops below, which will
probably not change in the coming year, except for the dates of the workshops. Thanks.



Missed the deadline for registering?
Sometimes weekends do not get booked until 2 or 3 weeks before the date,
so do not hesitate to call if the weekend date you need is less than one month
away. Also, sometimes there are people who want to switch to a different week,
and a spot might open up. Generally, fees are due in full one month before the workshop,
but other arrangements are sometimes possible for late registrants. Give us a call...


Speciality Workshops

Watch this web page, or subscribe to our free Newsletter to stay informed about these and other new workshops.
See our Calendar page for an easy view of what's happening this month.

"Throughout history, artistic expression has been recognized as a catalyst for healing. Art is an expression of mind and spirit, and cannot be left out of our equation of healing...Modern art therapy is being employed as a potent healthcare intervention." Larry Dossey, MD. Author, "Prayer is Good Medicine and Healing Words."

Tentative Week-Long Guided Tours: Aimed at bringing more "springtime" into our lives, year round.

These tours are usually one week long, and take place in spring or fall, when our regular workshops are not taking place. They include unique beautiful lodging and some meals, tour transportation and guides or teachers, and run approximately $1,500.00. (We can arrange to take your small group on their own exclusive trip.) Go to our Specialty Guided Tours for more information.

Watch this web page, or subscribe to our free Newsletter to stay informed about these and other new workshops. Email us about your interest, and we will notify you of updates during the summer.


US funAttend local festivals and events
Estes Park is just outside of the Rocky Mt. National Park. It has a festival pretty much every weekend during the summer, with many of them lasting a full week. If you would like to stay at our B&B Retreat for a full week to enjoy the area, check out the Chamber Events Calendar and the Lyons Chamber Calendar. Our students get a special rate of $65 per night if they stay on (see reservation for for more details).

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new ATTENTION GROUPS!
Do you have a small "Writers Group" or a "Single Women Travellers" group or such? and might be interested in attending a WORKSHOP TOGETHER? Our regular workshops are limited to three people, but we can work with you to accommodate larger groups. Contact us! We would love to offer you a once-in-lifetime experience of going to any of our above workshop on a date mutually agreed to. We can offer single bedroom lodging or shared rooms for a lower price. Don't wait; our calendar fills up fast, as the Rocky Mountains are a very popular destination.

NOTES:

==Watch this web page, or subscribe to our free Newsletter
to stay informed about these and other new workshops.==
==You can extend your stay to enjoy the Colorado Rocky Mts. sights at very reasonable prices.==
==Workshops are conducted over 4-day weekends May to September. Contact us for availability.==
==The Retreat was "refreshed" in the fall of 2005/6, and photos are displayed on this page.==
Subscribe to our free Newsletter to be informed on these dates.

calendar==See our Calendar page for an easy view of what's happening this month.==



2012 our  14th anniv.


Books Image

Writing Tips (Fourth Quarter 2011)

"Benefits of Reading Out Loud"

Have you ever read a children's book out loud, or had one read to you as a child? Didn't it sound completely different than reading it yourself? Hearing it allows you the freedom of letting your imagination run wild. Instead of being a movie in your head, it becomes a 3-D explosion.

Have you ever heard a poem read out loud? A person will experience different types of understanding when they: (1) read a poem (2) hear a poem, and (3) hear a poem read by the author. I like to see the words on the page, especially if the poem is intricate and I can better define it at my own pace. But I have heard poets read their poems out loud, and had an entirely new experience. My poetry group has read several insightful poems by Billy Collins, and we have analyzed them. Then I rented a DVD with him reading some of them out loud, and we were a bit amazed to hear the laughter in the audience. We saw his sense of humor for the first time.

The third benefit of reading out loud, is to use it as a extension of your editing process. Once you have finished your draft, read the text aloud. It will illuminate awkward sentences, grammar, conjunctions, ommissions and errors.


All "tips" and "exercises" are copyrighted
by Kathleen Spring, Spring Times, Copyright 1998-2011.


write-yr-exercise

Writing Exercise. (Fourth Quarter 2011)

"How to Focus on Your Chosen Topic"


Do you have problems with the size or direction of your story or article? Do you find that sometimes you devote too much time to a particular incident or character? A good way to take control of this is to write each chapter or new topic on a fresh sheet of paper. At the top, block out a few inches of space for an outline or index.

There are two ways to handle this: either do the outline or index before you start to write, or after. If you do it afterwards, take a fresh sheet of paper and pull out the topic, the action, the tension, and the characters, and make your list. It is better to do it before, but some people think it takes away from their creative process. If you do it first, then list the same topics. Then when you are writing, and you want to move off the subject or intended "tension" and write about "the girl he remembered from grade school," you can stop yourself. Or, you might see that you meant to write about "Jack and Jill" but have focused only on Jack.

Try a practice run: pick out a fairy tale and write a list/outline/index for the story on a sheet of paper. For example: A girl sets out for a walk in an unfamiliar but enticing woods. A bear family of three set out for a morning walk before their breakfast oatmeal. The two cross paths. The girl's decisions are the center focus, which brings about the tension." OK, then you do it for a real story. Pick a short fiction topic, like "Little dog gets lost in the woods," or non-fiction article like "Packs of dogs roam small town streets."


If you are still hungry for more tips and exercises,
sign up for our quarterly Newsletter and
have three more delivered to your email box. You can also become a "fan" (or "like") on FACEBOOK and get a new "mini" tip delivered monthly. Sign in to your account and search for "Spring Time Writers;" or "Rocky Mt. Retreats" for min-wellness tips monthly.



Retreat DetailsClick Here for Details on:
  • Business/Administration Testimonials
  • Room Arrangements
  • Costs
  • Transportation (shuttle bus)
  • Packing List/Health Guides
  • Links to Women-oriented Web Sites
    for fun and information
    and Book links
  • giftWorkshops make a Great Life-long Gift!
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    As seen in ARTICLES in: the N Y Times Travel Section, " Writing retreats" -and- "Travel and Leisure" writers retreats -and- in "Journaling" magazine

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    Spring Times
    P. O. Box 512
    Lyons, CO 80540-0512
    (303) 823-0997
    10am to 7pm Mountain Time MST, only please

    Check this web site for the latest information.
    Thanks for visiting; see you soon!
    Date last modified: October 4, 2011 9:00 AM

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    Disclaimer – Copyright 1998-2011. All logos, photos, and original and html text are Copyright © by Kathleen Spring. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or use is prohibited without written permission from owner. – All prices, dates and itineraries are subject to change at the discretion of the owner. Travellers are advised to ask their doctor about their tolerance of higher elevations (5,000 to 10,000 feet approximately). See reservation page for other advice/warnings. Owner may cancel or alter trips if unusual conditions come up; and reserves the right to decline to accept or retain any participant, at any time, as a member of the workshop or trip, without refund. This would be a rare circumstance, mainly to keep the integrity of the program and privacy and respect for the other individuals attending or instructing. The program content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Participants should be and will be made aware that they should always seek the advice of their physician or other qualified health provider with any questions they may have regarding a medical condition. All notification of cancellations must be received in writing; penalties will apply. Prices are in USA dollars. See Form Contract for full disclosure.