Retreat Breakout Groups
Breakout Groups meet after each morning and afternoon instructional session. Participate in one or more groups each time they meet OR choose to enjoy some of the retreat features of Restoration Family Farm such as a visit with the animals, a few moments alone to pray and process your thoughts, or a stroll of the grounds in reflection. Each group is overseen by a Group Mentor who will teach or guide discussion according to the group topic. The groups meet in varied spots according to the MAP in your WELCOME FOLDER.
Breakout Group 1: Manuscript Critique and Discussion
Group Mentor: Kathryn Ross—Main Room Head Table
Author, editor, and independent publisher Kathryn Ross will be available for manuscript critiques in a single or small group setting. You’ll gain clearer direction for how to polish your work or redraft with confidence and inspiration. Bring a minimum of 5 short manuscript copies to share with the group (as needed) and experience the sharpening power of manuscript critique and discussion.
Breakout Group 2: Vision Board Crafting Center
Group Mentor: Lillian Baker—Main Room/back of room Workstation
Lillian Baker’s many years of experience teaching vision board creation makes her a prime mentor to help you pull together your vision board ideas using a variety of materials: magazines, canvases, decorative craft paper, glue sticks, scissors, art pens, and more. If you have any special Scriptures or pictures from home that you want to add, bring them with you or add them to your board after the retreat. Vision Boards do not have to be completed by the end of the retreat, but you can get a good start. Consider being a volunteer in the closing session to share what you have started on your Vision Board with everyone.
Breakout Group 3: Say it Clear--Show, Don’t Tell
Group Mentor: Trish Weldon—Mid-Room Side A
Author Trish Weldon has a plethora of workshop material for interactive participation to illustrate the craft of SHOWING your story in a "you are there" fashion—instead of just TELLING it. This is a critical skill to master to produce compelling, readable, relatable, and sticky stories. Learn how to craft a scene and use strong verbs to make your writing pop! You’ll have an opportunity to brainstorm an on-the-spot edit of a paragraph and transform it from one that just tells a story into a memorable show of a story.
Breakout Group 4: Imagination Calisthenics
Group Mentor: Linda Slomin--Playroom
Linda’s first picture book for children started out as an imaginative, performance puppet show. When she joined our critique group to help turn her puppet show into a picture book, she was forced to reimagine the story for the printed page in order to captivate young readers. Stretching our imaginations—whether you are writing for children or adults, fiction or non-fiction, is vital to developing the most excellent story and glory for God. After all, He gave you an imagination. How can you exercise creative thinking and outside the box solutions to your storytelling? Linda has the interactive calisthenics plan for you!
Breakout Group 5: Devotional Writing--Know Your Calling
Group Mentor: Christine Strittmatter—Conference Room
Christine’s background in biblical counseling and Bible study is the firm foundation upon which she has built her Real Life Mom devotional book series with two volumes already published. Christine can help you take your devotional thoughts and the fruit of your study time in the Lord and make them ministry tools to touch hearts. Information about varied publishing venues other than book publication will be available as well.
Breakout Group 1: Manuscript Critique and Discussion
Group Mentor: Kathryn Ross—Main Room Head Table
Author, editor, and independent publisher Kathryn Ross will be available for manuscript critiques in a single or small group setting. You’ll gain clearer direction for how to polish your work or redraft with confidence and inspiration. Bring a minimum of 5 short manuscript copies to share with the group (as needed) and experience the sharpening power of manuscript critique and discussion.
Breakout Group 2: Vision Board Crafting Center
Group Mentor: Lillian Baker—Main Room/back of room Workstation
Lillian Baker’s many years of experience teaching vision board creation makes her a prime mentor to help you pull together your vision board ideas using a variety of materials: magazines, canvases, decorative craft paper, glue sticks, scissors, art pens, and more. If you have any special Scriptures or pictures from home that you want to add, bring them with you or add them to your board after the retreat. Vision Boards do not have to be completed by the end of the retreat, but you can get a good start. Consider being a volunteer in the closing session to share what you have started on your Vision Board with everyone.
Breakout Group 3: Say it Clear--Show, Don’t Tell
Group Mentor: Trish Weldon—Mid-Room Side A
Author Trish Weldon has a plethora of workshop material for interactive participation to illustrate the craft of SHOWING your story in a "you are there" fashion—instead of just TELLING it. This is a critical skill to master to produce compelling, readable, relatable, and sticky stories. Learn how to craft a scene and use strong verbs to make your writing pop! You’ll have an opportunity to brainstorm an on-the-spot edit of a paragraph and transform it from one that just tells a story into a memorable show of a story.
Breakout Group 4: Imagination Calisthenics
Group Mentor: Linda Slomin--Playroom
Linda’s first picture book for children started out as an imaginative, performance puppet show. When she joined our critique group to help turn her puppet show into a picture book, she was forced to reimagine the story for the printed page in order to captivate young readers. Stretching our imaginations—whether you are writing for children or adults, fiction or non-fiction, is vital to developing the most excellent story and glory for God. After all, He gave you an imagination. How can you exercise creative thinking and outside the box solutions to your storytelling? Linda has the interactive calisthenics plan for you!
Breakout Group 5: Devotional Writing--Know Your Calling
Group Mentor: Christine Strittmatter—Conference Room
Christine’s background in biblical counseling and Bible study is the firm foundation upon which she has built her Real Life Mom devotional book series with two volumes already published. Christine can help you take your devotional thoughts and the fruit of your study time in the Lord and make them ministry tools to touch hearts. Information about varied publishing venues other than book publication will be available as well.
Breakout Group 6: Prophetic Art Workshop
Group Mentor: Stacy Lee Flury Mid-Room Side B
God speaks through our creativity. As writers, we paint pictures in people’s minds and hearts with words. But what happens when we see an image in our spirit before the words come? Stacyis a talented writer, but truly gifted in illustration and creating artistic images without words. Tapping into Holy Spirit prophetic inspiration and willing to take creative risks with brush, crayon, or mixed media, Stacy ministers the Word of the Lord in images that speak a thousand words. Take some time to learn how to prophesy through the visual arts on canvas and allow the Lord to surprise you with fresh insight for your personal life—and the words you write.
Group Mentor: Stacy Lee Flury Mid-Room Side B
God speaks through our creativity. As writers, we paint pictures in people’s minds and hearts with words. But what happens when we see an image in our spirit before the words come? Stacyis a talented writer, but truly gifted in illustration and creating artistic images without words. Tapping into Holy Spirit prophetic inspiration and willing to take creative risks with brush, crayon, or mixed media, Stacy ministers the Word of the Lord in images that speak a thousand words. Take some time to learn how to prophesy through the visual arts on canvas and allow the Lord to surprise you with fresh insight for your personal life—and the words you write.
PIONEERS WITH PENS RETREAT WORKSHOPS MISSION STATEMENT:
Under the umbrella of Pageant Wagon Publishing, Christian writers in Southern New Jersey gather at the annual
Pioneers with Pens Retreat and Workshop swhere they can quiet their souls and enrich their spirits
in a restful and creative atmosphere, to secure God’s vision for their work,
hone writing and communication skills, and critique multi-genre manuscripts for publication.
Learn how to tell His Story through your story, and bring the Light of God’s salty Good News
to the mountains of social and cultural influence.
Kathryn Ross, Retreat Director
Under the umbrella of Pageant Wagon Publishing, Christian writers in Southern New Jersey gather at the annual
Pioneers with Pens Retreat and Workshop swhere they can quiet their souls and enrich their spirits
in a restful and creative atmosphere, to secure God’s vision for their work,
hone writing and communication skills, and critique multi-genre manuscripts for publication.
Learn how to tell His Story through your story, and bring the Light of God’s salty Good News
to the mountains of social and cultural influence.
Kathryn Ross, Retreat Director