Steinbeck found the material for his dozen volumes of California fiction in the Salinas and neighboring valleys, along the shores of Monterey Bay, in the Corral de Tierra, and on Big Sur. Even the Monterey sunsets illuminate the secrets of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" which served as a stage for the lives and times on which Jack London and George Sterling composed their allegories. Don Blanding, Henry Miller, Mary Austin, Ambrose Bierce, Upton Sinclair, Sinclair Lewis, Nora May French and countless others have nurtured their creative intellect here for years on end, all of them fondly recalling their Monterey days in the years to come.
Participants in the Monterey Writer Retreat will work both in a group and one-on-one with the best literary "closers" and mentors in the business: Paula Munier, Michael Neff, and Katharine Sands (see bios below), who together combine more than 75 years of working with aspiring authors and ushering them to publication. Before you meet with them, you inform us ahead of time via the Monterey Writer Retreat Application about the retreat goals you wish to focus on and we'll make it happen.
Like other Algonkian retreats, the Monterey event creates an intimate and professional environment that combines private consults each day with an initial small-group workshop, thus enabling aspiring authors to wisely approach the writing and publication of their novel. But what precisely does that mean? Beginning on the first day, Tuesday morning at 9 AM and continuing until 5 PM PST, writers will meet in a group with author-agents Paula Munier and Michael Neff who will work in tandem on each writer's novel premise as well as on all other vital developmental issues (e.g., plot, character arcs, theme, dramatic complications, pinch points, etc.) as they present themselves during the course of discussion and analysis.
On the following Wednesday, and lasting until Saturday (both AM and PM), writers will meet with their faculty mentors for the purpose of further developing their particular projects (novels or nonfiction) and/or honing their pages of prose narrative, or both. The goals of each session over the four days typically vary, and they are determined by each writer upon consultation with their mentor.
On the final day, Saturday, writers will meet with faculty to accomplish a wrap-up consult which consists of formulating a publication plan going forward, as well as discussion that involves the utilization of the post-event novel development and editorial program. These final sessions normally conclude by noon.
Katharine Sands has worked with a varied list of authors who publish a diverse array of books including fiction, memoir, and non-fiction. When reading fiction she wants to be compelled and propelled by urgent storytelling, and hooked by characters... [ more on the faculty ]
Michael Neff is an award winning author, Pushcart nominated poet, widely published short fiction writer, TV/film agent, writer event organizer, as well as an accomplished developmental editor. His first published book, a literary political novel about Washington during the Reagan years entitled ALL THE DARK WE WILL NOT SEE was published by the distinguished academic press, Serving House Books. A few years later, an urban fantasy, MAGICIANS IMPOSSIBLE, was created and co-edited by him, and later published by Macmillan Books... [ more on the faculty ]
Literary agent, editor and author Paula Munier is one of the biggest new stars in New York publishing. Her energy is boundless, her network endless, and being a writer herself, as well as a congenial human being, her care and compassion for her writers is legendary. Paula possesses broad experience in a wide variety of genres, and in creating content in all formats across all markets... [ more on the faculty ]
Upon registration, writers will receive links and passwords to customized novel editorial and development forums at Algonkian Author Connect which address, among other novel writing elements, all the major novel conflict and complication issues, plot lines and points, theme seeding, prose narrative style and voice, dialogue, scene construction, as well as character arc-and-development nuances.
Dates and Application
The spring 2025 retreat will last for five days and take place May 6 to 10th with arrival on Monday, May 4. If you have reviewed our mission and location, and found the dates suitable for retreat purposes, the next step is to fill out the Monterey Writer Retreat application and tell us about yourself, your writing life, and what you wish to accomplish at the retreat. Once you fill it in and submit, give us up to five days to respond.
The Retreat Location and Social Activities
Cars and Lodging in Pacific Grove
Book Contracts and Comments
Our updated "Algonkian Book Contracts" page features workshop and conference observations over several years, including a few by Monterey alum, Mindy Halleck, who reviews the event at length on her website : "I've been involved with, attended, and taught at numerous writer conferences, but this one stands out far ahead of the others if you're ready for it. The reason is, the prep work, and the one-on-one time with agents (like incredible #PaulaMunier) and editors discussing your work specifically, and not in some abstract way." [ more ]
Logistics and Weather
Registration
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