Back by popular request: two different  weekend writing retreats at beautiful Sunset Beach!

Pick the retreat that’s right for you right now from the choices below. No matter which one you pick, there’ll be ample free time to savor your beautifully appointed private room with king-sized bed, private bath and balcony, the large porches with rocking chairs and swings, and the coastal setting the Sunset Inn provides. You’ll return home refreshed, with new ideas and energy for your writing — and your life.

For more about the Sunset Inn, which is a five-minute walk from Sunset Beach and faces a peaceful marsh where herons and cranes live, see  www.thesunsetinn.net.

How Sunset Beach got its name…

Photo taken 11/2014 by writer and WordPlay Coastal Retreat participant Ann Campanella

Here’s What Ann Says about the Coastal Retreat

I so loved our time together at the retreat… all of it, every beautiful moment. I feel both refreshed and renewed, my eyes washed with something shiny. Each writing session was like unwrapping a gift. And being in the presence of a gathering of such wonderful souls both “doing” and “being” was so uplifting and affirming. And, of course, the pockets of solitude, the beautiful inn and the nourishment of the sea made for a perfect weekend of renewal and joyous words! Your encouragement and direction, your kindness and authenticity spoke directly to my heart.

COASTAL WRITING RETREAT: Connect with Your Creativity at the Sunset Inn (Writing—and more—as Renewal and Inspiration) 

Renew yourself and reconnect with your own creativity, whether you are a practicing writer, closet writer, or as-yet-to-pick-up-the-pen writer! The techniques and prompts we’ll use will spur your imagination, and can be used to create nonfiction, fiction, and/or poetry—the choice is yours. $378 for the weekend beginning Friday February 20 through  Sunday February 22. The Coastal Writing Retreat includes writing sessions, two nights’ lodging, two breakfasts and Saturday lunch (hotel tax and Saturday dinner at a local restaurant not included). Additionally, for those who might like to stay another day to work on their writing, or to just enjoy the beach, the Inn is offering to Coastal Writing Retreat participants only, the opportunity to stay Sunday night, February 22, at half price.

You’ll need a copy of Spinning Words into Gold, available for $23.54 at the retreat. Or order a copy now ($3.99 shipping plus $1.81 state tax).

WHERE: The Sunset Inn, 9 North Shore Dr., Sunset Beach, NC 28468 
WHEN: Friday, February 20 – Sunday, February 22, 2015*

TO REGISTER: Contact the Sunset Inn at 888.575.1001 or 910.575.1000 (if you would like to handpick your room, view your choices here first, then call). Because the Inn is holding rooms for you, our participants, they are blocked off as unavailable online. Register soon by phone – this is a popular event and there are only 8 spaces available.

*Also, please let the Inn know when you call if you are interested in staying Sunday night, February 22 at half price. The Inn will hold your reservation with a credit card.

THE HEALING POWER OF WORDS (Writing As a Healing Process)

What benefits can writing provide –physically, mentally, spiritually? Are some ways of writing more healing than others? And can we create quality literary work as we heal? In this retreat that incorporates recent discoveries in the field of mind-body-spirit connection and Dr. James Pennebaker’s ground-breaking ideas on writing as a way to move through loss and grief, you’ll learn methods of writing that help navigate loss and grief on your life path of growth and wholeness. You will choose your ideal balance between community time and solitude as you use writing as a transformational tool in any way that best serves you. And, if you’re looking, you’ll find the genesis of new poetry, creative non-fiction, and/or fiction. Note: Tears honored. Laughter likely. Inspiration guaranteed.

$378 for the weekend beginning Friday February 27 through Sunday March 1. Includes Healing Power of Words sessions, two nights’ lodging, two breakfasts and Saturday lunch (hotel tax and Saturday dinner at a local restaurant not included). Additionally, for those who might like to stay another day to work on their writing, or to just enjoy the beach, the Inn is offering Coastal Writing Retreat participants the opportunity to stay Sunday night, March 1, at half price.

WHERE: The Sunset Inn, 9 North Shore Dr., Sunset Beach, NC 28468 
WHEN: Friday, February 27 – Sunday, March 1, 2015*

TO REGISTER: Contact the Sunset Inn at 888-575-1001 (if you would like to handpick your room, view your choices here first, then call). Because the Inn is holding rooms for you, our participants, they are blocked off as unavailable online. Register soon by phone — this is a popular event and there are only 8 spaces available.

*Also, please let the Inn know when you call if you are interested in staying Sunday night, March 1, at half price. The Inn will hold your reservation with a credit card.