Nashville, TN, Writing Retreat
✨Lyrical: Where Your Words Find Their Voice✨
A Mastery Writing Retreat in the musical heart of downtown Nashville!
October 13-17 | Private Suite, Omni Hotel, Nashville TN
Five days could unlock your best writing, your strongest pitch, and the professional connections that change everything.
Lyrical isn’t just a retreat. It’s a turning point.
Set in the heart of Nashville—where creativity hums through every brick wall café and back-alley venue—Lyrical is an intimate, high-impact writing retreat designed for authors who are ready to move forward with clarity, confidence, and community.
If you’ve been longing for expert feedback, one-on-one industry access, powerful craft tools, and space to write with purpose—this is your moment.
5 days of writing, workshops, guest speakers, community, & more! (Monday evening - Friday morning!)
Guest Speakers: A Literary Agent and A Small Press Publisher
Encouragement & workshops with award-winning, bestselling authors Mary Weber and C.J. Redwine
Rich focus on your writing and career
Time to enjoy all Nashville has to offer!
Attention to self-care, rest, and creative restoration
And more!
What You’ll Get!
Guest Speakers:
Jenny Hale
Harpeth Road Publishing House & U.S.A. Today Bestselling Author
Jenny Hale is a USA Today and international bestselling author of romantic contemporary fiction. Her books have sold over a million copies worldwide, have been translated into multiple languages, and adapted for television. Her novels Coming Home for Christmas and Movie Guide Epiphany Award winner Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses are Hallmark Channel original movies. She was included in Oprah Magazine’s “19 Dreamy Summer Romances to Whisk You Away” and both Southern Living’s “30 Christmas Novels to Start Reading Now” as well as “Beach Reads Perfect for Summer” in 2020 as well as 2023.
Harpeth Road Press
Harpeth Road Press is a boutique publishing imprint founded by USA Today bestselling author Jenny Hale, specializing in heartwarming, emotionally rich contemporary romance and women’s fiction. The imprint is known for publishing uplifting stories centered around love, family, friendship, and second chances.
Harpeth Road accepts submissions from both agented and unagented authors, and welcomes unsolicited manuscripts that align with its mission to deliver feel-good, character-driven fiction with strong emotional resonance and satisfying endings.
Lauren E. MacLeod is a senior literary agent with Aevitas Creative Management. She has represented Jodi Meadows the co-author of the New York Times bestselling My Lady Jane series, actress and activist Nicole Maines, Chefs Kenny Gilbert and Rogelio Garcia, Middle East Book Award-winner Aminah Mae Safi, and former Youth Poet Laureate of the Southern United States, Alora Young. MacLeod is the co-Vice President of the Association of American Literary Agents board of directors, where she sits on the copyright and contracts committees and co-chairs the communications committee. Before joining ACM, she was named Vice President of The Strothman Agency.
Why This Retreat?
Because it’s not about stuffing you into a generic schedule or teaching the same old craft lecture.
It’s about giving you direct access to people who can help transform your career—and equipping you with high-level tools that will keep serving you long after you’ve left Nashville.
Here’s what makes Lyrical unlike anything else:
Real, Career-Shifting Connections
You won’t be in a crowd. You’ll be in a room—a private, focused space where you're building real relationships with:
A top-tier literary agent, Lauren MacLeod, who is actively looking to sign new clients.
A powerhouse publisher, Jenny Hale, who runs a boutique press that accepts unagented submissions and is hungry for fresh, compelling voices.
Award-winning, bestselling authors C.J. Redwine and Mary Weber, your guides, coaches, and collaborators for the week.
And most importantly: a curated community of fellow authors who are serious about leveling up.
You’re not just attending—you’re being seen.
Workshops That Actually Move the Needle
Each session is built around mapping tools—designed to help you dig deep into your story’s structure, emotional arc, and market positioning. These aren’t one-time exercises. They’re reusable frameworks you’ll turn to again and again as your career grows.
You'll leave with:
A custom Pitch Map that clarifies your story’s hook, voice, and selling points
An Emotional Resonance Map to fine-tune the heart of your manuscript
A Character Journey Map that deepens emotional arcs and aligns plot to theme
A Brand Pillar Map and marketing personality quiz to help you build a sustainable, authentic platform
This is not fluff. It's strategic, emotionally intelligent, story-first work that will make your manuscript—and your brand—stronger.
🎸 The Magic of Downtown Nashville
Nashville isn’t just a backdrop—it’s part of the creative alchemy.
From legendary music venues to cozy indie bookstores, from rooftop restaurants to spontaneous street performances, this city lives and breathes story. The Omni Hotel puts you in walking distance of Broadway’s vibrant energy, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the kind of food that deserves a chapter all its own.
Whether you're writing on a café patio, pitching your book under string lights, or laughing over dessert with your new writing crew—this retreat taps into the pulse of a city that knows how to feel.
✍️ This Is for You If…
✔️ You’re working on a manuscript that matters—and you’re ready to finish it.
✔️ You want industry access without the overwhelm.
✔️ You’re indie or traditionally published and craving your next big leap.
✔️ You’re ready to refine your pitch, brand, or emotional arc.
✔️ You want smart strategy without losing creative joy.
✔️ You’re tired of doing this alone.
You want more than a retreat. You want a launchpad.
Spots are intentionally limited to preserve the intimacy and personal access that makes this retreat so powerful.
This is your invitation to step into the next version of your writing life—with support, strategy, and soul.
Join us in Nashville.
Let your words find their voice.
Let you find your next chapter.
The total value of this retreat is $2800 . . .
BUT we’re offering this incredible experience for:
A $300 deposit plus one of the options below:
10 installments of $45
5 installments of $90
Or a flat fee of $450
Grab a hotel room or rental for yourself or with a group of friends and join us!
Either way - RESERVE your spot A.S.A.P. before we sell out!
To SAVE YOUR SPOT:
1.Pay the Deposit using the “Buy Now” button —>
2.Fill out the Retreat Form —>
*all sales non-refundableShow up & collect your RETREAT FRIDGE MAGNET!
Event Schedule
Location: Private Suite, Omni Hotel Nashville
Monday Evening – Friday Morning
Includes 6 Workshops, 2 Guest Speakers Sessions, & 1 Writing Lab (with feedback)
Monday — Welcome & Intention Setting
📍 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Welcome Reception (light snacks & drinks provided)
Opening Remarks
Attendee Intros: Share name, genre, and current writing project
Set Goal for the Week
Tuesday —🕘 9:30 AM – 9:00 PM
9:30 – 10:00 AM: Continental Breakfast (muffins, fresh fruit, coffee, & tea provided)
10:00 – 11:00 AM: Workshop #1 – Emotional Chords: A Resonance Mapping Workshop
Workshop Description:
Great stories don’t just entertain—they move us. In this workshop, we’ll explore the emotional architecture of your manuscript by mapping where it hits the heart—and where it doesn’t. Using principles of story psychology and pacing, you’ll learn how to align emotional beats with character arcs, theme, and tension to create a story that resonates deeply and lingers long after the final page.Think of emotion like music: it swells, it whispers, and sometimes, it falls silent. We’ll help you visually track the emotional journey of your book to identify your strongest chords—and the flat notes still waiting to sing.
Includes:
✔ A printable “Emotional Resonance Map” to chart your manuscript’s heartbeat
✔ Tools to align emotional pacing with story structure
✔ Tips for increasing reader connection through vulnerability, contrast, and tonePerfect for writers who want to fine-tune the emotional power of their story and create moments that stick with readers for life.
11:15 – 12:15 PM: Workshop #2 - How to Write a Book That Could Only Be Written By You: Unearthing Your Most Authentic, Marketable Story Through Identity Mapping
Workshop Description:
The most unforgettable stories aren’t just well-written—they’re deeply personal, emotionally resonant, and rooted in something only that author could deliver. In this transformative workshop, we’ll guide you through a process of identity and experience mapping to uncover the themes, questions, and perspectives that define your unique storytelling voice.Through guided prompts and reflection, you’ll chart the connections between your life experiences, values, obsessions, and emotional truths—and translate them into powerful story material that resonates with readers and stands out in the market.
Whether you write fantasy, memoir, romance, or thrillers, this session will help you identify the beating heart of your work—and build a concept only you could bring to life.
Includes:
✔ A printable “Identity-to-Idea” Story Map
✔ Targeted prompts to uncover hidden narrative gold
✔ Examples of bestselling authors who built careers around personal resonancePerfect for any writer who wants to craft stories with authenticity, emotional impact, and a competitive edge.
🕛 12:30 – 2:00 PM: Lunch Break (on your own or with peers)
2:00 – 3:00 PM: Workshop #3: Pitch Perfect
Workshop Description:
A great pitch doesn’t just summarize your book—it sells it. In this fast-paced, high-impact workshop, we’ll walk you through the essential elements of a magnetic manuscript pitch that captures voice, stakes, and market appeal in just a few sentences. Whether you're pitching to media, agents, editors, or readers, your pitch is the first impression that shapes everything.Together, we’ll map out your story’s core selling points—from genre anchors and character motivation to thematic hooks and emotional payoff—and use that map to build and refine your pitch in real time. You'll leave with a clear, customizable pitch you can use in media inquiries, query letters, live pitches, back cover copy, and beyond.
Includes:
✔ A printable “Pitch Map” template to guide your pitch development
✔ Real examples of strong vs. weak pitches—and why they work
✔ Live revision techniques to polish tone, clarity, and hook3:30 – 5:00 PM: Writing Time
5:00 – 8:00 PM: Dinner Break (on your own or with your peers)
8:00 – 9:00 PM: Community & Dessert Provided
Wednesday —🕘 9:30 AM – 9:00 PM
9:30 – 10:00 AM: Continental Breakfast (muffins, fresh fruit, coffee, & tea provided)
10:00 – 11:00 AM: Workshop #4 – The Path Between What Was and What Could Be: Mapping Your Character’s Transformational Journey
Workshop Description:
Every unforgettable story is a journey—from who the character was to who they’re becoming. Whether that path is emotional, physical, or psychological, the most powerful narratives are anchored in transformation. In this workshop, we’ll map the terrain of your character’s arc—the milestones, detours, setbacks, and breakthroughs that shape their internal and external world.Using the language of road trips, rituals, and reinvention, you’ll discover how to chart a journey that feels purposeful and emotionally earned—one that mirrors your theme, raises your stakes, and leaves readers changed right alongside your protagonist.
Includes:
✔ A printable “Character Journey Map” to track growth, regression, and change
✔ Tools for aligning plot with inner transformation
✔ Examples of powerful journeys across genres—physical quests, emotional arcs, identity shifts, and morePerfect for writers who want to craft meaningful, character-driven stories that explore what it means to change—and what must be risked to get there.
11:15 – 12:15 PM: GUEST SPEAKER: In Conversation with Literary Agent Lauren MacLeod
🕛 12:30 – 2:00 PM: Lunch Break (on your own or with peers)
2:00 – 3:00 PM: Workshop #5 – Escalating the Heartbeat of a Story: Mapping Scene-Level Stakes to Shape Pacing and Tension
Workshop Description:
Pacing isn’t just about speed—it’s about rhythm, pressure, and emotional climb. In this workshop, we’ll help you map the stakes of your scenes to identify where your story builds momentum, where it plateaus, and where tension might be falling flat.Using a visual heartbeat model, you’ll chart your manuscript’s rise and fall of risk, urgency, and emotional payoff—scene by scene. By the end, you’ll clearly see how your stakes evolve, where tension spikes (or doesn’t), and how to rebalance the pacing for maximum reader engagement.
Includes:
✔ A printable “Story Stakes Map” to chart pacing and tension visually
✔ Scene-stakes checklist to assess emotional, relational, and plot-driven stakes
✔ Tips for creating natural rise-and-fall tension across acts without burnout or dragPerfect for writers who want to master tension, fix pacing problems, and create a compelling story rhythm that keeps readers hooked from first page to last.
3:30 – 5:00 PM: Writing Time
5:00 – 8:00 PM: Dinner Break (on your own or with your peers)
8:00 – 9:00 PM: Community & Dessert Provided
Thursday —🕘 9:30 AM – 9:00 PM
9:30 – 10:00 AM: Continental Breakfast (muffins, fresh fruit, coffee, & tea provided)
10:00 – 12:15 PM: Workshop #6 – The Art of Being Found: Mapping Your Creative Identity Across Platforms and Pitches
Workshop Description:
Your brand isn’t just a tagline—it’s the emotional throughline of everything you create. In this workshop, you’ll identify your core creative brand pillars and learn how to express your authentic voice across pitches, bios, websites, and interviews in a way that feels aligned and true.We’ll introduce a story-first marketing framework that matches your genre, reader promise, and emotional tone—so your platform feels like a natural extension of your work, not a separate performance.
You’ll also take a quick “Marketing Personality” quiz to map out the content, schedule, and strategy that works best for you—sustainable, smart, and joy-driven.
Includes:
✔ A printable “Brand Pillar Map” to define your message, tone, and reader experience
✔ A marketing style quiz to help you align strategy with personality
✔ Templates for bio blurbs, pitch language, and messaging that grows with your careerPerfect for writers who want to market with meaning, clarity, and creative integrity—on and off the page.
🕛 12:30 – 2:00 PM: Lunch Break (on your own or with peers)
2:00 – 3:00 PM: Lyrical Writing Lab
Submit your first page for anonymous feedback from Mary & C.J.
3:30 – 5:00 PM: Writing Time
5:00 – 7:30 PM: Dinner Break (on your own or with peers)
7:30PM – 9:30 PM: Murder Mystery Party
Friday — Sendoff Session
🕣 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: GUEST SPEAKER — Jenny Hale, publisher and author
Attend a Retreat, Collect the Fridge Magnets for Each!
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Paris, France
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Myrtle Beach
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Smoky Mountains
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Nashville, TN
~Ani’a Dutton, fantasy author
“The Writer’s Sanctuary is a rare gift. Mary & C.J. have cultivated a caring community that eradicates what can be a very lonely career. With humor and kindness they share their vast experience, guide you in the grittier aspects of publishing, and approach everything with 100% authenticity. After every conference and online workshop, I have walked away with new knowledge and friends. Mary & C.J. hold up candles to light the way for the rest of us, and I am so grateful for everything they have poured into the lives of those involved in the TWS group!”
~Becky Gaines, author of The Soul Crier
“What I love most about TWS is how much information Mary and C.J. pack into their events. Even as an author who is no longer interested in pursuing a traditional publishing career, there's still great info I can apply to my indie path when it comes to writing, editing, and marketing a book. I also appreciate how they take a longterm view of things. They really want you to build a successful writing career.”
“TWS events are amazing, and I always learn something new. I love that they teach things many conferences do not and that the presenters are open and honest in their teachings and discussions. There’s plenty of humor and everyone is accepting and friendly. Ten out of ten. Will attend events again!”
~Joan Stradling, writer of magical things
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Code of Conduct
The Writer’s Sanctuary is dedicated to an experience that is free from discrimination and harassment for every person. We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding discrimination and harassment in any form toward any of our participants, at our retreats and in the online and in-person forums. This includes unwelcome and inappropriate sexual, racist, bigoted, or threatening comments or attention, touching, stalking, photographs, intimidation, or coercion – or discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, political affiliation, sex, gender, sexual orientation, nation of origin, disability, or age. Any retreat participants who violate this code may be sanctioned or expelled immediately without refund. If you are the victim of harassment or should a complaint arise at this event, please contact our staff here .