Note: This site is an archive of the original retreat.andromedary.org website, which documented the [San Francisco] Bay Area Writers Retreats from 2003-2009. The retreats are no longer a going concern. This archive is from December 18, 2008, and links to archive.org instances of most links.

This site is intended to provide year-round information on the upcoming (and past) Bay Area Writers Retreats (originally the Sobanano Retreat).

Updated 2008-11-09 18:00 rnovak — Spring 2009 Retreat coming soon!

Welcome to visitors from nanowrimo.org — Join the pre-retreat list below to keep updated as details develop

Overview

The Bay Area Writers Retreat was founded in 2003 in the South Bay/Silicon Valley NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) region. It has expanded to include the entire San Francisco Bay Area.

Upcoming Events

Note that these dates may be tentative. The spring retreat timing may change, depending on schedules and interest. The fall retreat will definitely happen in November, during National Novel Writing Month. Join the pre-retreat list below to be updated when details change.Fall Retreat, November 7-11, 2008, Aptos, California

Dates and location are final. We visited the Tudor Rose Manor in Aptos, California, for this year’s fall retreat. This retreat was held from noonish Friday, November 7, 2008, to noonish Monday, November 10, 2008 Reservations have closed.Spring Retreat, April 16-20, 2009 (date tentative, location TBD)

We have set the retreat for April, to coincide with Script Frenzy; participation in Script Frenzy is not required for attendance. We will also dodge Mother’s Day, Linda’s birthday, Bay To Breakers, and Christmas with this selection.

General Details

The Bay Area Writers Retreats are semi-annual gatherings of NaNoWriMo participants involving lots of food and drink, idyllic locations farther from home than your local Whole Foods, and a chance to focus on “me” time and your own creative needs with the support (if you want it) of people who get what you’re doing.Depending on the location, you may find participants grilling on the deck, soaking in the hot tub, walking on the beach, taking photos, or doing other such things. There is usually some sharing of music and video one evening.But the most common scene is some or all of the attendees hunched over their notepads and laptops in a living room or common area, wearing headphones or earmuffs or intentionally mismatched socks (or all of the above), writing thousands upon thousands of words in pursuit of the mighty 50k. Our record for one person’s retreat production is a bit over 27,000 words. It really does work.

Caveats for new attendees

The events are designed for mature adults (age 18+); there is a high probability of adult beverages and adult discussion topics and possible swimwear on the deck or in the hot tub. There is likely to be plenty of meat on the menu, although we do accommodate vegetarian and other special requests.In the interest of a conducive environment for all, we ask that you leave your children, your pets, and your cigarettes at home. If you have allergies, sensitivities, or health issues that we should take into consideration in the planning or execution of the retreat, we’ll do our best to accommodate them. Let Rob know in advance (on the private retreat list after you register) if you have any such needs.Many of the properties we have rented in the past have limited Internet and cellular telephone access. In the nature of the “retreat” we do not consider either of these to be a show-stopper, but we don’t eschew them either. The properties do generally have modern furnishings and features, even if they are out of the way. And we usually have a telephone on the premises for emergencies or daily family check-ins if needed.While we do leave the property for walks or “emergency” grocery runs, you should not consider this to be a sequence of day retreats. We have not planned outside activites/field trips in the past, and we try to choose locations far enough from the core of Silly Valley to make this an actual retreat.

Planning and Money

Reservations for the November 2008 retreat are closed. Note the refund policy before sending payment.

To reserve your space at a retreat, you will need to pay the reservation price before the deadline shown above. The reservation prepayment enables us to choose an affordable location of proper size and amenities, includes the cost of the rental and a very generous food allowance, and reduces the risk of unexpected costs for all of us.

Currently the reservation price is set at $350.00, and can be paid by cash, Paypal (including credit cards), check, or money order. The reservation deposit can only be refunded if we are able to re-reserve your space, or if we are unable to provide a space at all.

We will refund any excess money (after rental fees and food are paid for) after the event is over and deposits have been returned. The new prepay system enables us to minimize or eliminate cost surprises, but there is a chance of a $20-40 overrun at the end of the event. (In 11/06 and 11/07 and 4/08, there were substantial refunds, while in 5/07 there was about a $30 overrun per person.)

The actual cost depends on the facility chosen and the number of attendees. While we’d prefer that cost not be an obstacle to attendance, we do not offer “scholarships” or the like at this time. Also, we cannot guarantee the location or sleeping configurations before the reservation deadline (since location is determined based on reservations).

Currently there is no cost difference between single occupancy and multiple occupancy per room, and no cost difference for late arrivers/early departers.

Exceptions:We may have a free write-in (for day visitors on Saturday afternoon).There is a small discount on housing costs for bona fide writer couples who share a one-bed bedroom. This will be approximately 15-20% of the housing share, or about $40 (no food discount applies) and will be handled in the rebate/overage phase after the event. The discount will be applied solely at the organizer’s judgment, and must be requested before paying.

History

2002

No retreat this year, but the South Bay writing group for NaNoWriMo really started to gel this year. Under the cruise directorship of Lauren, we built a community for the November effort and kept it going beyond the TGIO (Thank God It’s Over) party for Nano 2002. In fact, some subset of the group still meets twice a week in continuations of the original write-ins from November 2002.

2003

The first year, seven writers who returned from the 2002 NaNoWriMo event decided to go off for a weekend early in November and write, support each other’s writing, share a bit of their writing, and have a relaxing time doing so, away from most of the complications of daily life. Ian Dudley coordinated the original Sobanano (South Bay Nanos) retreat, held at Highland House in Inverness, California. We wrote tens of thousands of words that weekend and had a great time.

2004

The second year, Rob Novak volunteered to coordinate the event, as Ian had taken on the formidable task of being co-municipal liaison for the South Bay region. Seven people made the trek to Monte Rio, California, to hold this retreat at the Northwood Beach House rental. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 60,000 words were written, with Ian accounting for about a third of those. We also began the tradition of scheduled feature meals, with Elke’s lasagna and Rob’s waffles.

2005

The third year, nine writers escaped to the heart of Marin County to write, eat, and relax at Spirit House. Under the guarding eyes of dozens of buddhas, two goats, two cats, and the guarding noses of two dogs for the first few hours, we wrote over 100,000 words, with Ian once again breaking the 20k mark. Two breakfasts and two dinners were scheduled, with little time or appetite left for lunch.

This was the first year we had attendees who had never been South Bay Nanos. We also had the milestone of having three municipal liaisons in attendance, although all three were originally South Bay Nanos. And finally, this was the first time we invited non-attendees to join us for an afternoon write-in, as part of the rotating Pan-Bay Write-In schedule.

Spring 2006

For the first time, we held a retreat outside of November. Six people from three regions (North Bay, San Francisco, and South Bay) got together in May for an off-season retreat in Monte Rio, California, at Tir Na Nog. Progress was made on screenplays, Nano novels, short stories, and maple syrup white wine marinade recipes. We’re hoping to make this one a regular event, if people are interested.

Nano 2006

Our first South Of The Bay retreat took place in Aptos, south of Santa Cruz. Nine writers came together and wrote over 103,000 words (including over 27k from Ian). No BBQ or hot tub, it was a good experience nonetheless.

Spring 2007

The second Spring Thing retreat drew seven people from South Bay to Santa Rosa, to Artisan House in Monte Rio. Plenty of food, not as much alcohol, and varying project progress were enjoyed. It looks like this will be an ongoing event as well.

Nano 2007

The fifth November retreat brought a bumper crop of 11 writers to an oceanfront house in Pacifica. Our first four-day retreat, this event produced over 120,000 words and the Kitchen Gnome project. More details to come.

Spring 2008

The third spring retreat saw five writers retreating to Stinson Beach, with special guests Chris (the founder of Nanowrimo) and Jennifer (the director of Script Frenzy) joining us for an afternoon write-in on Saturday! We’re hoping they’ll become regular special guests, and bring lots of HQ with them.

Links

Retreat mailing lists

Pre-Retreat list (for discussions before you sign up)Retreat list (open to paid attendees only)

Organizations

National Novel Writing Month (the official site)
San Francisco Nanos site
South Bay Nanos site

Locations

Highland House — Site of the 2003 retreat
Northwood Beach House — Site of the 2004 retreat
Spirit House — Site of the 2005 retreat
Tir Na Nog — Site of the Spring 2006 retreat.
Crows At The Beach — Site of the Fall 2006 retreat.
Artisan House — Site of the Spring 2007 retreat.

Contact info

For more information on the Bay Area Writers Retreat, contact Rob Novak at sfnanos @ gmail . com

This copy of the retreat information page is hosted by the Andromedary Instinct PLC, which is not officially affiliated with NaNoWriMo, the SFNANOS or PeNaNos or Sobananos, or the Writing Retreat itself.

This is not an official NaNoWriMo site, and the content has not been reviewed by National Novel Writing Month. For more information on National Novel Writing Month, visit www.nanowrimo.org.

*