Having recently completed a wonderful writing retreat offered through the Chippewa Valley Writer’s Guild, I feel inclined to share my experience and some writing tips with our library blog readers.

First, about the experience. (Pst, skip ahead if you’d like to get to the tips.) The writing retreat, run by BJ Hollars and the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild, was located at Cirenaica just outside of Fall Creek, WI. It’s a cozy cabin in the woods with a comfy deck and a firepit to commune around in the evenings. The wonderful writer-in-residence was Lindsay Starck, author of Noah’s Wife, and our guest speaker was the talented Eric Rasmussen. Eight other writers besides me were housed here where we spent long, wonderful hours perfecting our craft and then workshopping our pieces in a large group discussion in the afternoons. With delicious food, enjoyable company, diverse writing experience and interests, and a peaceful environment difficult to find elsewhere, it was an experience to remember. 

As for the resources for writers, I have both internal and external resources listed. I was recently introduced to a digital resource I was unaware we had access to.
Biblioboard is a wonderful tool to discover and read local authors’ works. Their work is provided either partially or entirely for free in an ebook format. All Wisconsin residents are eligible for perusing or submitting their own work through their local library.

We also, of course, carry a variety of physical resources for those writers looking for a little help.
The 070.5s are an outstanding resource for anyone looking into publishing their material.
The 808s have a great variety of writing guides and information.
The Writer magazine provides many motivational articles and tips for streamlining your writing process.
Writer’s Digest, available via the Indianhead Federated Library System, is one of the longest-running writing magazines out there and is a must-read for writers.

Other digital resources are a must as well. Here’s a few to help you out.
Grammarly is one of the most amazing tools that I only recently started using. It provides grammar and punctuation suggestions for your writing for free but offers a highly advanced upgrade as well. Where was this app during my undergrad!?
Pressbooks is a self-publishing tool for publishing ebooks. Important to note, Biblioboard is connected to Pressbooks. Offers upgraded pro versions with more features.
Kindle Createspace is a popular self-publishing tool used by many authors who are looking to get out there on their own. It offers ebooks and physical books as well. Runs on a royalty model.
Lulu is yet another publishing option offering free services including ebook and physical book options.
The Most Dangerous Writing App is really more of a novelty for most. I know my writing style does not meld with this concept at all, but maybe some of you would find it helpful. It’s fun to play around with.