Tales of The Weller House: A Mendocino Coast Romance Writing Retreat

Welcome to Tales of the Weller House! After you read the details below, press the "Get Tickets" button in order to express your interest, and answer the questions that follow in order to apply! If you are accepted, you will receive a code to purchase your package.

Escape to the foggy edge of the world for Tales of The Weller House: A Mendocino Coast Horror Writing Retreat. Work with horror experts Kate Maruyama and M. M. Olivas in the oldest house in Fort Bragg—a Gothic mansion with a historic water tower, nestled between ancient redwoods and the crashing Pacific.

In this immersive horror weekend, you will have the chance to sink into your writing with two masters of horror in a Victorian mansion, and, in the company of fellow horror writers, push your work beyond what you've imagined into the professional realm. You will come away with stronger stories and professional tools that you'll carry into your writing in the years to come.

Come for the craft, stay for the atmosphere!

What’s Included:

• 3 Nights Luxury Lodging.
• All Meals (3 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 3 Dinners).
• Exclusive access to the Library, Ballroom, or water tower for writing.
• 3 Guided Workshops
• 3 Craft seminars
• Group activities such as ghost tours and walks through the redwoods and haunted moors!

Prices include tuition and range based upon lodging, which is issued in order of acceptance:

• The Writers' Garret (Shared, Twin) – $1,100
  Includes: The twin bed in one of our two luxurious shared rooms
• The Writers' Garret (Shared, Queen or King) – $1,300
  Includes: The queen or king bed in one of our two luxurious shared rooms
• The Shadowed Study (Standard) – $1,450
  Includes: A queen or king bed, plus shower
• The Haunted Stateroom (Premium) – $1,550
  Includes: King room plus clawfoot or jetted tub
• The Suite of Decadence (Premium) – $1,675
  Includes: Premier King suite, plus double jetted tub.

Tales of the Weller House is a premier series of writing retreats designed to bridge the gap between the wild beauty of the Mendocino Coast and the intimate craft of storytelling.

Nestled in the heart of historic Fort Bragg, California, these retreats offer a sanctuary for writers of all stripes to step out of their daily lives and into a space where the atmosphere is as rich as the narratives they create.

The Weller House, a storied Victorian landmark built in 1886, serves as more than just a venue—it is a silent collaborator. From the intricate redwood millwork of the ballroom to the panoramic views from the iconic water tower, the house provides a backdrop of elegance and mystery. Here, the salt air of the Pacific and the characteristic Mendocino fog create a natural liminal space, perfect for breaking through creative blocks.

Each retreat in the series is curated to balance intensive "deep work" sessions with structured craft workshops and communal gatherings. Whether you are polishing a final draft or planting the seeds of a new idea, you will find:

• Atmospheric Writing Nooks: Dedicated spaces throughout the house and gardens designed for focus.
• Expert Guidance: Led by seasoned authors and industry professionals who understand the nuances of the creative process.
• Collaborative Evenings: Candelight readings and shared meals where the "Tales of the Weller House" truly come to life through the voices of the attendees.

Info: Learn how to use setting as a character — in a Gothic mansion that is itself a character! After our session, follow us on a candlelight tour of the mansion’s history, ending with a climb to the Water Tower to look at the night sky and fog.

Info: Horror writers are always mining what frightens them to create great horror fiction. In this
generative workshop we will discuss all varieties of hauntings, real and imagined, houses, cities,
buildings, battles, displacement, or the hauntings of trauma within families and relationships or
hauntings of the mind. Writers will explore the many layers of story they already have access to
through their own references, their specific way of thinking and their own lives. They will come
away and come away with tools to mine in their stories that are already written, and ways to
generate new ones.
We will start by workshopping pages that you bring to our weekend. In a nurturing and
supportive environment, you will work with your fellow writers to see your story in a new light,
and become energized to go back to work on it. Any form of horror fiction welcome, from novels
to short stories.

Info: What are our Monsters—internal and external? How do you write about your dread lurking around the corner? In this writing workshop, M. M. Olivas discusses methods for looking into a writer’s own past, their heritage, and cultural background to resurrect those things that follow us and exorcise them onto the page. This workshop will also center on generating the writers’ narrative voices through techniques and exercises that engage with rhythm, grammar, point of view, and sociopolitical background to cultivate one’s authorial voice that is uniquely their own.

Info: A craft talk focused on analyzing the language of cinema as a way to inspire writers to approach
writing like filmmaking. By learning storytelling techniques that exist outside of writing, such as
film structure, genre tropes, editing, framing, and shot composition, M. M. Olivas discusses the

ways writers can build scenes that feel more immersive, vivid, and alive. This seminar will also
discuss the ways writers can challenge what they believe is possible with the written word.

Info: Learn to dig into subsequent drafts of your work with real tools to weave in more detail, develop
and emphasize metaphors, and deepen your characters. If you think of revision as a new way of
looking at your work (ReVision), as a way to dig deeper, tighten, and weave more detail into
your already amazing story, the tiresome task of revising can transform into a fun playspace.
Gain the tools to polish your story to a professional grade, and also learn how to create a specific
order techniques that work best for revising future work.

Info: Learn strategies and techniques for submitting your work, from finding publications that might
be a good fit for your work, to writing cover letters, to handling rejection and becoming a
relentless submitter!

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

524 Stewart St, 524 Stewart Street, Fort Bragg, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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