Blue Lake Methodist Camp will host the Christian writers’ retreat for the second time.

The retreat is directed by Marilyn Turk, who is a published Christian author.

Her work has been published in Guideposts magazine, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Lighthouse Digest, The Upper Room as well as several other magazines.

“I initially started this retreat last year because there really weren’t very many Christian writers’ retreats in the area,” Turk said.

“I’ve been to a lot of writers’ conferences but they were always far away and expensive.”

Turk, who lives in Niceville, Fla., wanted to make something closer and a little more affordable for people in this area.

Her time in the Methodist Church made her familiar with Blue Lake Methodist Camp.

“I got the feeling that this is the place I needed to do it, it’s a good place to focus and kind of be secluded,” Turk said.

Christian writing is different than general writing, Turk said.

“The difference is the writing is directed from a Christian worldview so, no erotica, no foul language, no violence but it’s also not all preaching,” she said.

“It depends on what you choose to write. Most of the fictions will have happy endings and the romances are clean,” she said.

“What a lot of people don’t know about Christian writing is that it can pertain to world problems as well.”

It doesn’t matter if someone is or is not a Christian writer, Turk said.

“Everyone will be able to get something out of this conference. Good writing is good writing. This conference will teach you how to format a story, articles or a devotion.”

The retreat is also open to all ages.

“This retreat is very motivating. It should help you, as a writer, to clarify your goals. It can help you decide what you want to do, what you need to work on and show you your strengths and weaknesses,” Turk said.

Another good reason to attend the retreat is to open up opportunities, Turk said.

“These kind of things opens up doors to be published. There’s a lot of social networking, you can meet anyone at these conferences. It’s a really good platform for writers.”

The retreat will be from May 2-5, 2018.

“There will be three continuing classes, fiction, non-fiction and children. In the afternoon there will be workshops,” Turks said.

“There is something for all levels of writing as well.”

Because of the success and reviews of last year’s retreat, Turk knew she should do it again.

“A lot of the faculty told me they really enjoyed the retreat,” she said.

“We also had a good bit of people attend last year, around 60. I’m hoping for more people this year.”

This year, one can look forward to speakers like Eva Marie Everson, Kim Vogel Sawyer, Susan King, James Watkins, Connie Stevens, Bob Hostetler, Susan Neal, Michelle Medlock Adams and Lynn DeShazo, all of whom are published Christian writers.

For more information, go to the retreat’s website at: http://bluelakecwr.com/.