If you’ve read a few books on the subject of writing technique, and have written and edited several novels (but not been successful in selling them), a workshop or retreat might just be that push you need, but they’re not the place to learn the basics (one day workshops are an exception, and are mostly for beginners).

If you’re not to that point yet, for a lot less money than a workshop you can have the effect of sitting in on a one by reading this: www.gryphonbooksforwriters.com/home/gmc.htm. Deb has a warm easy style, and it’s like having a professional sit down with you and explain the nuts-and-bolts basics of creating a scene and then sewing them together into a novel. The only book on writing technique I’ve found that’s better is Dwight Swain’s Techniques of the Selling Writer. It goes deeper into the subject but some people find that a bit dry.

As for Michael Garrett, he is a noted editor, but the novel he claims credit for shows as being self-published.