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Last Saturday’s workshop - an afternoon of creative writing inspired by the natural world - was probably my favourite workshop so far! It was a cold day but the Phoenix Garden, hidden away in the heart of the West End, showed signs of spring with crocuses appearing, camellias blooming and cheery prayer flags strung between the pathways. Workshop leader Andrew Wille had an abundance of ideas, exercises and inspired readings for cultivating our beginners minds, “telling things slant” and reawakening our perception of the world…
Last Saturday we ran this workshop devised and led by Andrew Wille at The London Bridge Hive. Everyday Magic is all about exploring the four elements, Fire, Water, Earth and Air to find ways to access our intuition and energise our writing practice. It’s also a celebration of the creative process and what a day it was! A lovely group of people took part, each adding to the spirit of day.
We had a fun and creative day last weekend with a lovely bunch of writers at our masterclass, Crafting Character and Setting, led by Andrew Wille. Andrew devised an imaginative program with many a laugh included and we came away with lots of new ideas to inject some vim, depth and texture into our writing.
“I’m a great believer in trusting the natural speaking voice. It is probably the writer’s greatest tool. It arises instinctively, and harnessed in the right ways it brings clarity and force to our work. Sometimes it needs to shift in tone, or adapt to other registers, or gain a little muscle or sinew, but it’s the strongest foundation for our writing. ‘Find your voice’ is one of the great myths of creative writing; you have a voice already, so trust it.”
Last Saturday we ran a new workshop, The Craft of Revising, led by Andrew Wille at the London Bridge Hive. Andrew put together an inspired program exploring various aspects of the revision process. A vibrant and enthusiastic group of writers took part and the day was further livened up by the arrival of the author Michelle Lovric and later, Virago Press Chair, Lennie Goodings.
We have an exciting new workshop, The Craft of Revising, all planned and ready for Saturday, 23rd June. I'm teaming up once again with experienced editor and writing teacher, Andrew Wille, who'll be leading the workshop. There's also a Q & A session arranged for the afternoon with Virago Press chair, Lennie Goodings. Our venue, the London Bridge Hive, is a recently renovated space located three minutes walk from London Bridge Station - close to Borough Market and the cafes of Bermondsey Street.
On Saturday I again taught my workshop Everyday Magic: The Four Elements of Writing. We started the day by introducing ourselves with a favourite book, telling the group how and why it’s left an impression on us. Much-loved books came up: The Underground Railroad, Cloudstreet, Ladder of Years, Station Eleven, My Name Is Lucy Barton, Home (twice!), Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet, Palace Walk, Pride and Prejudice, A Song For Issy Bradley, This Is How You Lose Her, East of Eden, Tirra Lirra by the River, Finn Family Moomintroll.
The highlight of my month was our very first Words Away creative writing workshop led by Andrew Wille - Everyday Magic: The Four Elements of Creativity workshop. Andrew devised an inspired workshop, focusing on creativity, play, experimentation, listening and fun. The day was full of surprises. I especially loved his handouts to take away including the bookmarks and the wonderful A Miscellany booklet. Lots of food for thought.
On Saturday I led a workshop called Everyday Magic: The Four Elements of Creativity in conjunction with Words Away. It was the first time that I had done this workshop as a day-long event, and I was also particularly excited to teach a Four Elements workshop in London for the first time; a peculiar and unexpected thrill came from teaching something that I am passionate about in the city that I love. Totally in my element! And maybe after all London is finally my home town.
I’m still buzzing after our masterclass yesterday, The Craft of Voice, devised and led by Andrew Wille at the London Bridge Hive. Literary agent Jenny Savill, dropped by in the afternoon to share her agenting wisdom during a Q & A session. We were joined by a wonderful group of aspiring, published and soon-to-be-published writers. Everyone took part with gusto, exploring ‘voice’ through a variety of readings, writing exercises and discussion.