Explore your creativity on a writing weekend
in the gorgeous Cotswolds market town of Stow-on-the-Wold
The wide-ranging programme will include discussions, writing exercises and prompts, and tightly focused sessions on particular writing skills like:
* How to set a story in motion
* Creating characters that keep the story moving along
* Maintaining the highest stakes
* Structuring your story to have the greatest impact
* How to come to a dramatic climax and a satisfying resolution
Use the weekend as a way of recharging your creative batteries or to accelerate your current writing project.
And you’ll take away skills that’ll stand you in good stead whatever you’re writing.
Dates TBC
Non-residential: £325 p/p
Includes tuition, teas, one lunch and one dinner. Non writing-partners are very welcome. Participants can book their own accommodation at one of the many wonderful options available in the town.
I loved the course and had a fantastic, creative weekend that left me fuelled and raring to crack on with my writing. Fantastic setting and hosts and it was great to work with so many like-minded people. – Richard Murphy, April 2024
How will the Stow-on-the-Wold writing weekend work?
We’ll be based at Benfield an authentic Stow cottage in Sheep Street, and the weekend will be co-hosted by All About Writing and, Lindy Price, owner of Benfield.
- 16:00 to 19:00 afternoon/evening session at Benfield
- Followed by dinner and discussions about all things literary.
- 09:00 to 17:00 Full day of group sessions, writing time and one-on-one meetings at Benfield.
- There will be a little bit of “theory”, a dash of brainstorming – and writing (with feedback) all the way.
- Lunch break in the town which offers an opportunity for a bit of exploration and a writing exercise on the hoof.
- In the evening, we’ll meet at a local restaurant.
- 09:00 to 13:00 – group sessions, writing time and one-on-one meetings at Benfield.
- Lunch and a final exercise at Benfield before we cast off our writers’ mantles (if that’s possible after 48 hours of creative excitement) and scatter.
Who should attend the Stow-on-the-Wold writing weekend?
- Anyone who would like to hone their writing craft with intensive discussion, writing exercises and feedback.
- Writers of fiction and non-fiction, whether for the page or for the screen, looking to progress their work.
- Writers working on existing projects who need words of encouragement or help in untangling a snag they’ve encountered.
- Those who would like to develop their creativity in beautiful surroundings in the company of a like-minded group.
- Those who would like to kickstart their writing or get back into it with a bang.
Your facilitator for the Stow-on-the-Wold writing weekend
He is Richard Beynon, a story doctor, screen writer, head writer and ghost-writer who offers his specialist skills in these areas:
* Help with story creation – for screen or page
* Identifying problems in story and structure and discovering solutions through creative discussion and analysis
* Story doctoring
* Collaborative and ghost writing
* Mentoring writers – of scripts or for the page – through projects, offering advice on narrative, structure and story
* Teaching practical skills
“I’ve been passionate about story since I read The Castle of Adventure as an eight-year-old,” he says, “and have spent much of the last thirty years devising, shaping and reshaping story, and helping others tell their stories.”
He is available to work with writers in Stow as they assess existing and brainstorm future narrative.
My memory of Stow is of beauty, warmth, comfort and hard work. I stepped into the beautiful Benfield, received a pack with my name on it – notes, pen, bright yellow journal – and started growing my writing skills. Richard, your talks and notes, and the interesting discussions taught me a great deal about the living craft of writing. – Susan Bentley
I enjoyed the wonderful friendly attitude of everyone involved. It was obvious that I was a rank amateur among very seasoned writers. Despite that, I never once felt talked down to or intimidated. On the contrary, I felt respected and supported. It was a delight to be taken out of my comfort zone and made to consider things I never have before – Ralph Carr
The camaraderie of being with a group of like-minded people, and the knowledge that with Richard mentoring you, you’re not alone in your endeavours. All About Writing is a phenomenal resource for writers looking to hone their craft. I have come away with new insights and knowledge from every workshop or course I’ve attended. – Tracy Fox
COST
Non-residential
£325
Includes:
- Tuition
- Morning and afternoon teas
- Friday evening drinks and dinner
- Sunday lunch
Stow-on-the-Wold Writing Weekend
Sign up for a creative and stimulating weekend which will make a real and lasting difference to your writing
25 to 27 November 2022
The venue
The Old Stocks Inn
Stow-on-the -Wold
On top of lessons literary, you’ll have the delights of Stow-on-the-Wold literally on your doorstep.
So join our small group of like-minded writers, all passionate about writing – and all determined to have a thoroughly Stow weekend.
Who are we?
All About Writing was founded in 2007 by novelist Jo-Anne Richards, scriptwriter Richard Beynon and Trish Urquhart. We are passionate about writing and have devised our courses to help communicate that passion – plus the skills that make it all much more than an academic exercise – to others with a similar calling.
Richard Beynon is a story consultant and an award-winning film and television scriptwriter with a long and accomplished career. He has written for – or headed the storytelling teams of – many of South Africa’s most popular soaps, dramas and comedies. These include S’gudi snaysi, Going Up, Soul City, Isidingo, Scandal, Rhythm City and Isibaya. He has lectured on writing for film and television at Wits.
Jo-Anne Richards is an internationally published novelist with a PhD in Creative Writing from Wits University. Her first novel, The Innocence of Roast Chicken, was originally published by Headline Review in the UK, and has recently been rereleased as one of the prestigious Picador Africa Classics collection. She ran the Honours programme in Journalism & Media Studies at Wits University for fifteen years.
This year we’re back in Stow-on-the-Wold with a wide-ranging programme which will include discussions, writing exercises and prompts, and tightly focused sessions on particular writing skills, like:
- How to add a little gumption to a spineless protagonist
- How to create a robust story structure
- How to create a truly immersive experience for your reader
Use the weekend as a way of recharging your creative batteries or to accelerate your current writing project.
And you’ll take away skills that’ll stand you in good stead whatever you’re writing.
