writing hints and tips

WOOHOO! Well that last retreat was just about the best fun you can have in the woods. As usual, the magic of a group of women coming together began as soon as we arrived, with everyone chipping in to help set up and show newbies around. My favourite moment from the first night was when, after the first pair of writers who’d met at a previous retreat introduced each other as “my friend”, the rest of the group did exactly the same. Even people who’d only just met fifteen minutes earlier. So right from the start we were a group of friends.

Our bunk bed cubby houses worked perfectly and everyone had plenty of room to spread out and much needed privacy. Not that most of us spent much time sleeping.

I’ve never seen such a group of avid writers, staying up into the wee hours working on projects after being inspired by the workshops, then up early again writing and talking about their projects with the others. That’s how these retreats work – writers helping writers. New writers benefiting from the experience of those of us who’ve been at it a while and us more jaded folk getting a boost from the enthusiasm of those just starting out.

It rained and rained and we writers revelled in it. Perfect weather for writers and ducks – but not so good for this baby bird who was tossed out of its nest and became our mascot for the weekend.

Mum and Dad bird kept it well fed and it was growing feathers fast!

Like this baby bird we started growing new feathers too and testing our writing wings with lots of writing exercises to get those creative juices flowing. It’s amazing what comes out when you’re not censoring yourself.

We made each other cry and laugh with our stories and delved into the nitty gritty of crafting beautiful sentences and books too. I’m a little obsessed with structure 🙂

We unwound with yoga and a special movement session with Monique De Goey who has a fabulous self care workshop coming up soon. Monique also treated us to amazing massages that had people floating around for some hours afterwards looking a little drunk!

Apart from the joy of watching people make firm new writing friends, and supporting and nurturing each other as we tested those new wings, the highlight for me was dance night with Lalita. She brings such joy with her, along with her fabulous flowers and dresses and scarves and, this time as a special surprise, gymnastic ribbons!!

Best of all was a moment when I looked up and saw everyone totally blissed out twirling their ribbons to Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights! Magic!

As usual our camp finished up with creating collages. As with the writing, there were no rules so it was fascinating to see how everyone made something unique. Lift the flaps collage, front and back collages, limits? No limits collages.

It was such a joy to be able to facilitate this retreat – the first of the craziness of 2020. Our pleasure in being together was multiplied tenfold because of the separation we’ve all endured this year. I was again reminded of the importance of connection, of human interaction in real life, lifting each other up, comforting each other.

Such a precious gift.

THANK YOU to all the wonderful women who come along on my retreats. I feel like I come away with new friends every time.

NEXT RETREAT is in beautiful Springbrook in the Gold Coast hinterland at the Theosophical Society Retreat centre December 11 – 13. EARLY BIRD PRICES close soon – so HURRY if you’d like a spot. All the details about this FEEDBACK AND REVISION RETREAT are available here. Any questions just contact me.

These retreats have a magic of their own. The magic of creative women coming together never fails to astound me. How powerful we are together.

Come along and join the fun. Make new writing friends and dedicate time and energy to your writing dreams.

Have fun until we meet again. Write like furies!

Lots of love

Edwina xx

A wise writer once said that grief is the primary impetus for writing. It is certainly what forced me to sit down and bring the stories out of my head and onto the page back when I started writing in 2002.

Through writing out the pain of my losses I began to heal.

By reimagining the circumstances and outcomes of my losses, I was able to glimpse another way of being.

By helping others to write out the pain of their hearts, my own heart began to mend.

We write to bear witness to our own pain, to leave a mark for those we love who didn’t have the time or inclination or the power to make their own. As writers we have the power to do all this.

We can free ourselves from the endless reruns of traumatic moments in our lives by recording them on the page. But even more than this, by applying the magic of the imagination to the unchangeable facts of our losses, we can transform these stories into meaning. We can create hope and joy where perhaps none existed.

Better yet, the power of the imagination is so strong that the brain, after a while, can no longer differentiate between memories and our imaginings so our gentler, kinder, more hopefully imaginings begin to temper the trauma of the truth.

I have always written to search out or create meaning from the losses in my life. And it has worked.

I write my way into being. I write my way through emotions I can’t understand. By finding the right words, by giving my story structure and form, by giving my pain to imagined characters, I am able to leave behind my attachment to these stories of loss.

I am able to create beauty from what had previously only felt like ugliness.

So write! Write out your pain. Reimagine the stories you tell yourself and transform them. Create beauty from the darkness.

That is our power as writers.

“To see that your life is a story while you’re in the middle of living it may be a help to living it well.”

Ursula Le Guin, Gifts

If you need help getting started or are floundering in grief and need a helping hand, I’ve just released my new book A Guide Through Grief, which I hope will help you through.

You can buy it directly from Amazon as an eBook or Print on Demand if you are outside Australia, eBook only within Australia.

If you’d like a hard copy here in Australia just CONTACT ME and I’ll send you one. Soon you’ll be able to purchase directly from my website.

“Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the self-same well from which your laughter rises is oftentimes filled with tears. And how else can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy it can contain.”

Kah l il Gibran

Sending lots of love your way,

Edwina xxx