SUNSHINE SMILES ON SPRINGBROOK

August 18, 2023 / Edwina Shaw / Leave a comment

The retreat gang – August 2023

Yes! We’ve been holding retreats in the misty mountain rainforest of Springbrook for several years now, and it’s always been cloudy, if not pelting down rain. But this time for our latest retreat, the sun shone bright and beautiful for our whole weekend for the annual FEEDBACK AND REVISION SECOND DRAFT RETREAT– a special blessing!

How wonderful it was to see new writing buddies clustering together on blankets out in the sun, writers propped up against tree trunks scribbling in journals, others basking on rugs dozing and daydreaming of their stories.

We started early on Friday for this retreat, with more time for solo writing in the afternoon before our welcome and first workshop where we drilled down into the heart of our stories and worked on our story premises and the all-important central quest or question. A delicious home cooked dinner, provided by our unstoppable Chief Cookie and talented writer Gay Liddington, filled our bellies, followed by fireside chats and early to bed. The mountain was chilly once the sun went down but we were cosy and warm with our electric blankets and the fire in the hall.

Saturday on these weekend retreats is always busy, packed full of workshops, individual and group feedback sessions and yoga. Early birds started with yoga to calm and centre ourselves and prepare for creative outpourings. The workshop focused on structure and how to create narrative drive, because if we can’t keep readers turning pages, we’re not doing our job as writers. We brainstormed ideas as a group and in smaller feedback buddy gangs and learnt about how to use sequences to break the huge jigsaw puzzle of full length MSs into smaller more manageable sections.

After Gay’s amazing Cauliflower Bake for lunch, we had excursions to the waterfall lookout, individual feedback sessions and feedback groups, and miraculous and deeply healing bodywork treatments by Monique De Goey who sorted us all out and tended to problem areas.

In the evening, we wound down and got out of our busy heads with some yoga breathing exercises – pranayama – that had us all floating over to the hall for dinner. Indian feasting was in order, followed by chocolate brownies for dessert, readings around the fire and for the night owls a bonfire with ghost stories that had them all planning to sleep in the same room! Sausages!!

Sunday started with yoga, with guest teacher Monique showing us ways to release tension through our shoulders and arms – much needed for those of us typing away all day, every day. Sunday’s workshop covered Publishing Pathways, writing a synopsis and a pitch, goal setting and my favourite – collage! My phone battery died on camp so I don’t have the traditional collage photos, but we have lots of laughing group shots instead.

I love hosting these retreats. I am always reminded that it’s the process not the product that’s most important. Repeat retreater and talented prose writer, Liana Brown, wrote her first poem, which flicked the switch in my head from despairing over a recent rejection to relishing the joy of being a writer, a creative artist surrounded by and assisting other artists, to create our best work and live our best lives. Here’s Liana’s poem. I hope it inspires you too.

Liana busily writing and planning. Index cards anyone?

UNFINISHED

By Liana Brown

I am a work of art, only unfinished.

I am a block of marble at which to chip way

I am the dawn, noon, and dusk of another day

I am spinning on a potter’s wheel, a curvaceous vase of clay

And you may look upon me, a work in progress, and say:

‘Who do you think you are?’

And I will reply:

I am a work of art, only

Unfinished

I am a sonnet, an aria, a love story untold

I am the red pen, strikethrough, italics and bold

I am a hit Broadway play without a ticket yet sold

And you may hear me, a 27^th draft, and scold:

‘Who do you think you are?’

And I will reply:

I am a work of love, only

Unfinished

I am a canvas on which paint will never dry

I am a one-woman tango where I will stumble on every try

I am a plane out of gas writing in the sky

And you may roll your eyes, and ask why I even try

And I’ll reply:

I am unfinished.

Finished, never will I be.

And for all of us unfinished

The beauty is that we are free

Free to crack the marble, warp the clay

Free to fail, to learn, to go on day after day

Free to toil, to our hearts’ content

Until our writing is backwards and paintbrushes are bent

Because I am exactly what I want to be:

I am unfinished.

Beautifully, magically, ravenousl-.

We are writers, published or not. It is the act of writing that makes us so. Our desire to examine life and the human condition more closely and make sense of it all through words. Our capacity to create beauty from even the greatest pain is what makes us all artists/writers, finished or not!

Feedback from retreaters:

“Edwina creates amazing writing and creative experiences. I’m proudly a repeat retreater and will be back again. I feel refreshed and ready for the next stage of my writing journey.” Karina Ames

“A luscious and rejuvenating retreat. Thoughtful workshops, yoga and nourishing food. Thank you!” Naomi Alexander

“Edwina has a wonderful ability to create a safe, creative space to learn, laugh, be nurtured and inspired to step into our individual writer’s voices.” Dolores Cummins

The memoir retreat is in Springbrook again – Come on Sunshine! – October 20 -22. It is almost totally full but if you’re super keen drop me a line and pay your deposit ASAP to take the very last spot.

Gay and other retreaters reminded me that these retreats are much more than just “writing retreats”.

They are holistic, restorative retreats for writers, a place where your writing is important but nurturing you as a person is equally so.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! HEAVENLY HOI AN!!

Are you ready to reboot your writing and your whole life? The adventure of a lifetime? Join my talented friend, Kerstin Pilz and me in VIETNAM in February (cool season in Vietnam) for a week-long rejuvenation of your writing and your creative soul. From February 2 – 7 in beautiful Hoi An, a delightful, ancient, seaside town, far from the madding crowds of the major centres, Kerstin and I will be hosting a small group retreat with yoga every morning, workshops covering all aspects of writing – whether memoir or fiction, providing feedback, winding down with pranayama, leading excursions down the river to the markets, divining the future with tarot, cooking up a Vietnamese storm with cooking classes, reading, relaxing and exploring and writing writing writing. COME AND JOIN US! Your creative spirit deserves this special treat.

Not only that, plans are underway for a small group to travel together after retreat. So if you’ve always wanted to see Vietnam but didn’t want to go on your own, then join us for the inspiration and nurturing of retreat then join our group of participants traveling onwards in company. Sound like the answer to your prayers? It is!! Check out all the info HERE and book in soon. Early bird prices end in September.

Kerstin and I are the perfect team, and you’ll benefit from two experienced, published authors, fun facilitators and insightful yoga teachers. Don’t wait too long, places are already filling fast. You deserve this treat. Put yourself top of your TO DO list for once and book in now.

These week-long retreats are open to all 🙂

Don’t keep saying, “One day”. This is your day. Your life. Enjoy the ride!

Lots of love

Edwina xx

REBOOT YOUR WRITING MOJO IN 7 DAYS!

June 28, 2023December 9, 2024 / Edwina Shaw / Leave a comment

The lovely Natasha Cox (writer and editor) at our recent Blissful Bali Retreat

Hit a wall with your writing? Is your novel or memoir going pear-shaped? Has your idea tank been on empty a while now? Can’t squeeze out another word? If so, you’re suffering from writer’s block, or burnout. A lot of us keep pushing and striving but there comes a point when we all need a breather, even from something we love to do – like writing.

EMERGENCY REBOOT AVAILABLE AT THE NEXT RELAX AND WRITE RETREAT! Springbrook 11-13 August.

Don’t worry, you don’t necessarily need a retreat (though these work like magic). You can get your writing mojo back, and it doesn’t take ages either.

Here’s my 7 DAY PLAN to regaining your creative spark.

You may need a hug to get you started.

DAY 1

STOP WRITING DAY!

Yes, I mean it. Put that pen down. Close your laptop, put away your keyboard and stop even trying to put a word on the page. LET IT GO! (Everything except your daily journal, that is)

While you’re at it STOP READING, STOP SCROLLING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, STOP LISTENING TO PODCASTS and STOP WATCHING CRAP TV (my own secret weakness). Do this for the entire week! If you really can’t go to sleep without reading then reread a classic you love.

The idea is to create a void. Nature abhors a vacuum so when you stop reading and writing and filling your mind with a mile a minute images and words, your own creative ideas will rush in to fill that gap.

What to do instead? Garden, cook, rearrange the furniture, do a drawing, sing a song, give yourself a pampering session, talk to a friend, go for a walk, stare at the moon (or howl at it if you feel really bad!)

Dorothea Lange: Dyanna lying on her back in the grass circa 1961

DAY 2

AFFIRMATIONS DAY.

I love affirmations, they are the best tool I know to help overcome negative thought patterns that no longer serve us. Chances are if you’ve been writing a while, you’ve faced more than the average person’s share of rejection and criticism. Writers in general are sensitive souls, so these rejections and criticisms hit hard. The best affirmations are those you create yourself based on the opposite of the negative thoughts that are holding you back.

Eg: I’m a crap writer. Antidote: I AM A GOOD WRITER

I’ll never get published. Antidote: MY WORK IS PUBLISHED SUCCESSFULLY

My ideas are stupid. Antidote: I HAVE LOTS OF GREAT IDEAS FOR STORIES

I’m not clever enough to be a writer. Antidote: I AM AN INTELLIGENT AND CAPABLE WRITER

Examine your thoughts around the project you’re working on and devise some specific antidotes for those. Then write them out 10 times each, each day. And repeat them whenever a negative thought comes into your head. You can use these like mantras.

One of my all time favourite affirmations for writers is I AM CONFIDENT AND CAPABLE IN MY CREATIVE WORK. I CREATE EASILY AND FREELY. MY VOICE IS IMPORTANT. I DESERVE TO BE HEARD. I EXPRESS MYSELF WITH EASE. WRITING IS EASY AND FUN.

Repeat every day.

DAY 3

EXCURSION DAY

Take yourself on an excursion. Julia Cameron in her timeless, wonderful book The Artist’s Way calls these outings ARTIST DATES. When you get busy, these are the first activities that drop off the TO DO list. But they shouldn’t be! More and more I am realising just how vital these dates with ourselves are to refill our creative wells. You don’t have to go alone, but you’ll get more out of them if you do.

Some ideas for excursions: a walk somewhere you’ve never been before, a swim in the sea or a waterhole, or even the local pool, a second hand store trip to search for bargains, a visit to an old friend you haven’t see in ages, a museum visit, or an art gallery, or a trip down the river on a ferry, or a shopping trip to town, or a movie, or just lie on the grass and stare at the clouds.

DAY 4

EMPTY YOUR MIND DAY

Empty your mind! It may feel empty of ideas and writing right now but I guarantee you it’s full of a whole lot of other crappy thoughts, usually self-critical. If you’re not used to meditating just sit and breathe for 5 minutes, only 5 minutes!

Breathe in for a count, feeling the breath come in cool through your nostrils, then breathe out for the same count, feeling the breath leave the body warm.

If you find this tricky try one of my quick guided breathing practices. HUMMING BREATH with running water sounds or my CLEARING YOUR MIND meditation or you can find plenty of other guided meditations on Youtube or Insight Timer or similar you may find useful.

Make this a part of every day. First thing in the morning or last thing at night works best, or anytime your mind is freaking out!

DAY 5

EAVESDROPPING DAY

Eavesdrop! Eavesdropping is an important skill for writers. Take a trip somewhere on public transport, put your earbuds in, but don’t listen to anything, except the conversations of people around you. Go to a café and sit sipping on a drink for a long time, flapping your ears in the direction of any interesting discussions. Snippets of conversation are great for spinning off into stories later (you are allowed to jot down notes in your journal – but don’t do anything with them – yet!)

DAY 6

WHAT’S THEIR STORY? DAY

In the same vein as eavesdropping but even more fun. Again go somewhere you can people watch and make up stories about the people you see. What’s their story? Where are they going? What secrets do they have? I always like to play “If these were the only people left on earth, who would be leader, who would be the bad guy, who would be the first one eaten? Etc” A bit gruesome perhaps but fun. Remember to PLAY!

DAY 7

FINGER PAINTING DAY.

Grab a scrap book or some big sheets of paper and some cheap paint and go all kindergarten. Put an apron or old shirt over your clothes, use an ice-cream lid as your pallet, and get your fingers into the paint. Smear that stuff all over the paper, all over yourself if you like. Have fun with it! The idea is to let our inner child creator out to play. Make a mess. Art doesn’t have to be high art all the time. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece or even turn out well, it can just be for FUN! Remember why we started writing in the first place? Because it was fun! When we put too much pressure on our writing and ourselves it’s easy to forget that.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

OK, the week is up! Not so hard was it. Maybe it was even a little bit fun. Maybe you’re feeling better? I hope so.

TIME TO WRITE AGAIN!

Take the attitude from finger painting, pick up your pen or your keyboard and WRITE! Play around with some of the conversations you overheard, or some of the people you imagined lives for. MUCK AROUND AND PLAY with your writing. Have fun.

The next step is to take that playful attitude and APPLY it to your WORK IN PROGRESS. It’s just playing after all, no pressure. Happy accidents, story insights, epiphanies and beautiful writing happen when we remove the heavy weight of our expectations of perfection.

I hope my 7 day writing mojo reboot works for you! It does the trick for me.

NEED SOME EXTRA HELP? EMERGENCY REBOOT AVAILABLE AT THE NEXT RELAX AND WRITE RETREAT! Springbrook 11-13 August.

Let me know how you go!

Lots of love

Edwina xxx

Share this:

Share this: