At the heart of the finest memoir, travel book, biography and family history is a writer's passion. Here is your chance to explore your passions, obsessions or memories and to develop your work in a supportive and inspiring environment.

In 2022 I will host a small, intimate, weekend writing workshop in one of the most beautiful corners of England; an inspirational (deconsecrated) village church-cum-artists'-studio on the outskirts of the buzzing, mellow-stoned market town Sherborne on the edge of the Blackmore Vale in Dorset.

Over the weekend, through tutorials, discussions and exercises, I will offer detailed advice on motivation, starting points, structure, character and description of place, exploring the transformation of experience — our own and others' — into stories, articles and books. I'll underline the importance of writing from the heart to fill your creative work with feeling and excitement. Also each participant will have a one-to-one discussion with me to address individual concerns and help to draw out specific skills.

To make the most of the time the group will be kept small, and hence be suitable both for writers starting out and those working towards publication, so early booking is recommended.

The next @WriteInDorset weekend workshop will be held in late September 2022. Includes delicious light lunches conjured up from local produce as well as teas / coffees. Accommodation in Dorset can be found here in Sherborne and around the area. If wished, one individual (or couple) can stay in my home (extra charge).

The fee for the workshop is £275. A £100 deposit is required to secure a place. Early bird discount places at £245 are available for those who book and pay before July 2022.

Over the last 25 years I have tutored dozens of writing workshops at the Arvon Foundation, Scotland's Moniack Mhor and the Ty Newydd National Writers' Centre of Wales as well as in London, Berlin, Paris and Dublin. Past participants have successfully written and publish books and innumerable articles.

I also co-tutor with Nick Danziger an annual Monaco Creative Writing and Photography Workshop to be held in October 2022. For more details on either workshop, please drop me a line by clicking here or on the Contact button.

Participants’ comments from previous UK and Monaco workshops:

"A warm, welcoming and accepting place for writers -- experienced or not -- to find a voice and feel encouraged and inspired."

"A delight in itself. An inspiring and rich way to spend a weekend. A stimulus to get me going on my project. All fantastic!"

"Brilliant fun. Worth every penny, took my work to the next level. Would come back for more anytime."

"From the tasks you set, the advice and expertise you offered, and particularly from the 1:1 conversations, I gained a deeper sense of purpose, a greater sense of challenge, and a far more enriched repertoire to both meet that challenge and satisfy this sense of purpose. Thank you."

"Inspiring, motivating, a great incubator for ideas and self-exploration"

"Wise guidance in a quiet, comfortable atmosphere with a group of wonderful, supporting writers; beautiful surroundings and delicious food. Intense, valuable, nourishing for soul and story-telling fingers."

May 2019 workshop participants (plus Rory and Katrin) at Haydon Church, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5JB