Let’s Go Write By the Sea
Join us for a deep dive into the elements of your story
Novel or memoir, essay or short story collection; beginner or seasoned writer – all are welcome!
Two sessions: September 1-8, 2018, or September 15-22, 2018
THE WORKSHOP:
We’ll have six full days of writing in the colorful town of Collioure. With the foothills of the Pyrenees on one side and the Mediterranée on the other, Collioure is perfectly situated. It’s beautiful too – photographs of its waterfront and phallic bell tower adorn the cover of many a travel guide.
There are also the requisite cobbled side streets and nearby cliff-top hiking trails.
Every morning we’ll meet from 9:30 to 12:30 for the “class” portion of the experience – a basic workshop format of mini-lectures from Debbie and Charlotte, in-class writing exercises, and discussion of the pieces each of you will submit. (Yes, we will give you writing assignments at the end of class each day. Even in paradise, there is work to be done – see photo below.) We’ll also assign a couple of books for you to read ahead of time. In class we’ll discuss the elements of story in the assigned books.
Day One Saturday September 1/ September 15: Arrive in Collioure and settle in. The train from either Paris or Barcelona stops in town and our houses will be walking distance from the station. Someone will meet you at the station to guide you to your home for the week. We’ll spend Saturday getting acclimated and getting to know each other, with a festive dinner in town or at home, depending on the group’s choice.
Day Two Sunday, September 2 / September 16: Character. Who is your central character – how do you see her, how do you present her on the page? We’ll consider some of the many ways to work with character to develop and enhance your story.
Day Three Monday, September 3 / September 17: Setting. Where does your story take place? How do you make it real for the reader? How can you best integrate the setting into your story?
Day Four Tuesday, September 4 / September 18: Theme. What’s it all about, anyway? One writer has explained theme thus: “Plot is the events of story; theme is the meaning behind or revealed by story.” We’ll have a day when we explore how a theme emerges.
Day Five Wednesday, September 5 / September 19: Structure part one. How do you put your story together? We’ll spend one day looking at traditional structures: the classic three-act structure, the Hero’s Journey, etc.
Day Six Thursday, September 6 / September 20: Structure part two. Sometimes the best way to structure a story is not in a linear fashion. We’ll discuss the pleasures and pains of less conventional ways to structure your story.
Day Seven Friday, September 7 / September 21: Revision! A crucial piece of the process often overlooked in workshops. We’ll talk about both the big-picture and the fine-tuning aspects of revision, and give you a chance to rewrite of one of the pieces you’ve submitted to the workshop.
Day Eight Saturday, September 8 / September 22: Time to leave.
Middle Week September 8 to 15: In past years, several students have opted to spend another week in whatever little piece of paradise we’ve chosen. If you’d like to stay an extra week in Collioure in 2018, please let us know immediately. First to commit get a room in one of our lovely houses!
YOUR LEADERS:
Debbie Guyol (dguyol@aol.com) teaches creative writing in the Mature Learning Program at Clark College, where she has inspired scores of students since 2002 and edited an anthology of student writing called Elderberry Wine Vintage 2010. Debbie is also a lawyer who has practiced in New York City and Portland. She is the co-author of The Complete Guide to Contract Lawyering, as well as articles for legal publications. Her co-authored book Pride and Prejudice and Kitties was published by Skyhorse Publishing in April 2013.
Charlotte Rains Dixon (chardixon@comcast.net), a writer and writing coach, teaches at the Writer’s Loft in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Room to Write at the Scarritt Bennett center in Nashville. Charlotte has also ghostwritten over a dozen books on diverse topics. Among her work-for-hire projects are The Complete Guide to Writing Successful Fundraising Letters, Beautiful America’s Oregon, and Beautiful America’s Wyoming. Her long list of magazine credits includes pieces for Vogue Knitting, The Oregonian and Stepping Out Magazine. Her MFA in Creative Writing is from Spalding University. Charlotte’s novel, Emma Jean’s Bad Behavior, was published by Vagabondage Press in February 2013. http://www.wordstrumpet.com/
TESTIMONIALS – 2018 will be our sixth year presenting workshops in France. Our students have loved our sojourns – Céret in 2013, Pézenas in 2014, Collioure in 2015, back to Céret in 2016, Collioure again in 2017. The writing has been good too!
Renee Soasey says: “Debbie and Charlotte have a way of nudging and nurturing writers to new horizons, and they create an atmosphere of camaraderie into the bargain. I felt each of us at the workshop in Céret made real progress in our writing goals – and we had so much fun doing it! The town of Céret and our wonderful accommodations made a charming backdrop to indulge in not only writing, but fabulous wine and food topped off with laughter and friendly conversation. I can’t wait to do it again!”
Jenni Gainsborough says: “Céret was the perfect place for a writing retreat – so different from home, fascinating in its culture and history, it sparked creativity. Yet the beauty of its setting and its tranquil pace of life made it easy to focus on writing. And when I needed a break there was so much to see and enjoy and be reinspired by. The camaraderie of the group added so much – listening to other people’s work was inspiring and their interest in and insightful comments about my writing were so helpful and encouraging. And we had fun! Leisurely dinners with wine and conversation flowing freely were our reward for days of hard work.”
Albert Bouffard has joined us all five previous years: “The Let’s Go Write experience in France, with its collegial and congenial spirit, enriched me, and I have no doubt, all the participants. The writing almost palpably improved; acquaintances became friends; and entrenched habits broke open, as we bumped up against another cultural and linguistic tradition. Not a bad thing for writers. And I can’t forget the good food, excellent cooks and the waiters and waitresses who so often entertained us with un sens de l’humour. As my young grand daughter would say: ‘How cool is that, Papa!’”
AND THEY LOVE US!
“Charlotte is warm, personable, and real. Her ideas work.” Zan Marie Steadham
“Debbie’s classes are inspirational, educational and a lot of fun.” Helen Cartales
“I attend every workshop Charlotte and Debbie offer, as my schedule allows. I come away from each of these workshops feeling inspired, energized, smarter, and highly motivated.” Dawn Montgomery
Questions? Contact Debbie: dguyol@aol.com Charlotte: chardixon@comcast.net
THE DETAILS:
Cost: The price is $1900 until December 31, 2017; after that it goes up to $1975. We require a $300 deposit on registration and complete payment by May 31, 2018. The program is limited to eight participants. If your spouse or partner wants to come along, there will be an additional charge. The price for a couple who will share a room and both take the workshop is $2850, or $2750 before December 31, 2017. The price of the program covers lodging, tuition, breakfast and four dinners. Lunch and other dinners are flexible – a mix of meals at home and in restaurants– with the cost shared among participants.
The housing cost for the middle week (September 8-15) is shared equally among everyone who stays for that week, and will be determined once we’ve made our final housing payments. In past years it has hovered around $500 per bedroom.
How to apply: Send us a short statement (250 words or fewer) about where you are in your writing now and why you would like to join the workshop and what you hope to get out of it. Please also tell us whether you prefer the week of September 1-8 or 15-22. Once either week is full, only the other week will be available.
What to expect: Please bring a computer with word processing capability. The houses where we stay have internet access; you will be expected to send your writing to other class members each day via email. We will discuss student writing as a group, focusing on each day’s subject matter. We encourage constructive discussion of how to improve the writing.
Physical fitness: Okay, we won’t make you do pushups or run a marathon, but you should be aware that there will be stairs, there will be hills and there will be walking. It’s not terribly strenuous, but be advised.
Transportation: We will rent cars to use as needed for grocery shopping and short excursions.
Cancellation policy: The $300 deposit is not refundable. Once you have paid the balance of the cost, we will provide a full refund (less deposit) if you cancel before June 30. If you cancel thereafter there is no refund unless you find a replacement student for us.
Travel Insurance: It’s relatively inexpensive; we strongly recommend you purchase it. Allianz is one company we’ve used; MH Ross Advantage plan is recommended by our travel agent friend.
