Imagine, Dream, Live like a French Person: Write in the South of France

Immerse yourself in the life of a French town – while putting words on the page. We spend seven nights, six full days, in the charming Catalonian town of Céret. It’s nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees and the sparkling Mer Mediterranée is a mere 34 kilometers away. We love this town with its medieval walls and giant plane trees, its modern art museum and bustling Saturday market, its bakeries and bistros. We also love the region, famous for wine, seafood, ruined castles and artists of the early 20th century.

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Every morning we’ll meet from 9:30 to noon for the “class” portion of the experience. We’ll have a group cocktail hour around 5:30, so from noon till then you can eat, sleep, read, write and explore as you wish. In the course of the week we’ll also organize a couple of optional side trips to nearby points of interest. Three charming Mediterranean towns are only about half an hour away; incredible Cathar castle ruins are farther; Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals are sprinkled liberally throughout the region. We’ll try not to get carried away.

Day One – Saturday, September 5 or 12: Arrive in Céret and settle in. The train from either Paris or Barcelona stops in nearby Perpignan; we’ll arrange transportation from there to Céret. We’ll spend Saturday getting acclimated and getting to know each other, with a festive dinner at home or at a restaurant, depending on the group’s choice.

Day Two – Sunday, September 6 or 13: The theme for the day is inspiration – every writer needs it! Simply finding yourself in a foreign environment can seriously spark inspiration, but we’ll also talk about various other sources: memories, fantasies, dreams, landscape, art and architecture. And there will be writing exercises to apply your inspiration.

Day Three – Monday, September 7 or 14: We’ll focus on character in fiction and nonfiction. What are your character’s motives, problems, excuses, wants and needs? How can you use dialog and action to develop character? Writing exercises – yes.

Day Four – Tuesday, September 8 or 15: Let’s think about plot and structure. We’ll look at various definitions of plot and different theories of story structure, then discuss how they work together in your narrative.

Day Five – Wednesday, September 9 or 16: A day devoted to setting: how does it interact with character and plot? What’s the best way to present it on the page?

Day Six – Thursday, September 10 or 17: A big-picture day, when we consider the basic elements of narrative: scene, summary, commentary. How do we balance the elements? Can we do without any of them? We’ll also think about themes and how they emerge.

Day Seven – Friday, September 11 or 18: The art and science of revision. Revisit your dreams, your writing goals, the work you’ve done the past week. We’ll also cover fine- tuning your work and matters of style.

Day Eight – Saturday, September 12 or 19: Time to leave our enchanted village – preferably after more market-day excitement. We’ll arrange for your transport back to Perpignan.

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. She is represented by Erin Niumata at Folio Literary. Visit her website here.

THE DETAILS:

Cost: The price is $2100 if you register by January 31, 2020; after that it goes up to $2200. We require a $400 deposit on registration and complete payment by May 31, 2020. 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 $3100, or $3000 before January 31, 2019.

We offer repeat students a discount – $2000 if you register by January 31; $2100 if you register thereafter.

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.

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 7-14 or 21-28. The program is limited to eight participants. 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 $400 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.

Contact us: chardixon@comcast.net or dguyol@aol.com

Portland workshops

Refresh, Renew, Retreat: Four One-Day Workshops

We offered a one-day retreat back in March and many writers said they’d love to do it again, even on a regular basis. So we’re offering a Saturday retreat each month from May through August. Participants got tons of writing done and enjoyed writerly camaraderie throughout the day. There’s something really energizing about writing in a group!

–Working on a project?
–Need a boost?
–Crave time away to devote to your writing?

Come Write With Us!

Our plan for the day:
–Get acquainted: meet your fellow writers and learn about their work.
–Take a prompt or a writing exercise! We’ll provide you with a whole bunch so you can choose one tailored to your project or your needs.
–Write write write, then check back in with us and write some more.
–Communal lunch and free-range discussion – problems, questions, triumphs?
–Have a goal for the afternoon, keep writing.
–Reconvene for a dash of instruction, precise subject TBA.
–Really? More writing!
–One-on-one consult with Debbie or Charlotte at some time during the day.

THE DETAILS:

May 18, June 15, July 20, August 17, 2019 9:30 am to 4:30 pm
Taborspace 5441 SE Belmont St. Portland, OR 97215
$97 including lunch; 8-student limit

http://letsgowrite.com
Debbie: dguyol@aol.com Charlotte: chardixon@comcast.net

Portland workshops

New Half-Day Workshops

Let’s Go Write presents TWO HALF-DAY WORKSHOPS

May 5, 2018 – MOTIVATION

Everything starts with character!

–What motivates your characters?
–How do you suss out your characters’ motivations?(May be harder than it sounds!)
–How do you show motivation on the page?
–How do motivations affect your plot and drive your story? i Bonus: what motivates you as a writer?

May 19, 2018 – ALL ABOUT THE ARC

The narrative has an arc, the character has an arc, and every scene has an arc too. Let’s explore!

–Write a beginning that foreshadows the arc of the story i Character arcs – how do your characters change?
–Create arcs in scenes and chapters
–Is anything exempt from the rule of the arc

–Make all the arcs fit together

THE DETAILS:

1:30 to 4:30 pm at TaborSpace Library, 5441 SE Belmont St., Portland, Oregon 97215 $47 per session; $80 for both
twelve-student limit
Contact: Debbie: dguyol@aol.com Charlotte: chardixon@comcast.net

Collioure Past France Workshops

Secrets of Story: France 2017

SECRETS OF STORY

WRITE IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE

September 2017 (Two Sessions this year, 2nd-9th, and 16th-23rd)

We’ll stay seven nights, six full days, 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.

collioure-france-languedoc-1375029-h

There are also the requisite cobbled side streets, picturesque vistas, and inviting town squares.

collioure-steps

collioure-cliffside-houses collioure-square

THE WORKSHOP:

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.) 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.

We’ll have a group cocktail hour each day around 6:00, so from 12:30 till then you can eat, sleep, write and explore as you wish. Time permitting, we may organize an optional side trip or two to nearby points of interest. The region is rich with Roman and medieval ruins, Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals, beaches, vineyards, and vistas painted by Matisse or Dérain or Soutine.

Day One Saturday September 2: 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. Saturday is market day in Collioure so you might want to check into a nearby hotel the night before to experience a wonderful French market fully. 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 3: 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 4: Setting. Where does your story take place? How do you make it real for the reader?

Day Four Tuesday, September 5: 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 6: 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 7: 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 8: 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 9: Time to leave.

Week Two: Unless you’d rather stay! 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 2017, please let us know immediately.

Week Three: September 16 to 23 we will repeat the workshop.

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 – 2017 will be our fifth year presenting workshops in France. Our students have loved our sojourns – Céret in 2013, Pézenas in 2014, Collioure in 2015, back to C`éret in 2016. 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 four 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 six year old 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, or Charlotte, chardixon@comcast.net

Cost: The price is $1900 until December 31^st, 2016; after that it goes up to $1975. We require a $300 deposit on registration and complete payment by May 31, 2017. The program is limited to eight participants. If your spouse or partner wants to come along, there will be a small additional charge. 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 DETAILS:

The housing cost for week two (September 9-16) 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 let us know whether you prefer the week of September 2-9 or 16-23.

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.

How to Write a Book Portland workshops

Portland Workshop: How To Write a Book 2.0

Another workshop successfully completed! Next up comes Secrets of Publishing this fall. Stay tuned!

Our day-long workshops on March 21 and June 27 were great, with participants getting insights into the writing process and their individual projects. We’re planning an encore in winter or spring of 2016, so read on to see what we covered in past events.

Let’s Go Write presents

HOW TO WRITE A BOOK 2.0

A One-day Workshop

You have an idea for a book, or

You’ve started writing one, or

You’ve written a bunch – 50 pages or even 100 –

BUT:

You feel lost or confused, or

You don’t know how you’ll finish the book, or

You fear it will be a mess if you manage to finish it.

WE CAN HELP!

Our workshop will guide you through

1. Summing up the main idea:

Identify an idea that will see you through the long haul
Find a theme
Let your main idea sprout related ideas (you need a lot of ideas for a book)

2. Identifying characters and conflicts:

Fun ways to get to know your characters
And understand their problems

3. Figuring out beginnings and endings:

The inciting incident
Lay out fireworks and set them off

4. Finding a path from here to there:

Different ways to structure the book
The dreaded middle

5. Doing it your way:

Find time to write
Make a plan

THE DETAILS: June 27, 2015, 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. $89 including lunch. We’ll meet at Tabor Space, 5441 SE Belmont St., Portland, Oregon 97215

To sign up, email Debbie: dguyol@aol.com or Charlotte: chardixon@comcast.net.

Testimonials!

“Your class was very helpful! I took a lot of notes and got a lot of ideas from what others were saying, even if it wasn’t about my story. . . . Thanks again for offering this to me. I would do it again.” Kathy

“Thank you for such a lovely day, both of you are delightful and offered us all so much inspiration. I’m excited to see where my story goes.” Susan

“Thank you so much for a wonderful workshop! It was very well organized and informative but with a nice, relaxed air. I learned so much from both of you and also from the other attendees.” Cheryl

“It was wonderful. You two are great workshop leaders/teachers and the group was such an inspiration to me. ” Leigh

“I enjoyed the workshop – the interaction with other participants and the information presented along with the handouts. A plan of action for my short stories is in the making!” Robert

Past France Workshops Pezenas

Pictures from Pezenas, our 2014 Workshop

The 2014 Let’s Go Write workshop was held in Pezenas, France, a charming town full of cobblestone streets, wonderful restaurants, and cute shops. Here are some photos: