My next retreat will take place at A Place to Write in Wales in June. Please PM me for more details.
From time to time Emily has holds Writing Workshops. These are small group meetings where she is able to teach, encourage and enable your writing gift. Previous workshops have been held in London and North Wales. Follow Emily on Facebook or keep an eye on this page
Please find below, information from some of the writing courses I have taught.
Week 1. Exploring the Why and the Why not?
Why do you want to write?
How and when do you want to write? Valuing your writing.
Creating the write environment – life maps
Writing times and targets
Week 2. Finding Your Voice
What do you want to write about?
What are your passions and preoccupations? Taking note.
What’s the big idea? Finding stories within and without through experimentation and writing triggers
Week 3. Getting Going
How do you sustain your writing work?
Ignoring the critic and getting going
Discover what you want to write about and the best form for you, through writing exercises and critical feedback
Week 4.
Developing your idea into a narrative
When to let it be and when to cut shape and polish
Opening yourself up: reading your work aloud and receiving critical feedback
Sustaining a writing practice
Given the variety of topics covered, the sessions are suitable for writers of all types: authors, poets, playwrights, copywriters, and content writers.
In the writing sessions, I will be helping you to develop and sustain a writing practice that works for you. We will look at how to source, research, and develop material as well as examine elements of craft, structure, style, and voice, as well as looking at the basics of grammar and punctuation and how to craft a good sentence. I will also help you to read critically and dissect textual material so that you will better know what not to do, which in turn will help you know what to do.
In the editing and publishing seminars, we will look at the publishing market and trends, in both traditional, indie, and self-publishing, and how to get your manuscript in shape for publication – the process of drafting and editing. We will look at what editors and publishers expect, how to write a great pitch or a synopsis, and how to give yourself your best possible chance of breaking into the book market in order to actually sell books. That pesky, yet vital area of marketing will be covered – in the marketing seminar: how to market your books, and also how to write marketing materials that are standard in the book trade if you are going to self-publish.
Please inbox me for more details or to let me know what suits you and to register your interest or reserve a slot. Emily can arrange for one to one personal tutoring to help with any aspect of your writing. These can be done via WhatsApp, Facebook Meeting Room or Facetime. Please contact Emily for details and information on how to sign up.
As well as an award-winning author, Emily is also an established literary (novels and poetry) and academic editor. She has provided a full editing service for and published seven books, and her edited work has appeared in many academic journals and books. She regularly edits work for academics in the social anthropology sector, and her regular clients include Dr. Simon Richard Hillman (Engineering) and Dr. Judit Durst (Social Anthropologist and Chair at UCL in London). She has worked on Business Proposal for a luxury resort in Malaysia and helps students with their essays and proposals; the fields of aerospace engineering, music and literature, and the arts amongst them.
For more information please contact Emily at, [email protected]
Feedback from Emily’s Workshops
I love Emily’s writing workshops – I think they are very relaxed but extremely productive. They allow us to take risks, be open about our ideas and also enable us to be creative with our writing in unexpected ways. They definitely inspire me to keep writing. There is a subtle and very healthy level of accountability there for me which I really appreciate. The group sessions really work for me because as well as the focus/comments/feedback that I may receive pertaining to me I also learn loads and find myself inspired by the response you give to other people in the group.
Before my 1:1 sessions, I was stuck in terms of developing my children’s story. In my first two hour session, Emily identified areas of my book that needed developing in terms of character and plot – she made plot and character, as well as setting/time period suggestions and showed me how to create punchy scenes, how to set up events and follow through with them, and and how to pattern events into the story and how to use characters (as antagonists) to create conflict in the novel and to mirror the protagonist’s inner conflict for a more satisfactory narrative. She also showed me how to make sure my character ‘overcomes’ all the necessary obstacles in the plot, in order to reach a satisfactory conclusion, and how to draw the elements of the novel together in order to achieve resolution. We also discussed how my character could go through ‘the dark night of the soul’ – the toughest experience in terms of theme that he goes through before the dawn of breakthrough and resolution takes place – Bettina Blume
I’ve done Emily’s writing workshop twice. It was a small intimate group and each Saturday, we spent time going through stories, that we created during the week. She gave us valuable tips and feedback which was really good for confidence building and also learning ways in which to hook your audience to be captivated with your words/stories. I’ve always enjoyed writing but was too scared to share it, which was perhaps a limiting belief, but the supportive atmosphere from Emily and the the group gave me courage. After sitting on my articles for months, I decided to share them with Emily. It was the best decision I have made, it prompted me to start sharing it on Facebook and LinkedIn and some were also published – Marjorie Gutierrez, Writer and Entrepreneur
It’s been really good to get writing again. The sessions have been inspiring and enjoyable – Helen Gilbert
Emily is a great all-round, creatively inspiring person. I’ve worked with her several times, as an actress in plays she wrote and directed, and she has edited some of my writing. Emily writes with depth, her characters are all very human and in some way wrestling with meaning and spirituality. Her dialogue is wordy, sparky, poetic and thought-provoking. I love working with Emily, she promotes playfulness and creative exploration, she is open towards people and embraces collaboration, as well as being extremely gifted – Jo Habershon, Actress and Writer
Firstly I love them – I think they are very relaxed but extremely productive. They allow us to take risks, be open about our ideas and also enable us to be creative with our writing in unexpected ways. They definitely inspire me to keep writing. There is a subtle and very healthy level of accountability there for me which I really appreciate. The group sessions really work for me because as well as the focus/comments/feedback that I may receive pertaining to me I also learn loads and find myself inspired by the response you give to other people in the group – Bobbi Kumari
The exercises have been enjoyable and useful, I really enjoy listening to other people’s writing, that’s a bonus, sharing ideas. Your thoughts and comments are helpful as are other people’s feedback – Jo Faith
I thought I would not enjoy having to listen to others tell about their work and you giving advice, but actually it was great, and we kind of all had positive things to say. It really helped me to hear feedback about my stuff, but also about the importance of research for example and other stuff that was said helped as well. I feel like I have a direction, I just need time now. – Irene Nlandu