PAST WORKSHOP Shepherd’s Dene: Birds, Bees and Trees writing workshop: how the day went
We all need to take time out from the hurly burly of our busy lives and there is no better place to do that than at the Edwardian House and Grounds of Shepherd’s Dene, venue of our latest creative writing workshop, where we explored the theme of nature and made use of its glorious setting in the Tyne Valley, Northumberland.
In the morning, we looked at some examples of writing about bees and the viewpoints taken by various authors including that of my very glamorous assistant Helene, who delighted our writers with a performance of her bee monologue (in costume!).
Then it was out into the sunshine to find beekeeper Kyle with his mini beehive for us to observe and find inspiration for our creativity. After a spell of writing in the Arts & Crafts gardens, we all came back together and shared some amazing work.
By this time, we had worked up an appetite for a tasty homecooked lunch. then we headed into the afternoon with a self-awareness exercise on the lawn to ensure we didn’t follow asleep after lashings of trifle! Out on the terrace, we delved into the world of gardens in literature before trying our own interpretation.
Then it’s tea and cake over feedback (I always feel very privileged to hear everyone else’s creative efforts) before we wrapped up and left this beautiful oasis.
I am looking forward to returning again on Saturday 16th August for the writers’ retreat I am holding where writers can spend a day on their own work in the peace and tranquility of Shepherd’s Dene. Why not join us?
