This sounds gorgeous!!!! If you want a peaceful and pampered writing retreat to finish that book of yours then check this out. Also, remember to keep an eye on my website because there’s another writing retreat listed on there - in Spain - and over the summer months I’ll be uploading more. Retreats are great for taking a chunk of time away from everyday life and knuckling down without distractions on your writing.If you have a retreat venue which you think is ideal for writers, then please get in contact and I’ll put the details on here (my blog) and at a later point, on my main website. My aim is to provide as many options to the writer as possible and that includes idylic retreats all over the world!Starting with Devon…… Retreats for you.A place that gives you space.If you’re looking for somewhere peaceful to write, in a supportive and nurturing environment, I can help.Picture the scene. After a warm welcome to Retreats for you, a good meal, and a soak in a scented bath, you slip between pure white cotton sheets, and are soothed to sleep by the velvety black silence that is the village of Sheepwash, in rural Devon. Next morning, rested and refreshed, you come downstairs to find a substantial breakfast waiting for you, including freshly laid eggs and home made bread and yoghurt.The morning is spent writing at your desk, in your comfortable room (with a kettle and hot drinks tray). And after being served a simple but delicious lunch, you go for a walk in the glorious Devon countryside, returning to curl up on one of our large squashy sofas. Lulled by the peace and tranquility of the environment, you snuggle under one of the soft rugs draped over the sofa ends, and have a short nap.You spend the rest of the afternoon producing yet more quality words (why wouldn’t you, when there are no distractions and no chores to do). Later, tea and home made banana bread arrives, and you spend time gazing into the depths of the huge log fire, basking in its warmth and allowing its flames to fuel the now crackling muse.A glass of wine and a dish of olives is brought to you, and over a hearty dinner, you enjoy good company and - if you so choose, discussion of your work, along with plenty of encouragement.If however, you prefer to be solitary, that’s fine too. Our 16th century rambling thatched house and garden offers plenty of nooks and crannies. You can wander at will, make yourself comfy and relax wherever you like.The only house rule at Retreats for you is that guests aren’t allowed to do any domestic chores.All you need to do is write.www.deborahdooleyjournalist.co.uk/retreat.html
The Build on Books Appeal -Taken from the website http://www.codep.co.uk - a British Based Charity operating in London and Sierra Leone.Currently in Sierra Leone three out of ten people are literate and this figure is lower for women with only one out of ten. After fifteen years of Civil War, a large section of the population lost out to education and through Build on Books the aim is to replenish and improve their existing reading materials for both adults and children and boost their reading culture. Once the Equiano Centre is complete, the donated books will be housed in the book kiosk and learning rooms.Every year 13 millions books are sent to landfill in the UK. Build on Books aims to recycle as many unwanted books as possible by sending them to Sierra Leone where the Sierra Leone Library Board will receive, sort and distribute them amongst schools, libraries and learning centres in the region.To date we have received tremendous support; we have collected 200,000 books from participating schools and local community organisations nationwide and with the help of our partners, Green-Works, have been able to ship our first container out to Sierra Leone. Our thanks go to everyone who has made a contribution.If you would like to donate books you no longer require, we have five drop off points around the UK in Leeds, Wigan, Glasgow, Reading and near Birmingham – thanks for the generous support of Business Moves Group. As well as fictional books, we welcome educational text books and factual books for all levels. Our only ask is that the books are in good condition.Contact: Ranall Leckie, CODEP Fundraising and Events Manager – ranall@codep.co.uk or call 0207 219 4193More info at: www.codep.co.ukTo donate books contact: Ranall Leckie ranall@codep.co.uk
Choosing your Attitude
When we are in the process of writing or even working to get published it can be a rollercoaster ride. We need to stay steady through this ride and focused on our ultimate goal of the published book in our hands. Having been through that process, there is nothing nicer than having the proof copy in your hands for the first time. So what can we do as authors that will help us through this time?
In my book Remembering Perfection (www.rememberingperfection.com) in the chapter Reality and Attitude I talk about how the one thing we have absolute control over is the attitude we choose to adopt when something happens in our lives. Right now, if you feel like many things outside of your control it is quite useful to feel in control of one aspect.
So choose your attitude. When you originally decided to write your book you knew that you had something to say. That part of you that wanted to express through words was so strong that nothing could stop you writing. Wherever you are in that process the most important thing that you can is ask yourself is; what attitude can I adopt that would put me in the most positive mindset to get this book out there and into the publics hands?
If you can bring yourself to the present moment you can choose to think creatively, not only about solutions, but also new opportunities that you could create. By choosing a good feeling attitude it gives you the ability to respond with awareness rather than unconsciously react.
For example I had a few problem with my publisher not delivering what was promised. To begin with I got frustrated and angry, but I soon realised that this attitude was not going to solve the problem. So instead I started to ask myself how could I work with the publisher to make the best of the situation? How could I be grateful for what has happened rather than focus on what hasn’t? Slowly this new attitude began not only to make me feel better because I was taking responsibility for the promotion of my book, but I also began to get new opportunities to promote it.
If you catch yourself with an attitude that is making your feel bad then it is a sure sign that your thoughts are not in a good space. Stop a moment and ask yourself, what attitude would serve me better? It is the one sure place where you have total free will, use it – what have you got to lose?
Jessica works internationally as a Life Fulfilment Coach empowering people to create the life they choose and gain fulfilment in every area of life. She offers a free introductory session to discuss how she can support you in making the transformation you want and feel excited about your life again. If you would like to arrange a time for her to call you please email her at jessica@jessicamcgregorjohnson.com or call +44 203 239 6155. For more information visit www.jessicamcgregorjohnson.com
She has recently published her first book Remembering Perfection – Everyday Inspiration for Living your Spirituality for more information visit www.rememberingperfection.com
It’s me again! Popping up amongst all these worthy articles….which is a very productive way of using the blog when I am tied up at work. So, I hope you’re finding the articles useful - there’s plenty more to come including my fave. One on erotic literature. Liking it.So, it’s summertime. It’s hot. Maybe you’re thinking of going on holiday? Maybe you’re even thinking of going on holiday to Marbella? Well, look no further. A very good friend of mine (who I met when I led a series of writing workshops in Marbella) has a fantastic resource website for holiday-makers jetting off to the bling bling chic boat capital of Spain. He pointed me toward his site the other day because if you look very carefully in the twitter box - there I am!So, a little link back to him -http://www.gomarbella.com/marbella/malagabus.htmlIf you’re not going to Marbella, don’t worry. It’s not everyone’s cup of chardonny. But if you are going to Spain, pack your sunscreen. It’s a scorcher out there. Not that I would know - because this year, the first time in YEARS, I am in England for the summer.And it’s raining. Boo.For those of you who still remember a book I was once bleeting on about - well, get this - it’s finished! And I’m now editing it. Now re-modelled as a sexy teen paranormal romance, I’m on chapter 15 out of 40. Yes, gone are the days when I was writing a mind, body, spirit adult out to transform the world. The closer the deal comes, the more I have sussed out what the market wants and, dare I say it, conformed. Of course, I haven’t lost my dream of transforming the world, i.e., I haven’t completely sold out! The message of actualisation is still in there. And to be honest, it’s probably better than it’s not being rammed down the reader’s face! The book carries the message that there is something else out there and if you look hard enough, you might just find it….The dream moves ever closer.So, keep dreaming, keep sunning. Keep smiling.
On Writing
Where do they come from? The words? The poems? The stories? The books? From the booze, the fags, the sex, the despair? From happiness, ecstasy, joy and hope? From the dreams we never achieved? From the voices we hear in our nightmares, our jealousies, our fears? Because we see things we hope will never happen? From a desire to escape our realities? Because they are too painful to confront? There is no happiness in writing. Even a happy ending does not promise better things. There is always betrayal, decay and death beyond the final sentence.
So, why write if there’s never a happy ending? Because we have to. Because we want the answer to all our questions. Because there has to be an answer. Something out there that makes all our moments and seconds worthwhile. Because we’re on a quest. In our books. In our thoughts. In our lives. Because what keeps us striviing is the need for redemption. For ultimate salvation. For knowledge of what comes next. Although we will never know. That’s what drives us.
Every book is a quest wrapped into another story. Every poem. Every sequence of words ordered into the semblance of a sentence. A greater whole.
I can’t stop the words. They appear out of nothing. In dreams. In shapes. In colours. In sounds. The voices never stop.
Take an empty notebook and a pen. Carry them around with you. Listen in on other people’s conversations. On buses. On trains. In cafes. In restaurants. In the street. Walk slowly. Loiter. Mishear lyrics from songs on the radio. And write it all down. Cannibalise the world around you for every ounce of mangled word you can gather onto your paper. Scribble. Jot. Doodle. Invent.
Go into a pub. Buy a drink. Sit outside and light a cigarette. The people who talk to you while you’re smoking are infinitely more interesting than the non-smokers inside. As you drink, the people who walk by without talking to you will become more beautiful, more weighed down with secrets and meaning. And all the time, scribble, scratch, draw. You may even fall in love out there.
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