Writing at the Finca in July

It was a warm week at the finca el cerillo this July – but there’s always plenty of shady places to write or relax in and then there’s the pool with its stunning mountain views…

In the mornings we did writing exercises taking a different topic each day from ‘The Suitcase’ to ‘The First Date’ and blended this with work on autobiography (using favourite smells from childhood to trigger memories of a place and a person) flash fiction, novel beginnings, sensory overload and character development. Some writers used these exercises to develop work already in progress and some writers got started on a new idea.

After this there were 1 to 1s where we were able to chat individually about… anything and then a leisurely lunch. The afternoons were free for individual writing/ chilling/ swimming/ reading.

Late afternoon we met up for our group workshop on the shady ‘Palm Deck’ (with a gin and tonic in some cases) and listened to each other’s work with our constructive and encouraging hats on. Most people said they had written much more than they had expected to during the week. And from the feedback comments at the end, I think everyone had a good time.

Steph kindly organised an optional meditation session one afternoon with some useful ‘brain tips’ to help us feel more in charge of ourselves… And Keeley encouraged us to learn a bit of basic Spanish which came in handy when organising drinks when we visited local restaurants for dinners out.

First thing in the morning a few of us did the traditional walk around the olive grove which takes in some glorious mountain views and the sight of Gordon’s treehouse constructed in an ancient olive tree.

In the evenings we had Elaine’s quiz, Richard’s music quiz, Gordon’s Desert Island Discs and the infamous hat game (not at all competitive and lots of FUN… 😊) And one night there was music and dancing in the square in Canillas.

We played writing consequences too and wrote limericks for the last workshop session, which wasn’t easy but was good practice and a lot of laughs.

Our next Writing Holiday is March 2023 which is already fully booked but I will be opening up bookings for June 2023 very soon. Watch this space or email me for further information!