If you are new here, hello and welcome! I am Mel Parks and I run creative writing workshops in Sussex, UK while being a freelance writer, researcher and editor. I began this Substack, Awen, in 2022 as a gathering place for my thoughts about the writing process and to share some stories and creative inspiration along the way. Awen is free to read and share.
I run a weekly Tuesday afternoon (2-3pm UK time) guided creative writing session on live on Zoom for paid members. If you’d like to join, click the subscribe button and choose paid membership for £8 per month or £80 per year. If you are not able to subscribe (or don’t want to!), then please email me for alternative ways to join. There is a break for two weeks and then the next workshop is on Monday 10 June instead of Tuesday!
Dear all
It feels as if so much has happened this week, I’ve had barely any coherent thoughts in my head to write anything! This is always a sign to me that I need to slow down. I have a planned break from workshops next week, so I’ll be taking a break from this newsletter as well.
In the meantime, I'll leave you with a writing invitation based on an exercise we did in the Zoom group for paid subscribers on Tuesday. Also, take a moment to scroll down and have a look at the workshops I’m offering this summer.
Writing Invitation
This week in the UNFURL series, at ground level, it is time to consider humans. The tapestry series: The Vanity of Small Differences by British artist Grayson Perry have so much going on, they are brilliant to write in response to.
The tapestry I chose was of The Annunciation of the Virgin Deal. Paying attention in particular to the people, we can see that they exist in the same space but they are also independent from each other so you can consider relationships as well. Feel free to pick any picture that represents humans to write in response to.
Describe the picture first.
Then ask questions. Any questions.
Pick one question. Answer it. Follow that thread in freewriting.
Then, I offered a suggestion of a writing exercise that is powerful in fiction writing. It explores the what causes events in a story and how each one sets in motion another event.
Begin with Because…describe an event, then in the second part of the sentence have describe the effect of that event. Taking the Grayson Perry tapestry as an example:
Because Sally was on her phone, the coffee boiled over.
Because the coffee boiled over, the baby started crying.
Because the baby started crying, the mother was worried.
Because the mother was worried, she forgot to feed the dog.
Because she forgot to feed the dog, the dog wandered off to the neighbour’s house.
and so on!
If you do this with the elements of a story, you can see where one thing leads to another. And if it doesn’t, then that may be the part to work on next.
Creative Writing Workshops with me (Mel Parks)
**NEW** Haiku to Haibun: The Japanese Way of Nature Writing
A nature-based creative writing workshop at Sussex Prairie Garden (in-person) on 1 August 2024. 10-1.30pm.
Book a place by clicking this link.
A creative writing workshop based in nature making the most of the peaceful environment at Sussex Prairie Garden. We will take a gentle stroll through the garden guided by me (Mel Parks), pausing now and then to write and quietly notice the surroundings with all of our senses.
Back in the gallery space, next to the tea shop, we will take a break for tea, coffee and biscuits, before using what we've written in the garden to create haiku and haibun. These brief Japanese forms of writing, developed by Basho in the seventeenth century on his poetry walks, are perfect for capturing moments and the essence of experiences in nature. They are also an ideal starting point, even if you have never done creative writing before and they are brilliant for nature journalling too.
£60 for the morning session, which also includes entry to the garden, where you can linger for as long as you like in the afternoon.
Let me know by replying to this email if you’d be interested in this workshop on Zoom.
Tuesday afternoons on Zoom (2-3pm UK time)
£8 per month or £80 per year with a paid Awen Substack subscription.
Next session: Monday 10 June (then subsequent Tuesdays)
Last session: 16 July.
You can come to as many as you are able to.
If you are not able to subscribe (or don’t want to!), then please email me for alternative ways to join.
Monthly Tuesday evenings in East Grinstead (7-9pm)
Thursday mornings in East Grinstead (10-12noon)
Series of five weeks beginning on 13 June (13 June; 20 June; 27 June; 4 July; 11 July)
If you attend my face-to-face groups regularly, you can also attend the Zoom group for no extra charge.
I have an online space where I post exercises and other resources so you can catch up if you miss a session or you'd like to return to something after the workshop.
Next week, I will take a break and be back with my usual Friday newsletter on 7 June.
This newsletter was created by Mel Parks, a writer, researcher and workshop facilitator based in Sussex, UK. Mel runs writing workshops locally and on Zoom and researches creativity in midlife as well as her personal connection to nature. She has been widely published and is currently working on a series of moon and plant-inspired essays.
It is free to read and share, but if you value my work, please do stop by my virtual honesty box and leave a handful of loose change.
This newsletter may contain affiliate links.