What is your story of becoming?
What is your story of becoming?
join me for a new season of writing workshops starting next week with the theme of BECOME
Hello and welcome! I am Mel Parks and I run creative writing workshops in Sussex, UK as well as online. 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.
Dear all
I am so thankful for everyone that commented on my post last week about my book writing adventure. It looks as if I now have a group to take the journey with me, providing both support and accountability. And now I have to do it!!
This week, I began to give myself the gentle goal of opening my book document every day. Just that, open it up, have a look around, with encouraging thoughts and kindness to myself. I didn’t manage every day. But I did manage one evening hour on the sofa with my laptop organising some notes from last year. I had been telling myself it was time I sat at my desk and did the more serious work of writing this thing properly, then not doing it. But I realised I can do small tasks like this without pressure. Almost as if it’s not work at all.
So - The Book Writing Adventure is on!! I will come up with a plan and keep you posted. But this definitely won’t be a write-your-book-in-90 days plan or a foolproof-do-it-my-way-and-you’ll-have-a-bestseller plan. It will be experimental, with choices along the way and suggestions for things you can fit in to the tiny moments in a full or tired day. Above all, let’s make it fun!
Talking of fun, a new season of my weekly guided writing hours for paid subscribers starts next Tuesday 10 September 2-3pm. If you are a paid subscriber, I will email you with a new link shortly and then send a reminder email each Tuesday morning.
To join, click ‘Upgrade’ in the top right-hand corner of your screen. It costs £8 per month or £80 a year and you can come to as many as you are able to. I run three seasons a year of around 13 weeks each.
The theme or guiding word for this season is: BECOME.
During this midlife transitional time, I have been thinking a lot about who I want to become, what my writing wants or needs to become as well as my workshops and other services. I will be using the Welsh story of Ceridwen to keep me company along the way as it’s a story of transformation and the origin story of Awen.
These ideas guide me, but you can respond to my prompts and suggestions in any way that comes to you in the moment. It is fine if you have never written in a group before or if you have been writing for a long time. Any type of writing is fine - memoir, fiction, essays, poetry, Substack newsletters, journalling, reflective writing or just short pieces that come into being there and then.
Now and then I will introduce writing techniques and you can let me know if there’s something you’d like to learn. But mostly, I will use pictures, poems, objects, nature, sentence starters to inspire you. Then I’ll invite you to write quietly. We have a short chat at the beginning, then check in half way through, and again at the end when you can share a little of what you have written or say something about the process if you would like to.
It is helpful for blocking time out of your week to write and for trying new things if you feel your writing is in a rut or you’d like more ideas. I create the space with a foundation of wellbeing so it is a lovely, supportive group as well.
Who will you become this autumn? What will your writing become? And if you have a work in progress - what is the story of becoming in this?
Leave a comment below.
***The Zoom group for paid subscribers begins on Tuesday 10 September 2-3pm (UK time)***
Creative Writing Workshops with me (Mel Parks)
Tuesday afternoons on Zoom (2-3pm UK time)
£8 per month or £80 per year with a paid Awen Substack subscription.
NEXT SESSION: New season begins on 10 September.
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.
Becoming a Writer
Monthly Tuesday evenings in East Grinstead (7-9pm)
A monthly creative writing workshop for beginners. Plenty of fun writing prompts, games and activities to get your creative juices flowing.
Each session costs £30, but if you’d like to book all three autumn sessions for £80, click here.
Thursday mornings are fully booked.
If you attend my face-to-face groups regularly, you can also attend the Zoom group for no extra charge.
Until next time…
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.