If you are one of the many writers who dreams of the chance to explore your passion for words in an exotic location far removed from the daily grind of working life, then dream no more.

IN THE WRITE LIGHT is a new creative writing course offering novice writers the chance to spend a fantastic long weekend on the Costa de la Luz challenging their creative writing skills in an informal workshop environment whilst also enjoying the breathtaking beauty of Spain's last unspoilt coastline.

Set in Tarifa in the province of Cadiz, this region is famed throughout Spain for its stunning beaches, dramatic landscapes, unique wildlife, sporting attractions and cultural inimitability. Strikingly different from Spain's other coastal towns, Tarifa enchants all visitors with its mythical past and contemporary cool.

Run over a four-day period, the course is designed to feed your artistic spirit and develop your creative talents in a location, which is both inspiring and guaranteed to rejuvenate even the most jaded soul. Guided by experienced workshop teachers who will allow you to work at your own pace and participating in groups no larger than six, you will be given the chance to improve on your writing skills and discover new ones.

There are no criteria for attending the course except enthusiasm and imagination. You will be encouraged to allow both to run free.

WRITING WITH DRAMA

With Mia Gallagher, best-selling novelist (Hellfire) and dramatist

Why Drama?

Drama is one of our earliest literary forms; the tragedies and comedies of Aeschylus and Euripides predated the appearance of the first novel by nearly 2,000 years. We learn to speak and play before we learn to write.

Bringing Drama to your Writing

What makes a short story, a novel, an essay or a poem effectively dramatic?

• What’s the difference between drama and melodrama?

• How can you raise the stakes to bring the right sort of drama to your work?

• How do you find a narrative voice for your fiction, non-fiction or poetry?

• What makes dialogue work – and not work?

What this workshop is…

This is not a workshop about writing drama; it is a workshop about bringing drama to your writing, in whatever form that writing takes. Using short creative writing briefs, storytelling games and performance exercises, as well as group feedback sessions, this workshop will help you discover and refine, through play and experimentation, key dramatic elements in your work: plot/structure, characterisation/voice and setting/atmosphere.

Why Drama?
Drama is one of our earliest literary forms; the tragedies and comedies of Aeschylus and Euripides predated the appearance of the first novel by nearly 2,000 years. We learn to speak and play before we learn to write. Children only starting to master alphabet are able to construct sophisticated narrative stories through make-believe and role-play. While not everyone is an actor, we can all understand how drama works.

What we will be doing…

• By analysing story and dramatic structure through play and games, you will gain a stronger and more organic sense of how you can manipulate narrative elements to create the maximum dramatic impact in your work.
• Through creative writing briefs and improvisation-based exercises you will gain a deeper understanding of how to build character through action, and how to use dialogue to reveal character and progress plot. You will also learn some of the pitfalls to avoid when creating dialogue.
• By experimenting with dramatic devices such as the ‘messenger speech’ or monologues, you can hone and refine your own narrative voice. Through sensory games you will learn to develop your use of detail to ground and add interest to your writing.

By the end of this workshop, you will have a deeper sense of your own unique ‘dramatic fingerprint’; the writing styles and forms that appeal to you most – and at which you best shine!

For more info on Mia's work, check out this Guardian review

For dates contact Natasha at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Trip to Tangier: Follow the beat.

With Carol Malt, Ph.D., novelist, columnist, academic and Magreb studies specialist

Develop your writing tools in Tangier...

The first Section is an introduction to the city of Tangier, its writers, magic and inspiration. Works from the Beat Generation writers (including Paul Bowles, William Burroughs, Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams) will be discussed. In addition, women critics, novelists, poets and diarists who have found their muse in Morocco (including Gertrude Stein, Edith Wharton, Jane Bowles, Emily Keene), will be featured. Whenever possible, local writers will contribute as guest speakers.

The Beat Writers. Who were they, why were they drawn to Tangier? What made their writing different? What is their legacy?
Women writers in Morocco. An overview of literary production in English by women writers, travelers, poets and novelists.
Tangier: the city, the people. How setting inspires the writer, drives the story, promotes the sales.
A Tool Box of Nuts and Bolts and Screws for novel/magazine/journalism writing.

Hone your creativity in Chefchaouen...

This session will focus on dialog, voice, genre metamorphosis, self-editing and publishing.

Creating and refining your voice and using dialog to develop plot in your manuscripts and articles.
Three-for-one manuscript metamorphosis: fact, faction, and fiction – writing the same story in different ways for different audiences.
Self-Editing: a primer of essentials.
Tips for Publishing: guest speaker Jim Witherspoon, Vice President Ethos Publishing

Both Sessions will include lectures, creative writing exercises and critiquing.

For dates contact Natasha at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it