New Passport New Possibilities

I have a new passport.

After   spending a morning getting photographs taken – the right sort of photographs – no spectacles, no smile!  - and filling in forms – the right sort of forms – the right sort of answers!   (Thank heaven for the check and send service) the Babe Magnet and  I sent of  our old passports  to get them renewed. And yesterday the brand new ones arrived.

They are fresh and smart, their burgundy and gold covers shiny and new, and they speak of  potential and new places  and sunshine  - I hope! Considering that it’s raining again and is supposed to rain for the majority of the weekend – whatever happened to that ‘drought? – I hope there will be some sunshine! There are such possibilities  in the places these new passports can take us.

But I also feel so sad as I ‘retire’ the old passports. There are some stamps on these that hold such wonderful memories and tell of places  we visited. Places we had such wonderful times.  Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles.  Visits to America that took us to  visit Anne McAllister and her husband (and dogs) to  RWA conferences where I  met up with so many friends and made so many new ones. And on another continent , Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart, New Zealand. .  .   Another round  of conferences  - Romance Writers of Australia and Romance Writers of New Zealand where we’ll never forget the wonderfully warm welcomes we received – and  where the Magnet once  had to stand in for a missing speaker at the last moment  and got ‘paid’ in chocolate!  They’ve taken us to Ireland – several times  too.  And now they are retired with the new ones  all fresh and new, waiting for new places, new adventures, new stamps . . .

We have ten years of travel on these new passports. I wonder where they’ll take us.

Well, the first place  we’ll end up – all being well – should be in Italy.  That of course is where the fantastic  Watermill  is to be found -  in Tuscany to be precise.  And   I’ll be teaching the Beyond The Hearts and Flowers course on writing Romantic Fiction at  The Watermill in  October.

Beyond the Hearts and Flowers

Romantic fiction writing is big business, making up almost half the paperback fiction sold and generating billions in sales worldwide. This course is intended to provide information and advice for anyone who wants to learn how to write a popular genre novel. It gives an introduction to all the skills needed for success, from initial research to the final submission of the typescript. With advice and exercises, I'll guide you through creating realistic characters, sustaining pace and conflict, packing emotional punch, writing sex scenes and crafting a satisfying ending. If you're just starting out writing romantic fiction, or you've written a manuscript or two but are not yet published and are interested in honing your skills, this course is for you.

The course is intended to cover the main aspects of writing romantic fiction that from my experience of teaching over the years seem to create the most problems for unpublished writers. While the focus may be on romance novels, the techniques – dialogue, characters, tension, pacing, settings, hooks etc will also be relevant to all forms of popular fiction. I also hope to have plenty of time to discuss your own work with you either in one to one sessions or in an open critique forum with the rest of the group.

If you have particular problems or concerns that you would like me to deal with during the week, please let me know. The basic format will allow for adjustment and additions where needed.

The format of the course will follow this pattern over each of the days:

•Morning: Workshop/Discussion

 After which everyone will be set a writing task

 •Afternoon - Students have free writing time to work on the task applying it to their own writing, either creating a new piece of work or reconsidering a novel you're already working on using what you've learned

 We'll all meet up again later in the afternoon to discuss when you've learned from your writing, what you found hard - or easier – and to provide feedback and help as to where to go from here.

The basic timetable of the course will be:

 Saturday

 Transportation from Pisa airport and settle in at mill. Get to know your fellow students.

Sunday

 Working on characters – how to create successful heroes and heroines, and add more depth to the building of characters. Creating believable motivations for your characters

Monday

 Understanding the nature and function of Conflict in a novel. The difference between internal and external conflict and the use of conflict to further the plot and develop the story.

Tuesday

 Adding in the vital emotional impact of a story. What is 'emotional punch' and how do you create it? Developing this by answering the question 'Why' and working towards and away from the pivotal moment in the story.

Wednesday - excursion day (everyone goes to Lucca or the Cinque Terre)

 A chance for us all to enjoy the stimulus of new, beautiful surroundings.

 Thursday

 Understanding the role that sensuality and physical passion plays in the development of an emotional story showing how the sexual side of any relationship affects, develops and alters the essential emotional journey.

Friday

 Open critique session – discussing everyone's work and offering help and advice – to learn how to assess your own work objectively, accept criticism and editing and apply this to working through revisions

The practicalities – submissions, synopsis, covering letters, working with editors, revisions etc

Question and Answer session to deal with any lingering concerns or information needed.

Saturday am

 Farewell breakfast and transport to Pisa airport.

 And hopefully there will be sunshine - lots of it!

If you'd like to join me then please check out The Watermill's web site for details.

Wet wet wet . . .

Is it really June?  I think I fell asleep and woke up in the wrong season. It’s wet and cold – so wet and cold that even Charlie the garden cat  won’t go out unless he absolutely has to.  And Flora – well, as you can see from the photos, Flora has found a nice snug, dry place to snooze. The only trouble is that  she is taking up rather a large spot on my desk top and it’s a bit tricky to work on the keyboard while she’s there.

Still having some internet problems –  hopefully they will be finally sorted out today (fingers crossed). It’s been tricky sending emails, uploading blogs etc. 

So what have I been doing?  Once the Jubilee holidays were over -
Well, there was the necessary task of renewing passports –eeek!  No you can’t see my passport photo. All I can imagine is that somewhere in the passport office there is some poor person who is either almost dying of laughter or wondering whether they should report this woman to the police as she is obviously a total psycho and probably dangerous.   It doesn’t help that you are told that you must not smile . . . 

The  renewal is important to get done now because I will need a passport to travel to Tuscany in October when I head for the fabulous Watermill to run the Beyond The Hearts and Flowers course on writing romantic fiction.  (If you want details they can be found here on the Watermill's web site  - or on my Events page.   )

I have been making lots of soup!   Something about the new kitchen has made me have a whole new interest in cooking – well, cooking soup. And the Babe Magnet loves a bowl of veg soup for lunch. Not the right sort of food for ‘Flaming June’?  Well – see the first paragraph above. I am definitely  thinking of building an ark. Drought? What drought?

And I’ve been reading – galloped my way through  The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain and Please Don’t Stop the Music by Jane Lovering (the book that won the Romantic Novel  of the Year Award).  Plus a selection of romance by Annie West,  Lynn  Raye Harris, Jane Porter, Donna Alward,  and Sarah Morgan – another way of ‘filling the well’  as well as the rain.

Saturday was a real treat – heading for the Crucible theatre in Sheffield to see the  fantastic John Simm in Betrayal by Harold Pinter. Brilliant. It was a family outing with  the Babe Magnet,  The Offspring and his brand  new  fiancée.    The Italian meal before the play and the discussion in the car on the way home were extra bonuses to an already great evening.

Today I’m supposed to be heading into town to get my hair cut –  It’s not actually raining at the moment, but what’s the betting  one of those big dark clouds will burst right overhead as soon as I emerge from the hairdresser’s? Sigh!

Where did I put that umbrella?

Another course . . .

The day workshop in Nottingham on May 19th  is filling up fast - I just heard from the organisers that more people have  booked so if you're imterested, you need to contact them as soon as possible.

And if you';re thinking about a course and can spare more than a day - if you fancy a week in glorious Tuscany  then don't forget there is the Beyond The Harts and Flowers Course at The Watermill in Italy in October.

You can read more about this fabulous course here at the blog for the Watermill.   There are places left on this course too so you can sign up in good time for October.  You can even add on  3 days in Florence.

Courses Coming up . . . The Watermill

The joiner is building more kitchen units - there is even a  space for a cooker and a hob now!  Lots of noise - too much noise - but at least it means progress.

Anyway, people have been asking, and I promised that I would give details of the workshops/courses etc coming up in case anyone wants to  come along to any of them.  I've already mentioned the five session course at Caerleon.  This hasn't been posted on the web site yet, but I've asked the organisers to get on to that.

The course I want to talk about today  doesn't start until October, but I thought you'd want some advance notice of this -it's not the cheapest of courses so yo0u might want to save up for it. 

But it is a course set in one of the most beautiful places I've ever taught - and everyone I've ever heard speak about The Watermill says how wonderful it, and the hospitality offered, can be.

So - here's the info from the official flyer

“Writing Romantic Fiction:

Beyond the hearts and the flowers”

A special week-long creative writing course with best-selling Harlequin, Mills & Boon author

Kate Walker

Saturday 6 October to Saturday 13 October 2012

Your tutor - Kate Walker

Kate Walker has been writing for Harlequin, Mills & Boon since 1984. During that time she has had almost 60 novels published all over the world.

Her recent titles have all been on the Booktrack Top 100 list in America, they have also been on Borders’ Top Ten list for at least two weeks. Her 2010 title The Konstantos Marriage Demand recently won the Best Presents Extra 2010 Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Time magazine.

Kate is also the author of the award-winning 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance (Aber Publishing) which gives an introduction to the essential skills needed to succeed as a romance writer.

During the week Kate will pass on the benefits of her intimate knowledge of what publishers are looking for in a romantic novel. And as well as group presentations and discussions, there will be writing exercises and she will also discuss some of your work with you on a one-to-one basis.

Your creative writing course

Courses at the watermill are designed to help both enthusiastic beginners and more experienced writers. Kate’s course will undoubtedly help you to become a better writer: you will have opportunities to experiment with new techniques and fresh ways to express your thoughts and ideas.

The ethos of the course is creativity and enjoyment, but if one of your aims is to sell your work, you will also learn how to provide manuscripts that are more likely to be accepted by literary agents and publishers. This service and the critique of your work are worth more than the cost of the course!

Prices start at £GBP 1,149 per person per week (based on two people sharing), with a generous discount of £200 for a non-writing partner. Single rooms are £GBP 1,230, or £GBP 1,316 if you want an en suite bathroom.

Everything is included in the course: tuition, accommodation, all meals (including lunches and dinner at nearby restaurants, with local specialities and wine), pick-up and drop-off at Pisa airport and transport to all locations.

“You get to Pisa -- we do the rest!”

There’s more about the watermill and all our courses onwww.watermill.net

or you can email us at info@watermill.net

or call (UK number) 020 7193 6246

For more details and the format of the  course check out the special page on the Watermill site here

I was just about to post this when something happened in the work in the kitchen - and all the electricity blew. I'd better post this fast now while I have the power to do so!

And talking of Workshops

Remember  I talked about that fabulous residential week learning  about writing romantic fiction in glorious Tuscany  - 

Well,  I know it's a long time away - but it's getting closer all the time - and just  yesterday I got an email that  might make you think about the fact that you want to book sooner rather than later - and save yourself some money by doing so. Here's what Lois and Bill Breckon had to say:

We’re very much looking forward to you joining us at the mill in 2012 and we are already taking bookings. To further speed up the process, I wonder if you could pass on to your students one particularly important piece of information: if they book before 1 October, they will enjoy next year’s course at this year’s prices (also, they will be more likely to be able to choose their bedroom, rather than make do with what’s left!).

These are our prices for 2012 courses, as from 1 October this year: sharing a room as well as a bathroom will increase from £1,116 to £1,1149 GBP. A bedroom with en suite bathroom will increase from £1,278 to £1,316 GBP. So it’s not a huge increase, but we haven’t put up our prices in a couple of years and we need to keep up a little with inflation!

Also, as always, don’t forget that if your students book before the end of 2011 they will enjoy a £75 GBP early-bird discount. And if they bring a non-participating partner, the partner enjoys a special £200 GBP discount provided that they share a bedroom.

I know I'm looking forward to this - if you think you might like to join me, you can find details here  - and here are a few more photos to inspire you  . .. 

Tempted?

New Writing Course 2012

So - I promised you news of the brand new week-long residential writing course I'm going to be running - in what has to be one of the most beautiful settings possible!

I love the weekends I teach in Wales - right on the coast in Fishguard - and  the setting of Caerleon Writers' Holidays  in a village filled with Roman history is so special that it now feels like a second home to me. I've taught writing all over the UK  - I tried to get to Scotland but there wasn't enough interest to make the courses run . . .

But now I can offer you the chance of a writing course in Italy!  In Tuscany to be precise.

How does this grab you . . .

Our beautiful and historic watermill stands beside the River Rosaro in the small village of Posara. Peaceful and secluded, yet part of the village, the mill is just a mile or so from the walled medieval town of Fivizzano with its cafés, restaurants and shops. This is the heart of Lunigiana, in the North-west of Tuscany.

Set in a gentle valley with mountain peaks in the background, the mill is a peaceful spot, yet is within easy reach of the sea and the tourist attractions of Tuscany.

We have lovingly restored the historic buildings and created five self-contained apartments around a courtyard. These apartments come together for our painting and creative writing courses. When the courses aren't on, the apartments are available for holiday lets. The bright and airy rooms are well decorated and tastefully furnished. All enjoy lovely views of the the river, the gardens or the mountains.

Around the mill there's a walled garden, a vine verandah, a winding rose pergola, and riverside gardens, all with tables and chairs and providing delightful spots for sun-kissed or shady relaxation and contemplation. Then there are further secluded private gardens where you can stroll beside the millstream for about a quarter of a mile.

Sounds wonderful doesn't it?   What a fabulous setting to talk about writing, discuss techniques, put what you've learned into practise  - and hopefully make new friends or meet up with old ones.

I have been asked to set up a week long course on writing romantic fiction at The Watermill next year and of course I didn't really have to have my arm twisted very hard to agree.  So here are the details  if you're interested -  This is the 'blurb' on the main page.


Writing romantic fiction: beyond the hearts and the flowers

with Kate Walker

Author of the 12-point Guide to Writing Romance (now on Kindle) and a prolific Mills & Boon writer, Kate will explore the world of writing romantic fiction and give lots of practical advice.

Kate loves working with students who want to learn how to craft a novel that sells in the popular genre fiction market. Talking about writing, explaining how things work is always stimulating and she always returned home from her courses freshly inspired.


And here's what I have to say about my course:

Romantic fiction writing is big business, making up almost half the paperback fiction sold and generating billions in sales worldwide. This course is intended to provide information and advice for anyone who wants to learn how to write a popular genre novel. It gives an introduction to all the skills needed for success, from initial research to the final submission of the typescript. With advice and exercises, I'll guide you through creating realistic characters, sustaining pace and conflict, packing emotional punch, writing sex scenes and crafting a satisfying ending. If you're just starting out writing romantic fiction, or you've written a manuscript or two but are not yet published and are interested in honing your skills, this course is for you.

The course is intended to cover the main aspects of writing romantic fiction that from my experience of teaching over the years seem to create the most problems for unpublished writers. While the focus may be on romance novels, the techniques – dialogue, characters, tension, pacing, settings, hooks etc will also be relevant to all forms of popular fiction. I also hope to have plenty of time to discuss your own work with you either in one to one sessions or in an open critique forum with the rest of the group.


You can find all the details of the course, what the timetable and planned classes will cover - and anything else you want to know here on The Watermill's  main site  where you can see  more about this beautiful place and the fabulous setting  for this course.

I know it's going to be fantastic - I can't wait! The trouble is that I'm going to have to - the course doesn't run until October 2012 - 6th - 13th October to be precise.

But that gives you plenty of time to save up for this great experience.