The Barbellion Prize

NEW WRITING PRIZE ANNOUNCEMENT
I am proud to be a trustee of The Barbellion Prize – a writing prize launched earlier this year, and dedicated to the furtherance of ill and disabled voices in writing.

I am passionate about creating space for voices we don’t hear enough. This prize both encourages and rewards writers who explore their experience of chronic illness and disability – their words increase understanding, which can only ever be a good thing.

The founder of this prize, Jake Goldsmith, has written a memoir of his experiences of living with illness – Neither Weak Nor Obtuse: A memoir on the phenomenology of illness, and what it means to live and think while chronically. Working with Jake on the prize has broadened my understanding and my thinking immensely. Jake’s an inspiring, thoughtful person, and I am grateful to be part of this important project.

Advisor to the Prize, Professor Tom Shakespeare FBA, Professor of Disability Research at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, comments: “Writers with illnesses and impairments, from Robert Louis Stevenson to Flannery O'Connor to 'WNP Barbellion' himself have contributed mightily to literature. I applaud the creation of this new prize, hoping it will shine a spotlight on their contemporary successors.”

Author and Assistant Professor of Literature, Dr Shahd Alshammari, and member of the judging panel says: “The Barbellion Prize seeks to amplify voices that are seldom heard, and if they are, they’re not heard enough. It is a privilege reading all this wonderful work and I hope that more publishers discover disabled writers’ writing.”

The Barbellion Prize is awarded annually to an author whose work has best spoken of the experience of chronic illness and/or disability.

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PRIZE
If you would like to contribute to the prize fund you can do so here. The more we raise, the more we can support the work of writers living with chronic illness and / or disability.

For our latest press release: click here

MORE ABOUT THE BARBELLION PRIZE
The awarded work can be of any genre in fiction, memoir, biography, poetry, or critical non-fiction from around the world - whether in English, in translation, traditionally or self-published.

​The prize is named in homage to English diarist W.N.P Barbellion, who wrote eloquently on his life with multiple sclerosis (MS) before his death in 1919.

It is to be awarded on February 12th 2021, with prize money amounting to £600.

Submissions are open now and end October 31st 2020.

Find out more about the prize and how to submit here

Read our latest press release here

Writing for Wellbeing – New course starts 6 July 2020

Join a small group of writers during July to explore how to support, and be supported by, your writing.

Book your place here! Limited places available.
Special offer – Get £20 off per person for the full month, if you book with a friend. Book here.

What is Writing for Wellbeing?
My new online course, Writing for Wellbeing, comes from my desire to encourage people to write, and explore different ways of writing. The focus, as always with Writer Revealed, is the person behind the words.

I’ve been working with writers, and developing my own writing practice for nearly 15 years. I founded Writer Revealed as I began to recognise patterns in the stories we tell ourselves about our writing practice. I realised that in all our work to improve our writing craft, we rarely focus on the person behind the words – and that we often unwittingly hold ourselves back in ways that we are not aware of, or that we are not sure how to unpick. Those were powerful realisations.

Writing for Wellbeing is ambitious, but it’s also grounded and practical. It is student centred, with tasks designed as catalysts and springboards for your own exploration. It will help you re-energise your writing practice, offer a wide range of fun and stimulating activities and thought experiments, and get the most out of your creativity.

Writing is a whole body experience, so the course explores different ways you can bring balance into the mind and body relationship; we shine a light on habits and ways of thinking that support our writing; bring awareness to aspects of ourselves and our writing that need a good spring clean; and open up our writing horizons, focussing on potential and possibility.

The workshops are based on four themes – Settle, Flourish, Ground, and Create. During the course of the month you will build up layers of understanding, and take home a toolkit of practical ideas and techniques to support you in your writing. We work in small, supportive groups, in a friendly but professional atmosphere.

The feedback from previous participants of Writing for Wellbeing, is that it is just what they needed to boost their writing practice, refocus and re-evaluate their work, and to write from strong foundations based on possibility and potential. We do a lot of introspective work, and it’s worth it for the feeling of liberation that work gifts you.

Writing for Wellbeing helps you to understand yourself as a writer. It helps you to build a supportive practice, to free up your creative intelligence, and to develop a strong, healthy relationship with your writing. The course is about how writing can support you, and how you can support your writing. It brings into awareness aspects of your writing, and your relationship with writing, that you may not have been aware of. When you understand, you can move forward with confidence, a sense of excitement, and potential.

If you are interested, but not sure if this is for you, please do feel free to email me, Liz Ferretti, at info@writerrevealed.co.uk.

COURSE DETAILS
Writing for Wellbeing JULY
An exciting new course designed to support your writing and find support in your writing.

Includes
 
4 x one-hour online workshops – live on Mondays in July – from 19.00–20.00 BST (other times are available on request – email info@writerrevealed.co.uk);
July workshops are on 6, 13, 20, and 27 July;
12 x additional activities to support each workshop. These will be emailed to you at intervals during the week between workshops;
end of course ‘goody bag’.

Further information
small group size;
this is a space for exploration, we share observations and thoughts, but we don’t share our writing during the sessions;
these workshops are conducted online using Google Meet in a supportive and friendly atmosphere. You will be sent a link beforehand and do not need to download any special software. Click on the meeting link and you will join the class;
you have the option to use or not use the video during the class.

£80.00 per person.
Get a £20 discount per person if you book with a friend!

Join me for a month and uncover the power of writing as self-care.
Writing for Wellbeing is a specially written online writing course that focusses on the wellbeing of the writer behind the words. Workshops are friendly and supportive, and while we often share thoughts and impressions, we don’t share our work. If you would like feedback on your writing, please contact me for a one-to-one session – info@writerrevealed.co.uk

SUPPORT FOR YOUR WRITING DURING LOCKDOWN

Writer Revealed is here to support you and your writing during lockdown. I offer a bespoke mentoring service, via video link and email, have workbooks and self-study resources, and am busy developing new workshop formats to replace physical workshops and days out writing with me in the landscape – more on that soon.

If you want to find out more about the unique Writer Revealed approach to writing coaching, please email me at info@writerrevealed.co.uk.

Thank you and happy writing!

Liz Ferretti

DAY WORKSHOP ON ORFORD NESS WITH LIZ FERRETTI, ARTIST ANTONY LYONS, AND THE NATIONAL TRUST

On Friday 20th September I’ll be leading a day of writing on Orford Ness – a shingle spit on the Suffolk coast managed by the National Trust, that is full of inspiration for writers,

“The wildness and instability of Orford Ness fascinate me, and I’ve always wanted to encourage other writers to come here – you cannot visit and not be inspired,” says workshop leader Liz Ferretti, whose novel in progress, Samphire Man, is set along the Suffolk Coast of the future, “there’s a lot to take in, so a combination of guided writing exercises from me, Antony Lyons on his thoughtful installation, ‘Sensitive Chaos’, and expert input from National Trust Rangers will open up the past, present and future of this dramatic setting.”

“Orford Ness is a microcosm for bigger themes about how humans live on the planet, and what control and intervention we have,” suggests artist Antony Lyons, whose ‘Sensitive Chaos’ installation is part of an international Heritage Futures project on landscape transformation, which includes zones in Cornwall and Portugal. “The Ness braids and weaves themes of continuous, on-going change. How we understand and observe that change, and how we celebrate it can be a powerful spur to creativity,” Antony Lyons says.

For more information email: orfordness@nationaltrust.org.uk

WRITER REVEALED WORKSHOPS ON AIR




ARCHIVE
With two great workshops coming up – The Inner Critic, 27 April, and a day with the National Trust on Orfordness in June – as well as appearing on BBC Radio Suffolk with other writers from my region, it’s been a busy time for me as Writer Revealed.

The Jon Wright Tuesday Takeover on BBC Radio Suffolk
I took part in an evening of talk and music about writing on my regional radio show this week. The show featured a range of writers working in different genres – play scripts, poetry, novels, modern fables, children’s adventure fiction, literary fiction and my own speculative fiction, which if you don’t know is a branch of science fiction – stories set in the future, with their roots firmly in the present.

Here is a link to the whole show:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p073z79p

We talked about different routes into publishing, read out extracts of our work, told our own writer’s stories, and gave tips on how to get started in writing. We also had a lot of fun.

Here are our writing tips: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p076195f 

Writer Revealed – The Inner Critic
The next Writer Revealed taught workshop is on 27 April from 09.30–12.30.
The focus is on getting to know our inner critic, seeing how it helps and hinders, and exploring how we can harness it to actually help us in our writing practice.

Because the workshop is about our relationship with writing, it is suitable for all writers, whether beginner or more experienced, and working in all genres. It's friendly and supportive – we share ideas but don't tend to read our writing out.

The workshops costs £35 for a single booking. There is a five pound discount each if you book with a friend. It runs from 09.30 to 12.30 at the Burness Parish Rooms, Melton, IP12 1PW – two minutes from the Woods Lane roundabout on the A12 at Woodbridge. There is plenty of free parking.

EXCITING NEWS – WRITER REVEALED ANNOUNCES COLLABORATION WITH NATIONAL TRUST
On Thursday 6th June I will be leading a small group of writers on a day workshop in one of the most enigmatic locations on the British coast – Orfordness in the East Anglian county of Suffolk.

Orford Ness, a National Trust National Nature Reserve on the coast of Suffolk, is the inspiration for some of our best nature writers. The sound of the waves on the shingle, waders calling on the estuary, and the wind blowing through the decaying military buildings, make a day on the Ness an unforgettable experience. 

The Orford Ness day writing workshop is on Thursday 6th June 2019. To book go to orfordness@nationaltrust.org.uk or for more information go to nationaltrust.org.uk/orfordness. Places are strictly limited and must be booked in advance. The workshop costs £65.00 for National Trust Members, and £72.00 for non-members and includes the cost of the ferry crossing, as well as a lunchtime writers’ surgery with your tutor.

Participants are asked to meet at Orford Quay at 09.30 and will return to the Quay at 16.30. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for a day in the open. While part of the day will be spent at base camp, facilities are limited on the Reserve, so participants will need to bring food and drink.

If you want any more information about the workshop or the writing day on Orford Ness then please email me, Liz, info@writerrevealed.co.uk

Happy writing. See you all soon!
Liz

The Portable Writing Space – Saturday morning writing workshop

Writer Revealed Creative Writing Workshop NOW BOOKING

Saturday 2 March 09.30–12.30 at The Burness Parish Rooms, Melton, Woodbridge. Directions here: http://burnessparishrooms.org/Find_Us.htm

The concept behind The Portable Writing Space is a simple one. What we bring to our writing – in the form of conscious and unconscious beliefs – has a powerful impact on our writing, and our enjoyment of writing. This workshop shines a light on some of those beliefs and starts to transform them, turning them into our allies in our writing practice.

The Writer Revealed approach is about your relationship with your writing. It’s developed from my work with myself and hundreds of writers at all stages in their writing careers, and whatever genre they write in. It works to free your creativity. We work in a friendly and supportive atmosphere, and while we share ideas and thoughts, we are often experimenting with new ideas, and writing new work, so we don’t tend to read our work out during the workshop.

Book here.
There is a discount of £5 per person if you book two tickets.
Repeat bookings discount £100 – pay for four of the monthly workshops to be taken between March and December 2019 and pay only £25 per session. That’s a discount of £10 on the full workshop price.
Just email me to let me know which workshop you are attending so that I can prepare enough materials.

The full list of workshop dates will be posted on the website soon. The next one is on 2 March. Following workshops will generally be on the last Saturday of the month.

CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP WITH WRITER REVEALED 26 JANUARY 2019

Saturday morning creative writing workshops in 2019. Book here.

*Why come to a writing workshop?*
One of the most challenging parts of being a writer is keeping going. This workshop will give you.

• a toolkit of tips and techniques to keep you on track
• help to re-energise an existing project
• or kick-start a new one.

Writer Revealed writing workshops are based on my work with hundreds of writers of all ages and at all stages of their writing, across the UK and more recently internationally.
The Writer Revealed approach is about helping writers identify and loosen barriers – conscious or less obvious, practical or belief-based – that can hold us back from writing, and from enjoying the process.

*More Information – Kick Start Your Writing*

• Saturday 26 January, 09.30–12.30.
• The Burness Parish Rooms, 38, The Street, Melton, IP12 1PW – 2 minutes off the A12 at the Woods Lane roundabout in Woodbridge. There is plenty of free parking.

It's £35 for three hours, or £60 if you book two tickets together – that's a £5 discount per person. Refreshments are provided. There will be cake and a free inspiration game for participants of this first workshop of 2019.

Workshops will be monthly throughout 2019. Email me for more details info@writerrevealed.co.uk

Book here.

Kick start your writing project, or get back on track, in a friendly and supportive atmosphere, where we share our ideas, but don't tend to read our work out – this is about your relationship with your writing.

YOUR FREE INSPIRATION TOOL

FREE INSPIRATION CALENDAR – DOWNLOAD IT HERE
A free writing calendar to help support your writing in 2019. Download it, print it out, then mark each day you write – mark each day you do some writing – if you write down one idea, a single sentence, or half a page, it is still writing!

This tool is simple but its power comes in how you approach it.

Use it as a stick and your journey will be harder, use it to support your writing and it will help! Get your free writing inspiration tool here.

NEW SATURDAY MORNING WRITING WORKSHOPS WITH WRITER REVEALED
First workshop – Kick Start Your Writing – is 09.30–12.30, Saturday 26 January at the Burness Parish Rooms, 38 The Street, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 1PW. Book here.

The Burness Parish Rooms are two minutes from the Woods Lane roundabout on the A12 at Woodbridge, and there is plenty of free parking. Directions: http://burnessparishrooms.org/Find_Us.htm

Cost: £35 per person. Book here.
Discount: Book with a friend and get £5 off the full price per person. Book here – choose the two ticket option
There is a free Inspiration Game for attendees of the first workshop, and there will be cake :-)


Writer Revealed Online Self-study course
If you can’t make the workshops, then try out the online self-study course (available here)
The Writer Revealed online course is thirty 20–minute self-study tasks, to take at your own pace.
It is suitable for all writers and all genres – the course has been taken by writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, songwriting, and scriptwriting.
It’s an approach that works to free up your creative thinking, and smooth away some snags and sticking points that can hold you back.

If you want to find out more, email me, Liz, at info@writerrevealed.co.uk

FREE SUPPORT FOR YOUR WRITING IN 2019

WRITER REVEALED FIVE MINUTES

Want to go a bit deeper in your writing practice? Interested in peeling back the layers of your writing? Every day during 2019 I am posting a free five-minute writing or thinking task on Writer Revealed Instagram and Facebook.

Follow Writer Revealed Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/writerrevealed/
Like the Writer Revealed Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/writerrevealed/

The aim of Writer Revealed Five Minutes is to encourage you to feed your creative thinking, first, and second, to build a writer’s toolkit, the basis of which is awareness. Each five minute task focusses on a different technique, finding new sources of inspiration, and in the process revealing and reframing beliefs that can hold you back.

It is suitable for all writers whether you are at just starting out, or have been writing a while, and whatever genre you work in – I have worked with novelists, short story writers, song writers, non-fiction writers, poets, and at all stages in their writing careers…

Follow Writer Revealed on Instragram or Like the Facebook page
1. Writer Revealed Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/writerrevealed/
2. Writer Revealed Facebook https://www.facebook.com/writerrevealed/

FREE INSPIRATION CALENDAR – DOWNLOAD IT HERE
A free, downloadable writing calendar to help support your writing in 2019. Download it, print it out, then mark each day you write – mark each day you do some writing – if you write down one idea, a single sentence, or half a page, it is still writing!

This tool is simple but its power comes in how you approach it.

Use it as a stick to beat yourself and your journey will be harder, use it to encourage your endeavours and it will help! Get your free writing inspiration tool here.

If you want to know more, email me, Liz, at info@writerrevealed.co.uk.

Happy writing!

FREE GIFTS TO KICK START A YEAR OF WRITING

I love finding ways to support my writing practice. Here are a great idea and a free gift to help you.

FREE INSPIRATION GIFT! DOWNLOAD IT HERE
Here is a writing calendar that I hope help you make 2019 the year of writing. I adapted it from an idea my daughter found on Pinterest.

Download it, print it out, then mark each day you write – mark each day you do some writing – if you write down one idea, a single sentence, or half a page, it is still writing!

This tool is simple but its power comes in how you approach it.

Use it as a stick to beat yourself and your journey will be harder, use it to encourage your endeavours and it will help! Get your free writing inspiration tool here.

MORE SUPPORT
The Tomato Timer
Also known as The Pomodoro Technique. Developed by Francesco Cirillo during the 1980s, and inspired by his mother’s tomato-shaped kitchen timer, this breaks work down into intervals, usually of 25 minutes each.
This technique makes tasks manageable – you don’t have to complete a song cycle, a poetry collection or a novel, you only focus on the next 25 minutes. It can also transform your relationship with writing. Working in chunks of time pulls your focus onto PROCESS and not result.

Here is a link to a free ‘Tomato Timer’ you can access on your phone or laptop when you want to write: https://tomato-timer.com/

WRITING WORKSHOPS
Retraining our relationship with writing is the main focus in my online course and my taught workshops. I am now taking bookings for my first workshop of 2019
Saturday 26 January, 09.30-12.30, at the Burness Parish Rooms, 38 The St, Melton, Woodbridge IP12 1PW, Suffolk) Book here.

The Burness Parish Rooms are about two minutes from the Woods Lane roundabout on the A12 at Woodbridge, Suffolk, and there is plenty of free parking.
Directions to the Burness Parish Rooms here