Life Writing and Yoga Retreat with Kate Spicer

Master Life Writing

On this retreat you will learn how to bring structure, humour and humility to telling your story with Kate Spicer, sharp-witted journalist, best-selling author of Lost Dog: A Love Story, ghostwriter and queen of the first person read. Whether you have just fragments of an idea or a first draft, the daily workshops and one-on-one sessions will steer you through the challenge of writing with authenticity, colour and that spritz of strategic fictionalisation that will really enable you to tell the truth without offending friends, family, or bosses (too much)…. 

All bedrooms have a desk and there are other peaceful spaces to work in – the salon, the barn, the gardens, the studio

Sessions include

• Sifting through material, deciding what to use, what not. How to arrange the facts to lighten the narrative
• Weaving humour through difficult and emotional subjects
• Writing through our most shameful moments
• Writing interesting and useful composite characters that help get your story told without offending people (too much)
• Structure, simple strategies to create a story arc and a beginning, middle and end
• Conquering procrastination, blocks, fear of the blank page and early morning writing versus late night

Yoga

We also have a beautiful old barn which makes a perfect space for pre-breakfast and mid-afternoon Vinyasa Flow yoga classes, run for all levels by Yoga veteran and Sacy regular Gillian Grant. These will clear your mind and prepare you for the focus of the day ahead. 

Food and Drink

• Meals will be Ottolenghi-inspired, largely vegetarian, nutricious and locally sourced where possible. We can cater for various diets on request.
• Each participant will pair up with another to prepare one dinner, with ingredients and recipe supplied and help at hand.
• Coffee, tea, fruit and pastries will be available throughout the day in a separate communal kitchen. 
• Wine will be served with dinner.

Free time

In your free time, you can walk to the Chapelle Saint Catherine, a spot visited by Joan of Arc, in the nearby woods, go swimming in a lake, ride a bike to the farmshop, visit the market on Friday morning, learn to walk our tightrope or just soak up the atmosphere at the chateau.

Outing

On Thursday, we will visit the fascinating Armistice Museum, site of the train carriage where the Armistice of both World war I and II were signed. After lunch in the riverside town of Compiegne, we will spend the afternoon at its magnificent chateau, built by Louis XV and remodelled by Napoleon.

A special guest speakers may join us for dinner.

 Find out more about Kate Spicer and the schedule here. More about each room here.