It's my absolute pleasure to welcome Alison Rose Knight to my blog today! Not only is Alison a very good personal friend of mine, she is also one half of the Imagine Creative Writing team who run writing workshops and retreats throughout in Wiltshire, Devon and France. Over to you, lovely lady...
Don’t you wish, sometimes, that you could retreat from the
pressures of ‘real life’ and immerse yourself in the imaginary worlds you
create in your stories? Wouldn’t it be lovely to be able to forget about the
day job, the housework, the food shopping and the cooking? Unfortunately, most of us need to keep on top
of all of these before we can even think
about writing. But, every now and then, an opportunity arises – a chance to
leave everyday concerns behind and just
write! Welcome to the world of the writing retreat.
The first time I took myself away to write, I wasn’t even
aware that writing retreats existed. I
simply booked into a quiet hotel in Devon and wrote. I didn’t have to worry about meals, work, the
school run or the ironing. No one asked me where their favourite top was or
what was for dinner. All I had to think about was my story.
How did I manage to escape? Well, I’m fortunate that my
other half is a keen cyclist. We struck
a deal – he would go on a cycling holiday and then I got to have a few days away. This started a tradition of Mummy and Daddy
taking separate holidays. Don’t worry, we do also have family holidays! We
found that by giving each other permission to go away and do what we really
love, we come back refreshed and appreciative.
I love my retreats so much that I now organise them for
other writers. Next month, there are two retreats planned in wonderful
locations. Why don’t you come and join us?
From the 8th - 12th October, Rachel
will be joining author Jenny Kane and I at our writing retreat at Northmoor
House, near Dulverton in Somerset. This is a splendid Victorian mansion with
lots of original features. On two
evenings we have guest speakers – Kate Griffin, who writes bestselling Victorian
crime novels and Dan Metcalf, a successful children’s author. You can come for the whole retreat, or for a
day, or for an overnight stay – whatever suits your busy schedule. You’re
guaranteed to be inspired!
From the 11th - 17th October, I’ll be
leading a retreat for writers at the beautiful Chez Castillon in SW
France. Chez Castillon is owned by
writer Janie Millman and actor Mickey Wilson and is popular with many
best-selling authors who go there year-round for some quiet writing time when
deadlines loom. During this week, I’ll be on hand to offer to support if anyone
needs to talk through plot points, character development, structure, or to discuss
your ideas. It’s a great place, perfect for writing and also for exploring this
picturesque corner of France.
So, if you’re looking for the chance to retreat from ‘real
life’ and to spend some concentrated time working on your story, then come with
us! For more details, see
ALISON ROSE KNIGHT, AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Alison has been a legal
executive, a registered childminder, a professional fund-raiser and a teacher.
In her mid-forties she went to university part-time and gained a first-class
degree in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University and an MA in the same subject
from Oxford Brookes University. Her first book was published a year after she
completed her master’s degree.
She has been an exchange
student in the US, trekked the Great Wall of China, helped build a house in Thailand,
visited coffee-farming communities in Honduras and walked across the Sinai
Desert. She finds inspiration in her travels and in everyday experiences. She
writes women’s contemporary fiction as Alison Rose and time-travel adventures
as Alison Knight. Due for publication in 2019, is the second of her time-travel
adventures, and a drama set in London based on real events that took place in
her family in the 1960s. Her current work in progress is an epic story set in
Mallorca in the 1940s and the present day.
Alison teaches creative
and life-writing at Wiltshire College; runs workshops and retreats with Imagine Creative Writing Workshops, as
well as working as a freelance editor and proof-reader. She is on the national
committee of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and is a member of the Society
of Authors and the Society for Editors and Proof-readers.
She has two grown-up
children and two grandchildren. She lives in Somerset with her husband.
BOOKS BY ALISON ROSE KNIGHT
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