A week of mindful writing and French elegance
Listed on October 29, 2013 in Blogs!A guest blog by James, a participant on our Mindful Writing week that took place at Chateau Ventenac 28 April – 4 May 2013.
I’m writing this sat at my desk in the Chateau, looking out of the window across the Canal Du Midi, across fields of vines, and way across to the mighty Pyrenees.
This has to be one of the most wonderful views I’ve had the pleasure to bathe in, and these elusive mountains have become a theme for our Mindful-based Writing course held this week to embrace the craft of writing and creating mindfully.. Our group is guided by experienced writer Satya Robyn and her equally literary-steeped husband and Buddhist priest Kaspa.
I’m a non-fiction writer and filmmaker, itching to return to poetry and the playwriting place I once inhabited, and this week gave me the perfect chance to kick-start this, with the support of the leaders and the group. The work is based upon their ‘Small Stones’ initiative, grounded in Buddhist philosophy, and simply encouraging us all to stop and look at little deeper at what lies in front, and respond in words. Slowly, Precisely. The small stones emerge like haiku, dripping onto the page, and often not needing much of an edit, as the creative process has been purer than usual – at least that’s my thought, anyway!
The week became less about the creative product – something I get obsessed about in filmic terms, and more about the creative process. I was immensely grateful for the chance for the group to share and bond. Ventenac is an altogether different experience to other writing courses I have experienced, bringing people together amongst French elegance, allowing the work to unfold whilst quietly supported from behind.
Owner Julia Bristow does a magnificent job co-ordinating all of this I warmly recommend everyone to experience the pleasures of Chateau Ventenac, set amid the delights of Languedoc in southern France.
To discover more about Small Stones or Mindful Writing Day that takes place on 1 November – visit www.writingourwayhome.com
If you would like to receive details about our next writing courses at Chateau Ventenac or other venues, please email julia@chateaulifecourses.com.
