NEW: Zoom Writing & Meditation Workshops

Thanks to Annie Manson for the photo and testimonial - a passionate advocate for Spanish gastronomy she runs fabulous food and sherry holidays in Vejer, Andalucia - great fun, I loved it! https://www.anniebspain.com/

Writing workshops: For years, people all over the world have been asking me if I could run my writing workshops online, but the fear of technology and vanity about my own appearance on screen had stopped me. I’d never even done Facetime. Now, because of quarantine, I am so glad I have!
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What has surprised me most is that the workshops still seem to have the same therapeutic impact online. Writing down our lives, keeping a notebook or a diary using pen and paper is something we all should be doing… for our own mental health and for future generations to understand how it is for us all, living in the now. Hosting the workshops has also encouraged me to put on proper clothes and make-up and not just live in ‘day-time pyjamas’!
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Mindfulness meditation is a skill I learnt many years ago and it is incredibly effective at dealing with stress and panic at times like this. You don’t have to have to be a Buddhist or spiritual in any way. All you have to do is be still, find where your breath comes into the body and relax. When your attention wanders away, bring it back and perhaps make a mental note of where it has gone – worrying, planning, thinking. It is very much about living in the now, an acceptance of who and where you are in this very moment and not worrying about the future or thinking about the past. Do this for ten minutes and I think you will feel much calmer.

Join me on Zoom 10.30am and 7.00pm London Time for an hour of writing and meditation. Email me elaine@write-it-down.co.uk for the latest log-in details. You don’t have to share any of your writing, you can mute yourself and hide your video. No writing experience needed, just some paper, a pen and a sense of adventure!

My workshops are £20 for one hour and payable via PayPal or bank transfer

See what other writers say:

‘The sessions have been surprising, enlightening, entertaining, challenging. thoughtful, respectful and made me think about my motivations, experiences and what has made me who and what I am.’

 ‘Thanks again for such thought provoking and comfortable, well crafted sessions. They have been one of the most consistent things over the last year or more.’

 ‘Thanks again for this morning’s session. I felt emotional at the start and the only way I can describe it is like being hugged.’

 ‘I’m writing this straight from my first writing workshop with you and I want to let you know what a special hour this has been for me. I’ve been lurking in the shadows too long!’

 ‘Thank you so much for this morning. It was really good and provided some really valuable focus for writing and being able to get the words to flow onto the paper in a way that felt natural. I will definitely join in the future and am blocking out the space in my calendar right now.’

 ‘I really love how you guide the sessions and since I’ve been in my first session, I feel much more confident with my flaws and could start to break bad habits and blockades.’

Glowing Testimonials on our 2019 Writing Holidays

Just in case you’re still deliberating on whether Write It Down! writing, walking and meditation holidays at Finca Buenvino are RIGHT for you, are worth the money or the effort involved, whether you would fit in or be able to write [because you're not a 'writer']…may I suggest that you take a couple of minutes to read what our guests say about last year and then grab the last few spaces I have left?

I promise it will change your life. Many, many thanks to you wonderful women from all over the world who have contributed. Link to book:http://write-it-down.co.uk/booking-form

‘Absolutely wonderful programme of events. I liked how they unfolded and we ended up doing types of writing e.g poem, scary story, etc- things I never thought I could try. Felt challenged but in a really supportive environment and NOT having the schedule in advance made me relax much more. Thanks Elaine, you have made me feel so much better about writing. I was feeling stressed about it for so long and I feel so much happier. I loved the teaching and your energy and enthusiasm for life and for writing.’ Yasminah.

‘It feels like Elaine has given me a precious gift that will last a lifetime – the confidence to write and the understanding of how to write. Where I thought I had nothing to say, I now feel that my life is significant enough to write my memories and that I can do this for the rest of my life. I have found my voice and fell renewed and empowered.’ Siobhan.

‘Elaine’s dedication, her background and experience all meant she was an excellent facilitator and could get us all doing things and writing things we didn’t believe we were capable of. She was never pushy or patronising.’ Lesley

‘Elaine guides you skilfully as you discover your writing ‘voice’ – it’s a week of nurturing your self and your talent in a friendly, non-competitive and secure environment. You’ll certainly emerge from your time at Finca Buenvino feeling creatively energised and physically unwound.’ Lesley.

‘Elaine’s calm positive encouragement is infectious, she has an amazing ability to inspire and build confidence. The combination of beautiful, tranquil surroundings, a stunning property, relaxing meditations, hugely interesting walks and thoughtful and diverse writing sessions all serve to make this a truly inspiring experience. The infinity pooll, fabulous food and a sense of being totally spoilt.’ Sue.

‘The most perfect holiday. I have felt so looked after and nurtured. A life affirming combination of walking, meditation, writing and food in a beautiful house and location. Thank you, Elaine. Clearly so much love and thought and care has gone into this week.’ Kate.

‘What I didn’t expect from the retreat was how each day would be so thoughtfully crafted to include the importance of experiencing  what makes for a good life – delicious food, a beautiful room, good company, natural beauty, walking and swimming – and how feeling cared for and relaxed would unleash such creativity, reflection and a genuine opening up, all pouring out on the page through each writing exercise. Elaine has created the ideal writing environment in which to learn what it is to be a writer.’ Nitasha.

‘Elaine is a force of nature and a fantastic teacher – her enthusiasm and encouragement have been so helpful given I was feeling rather insecure about the whole writing thing. Once in a while, you have a holiday experience that you know will stay will stay with you for a very long time. Buenvino and Elaine’s retreats are a magical combination.’ Francesca

‘Thank you, Elaine for a most wonderful week. It’s truly given me a new outlook on writing – less forced, more fun – and I’ll bring with me warm memories spent with everyone in this magical place.’ Lisa

‘The retreat is excellent in so many ways. Elaine presents with care and knowledge and elicits extraordinary responses from the group. It sounds clichéd but I have grown and changed through participating. Highly recommended.’ Anne.

NB: I was brought up to ‘not be the centre of attention’, to not be ‘full of myself’, not boast, continuously reminded that ‘pride goes before a fall’ and ‘children should be see and not heard’ BUT if this post encourages you to discover the wonders of Buenvino and the therapeutic power of writing down your life and sharing your stories – so be it! All I ask is that you are fit enough to walk up and down steep paths in the Sierra and pack your sense of adventure. See you in Sevilla in the summer…

Music & Dancing

Last night I went to Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in Soho with my 28-year-old daughter, 40 years after I was a Saturday-night regular with her father and got down to James Brown. Gone are the days of smoke filled rooms but the atmosphere was just as sultry and seductive. On Mother’s Day this weekend, my three kids are taking me to a hip local eatery where, ‘our Sunday resident DJ will be playing all the Motown/Soul/Disco classics that’ll get your mum on her feet’. Like I need encouragement.

I fell in love in the 60s to the growly vocals of John Lee Hooker and Robert Johnson and gave birth to my first child accompanied by a mix-tape of Al Green and Bill Withers. Four years later, it was Prince’s Purple Rain that greeted my second son and after another four years, my daughter arrived to The Gypsy Kings. From my early years in ballet classes, learning the mesmerising steps of the tarantella and mazurka, music and dancing have fortified my life - and every live gig  is a shot of adrenaline far more life enhancing than a vegan lifestyle or statins. My memory of dancing alone on a beach in Costa Rica, plugged into my iPod while my man of the moment tried to stand up on a surf board way out on the waves, is an moment for me that symbolises freedom, happiness and how to be truly alive.  Weddings, parties, friends ‘round for dinner - any excuse and I’m up on the floor.  Even my weekly meditation class has movement, a gentle two-step sway to accompany the preparatory chanting. I hate gyms and am never going to do a marathon but the 15 minutes of disco dancing that I do every morning in the privacy of my own apartment keeps me fit, fills me with utter joy and puts a smile on my face all day.

And this is why I’m taking my digital music library and my Bluetooth portable speaker on my writing retreats in Spain this year; so we can all have the opportunity if the music moves us, to dance with the sun on our faces and our hearts full of  celebration for simply being alive.