Monday 31 May 2021

Retreat West 2021 Novel Creator Mentored Course competition, deadline extended until 6 June 2021

The deadline has been extended on this competition which costs £10 to enter:


DEADLINE EXTENDED TO 6TH JUNE!

SEND YOUR ELEVATOR PITCH WIN A PLACE ON OUR YEAR-LONG, FULLY MENTORED, ONLINE NOVEL CREATOR COURSE WORTH £2550! Plus other great prizes for second and third place! 

The course will teach you all the tools novelists use to create compelling, emotionally resonant novels that readers connect to, whatever genre you’re writing. The course content is all online, accessible 24-7 so no matter where you are in the world you can work at the time that suits you best.

All you have to do to win the place on the course is write an elevator pitch of up to 25 words that gets us excited about your novel. Get advice on writing elevator pitches here.

A student from the 2019 course has signed a publishing deal for the novel he wrote with us; and another has recently signed with an agent and is getting ready to pitch her manuscript to publishers. 


The Novel Creator course can help you write novels that stand out!
 

 

 

 

 

FINAL 2 SPACES on FLASH FOCUS


Join Amanda Saint to get more words on the page this summer (or winter if you're in the Southern Hemisphere!). 

Flash Focus zooms in on different elements of Flash Fiction to get you creating new drafts in new ways and take your flash writing to a deeper level. Thursday mornings from 10.30 to midday starting 3rd June.  Get all the info here.  Or Tuesday afternoons from 14.30 to 16.00 starting on 22nd June. Info here. (These sessions are shown in UK times and there is only 1 space left on each course.)

July sees the first ever Experiments in Flash which is going to be a mind-bending, genre-bending look at the ideas from science and spirituality into the nature of reality and how we can use them to transform structure and how we tell stories. It's going to be so much fun and you'll never approach flash fiction in the same way again! Get all the info here on this one. 

Note: if you are a member of the online community platform, you'll need to login to the community website and book through there.

We've got lots of other work alone start anytime courses if you don't want to commit to specific times. So there's no excuse not to get writing this summer! Especially as the sun doesn't appear to be coming out to play much!
 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2021 Retreat West, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:

Retreat West

Apartment 3735 Chynoweth House

Trevissome Park

Truro, Cornwall TR4 8UN

United Kingdom







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ONLY 1 MORE DAY TO SEND YOUR ELEVATOR PITCH WIN A PLACE ON OUR YEAR-LONG, FULLY MENTORED, ONLINE NOVEL CREATOR COURSE

The course will teach you all the tools novelists use to create compelling, emotionally resonant novels that readers connect to, whatever genre you’re writing.

All you have to do to win the place on the course is write an elevator pitch of up to 25 words that gets us excited about your novel. Get advice on writing elevator pitches here.


Plus other great prizes for second and third place! 
 

 

 

 

THE LATEST CONTEST WINNERS AND LISTINGS


This week we announced the shortlist for the CIRCUS themed flash competition. Some fantastic takes on the theme in these 10 stories that have made the final round. Our judge, Sherry Morris, is now choosing her winners. Good luck everyone! It's just 1 month to the deadline for the next quarter -  theme is THE UNCANNY - judged by Ross Jeffrey, author and editor of STORGY lit mag.

And many congratulations to the winners of the 2021 First Chapter Competition as chosen by Sam Jordison of Galley Beggar Press. Our 10 shortlisted writers have all received short feedback on their novel openings from Sam and the winners get detailed notes and advice on how to develop their first 3 chapters, synopsis and covering letter for agents and publishers. Well done to all! 


Plus we have the results of the May Monthly Micro contest too! It has been a record-breaking month for this competition as our judging panel unanimously agreed on the winners of first and second place for the first time ever. And the People's Prize voting gave the winner the biggest lead we've ever seen! 

 

 

 

FINAL 2 SPACES on FLASH FOCUS


Join Amanda Saint to get more words on the page this summer (or winter if you're in the Southern Hemisphere!). 

Flash Focus zooms in on different elements of Flash Fiction to get you creating new drafts in new ways and take your flash writing to a deeper level. Thursday mornings from 10.30 to midday starting 3rd June.  Get all the info here.  Or Tuesday afternoons from 14.30 to 16.00 starting on 22nd June. Info here. (These sessions are shown in UK times and there is only 1 space left on each course.)

July sees the first ever Experiments in Flash which is going to be a mind-bending, genre-bending look at the ideas from science and spirituality into the nature of reality and how we can use them to transform structure and how we tell stories. It's going to be so much fun and you'll never approach flash fiction in the same way again! Get all the info here on this one. 

Note: if you are a member of the online community platform, you'll need to login to the community website and book through there.

We've got lots of other work alone start anytime courses if you don't want to commit to specific times. So there's no excuse not to get writing this summer! Especially as the sun doesn't appear to be coming out to play much!
 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2021 Retreat West, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:

Retreat West

Apartment 3735 Chynoweth House

Trevissome Park

Truro, Cornwall TR4 8UN

United Kingdom



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Sunday 30 May 2021

Five things to do in London this week/end

With thanks to Country and Townhouse, here are five ideas of things to do in London this week/end:

How to create a children’s haven in your garden, and the neon wonderland to visit now

Is that the sun I see? Hooray! Time to whack on the suncream (reef-friendly only, of course), ditch the winter colours and go all out in yellow (my style picks for the season are here). You’ll catch me in Hay on Wye this week for our annual Lit Fest talk, as well as tramping around in the Brecon Beacons and firing up the barbecue (we’ve found some supercool new ones here – whether you have patios or palace gardens) for the first cook outs of the year. Happy half term.   

 

Have a great week.

 

Lucy

Image: ‘Grandiflora Rose’ wallpaper design by Designers Guild

WHAT’S EXCITING ME THIS WEEK

Designer colours

I recently spied images of the former fashion-turned-interior designer Matthew Williamson’s gorgeous house in Mallorca (where he had the misfortune to spend lockdown, poor lad) and fell in love with his choice of colours. It was the sky-blue walls and yellow paintwork in the kitchen that did it for me. Is it bad to steal his style (or at least his palette)? 

Kitchen gardens

Having built our first raised beds this spring, there’s nothing more satisfying than eating fruit and vegetables you’ve planted with your own fair hand. Having your own kitchen garden though is one step up, so if you want a trawl through houses for sale where you can do more than just stick some basil on the windowsill, let the property fantasy begin.

Half term fun

The kids are at home. The weather’s looking good. So my advice is to lock away their screens, chuck them outside (when you can) and let them not return till their tummies are rumbling. We have some amazing ideas for creating a child’s haven in your garden, with everything from building tipis and hedgehog sanctuaries to upgrading your playhouse to something you’d aspire to live in yourself.

FIVE THINGS YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS​​​​​​​

A new exhibition at Leadenhall Market shines a light on neon art collective Gods Own Junkyard.

Glamp at Home Farm’s new summer season, which features music, al fresco feasts and open-air theatre.

The UK’s first float-in cinema, Häagen Dazs’ The Openaire, returns to Regent’s Canal this week.

The inaugural London Gallery Weekend takes place from 4 – 6 June.

Hundreds of trees are appearing in the Somerset House courtyard as part of this year’s London Design Biennale.

 

 

WHAT'S TRENDING ON C&TH

From outdoor cabanas to a room dedicated to pies, these are the private dining rooms to book now

 

Cool down at one of London's best lidos and outdoor pools, selected by Rebecca Cox

Longing for some peace and quiet? Susan D'Arcy picks the best secluded hotel stays in the UK

 

Actor Russell Tovey and gallerist and musician Robert Diament star on this week's episode of Break Out Culture 

Enter here to be in with a chance of winning a three-night stay for two at Angsana Corfu Resort & Spa.

Sign up for 6 print issues of Country & Town House magazine, plus supplements and instant access to every digital edition for only £12.

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Copyright © 2021 Country & Town House, All rights reserved. 

Our mailing address is: 
Country & Town House

Studio 2, Chelsea Gate Studios, London, SW6 4QL, United Kingdom