About this Event
This writing retreat is part immersion (you will generate amazing pages!) and part adventure, featuring mentored craft support and vision-making as well as "field trips" all through the writing landscape of Edinburgh, Scotland.
A generative and immersive writing retreat on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, ScotlandFacilitated by Carolyn Dawn Flynn, the Story Catalyst, and writer and poet Jona Kottler
In this city, writers write and readers love them. Let a city that loves writers embrace you as you immerse yourself in Edinburgh, Scotland, for five days and four nights of inspiring craft talks, mentored support and a vibrant writer community.
This immersion is for writers at any stage of their journey. You may write fiction or creative nonfiction. Whether you’re writing essays or a book-length memoir, whether you’re writing short stories or a novel, whether you're writing a screenplay or poetry, this immersive getaway is designed to help you deepen and refine your work-in-progress, emerging with clarity and vision.
We'll tap into the writer-vibe of a city that has the biggest monument to a writer (Sir Walter Scott) and an imagination-stirring discoveries in the closes, circles and wynds along the Royal Mile. Whether it's a loft in a drafty apartment, a rickety table at a cafe or the tea room at the Balmoral, where the royals go and where J.K. Rowling finished Harry Potter, you'll find your place, and we'll inspire and support you as you write.
We will provide a mentored critique, individual consultations and group talks on story architecture, narrative flow and craft points such as dialogue and scene-building.
Every day will launch with a series of prompts for writing with intent, building pivotal and memorable scenes that are the vital underpinning of story.
In the afternoons, we'll lead you on writing excursions to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, the National Portrait Gallery and the Scottish Poetry Library, as well as all the undiscovered places waiting to be written about!
The retreat offers time to generate new, focused pieces and a strategic plan for your work-in-progress.
THINKING ABOUT IT? WANT TO MEET US AND ASK QUESTIONS?
Join us for an upcoming zoom call where you can tell us about your project and get all the answers to your questions.
Find out more! REGISTER for Sept. 12 zoom call
Find out more! REGISTER for Nov. 7 zoom call
Find out more! REGISTER for Jan. 23 zoom call
Join our Story Catalyst network on Mighty Networks to stay in touch about all Story Catalyst retreats and online writing courses.
WHO WE ARE
Acclaimed writer and TEDx speaker Carolyn Dawn Flynn and award-winning American writer and educator Jona Kottler are your facilitators.
ABOUT CAROLYN
carolynflynn.com | Memoirist, novelist and essayist Carolyn Dawn Flynn was longlisted for the Mslexia International Memoir Prize for Boundless, a becoming-of-age memoir, and shortlisted for the Elixir Press First Novel Prize for Searching for Persephone.
Her essays have been published in Fourth Genre, Under the Gum Tree, The Colorado Sun, The Tampa Review, The Whitefish Review (Montana Prize for Fiction), Albuquerque Journal, Sage Magazine, Albuquerque the Magazine and Wilde Frauen.
Known as The Story Catalyst, Carolyn Flynn is the winner of the 2014 Rick Bass/Montana Prize for Fiction for "Pretend", author of “Resurrection,” published in Fourth Genre. An excerpt from Searching for Persephone ("First Cut") appears on The Write Launch, and excerpt from her novel-in-progress I Don't Remember It That Way appears on The Petigru Review. I Don't Remember It That Way was a 2021 finalist in the Tucson Festival of Books.
See her TED talk, “Tell a Better Story, Live a Better Life” here.
ABOUT JONA
jonathakottler.com | Jonatha Kottler is an American writer and educator from Albuquerque, NM, recently based in Scotland.
Her work has appeared in Nasty Women and in publications including The Guardian and NY Magazine.
She works with the Lighthouse Writers Workshop and is completing her first novel. She teaches in the honors program at the University of New Mexico and is in the MFA in Writing program at the Institute of American Indian Arts.
WHERE WE'LL STAY
RADISSON BLU
The Radisson Blu Hotel, Edinburgh City Centre is located in the heart of the historic Royal Mile in Edinburgh's old town, just a short walk to major city center attractions. Walk to the iconic Edinburgh Castle, National Museum of Scotland, the Scottish Parliament, and Edinburgh's famous shopping thoroughfare, Princes street. The hotel is also within easy reach of Holyrood Palace and Holyrood Park. Arthur's Seat, the park's highest point, has stunning views of the Scottish capital.
Relax and indulge in Scotland's capital
Radisson Blu Hotel, Edinburgh City Centre has a range of stylish rooms, family rooms, and suites with comfortable touches such as a pillow menu, 24-hour room service, and thoughtful bathroom amenities. The hotel has the rejuvenating Melrose Spa and Health Club on-site complete with indoor heated swimming pool (child-friendly), sauna, steam room, and gym equipment. Health Club access is included during your hotel stay. The Spa offers a range of treatments from relaxing massages to manicures and pedicures.
For delicious food visit the on-site Itchycoo Bar and Kitchen. Located on the ground floor of the hotel, it serves dishes prepared with fresh Scottish produce and perfect pre-dinner cocktails.
Perfect for meetings and social events
The Radisson Blu is located in the heart of Edinburgh, just 13 kilometers from Edinburgh Airport (EDI). You will love being so close to everything the city has to offer.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
WRITING MENTORING AND SUPPORT
- Morning workshops on writing craft, customized to your writing style and vision
- Story mapping and scene-building exercises
- Mentor-led group consultations on story-building
- Writing prompts designed for your project
- Time to write, write, write!
GUIDED WRITING EXCURSIONS
- Mary, Queen of Scots, excursion to The Palace of Holyroodhouse, followed by writing in an Edinburgh tea shop
- Art-inspired writing (ekphrastic writing) at the National Portrait Gallery
- Presentation by two Scottish writers and poets at the Scottish Poetry Library
- Evening of readings by Scottish writers and poets at an Edinburgh bookshop
LODGING, FOOD AND ACCOMMODATIONS
- 4 nights/5 days lodging at Radisson Blu on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland
- Hearty Scottish breakfast every morning
- Welcome evening with heavy hors d'oeuvres at no-host bar
- Two three-course dinners
- One boxed lunch
- TRANSPORTATION & TICKETS
- Four-day city transit pass
- Cab fare to Holyroodhouse
- Admission to Holyroodhouse
- Admission to Edinburgh Castle
* Airfare to Edinburgh NOT included!
Hurry! This retreat will fill up fast!
NONREFUNDABLE DEPOSIT OF $995 secures your spot. [If you register by Nov. 15, a deposit of $500 reserves your spot IF YOU CONTACT US FOR A SPECIAL PROMO CODE.]
REMAINING BALANCE to be paid by APRIL 21, 2023. Pay your deposit on EventBrite here to secure your spot.
All rates are based on single occupancy.
For a full list of FAQs, go to https://www.carolynflynn.com/scotland-writing-immersion-may-21-25-2023
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Radisson Blu Hotel, Edinburgh City Centre, 80 High Street, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
USD 995.00 to USD 2695.00