Happy Christmas

At this festive time of year, what better than to share a wonderful piece of 'snowy' writing from one of our Year 6 students? This comes from Evie (Skelton Primary School, York).

The Mystical Night

I tiptoe across the crunching snow.
The chilly wind sweeps across my freezing face.
Glimmering stars shine above, giving me a warm welcome.
In the dancing night an owl floats stealthily over me.
Dazzling white snow spirals down like a ballroom dancer turning.
The glittering midnight sky gives an eerie silence.
I think I can hear twinkling bells across the sky.
All around me trees slump, sunk in the white snow.
Crystal snowflakes delicately whirl to the layered ground.

We love the assonance and sibilance in 'slump, sunk', and the 'dancing night' - thanks, Evie.

Oh, and while we're blogging... can't help picking up on the Sony 'lets kill the North Korean leader' film fiasco. How about that, I hear you cry - how 'bout all that nasty hacking and threatening?

Well how about the crass insensitivity of the film in the first place? Would it have crossed the American mind that it might, it just might, be better to leave North Korea alone?

Nah. That's Americans for ya.

Happy Christmas, y'all!

Second Workshop a Success!

We're delighted to announce that our second writers' workshop, on the Natural Environment, was a resounding success and we had some great feedback!

This time we were getting our heads around the natural environment. We unpacked some of Susan Hill's skills in evoking the bleak marsh landscape of the Woman in Black, then had a go ourselves at working with environment, colour and mood. Some fantastic responses.

Then we dug a little deeper, exploring how we can use landscape and weather to evoke a sense of character and emotion. Finally, we managed to pack in a quick exploration of 'man as creature' - focusing on good ole Of Mice and Men (Lennie, naturally) and a taste of Helen Dunmore.

And all that in our two and a half hour workshop! Gotta say, totally action packed.

Look out for the next one! Coming in January our 'Writers' Roadshow' - Memoir writing. Can't wait!

Gothic Monsters - Among Us!

Oof! Gap in blogging due to workload - apologies bloggers! However we are back and delighted to announce that we have a workshop coming up on December 4th at South Cave Castle. This time we are workshopping in the evening, and our theme is 'The Natural Environment'. If you're local and would like to join us, do get in touch!

And while we're here... been to the hairdressers lately? Been handed a magazine to read while you're waiting? 'Tis an extraordinary thing - the lengths some ladies will go to, to get themselves noticed. We saw images of huge, grotesquely inflated backsides, boobs and rubber 'trout pout' lips. Is this supposed to be attractive? Actually, our verdict is that it's inhuman. Ladies, you are bears gnawing at your own feet here.

Gothic monsters, it seems, are among us!

The poppies - bland sentimentality or evocative art?

Jonathan Jones (Guardian, 1st Nov) believes the 'ugly reality' of the First World War would be better represented by Otto Dix's worm-infested skull. But how many of today's younger generation, desensitised by the gore of 18+ gaming, would give it a second thought? As a teacher, sadly, I've seen too many students unmoved by the shocking imagery of Wilfred Owen's Dulce Et to believe in any enduring power, there.
The poppies at the Tower of London are beautiful; but back up a little - step away, and the impression is increasingly that of spilt, spilling, gushing, blood.Why does no one else seem to talk about the poppies in this way, when I found this overpowering?

We can no longer shock ourselves into remembering that the Great War was 'real'. And Jones' assertion that history is 'worth far more than the illusion of memory' fails to take into account the subjective nature of history - for what is it, if not delusional memory? All too often history will, it seems, inevitable move into nostalgia. The poppies don't 'muffle the truth', Jonathan, because the truth is no longer available to us - if it ever was.

Our first Gloriously Gothic taster workshop - success!

We're delighted to report that our first 'Gloriously Gothic' taster workshop went down a treat! Thanks to all those who came along; your input was much appreciated. Here's a taste of what we got up to...

Our morning workshop was all about writing ghost stories; we shared spooky tales... we were in character, writing letters from a ghost... we explored writing technique, such as using dynamic verbs; slowing the pace with listing; powerful simile and personification, in a great collection of extracts from writers, both classic and contemporary... and we experimented with 'telling it slant'.

We're proud to share our feedback:

'Really enjoyed the morning. It was valuable to go through the published texts.'

'Really enjoyed the workshop and would love to do more... it was great to pick apart other authors' work. Nice to connect with other writers face to face.'

'I enjoyed the pace of the course and felt very relaxed and inspired.'

'Positive, creative, engaging and enjoyable -  more please.'

Thanks also to #Cavecastle for suitably gothic surroundings! Find us on www.thoughttree.co.uk #writingresidentialcourses #thoughttree - do get in touch if you'd like to join in the next one - needless to say, plans are already in place!

Taster Gothic Writing Workshop

Morning all! At Thoughttree we are delighted to announce the first of our Taster Gothic Writing Workshops.

We have a couple of places left... why not join us for a morning of fun and ghostly frolics... and all that with just pen and paper!

Where? Cave Castle
When? Thursday, October 23rd 10 am - 1
How do I join in? Contact us by email on the thoughttree website: www.thoughttree.co.uk or phone Ali on 01759 305392

#thoughttreeresidentialwritingcourses

And now for some fog!

Wonderful stuff, fog. Turns any setting into something atmospheric... Susan Hill, in the Woman in Black, uses it very well - the fog in which she immerses her streets is positively Dickensian.  So how about a touch of the real thing: here's Dickens' own fog, from Bleak House, of course:

'Fog everywhere. Fog up the river, where it flows among green aits and meadows; fog down the river, where it rolls defiled among the tiers of shipping, and the waterside pollutions of a great (and dirty) city. Fog on the Essex marshes, fog on the Kentish heights. Fog creeping into the cabooses of collier-brigs; fog lying out on the yards, and hovering in the rigging of great ships; fog drooping on the gunwales of barges and small boats. fog in the eyes and throats of ancient Greenwich pensioners, wheezing by the firesides of their wards; fog in the stem and bowl of the afternoon pipe of the wrathful skipper, down in his close cabin; fog cruelly pinching the toes and fingers of his shivering little 'prentice boy on deck. Chance people on the bridges peeping over the parapets into a nether sky of fog, with fog all round them, as if they were up in a balloon, and hanging in the misty clouds.'

Love all those verbs: rolls; creeping; hovering; drooping; pinching. Dickens was ever the master of repetition and listing, wasn't he? Love also the way he moves from long range to close up here, starting with the wider, river landscape and finishing with fog 'in the stem and bowl' of a pipe. And adding, for emotive effect with a touch of pathos, the 'shivering little 'prentice boy'.

Conan Doyle does a neat job with fog too in the Hound of the Baskervilles... but that's for another blog!