Write Outside

A one day program designed to get you ‘out of the box’ and writing in nature in the beautiful Yarra Valley. Write Outside is the writing program you wish you’d done years ago.

If you’ve been stuck inside a room, or stuck inside your writing then taking your practice ’outside’ may just be the turning point you have been aching for.

Procrastination become your finest art form? Go outside.
Lacking inspiration? Go outside.
Can’t break through a challenging scene or idea in your writing? Go outside.
Feeling stifled, silly or just pacing the room for no apparent reason? Go outside.
Not sure what you’re doing, or if you’re even any good? Go outside.

But it’s also more than that… (of course!)

Write Outside is about actually going outside to write, preferably in nature.
This program will provide you with an immersive experience and some tips and tactics to make it the most nourishing and inspiring writing act you will ever take.
Nature is not just a thing over there, it is within us too and it is from this place that we can embrace new inspiration and dedication to our writing life.

Nature is 100% waiting and willing to be our inspiration. Together we will explore a new found freedom in writing that only being outside can foster. Discover how solitude and spaciousness feed creativity and the writing life.

In this whole day immersion we will:
• Take meditative walks in nature
• Discover ways to establish ‘outdoor studios’ no matter where you are
• Re-engage the five senses so critical for writing well
• Enjoy writing prompts designed to get you listening, responding and embodying a new nature
• Play with some free writing
• Rediscover what it is to be ‘unbusy’ and find your real pace
• Discover personal ways to make your writing natural and easy, find your spaciousness and infuse your writing with a little mindfulness
• Have fun, and maybe get a little dirty – it is nature after all.

Set on a gorgeous property of more than 150 acres in the Yarra Valley, we will travel together past dams and streams and over landscapes of bushland, forest gully and lush pastures. We will meet wildlife and farm life including horses, and walk new paths in the mountains. It won’t be strenuous but it will be beautiful. Sounds yummy, hey?

And you don’t have to share your work (unless you want to).

And this is not a workshop to write about trees (although you can if you like).

This is a no-nonsense practical experience that will help you rediscover the hidden resources you have inside as a writer and inspire you to write more, in your natural voice. Some people say it is even healing.

Bring a journal and pens–as many colours as you like (no wifi=no tech please)
Wear sturdy shoes, bring clothes for all conditions and a cushion/yoga mat to sit on.
The property is private with basic and clean facilities.
Working Lunch: bring something to share.

Cost: $425.

Time: 10 am to 2.30 pm.

Dates: Monday 23 January 2023

Location: Wedgetail Therapy, Launching Place, Yarra Valley

More info: provided on booking.

‘Over the years, I’ve done workshops and university courses, gone to TAFE, gone to bed, done anything, everywhere, to make myself a better writer (or let’s face it just to get myself to write). It was only when I made a dedicated effort to go outside to write that I truly found my flow and I want to share that with you because I believe, in this era of screens, concrete boxes and often total disconnection from nature, that we humans are served creatively, emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually by reanimating our outdoor life.
We need to feel the seasons, watch the passing of the day, and remember the most essential nature of our biology and belief. We are nature and we are the best versions of ourselves when we realise this connection.’

 Lindy