Writers read from new work on Sunday of the workshop.
Here are a few elements writers liked about the second annual Writing From Nature workshop:
“Tailoring to different genres and skill levels.”
“The venue was quiet and undisturbed.”
“Positive, encouraging vibe.”
“Amazing and inspiring atmosphere.”
“Wonderful meals and great people.”
“Keynote talk Saturday evening, sharing of the five formative events that led to [Chris’s] career as a writer.”
“Food was awesome!”
“Writing prompts were really good—my first time. More, please.”
“I never felt pushed or rushed. Nice sense of pacing.”
“Warm and welcoming environment with warm and delicious food. Both had a very authentic feel. Both were unpretentious and both were a delight.”
Writing From Nature gathered on Stone Pond, near Mount Monadnock in southwestern New Hampshire, from Friday to Sunday, June 17 through 19, 2016. A small group of writers from all walks of life gathered in a comfortable, rustic private cottage. I led them to their new ideas through the practice of walking and observing the natural world.
My workshop is for finding and writing new ideas. Writers are not required to show up with a manuscript and I do not critique their work or ask other writers to do so. The best ideas, I believe, come in a flash when writers are doing other things that have nothing to do with writing. Three decades into my career, I have made it my mission to share what I learned with writers at all stages of their working lives.
Our group in 2016 included a visual artist who has started writing novels, a pilot who returned to writing that year, an editor and writer beginning her career, a graduate student writing about how environmental activists were first inspired, and a successful science fiction and horror writer. Our visitors were Peter Palmiotti, an expert on Mount Monadnock, and Elizabeth Rush, a writer-in-residence at Bates College and author of a forthcoming book about coastal dwellers’ struggles with the rising sea.
