8 Day Creative Writing Retreat at Champagne House, France
Champagne House, 5 Rue Buzon, Condom, S/W France 32100
Up to 6 in group
May 15 - 22, 2024
Retreat Highlights
- The opportunity to develop fresh writing skills during the retreat.
- The opportunity to develop your core work.
- The opportunity to share your work with others in a friendly and supportive environment and to receive positive feedback from fellow writers.
- The opportunity to receive one-on-one feedback from your tutor regarding your writing.
- The opportunity to revise your work - in other words, to get your story to do its “Unique Thing”, as Booker-prize winner George Saunders refers to this in his book on writing A Swim in A Pond in the Rain, so that you can engage even further with readers.
- The opportunity to notice what doesn’t work, in your revision, so that you can recognize where you are being called to do more – to turn negatives into positives.
- The opportunity to get in touch with your unique self and to learn to lean into who you are as a writer.
- The opportunity to step back from the daily grind and connect with yourself and fellow writers.
About this Retreat
Your Guides
I began writing over thirty years ago.
I have written blogs for Cowbird, the Huffington Post and theJournal.ie.
I have also written a weekly stay-at-home dad column for an Irish daily newspaper, The Irish Examiner, and have written for The Irish Times. I have a memoir currently on the desk of a leading international publisher.
I have written two novels, which can be found on Amazon. Marian Keyes and Patricia Scanlan were “fans” of the first of these, The Quiet Life, while Cathy Kelly had a hand in the creation of the second, Tomayto Tomahto.
The first is set against the Northern Ireland “Troubles”, the second is a husband-and-wife story.
I am also the author of a book on conflict resolution, Socio-ideological Fantasy and the Northern Ireland Conflict: the Other side, (in New Approaches to Conflict Analysis, Manchester University Press, 2007), which was shortlisted for an award by the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis, in New York, in 2008.
Details of this retreat
Leisure is key to writing; come at writing with a mind full of worries, and the page remains empty: writer’s block.
At Champagne House, leisure is central to the writing process.
The creative writing retreat program includes learning the art of creative writing with Adrian Millar, who has written and published two books that are currently sold on Amazon.
The moments of leisure you will find at Champagne House – fine food, good company, new friends – are designed to help you relax and tap into your interiority, wherein lies your imagination.
Prepare to write at your leisure - in the classroom, in your room, on our French/Moroccan Terrace, at the local bar, historical sites (UNESCO), park or coffee shop.
The aim of the writing retreat is to help you write the story that only you can write.
There will be some preparatory reading in advance of the retreat to help you clarify what kind of writing you actually like, what kind of writing engages you and moves you, which should help clarify what kind of writing you might like to write yourself on your retreat and into the future.
You will also have the opportunity ahead of the retreat to share twenty pages of your writing with your tutor, should you so wish. Feedback will be provided ahead of the retreat.
At Champagne House, leisure is central to the writing process.
The creative writing retreat program includes learning the art of creative writing with Adrian Millar, who has written and published two books that are currently sold on Amazon.
The moments of leisure you will find at Champagne House – fine food, good company, new friends – are designed to help you relax and tap into your interiority, wherein lies your imagination.
Prepare to write at your leisure - in the classroom, in your room, on our French/Moroccan Terrace, at the local bar, historical sites (UNESCO), park or coffee shop.
The aim of the writing retreat is to help you write the story that only you can write.
There will be some preparatory reading in advance of the retreat to help you clarify what kind of writing you actually like, what kind of writing engages you and moves you, which should help clarify what kind of writing you might like to write yourself on your retreat and into the future.
You will also have the opportunity ahead of the retreat to share twenty pages of your writing with your tutor, should you so wish. Feedback will be provided ahead of the retreat.
Schedule
Your luxury accommodation will be at Champagne House, Champagne themed it is full of character and there are many quiet spots for you to unwind and de-stress.
You will enjoy some amazing French cuisine eating out at our local restaurants and also at CH.
From your transfer to CH from the airport you will feel at ease, you will enjoy visits throughout the week to some amazing villages, markets, vide verniers, historical places of interest and much much more.
Days will begin with a morning affirmation/meditation to build your inner writer.
Morning classes will last approximately two hours and will start with a choice of writing prompts.
Writers will be invited to share their story with one other class member. In the light of this sharing, writers will have the opportunity to revise their work and to share their final version of their story with their fellow class members.
Evenings, you will have the chance to further develop your story that you submitted in advance of the writing retreat and to share it with others in the classroom setting.
Evenings will also involve a period of reflection on your writing journey.
There will also be an opportunity for writers to explore their writing with their tutor on a one-to-one basis in the course of the evening.
Apero’s will be offered on the terrace early evening before our meal/snack.
You will enjoy some amazing French cuisine eating out at our local restaurants and also at CH.
From your transfer to CH from the airport you will feel at ease, you will enjoy visits throughout the week to some amazing villages, markets, vide verniers, historical places of interest and much much more.
Days will begin with a morning affirmation/meditation to build your inner writer.
Morning classes will last approximately two hours and will start with a choice of writing prompts.
Writers will be invited to share their story with one other class member. In the light of this sharing, writers will have the opportunity to revise their work and to share their final version of their story with their fellow class members.
Evenings, you will have the chance to further develop your story that you submitted in advance of the writing retreat and to share it with others in the classroom setting.
Evenings will also involve a period of reflection on your writing journey.
There will also be an opportunity for writers to explore their writing with their tutor on a one-to-one basis in the course of the evening.
Apero’s will be offered on the terrace early evening before our meal/snack.
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Getting Here
Champagne House, Champagne House, 5 Rue Buzon, Condom, S/W France 32100
Directions
We offer a free a pick-up service from Toulouse airport between 3pm and 5pm on the retreat start date. Other airports include Bordeaux, Bergerac and Pau however, we do not off any transfers from those airports. We can arrange transfers from the train Station at Agen which has TGV links, there would be a fee for this service.
Accommodation
At Champagne House we have 3 luxury suites and a large luxury room. The ‘Rose Moët’ has two interconnecting rooms and has a roll-top bath, seating area. The ‘Taittinger’ has three interconnecting rooms including a large en-suite bathroom, it comes complete a large roll-top bath, dressing table and seating area occupying the whole of the top floor with amazing views. The ‘Pommery’ has one large spacious room with a roll-top bath, and also has an en-suite with a shower. All of our suites have; tea/coffee machines, quality bed linen, towels and robes, WiFi, seating, hair dryer and are very spacious. Awaiting you in your room will be a complementary NUXE Essentials Travel Pack. Course only rates: you will need to find accommodation nearby and we can help, this is a god low cost single occupancy option. Shared suite rates: please note - the rates are per person and you will each have a room with a shared en-suite. Luxury single option: reserve the whole suite for yourself for the ultimate retreat experience. Please note: our reviews can be seen on our web-site champagnehouse.fr
Price is excluding accommodation at CH.
Price is per person to share.
Luxury Single Occupancy
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
At Champagne House you will find;
A house full of character
An eclectic mix of Champagne/French and Moroccan items
A library
A piano lounge
An upper and lower terrace with plunge pool
A relaxing snug room that is cool even in the summer heat.
A house full of character
An eclectic mix of Champagne/French and Moroccan items
A library
A piano lounge
An upper and lower terrace with plunge pool
A relaxing snug room that is cool even in the summer heat.
Meals
Menu Types
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
At CH we aim to provide quality meals including wine
A luxury continental breakfast
A meal at a French local restaurant
A light meal/snack at CH
Apero’s
1 afternoon tea
Refreshments whilst at CH
What's Included
- Airport pick-up and drop-off
- 7 nights luxury accommodation
- 3 daily delicious and nutritious meals
- Group excursions/activities
- Transportation during the retreat
- Welcome drink
- Water, tea, coffee served throughout the day
- Specialized workshops
- Free excursions to sites of interest
- Parking
- Wifi connection
- Luggage storage
- Daily meditation classes
- Pre and post retreat support from our team
- Course Manual
What's Not Included
- Travel insurance
- Flights costs
- Visa fee
- Additional activities not included in the itinerary
- Additional treatments