Château Ventenac

Author Archive

Calling all writers or would-be writers….Novelist Patrick Gale is running a Writing Fiction Course at Chateau Ventenac from Nov 6th to 12th and we have a couple of spaces left. Non writing friends/partners are also welcome.

Last minute price reduction – just £395 for tuition, accommodation and all meals – a bargain!!

Perhaps you’ve always wanted to write a novel but don’t know where to start? Perhaps you loved writing stories at school but somehow lost the confidence to continue?  Using a mixture of writing exercises and reading groups, novelist Patrick Gale aims to help you reconnect with your imagination and find the courage to take up your pen again. The mornings will be spent working as a group but every student will have the opportunity to take one afternoon tutorial alone with Patrick.

The course will work equally well for non-writing partners who simply enjoy fiction!

http://www.chateauventenac.com/writingcourses/patrickgale.html

Special summer offer £100 off

There are still spaces available for this course from Sept 26th for 6 nights with Sarah Duncan.

This course is suitable for beginners or more experienced writers.

Sarah Duncan is a bestselling novelist published in fourteen countries. Her novels include A Single to Rome (longlisted for Romantic Novel of the Year) and Kissing Mr Wrong. Her short stories have been widely published in a variety of magazines and anthologies, as well as being broadcast on Radio 4.  She has judged several short story competitions, and is currently the short story judge for the Wells Prize.
She is an experienced creative writing tutor, currently working for the Universities of Bristol and Oxford, and Franklin and Marshall College, Pa, USA. She is the nominated Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of Bristol

Today at Chateau Ventenac sees the start of Pascale Petit’s Poetry Course ”Freeing the Imagination”….and everyone managed to beat the volcanic ash cloud. Well done all!!

We picked up the poets from Beziers, Carcassonne and Narbonne – home in time for Lucy’s delicious dinner followed by an initial sesssion with Pascale.

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May 9th to 15th

This week sees another poetry course at Chateau Ventenac where Maurice Riordan leads  ”Craft & Voice: developing the imagination” The sun is out, the pool is open and as I write this throughout the gardens poets sit in various quiet shady spots writing, thinking and preparing for their next workshop session with Maurice.

See more photos from Maurice’s poetry course at Chateau Ventenac

Our second course this year saw the return of  Demuths Vegetarian cookery school from Bath led by Rachel Demuth and Helen Lawrence. We had a fantastic week of sumptuous Mediterranean style veggie food  We visited markets, tasted local wines and every day cooked amazingly good vegetarian food using fresh local produce. All participants ended the week with new skills, new recipes and new friends!!

Chateau Ventenac Courses started the Spring 2010 season well despite the problems caused by the Volcanic ash travel disruption.

Atlantique Suite at Chateau ventenac

Sean O’Brien ran his course “A Place of Poetry” from April 18th – 24th 2010 and those participants who managed to get here thoroughly enjoyed it. To quote one poet……

… thanks so much for making me feel so at home again in Ventenac. Another great if somewhat different week! I always find it inspiring to work with Sean, and the company was very congenial. And as for my bedroom, well!!