In May this year, Christopher Hope held a Writers' Workshop that was such a
resounding success and so sought after, that it was decided to hold another workshop in the idyllic village of
Greyton, set at the foot of the Sonderend Mountains in the Overberg. Christopher has given
workshops in Ireland, Greece, Switzerland and at the writing
school at UCT, Cape Town.
The Writers’ Workshop will be an intense but friendly and very
concentrated look at what it takes to be a writer: what it
means to shape, fashion words, sentences and paragraphs. How
do stories work, and why? What makes for a distinctive style?
Says Christopher: "All aspects of the writers’ trade interest me, the very hard
choices that face a writer are very real to me, and I’d like
to try to pass on something of what I’ve learnt. And the best
way of doing that. I believe, is in a peaceful place, among
like-minded colleagues, far, far away from the madding crowd.”
The Writers’ Workshop will take place, in Greyton – an ideal
haven for those who want a good quiet place to meet, talk and
think about writing. It will last four days and will be made
up of morning and afternoon sessions and it is open to anyone
who has written and published, or wants to do either. It is
for anyone who shares Christopher’s delight in the power of
words , the patterns of stories and the genius of good writing
in novels, short stories and essays .
“Over four days we will talk about the craft of putting words
on paper, and take a close look at aspects of the writer’s
craft: story telling; the way the novel works; how and why
short stories entrance and fascinate. We will also consider
the practical sides of a writing life: getting work ready for
submission; the way publishers operate; what agents want; how
editors see their books; and what to do about reviews and
rejections,” says Christopher.
Places at the Writer’s Worskshop will be limited to give
everyone a chance to show their work, and see that of others,
in a collegial fashion.
We have endeavoured to keep the costs low, by negotiating a
very favourable package with the very historic Post House.
This will include your accommodation from Sunday night through
to Wednesday night. The workshop will be held on three days –
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with a slow morning of saying
farewell on Thursday, 7 October.
Christopher Hope:
Born in Johannesburg, he holds degrees from the Universities of Natal and Witwatersrand. His has written in various forms: novels, stories, poems, and essays, as well as reviews for the Guardian, stories for BBC radio, travel essays, and television documentaries for BBC TV.
His novels include: Serenity House, shortlisted for the the Booker Prize, Kruger's Alp, winner of the Whitbread Prize and, most recently, My Mother's Lovers
(2006). He founded the Franschhoek Literary Festival in 2007, and he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He lives in France.
