Writing Retreats have been an annual feature at Pennard House for over 14 years now, and their popularity has risen as word spreads. Led by novelist Susan Elderkin (author of two award-winning novels, plus co-writer of The Novel Cure, a book about bibliotherapy), they attract a dedicated, keen species of writer, often people already working on a book or looking to kick-start a new one. Susan’s past students include several successfully published authors, including novelists Joanna Quinn (The Whalebone Theatre), Sarah Leipciger (Moon Road) and Emma Flint (Little Deaths and Other Women) as well as non- fiction writer Kate Rew (Wild Swim). She believes the best groups include writers with a range of experience, though – often it’ll be the complete beginner whose poetic turn of phrase elicits a big response and keeps everyone on their toes.
Book yourself on a writing retreat with Susan and you can expect a week that is partly focussed and scheduled but which also leaves you plenty of time for yourself. In the mornings, we sit around the fire in the drawing room exploring an aspect of the writer’s craft, with Susan triggering everyone to write in the moment. Reading out what we’ve written in these workshops – though scary at first – is a key part of the confidence- building process, and you’ll find you’re actually quite keen to share what you’ve written by the end of the week. Afternoons are free – a chance to read, write, dream up a cunning plot twist, or take a brisk walk around the apple orchards. At some point in the week you’ll have a one-to-one tutorial with Susan in which you can discuss what you’re
working on at Pennard or an excerpt you’ve sent her to read in advance.
These weeks serve as a retreat for the body as well as the mind – there’s usually optional yoga first thing with the ever-delightful Sarah Constantinides (a senior Iyengar teacher who arrives, smiling, at 7am) and/or the option of a cold plunge in the spring-fed pond for the brave and/or crazy. All guests will have a room of their own – you can see how lovely they are elsewhere on this site – and are served three delicious meals a day (a week without cooking or washing-up – wow!), lovingly prepared from local ingredients by Pennard’s awesome in-house chefs.
A highlight of these weeks is always the mid-week guest speaker slot, when another writer or someone from the publishing business comes to speak. These soirées begin at 5:30pm and end with supper in the majestic, candle-lit dining room. We usually open the doors to these events to past Pennardistas and others from Susan’s various writing groups, so they end up being lively, sociable evenings. (Then, next day, back to business!) The speaker for our next retreat is the bestselling novelist Tracy Chevalier, who’ll be talking about her latest book, The Glass-maker, and how “knowing zilch” about glass, apples, quilts, fossils or a certain 17th-century Dutch painter, is a spur when embarking on a new novel, not a block.
The retreats are all-inclusive and cost from £1,050, with prices varying according to which room you have. To find out more or book yourself onto a retreat, please enquire via this website or email Susan at [email protected] or visit her website. You can also follow Susan @elderkinsusan.
“Susan has an inspirational capacity for creating a group that works in
harmony. Her kindness and humour are matched by a quiet authority,
wisdom and generosity. I can’t recommend her too highly. ” (Annabel,
regular Pennardista)
