Creative Writing Holidays in Scotland.

Creative Writing and Literary Dumfries & Galloway

Dumfries & Galloway’s stunning coastline, landscape and history have inspired many writers (and film makers) over the years.

There’s only space to mention a few such as re-tracing part of John Buchan’s Thirty-Nine Steps hero Richard Hannay as he fled his pursuers across the landscape. Or visit some of the locations made famous in Dorothy L Sayers’ Five Red Herrings, a Lord Peter Wimsey detective story whose characters are based on real artists who lived and worked in the area. You can also enjoy a drink or a meal in the hotel where Dorothy L. Sayers wrote much of the book.

A monument in the tiny, picturesque village of Laurieston commemorates prolific Victorian writer S R Crockett who used his knowledge of the region’s smuggling history in his best-known work The Raiders. Explore the old drove road (now greatly changed) along which the cattle were herded and the island of Hestan which features in the book as Rattray. Covenanting history also influenced Crockett’s writing and many places where the covenanters met to hold secret services amongst the hills can be visited.

The writer and philosopher Thomas Carlyle, one of Britain's most influential thinkers,
was born in 1795. The house in which he was born is now a National Trust property furnished to reflect domestic life at Carlyle’s time and includes some of his personal belongings. When he went to university, Carlyle walked the 84 miles from his home to Edinburgh – at the age of 13. He later began his literary career in Dumfries & Galloway in a remote farmhouse tucked away in the hills, an area which still appears today almost as it did then.

Gavin Maxwell, author of Ring of Bright Water lived in the region and Peter Pan author J M Barrie went to school in Dumfries where a project has begun to preserve the house and garden which inspired the story.

The picturesque town of Moffat was home to the popular novelist D E Stevenson who wrote over 40 books. Although many are out of print some have recently been re-published and new work, discovered in the attic, has been brought out. A world-wide network of fans, call themselves the DESSIES. D E Stevenson, who was part of the Lighthouse Stevenson family, is buried in Moffat churchyard.

Whether you are interested in film locations or literary figures, – or a combination of both – we can organise a fascinating holiday in Galloway, with accommodation, to suit. We can even include a half or full day’s creative writing workshop inspired by the landscape and places of Dumfries & Galloway facilitated by locally based novelist and poet Mary Smith.

Itineraries

Residential Creative Writing Course - 2 days course - Ref. RCR1 - Cost - £345 p.p. (max. 6 on a course)

Includes - 2 nights 4 star B&B (assuming 2 sharing a double / twin room); 2 lunches and evening meals and transport each day with Mary Smith as resident course director.

Dumfries & Galloway’s landscape, people and places have been the inspiration for many writers – poets, novelists, playwrights.  If you have ever been inspired to write by a particular landscape or event but didn’t know how to start then this two-day writing break is perfect for you with its combination of exploring the spectacular landscape and writing workshops.

This two-day course is designed to meet the needs of people new to writing as well as those who have already started out on the path and want some guidance. Whether you want to write poetry, short stories, memoir, or even a novel, you will find these stimulating workshops and lectures by a professional writer invaluable. The course will focus on several aspects of writing including how to tap into all our senses, point of view, creating believable characters.

Itinerary

Day One: Morning
A visit, accompanied by writer Mary Smith, to a location guaranteed to inspire the writer in you – a nature reserve or a section of Dumfries & Galloway’s incredible shoreline. Walk, talk, explore than landscape, and hear about how other writers have used this region in their work

Day One: Afternoon
The first workshop will focus on using all the senses when writing – whether poetry or prose – to create a vivid sense of place. A look at examples of how other writers do it will be followed by writing exercises designed to kick-start new writing.

Day Two: Morning
Day two can include another visit or walk somewhere, or the full day can be devoted to writing workshops with a break for lunch. We will focus on how to make characters come alive on the page and look at how to create believable dialogue.

There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion and for feedback on new writing produced during the course.

Courses can be tailor-made so writers who wish to focus on a particular aspect of writing should let us know and we will try to accommodate this.

Other courses can be tailored to suit your interests. Please contact us.