Going away to write?

Here's a writing competition with a difference. Instead of having to write in order to enter, you get to do it as your prize – for three weeks, in September, in a castle, in France! You'll get fed and feedback, and 'experience intensive writing techniques'. It's free to enter – you just have to sign up for their newsletter and help spread the word.

I've never actually written inside a castle, but I do visit quite a few of them in the mobile writing retreat – including this one in France.

This weekend I'm going to be having an intense experience of my own, as I'm visiting Anne Rainbow to finalise arrangement's for our Writers' Workshop Weekend in Devon, in March. We ran one last year and several attendees are coming back. That's lovely – but does mean we need to prepare lots of new material. I'm looking forward to both the planning weekend and the event itself.