Storying from the Imaginal
Eleanor Robins
Link to booking form: https://forms.gle/DNeEznhMLefXntfy7
Have you ever read a great novel and felt that it was alive? Have you ever wanted to write a story or book that was alive in just that way?
In this generative and exploratory workshop for fiction writers and aspiring fiction writers, writer, fiction editor, and book coach Eleanor Robins will present a fresh-but-ancient approach to the fiction writing process. Participants will be introduced to ancient ideas about imagination and the imaginal realm, which suggest that we don't have to generate ideas, but rather discover them in as-yet-unseen dimensions of reality itself. You will be guided through a meditative process to activate a synaesthetic and full-body experience of this version of imagination. Ellie will then provide guidance on craft and the building blocks of fiction, including how to avoid the fiction writer's most common mistake. And you will learn how to combine this process of imaginative activation with the grounded practice of craft, to form a writing practice you can sustain after the session.
This day-long workshop features three sessions—participatory teachings on imagination and craft, followed by a meditative activation that combines the learnings of the two. Please note that the session will involve meditative practices designed to expand awareness in order to encounter creative ideas, and participants should be prepared to enter such a meditative state.
A vegan lunch will be provided.
Schedule
10am–12pm - Session one: Imagination
12–1pm - Lunch
1–3pm - Session two: Craft
3–3.30 - Break
3.30–5 - Session three: Active imaginative exploration in pairs, then whole-group feedback
Tickets and costs
We have just 12 places available for this intimate workshop. When booking your place, please refer to the following suggestions:
Low / no spare income: £35
Medium income: £45
High income: £55
Supporter ticket: £65
If you are a volunteer with The Convivial and/or find these costs to be prohibitive for other reasons, please get in touch to talk about how we can make sure you can participate!
You can find out more about our financial modelling here.
Facilitator
Eleanor Robins writes the popular Substack on imagination, How to Go Home, and has been working as a fiction editor and book coach for twenty years, with clients and publishers ranging from indie musicians to Penguin Random House. Her literary criticism has appeared in the Times Literary Supplement, the Guardian, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. She holds a master's degree in Poetics of Imagination from Dartington College of Arts, and lives in a cottage on the edge of Dartmoor.
Testimonials
“I don’t think I could have started writing my novel without Ellie’s support. Her coaching process is rooted in the actual magic of storytelling, while also building practical tools to usher your story into the world. I found working with her to be affirming, uncynical and grounding at the same time, and I was introduced to ideas that have kept me excited to be alive and creative!"
—Emma-Lee Moss / Emmy the Great
"Ellie's inspired approach to manuscript assessment and her unique blend of psychological and professional insight are at a master-class level. Her understanding of craft is unparalleled. She gave me practical and effective solutions to improve my manuscript while still showing me how to connect to my most authentic voice. She is highly professional, warm, motivated and really fun to work with."
— Aditi Khorana, Penguin-published author
"The skills of a truly gifted editor far exceed the ability to fine-tune grammar and punctuation. Empathy, a sense of humor, a willingness to listen and to probe, to ask deep questions... These are a few of the less obvious but hugely important qualities that transform a manuscript into a finished book. Ellie Robins has them all. She reads between the lines. Her work as an editor is a revelation."
—Brenda Cullerton, Little, Brown–published author
Accessibility
Please fill in the form below or get in touch via hellotheconvivial@gmail.com to talk more about your access needs., including any bodymind complexities (e.g. autism, ADHD, dyspraxia etc.)
Link to booking form: https://forms.gle/DNeEznhMLefXntfy7