Bursary Places Available For Writers

Hello my friends, welcome back if you've been away. Let's re-group.Writers and creative founders: I have some new offerings for you. Gentle workshops and events to bring us into the writing community together with one another.And it feels more important than ever to emphasise that if money's a barrier to you joining then please do speak to me because I'd love to welcome you anyway, we'll figure something out. In fact I have a couple of bursary places to offer on my new Write The Book cohort, with 50% off, or more if you need it, for carers or anyone on a low income. The main focus here is supporting you.Current offerings include: 🌸Write The Book membership:we begin together on 16 Sept (new cohort) at 6.30pm on zoom. Sign-ups are open until 15 Sept and will then close for the rest of the year. If you're unsure what this group is, do get in touch and we can have a chat (no obligation, no hard sell). Note: The existing group continues as usual. 🌸Vision-Boarding (in-person, in Hay-on-Wye).If you're local then do join me at The Globe on Fri 18 Sept. It's only £12.50 (advance booking essential) and all materials are included. Once again, if money is a barrier and you want to join us, message me (by email). We'll figure it out. 🌸Writing Retreat at Hay Castle in February 2027:We've just about recovered from our dreamy summer retreat and looking forward to welcoming you in February (Thurs 25 & Fri 26 2027). We already have the wonderful author Jenny Valentine as one of our expert guests with more experts to be announced. Booking is not yet available but do email me to secure an early bird place (with £25 off). Email: helen@coachingbyhelen.com or visit:www.forcreativepeople.comto get involved. I'm writing a lot more myself and the cover feature in Happiful magazine this month is a piece I wrote about dancing. I tend to find that when I write vulnerably about my own experiences then the words flow better, and also it feels harder, because I'm sharing a piece of myself. The editor encouraged me to make the piece more personal and we went through three drafts. I agreed with her that the third and final draft was the best, but I agonised over the feature for days. I wanted to tell you this because I know how hard it can feel to bring ourselves to our writing. It's not just about putting pen to paper, it can feel like a wrench, deeply personal, whether we're creating fiction or a memoir or something else. I work with authors across all genres, and I see us all putting the essence of ourselves into our work. I'd like to say it gets easier, but I have been writing since I was a child and I'm almost in my 50s. For me it's not got easier the sense that it still feels VERY vulnerable, but I have reached the stage where I feel like I can't not write. And also, being commissioned feels so helpful because of the feedback you get. I think sometimes the isolation of writing and the lack of feedback can feel like being untethered. Which is why I created Write The Book. To help with that. There's more I could say but I'm going to switch off now and start making a big pan of dhal to share with some friends. I've been coaching a big comms team today and cooking helps me wind down. I find it super relaxing, especially with fragrant ingredients such as ginger. The local veg delivery arrives tonight, so it's the perfect time of the week for a communal meal. Have a super evening. Writers and authors-to-be, do get in touch if you'd like to chat through any of these options above. You don't need any writing experience to participate, just the intention and desire to write. And if you're a creative founder or freelancer in any discipline, I also have one more 1-2-1 slot for coaching available this month. I'd love to hear from you if this sounds like what you need right now. Helen xhelen@coachingbyhelen.comwww.forcreativepeople.com Still reading?Here's a gorgeous short video made by a recent retreat participant Please note: I have completed my '50 Ways' email series. The archive is still available to enjoy. I've not read this draft over ten times like I usually do, so if you see a typo… maybe just feel reassured that I wrote this myself and I'm not a bot.