Next Writing WorkshopRound kicks off Spring 2025!

What I learnt from my first 10 week programme with Carolyn!

We closed out our wonderful 10-week programme in May and then our next programme closed out in August. and it was incredible; the creative output, the poetry, stories told, and the performances. Solid gold.

And so we devised a writing course that focussed on the business of ACTUALLY WRITING.

EVERY WEEK.

CREATIVE HABIT.

CREATIVE OUTPUT.

And now the next round is live - Come to Your Senses!

Dreams realised. Books manifested. Poems published.wrtiers have PUBLISHED - zines, memoir extracts, Summer Diaries - REAL published works as a result of Ordinary Magic

So join poet Carolyn Hashimoto and me,  coach Sarah Furuya on our next Ordinary Magic writing adventure!

"Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you're doomed."
Ray Bradbury

YES RAY - Let’s output SOOOOO MUCH

Read on for more details of current Ordinary Magic in session until January 2025!

Creative Writing Workshops PLUS coaching PLUS mentoring, with poet Carolyn Hashimoto and coach Sarah Furuya -Starts Thursday November 14th 7pm-9pm JST  / 10AM-12PM BST (Full schedule below) - Check your timezone here.

Investment:

Price ¥63000 JPY / £315 GBP / $411 US
Check your currency here.

What’s included: 

8 x weekly writing and group coaching sessions (120 minutes)
Day Trip mentoring session with Carolyn (written feedback and 30 min Zoom discussion)
45-minute coaching session with Sarah 
Q&A session with guest writer (details TBC)
Ceilidh to share and celebrate your writing

This is your wake-up call!

No more excuses, sign up now for eight weeks of rigorous writing, audacious accountability and a journey deep into the senses to find your authentic – and unique – writing voice. And take your writing projects to a whole new level with one-to-one sessions with Carolyn and Sarah.

Whether you are looking to kickstart a new writing project, or in need of some momentum for that novel that just won’t write itself, there is a space waiting for you. Maybe you’re a poet in need of some prompts, or an experimental writer looking for a new challenge, we’ve got this.

“I learned to trust the uniqueness of my voice and experience.”

Make no mistake. We are on your case.

Joining forces for the third series of collaborative workshops in 2024, we’ve been dubbed the ‘Writing Doulas’. 

“I loved how Sarah and Carolyn played off each other. Each of you brought your authentic self to the table and danced in the moment”.

Published poet, editor and writing mentor Carolyn Hashimoto brings to the table her knowledge and passion for all things word and draws on her knowledge and experience as a published writer, working editor and mentor. Coach Sarah Furuya is a magic-weaving coach who has stewarded books, poems, art, paintings, designs, style, song, music, illustration and multiple creative projects into the world. 

And talking of tables, that’s where we’ll start, bringing all those demons and heroes to it, and checking in (or out) with them before embarking on an epic writing journey.

How does it work?

First you turn up! Bring whatever you have with you, from a blank page to a half-written novel, a collection of poems or a tangled plot, this is the space for you. Each week Carolyn and Sarah will guide you through a series of exercises and prompts to help bring both you and your work into new focus. We’ll be there with you through the blocks and the breakthroughs, showing you tried and tested methods to wrestle those words onto the page.

What does it mean to come to your senses? 

It can mean you stop being foolish and become sensible again, or to regain consciousness, or begin to use good judgement. Let’s write in full consciousness and with a discerning eye.

It can also mean to really tap into each of our senses in order to arrive at a new place with our sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell and deepen our understanding and awareness. Let’s write in full connection with ourselves, our writing, our characters, our goals.

Come to your Senses is two hours each week dedicated to turning in, tuning in and writing it all down. And there is going to be a lot of writing!

“It was a lot of fun discovering who I am as a writer and sharing our work with each other”

Because as well as working hard, we play hard too. The final session is our Ceilidh – a space to share work and celebrate accomplishments. To hear new voices and discover new worlds that you have created.

By signing up to this course, you’ll join a community of like-minded individuals who share a love, a passion, and a curiosity for writing. We’ll have a dedicated Facebook page where we can connect throughout the duration of the course to share our thoughts and ideas.

“It is good to have the company of other writers when writing. There is inspiration everywhere. I learned that I really love writing and communing with other writers.”

As well as writing, we’re going to sharpen up your skills as a reader and introduce you to  a way of giving feedback that is both constructive and generative and will give you a whole new way of looking at a piece of writing.

***And on top of all this you will have a Day Trip with Carolyn – this includes written feedback on a piece of your work up to 2500 words and a 30 min Zoom to discuss***

“Sarah and Carolyn make a good team. They are always giving great guidance and feedback and have creative insights.”

***AND a 45-minute coaching session with Sarah to discuss your project in more details and steps to achieve your writing goals***

Past participants have written poems, memoir, created and published zines and taken the first brave steps to publish a piece of their writing online. Many return to our workshops to take their writing even further.

Schedule for Come to Your Senses

Important dates: Nov 14th/Nov 21st/Nov 28th/Dec 5th/Dec 12th/Jan 9th/Jan 16th/Jan 23rd/Jan 30th

Week 1 Nov 14: Come to the table: Start as you mean to go on. In this first session we will invite all participants to bring everything and everyone to the table and sift the gifts from the garbage before beginning our work.

Week 2 Nov 21: SOUNDS good: Listen up! Are you really listening? Writing around sounds and working on really listening to our voice.

Week 3 Nov 28: Wake up and SMELL the coffee: This week we’ll put our olfactory system to the test and push it to its limits.

Week 4 Dec 5: Don’t lose SIGHT of it all: What do you see that others don’t? What is your bigger vision? Are you ready for some Quantum Flirting? AND our guest writer will join us for an hour at the beginning of this week’s session to discuss their work and their journey as a writer.

Week 5 Dec 12: There’s no accounting for TASTE: Highbrow, low brow, good taste or bad? You get to decide in this session. And while we’re at it how about a little high and low dreaming too?

BREAK (though we may have a little Santa special over the festive season – watch this space!)

Week 6 Jan 9: Stay in TOUCH: Let’s work off the festive hangover and get right back into our projects with some tough love and exercises from Carolyn and Sarah to get you and your writing back into shape.

Week 7 Jan 16: Workshop session: As a group we will learn how to give feedback that is both constructive and generative, that gives both the writer and the readers of the works a whole new way of looking at a piece of writing.

Week 8 Jan 23: The SIXTH sense: always trust your gut. 

Week 9 Jan 30: Ceilidh – let’s share our work with each other and celebrate!