In October, I shall be teaching on a week long food writing retreat, as part of Bland Badger’s wonderful programme of retreats.

If you have ambitions to write a book, want to find your voice and develop your writing style, we can help.

The ‘we’ is a multi-award winning trio of , and me, and if that isn’t enough there’s and Charlotte Bland to throw into the mix too.

This will tell you more about what the week includes, here is where you’ll be staying.

I hope you can come.

It’ll be hard work - this is serious creative and professional development where you will be immersed in all aspects of food writing, from recipes to memoir to finding (and developing) your voice to the practicalities of recipe writing and writing a book proposal, and dealing with self doubt and allowing yourself to tell your story - but there will be pleasure, wonderful food, excellent company and it is a beautiful, inspiring place to be.

If you are a paid subscriber here, you get £50 off - just email me for the code before you book.

I really hope to see you there.

Mark

Subscribe now

So many of us want to write - we have something burning in us that needs to find its way to the page and to readers.

The obstacles can be numerous, many of our own creating.

At some point, you might well reach a critical point with it but don’t let it wait until then. Life can so easily pull a blanket of commitments over the top of our creative longings. Don’t let that happen.

We are little sneezes of temporarily agglomerated atoms on a rock spinning through space; it’ll soon be over and you might well - as I do - regret not throwing yourself at something you desperately want to do as soon as you can.

If you have an idea and don’t know how to take it forward, how to develop it, how to reach decision makers, how to approach agents, how to write a proposal, how to find your voice, you are slowed by self doubt, or perhaps you need someone to read your work and suggest how it might develop - so much of the job or writing is actually re-writing! - I can help.

I can do this in three ways.

Substack gatherings
Once a month I hold a gathering. These are online events - it may be a group zoom, an interview with a publisher, a conversation with another author that we hope will illuminate some aspects of the writing process. Joining these gatherings, as well as watching replays of past events, are accessible to paid subscribers. You can read more about gatherings here.

Meetings
It may be that you are unsure about what help you need, or have a relatively well defined, small issue you want to discuss. Or you are unsure and want to explore what help you might need. I offer 45 minute online meetings for this.

Please email for fees.

Mentoring
I have mentored writers - mostly in gardening and food - for many years, both in a private capacity and for organisations including the Guild of Food Writers and Garden Media Guild.

This takes many forms - from a short, issue-based engagement, to ongoing help with the entire process of developing a book manuscript.

I don’t always have capacity for this, so in the first instance please email what you are hoping to achieve, timescales and any relevant information and I will get back to you if I can help and with an idea of fees1.

Don’t waste any more of that precious life of yours wondering. I can’t guarantee you will have a book published tomorrow but I can help you become a better writer, to navigate the path through the woods and to get to the place you need to be to know what possibilities there might be.

And if you are wondering why engage me, you’ll find more about me below.

Warm wishes

Mark

Why I can help

I know what I’m doing. I’ve written 14 books, photographed a few more than that, I’ve written for all the major newspapers in the UK, all the garden and food magazines and more.

Among many awards, I’ve won Food Book of the Year twice, Garden Book of the Year twice, Garden writer of the year twice, Garden blog of the year twice. I have a best selling Substack.

I know the writing process well, I have navigated the path to publication in numerous ways.

I’ve taught numerous writing courses with Diana Henry, to people from 4 continents, many of whom have gone on to be published.

Whether you want to find your voice, develop an idea, write a book proposal for a publisher, need a mentor to help you edit and refine your work, or want to crate an exceptional substack, I can help.