Guest Blog: Writing and Well-being - Nancy Stevenson

Often when I write I lose time.  I become so absorbed in crafting a story that everything else just disappears.  The story becomes everything, and I can step back from day-to-day chores and worries.

Seven years ago, I left my full-time job as a university lecturer to set up writing retreats and workshops.  My interest is in creating spaces where people can develop their writing skills and simultaneously enhance their wellbeing.  I have been able to share ideas that I learned through my research into wellbeing, and my practical experience as a writer and a yoga teacher.    Today I run retreats and workshops for individuals and am also employed by a variety of organisations around the UK. 

In this blog I share some of the ideas that inform the design of my creative writing workshops at Beth Chatto’s Garden in Essex.  I hope this will provide inspiration for you to explore some of these ideas in your own writing practice.  I have framed my discussion around the ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ and I will consider each of the recommended actions in turn.

1.     Connect

As writers we spend some time alone at our desk but also develop relationships with other people who write.  We connect in writing groups, courses, workshops, book launches, literary festivals and spoken word events. 

Writing workshops provide structured opportunities to meet people with a shared interest, explore new ideas together, write in community, and learn in an inspiring and supportive space.  Writing in the company of other people provides rich and pleasurable experiences.  We can enjoy listening to others and learn to give voice to our own work as we share it. In a writing workshop we are encouraged to be playful and test ideas together so that we start to understand what works and what doesn’t.   Workshops give us time and space to discuss some of the discomforts and challenges that we all face in our writing.  Talking together about our writing is energising and reassuring. 

When I run creative writing workshops at Beth Chatto’s  I use prompts, exercises and breathwork to help people connect with their feelings and emotions and to bring them into their writing.  We spend time in a private peaceful woodland area and explore the effect of slowing down and writing in a calm place.  We engage with the natural environment and notice what happens within our bodies when we do this. 

2.     Be Active

At home we are often sedentary when we write.  Sitting at a table and writing is a good way to get words onto the page, but it is important to remember that movement and activity is also an essential part of the writing and thinking process.  Research shows that walking can free up our thoughts as well as releasing tension that builds up in our bodies when we sit for a long while.     

At my workshops in Beth Chatto’s Gardens wandering and exploring is an important part of our writing process.  In the morning we experience sights, sounds, tastes, smells and feelings as we connect with nature in the seclusion of the woods.  Later in the day we stroll through the public gardens and there are opportunities to develop stories and poems inspired by the activity and interactions in these busier surroundings.   

3.     Notice

In order to write well we need to notice the environment around us and the interactions that occur within it.  Good writers captivate their readers and go beyond commonplace descriptions such as, ‘the birds were singing’ or ‘the yellow daffodils’.  We need to observe minute details and pick up nuances. 

In my workshops we explore the effects of breathwork and as we calm down use our senses to slowly investigate the things around us.  I use prompts to encourage people to notice what is happening within their own body, their experiences, feelings and embodied responses to the environment and people around us. 

4.     Keep learning

As writers we need to be open to learning.  We learn from other writers, from the books we read, the research we do to support our writing, the challenges we face in our own lives, and the people we meet.    Writing can help us learn about ourselves, and explore our thoughts, actions and worries.   We can develop our writing practice to help us make decisions or provide insights into our behaviours and patterns. 

I am constantly learning from other people in writing groups, workshops and on retreats.  

Curating the learning experience to focus on both writing and wellbeing is important to me and I design workshops at Beth Chatto’s around a series of walks with prompts and freeflow exercises to provide inspiration. 

5.     Give

When we attend a writing workshop we make a commitment.  We give ourselves time to write and to learn.  We give of ourselves, sharing our work with one another in a safe space and listening and encouraging other people in the group. 

I really enjoy the opportunity to share my knowledge and understanding of writing combined with insights from yoga and meditation practice.   I love to enable people to explore holistic and embodied approaches to writing as a way of developing their writerly voice. I love to create a safe space where people can explore their creativity.  I have a deep sense of satisfaction at the end of each day people tell me that they made progress in their writing and feel relaxed and refreshed. 

Writing and Wellbeing

There is a vast amount of research about the health benefits of spending time in nature and in green and blue spaces.  Beth Chatto’s Garden is one of my happy places, and it is a joy to run writing workshops there and have a whole day to slow down and really notice the detail of the surroundings. 

Realistically most of us can not often afford to spend an entire day on our writing, however writing regularly and giving ourselves thinking time in relaxing environments is important.  As part of my regular writing practice, I walk along the shoreline at Frinton and Walton.  As my legs move, my breath deepens, I feel my shoulders relax and ideas begin to shift around in my mind.  Looking out at the distant horizon inspires awe and helps me to get worries into perspective.  The sights, sounds and sensations of the beach not only provide opportunities for introspection and reflection they also give me a strong sense of being connected to a place.  Walking and thinking on the beach inspires my writing in so many ways.  It led to the questions and conversations that I share in my book ‘Beach Hut People’.    

While writing is often joyful and rewarding, it can also create stress and insecurity.  It is important to take time to focus on your embodied feelings and emotions as you write.  Try to connect with other writers by joining local writing groups or attend events and workshops.  Group writing events provide time to practice writing together, opportunities to experiment and inspirations as listen to others share their writing.  Most importantly they give us a chance to learn and laugh together. 

About Nancy

Nancy Stevenson www.nancystevenson.co.uk is a writer, lecturer and researcher and runs writing retreats www.writeretreatuk.org.  Her book ‘Beach Hut People’ was published by Publishing Household in 2023 www.thenose.org/pages/publishing-household.  She enjoys both creative and academic writing.   Her academic research into wellbeing focusses on writing, walking and community festivals.  

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