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Engaging the Feminine Heroic:
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The essential goal of the hero’s journey is to discover, defend, and establish our Self in the world, while the great achievement of the feminine quest is communion, connection, and relatedness to our own inner life and to the Other. Therefore, it isn’t grit or physical prowess that gives the feminine her heroic stature, it is her courage to descend into the dark, forbidding places that lie within and reclaim the creative treasure buried there.
We use mythic storytelling in this workshop as a means of grounding our writing in the archetypal human dramas that we all inescapably reenact. In order to bypass the critical voices that obstruct the creative flow, you are invited to a guided initiation into the feminine realm using timed writing, ritual, and play. With nurturing support, you will discover the challenge and the surprising ease with which you can access layers of depth and meaning in your writing and in your own life.
This workshop is creativity focused, and is designed for women writers and artists of all skill levels who want to take their creative work to a deeper level. All self-identifying women are welcome.
We use mythic storytelling in this workshop as a means of grounding our writing in the archetypal human dramas that we all inescapably reenact. In order to bypass the critical voices that obstruct the creative flow, you are invited to a guided initiation into the feminine realm using timed writing, ritual, and play. With nurturing support, you will discover the challenge and the surprising ease with which you can access layers of depth and meaning in your writing and in your own life.
This workshop is creativity focused, and is designed for women writers and artists of all skill levels who want to take their creative work to a deeper level. All self-identifying women are welcome.
The Instructors:
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Dara Marks, PhD, is the author of the best-selling book on writing, Inside Story: The Power of the Transformational Arc, and she has been rated the top script analyst in Hollywood by Creative Screenwriting Magazine. Her work helps writers engage more deeply in the creative writing process. www.DaraMarks.com
Deb Norton is an author, story consultant and writing coach. Her book, Part Wild: A Writers Guide to Harnessing the Creative Power of Resistance, helps writers and artists overcome obstacles to finish their most important work. www.debnortonwriting.com. |
What to Expect:
- Creativity-unlocking exercises to help you go deeper in yourself so you can go deeper in your feminine character
- Small supportive groups to help you develop the feminine in your characters and art
- Excellent meals, made with produce grown on the farm or nearby
- Rustic luxury, unparalleled views, gorgeous gardens, space to walk and create
- Lots of support and fellowship from women writers and artists
Rough Schedule (Details coming!):
Day One – Arrival and check in, welcome reception, dinner, short evening session
Day Two -Four - morning session, lunch, afternoon session
Day Five – Morning session and closing ritual
Day Two -Four - morning session, lunch, afternoon session
Day Five – Morning session and closing ritual
What Past Participants Say:
"You will not merely emerge with a greater mastery of the elements of story, but with an experiential understanding of where to find it within yourself. While grounded in myth and metaphor it is a thrilling exploration to the center of your creative being." – Lyn Greene, Writer, Executive Producer for Nip/Tuck, The Boss, Masters of Sex
“I don’t know by what miracle Dara and Deb came to create such insightful, thought-provoking, incisive workshop. It is one of the most creative, wholesome learning experience I have ever had.”– Elise Simard, Artist, Filmmaker
“It gave me words for my intuitions and tools to tame my stories.” – Danielle Dansereau, Author and Screenwriter, Quebec, Canada
"I left the retreat with a new sense of my own journey and a deep acceptance that was not there before. I now understand that the Underworld is where the jewels are buried. Thank you Dara and Deb, I truly felt I was safe, in a sacred space, to explore and mine. Your guidance is gentle, wise and profound." - Julie Lancaster Morris, Actress – Everybody Hates Chris, Married Without Children, Dexter
"Dara and Deb took us to places of the mind and heart I had never explored, and wish to return to again, and again."
- Kris Welchman, Writer
“This journey is for anyone who is banging on the ceiling, waiting for the breakthrough, hoping for the magic words that will help them navigate the turn and move on to Next.” – Bess Armstrong, Actress, I love that for You, Bosch, Grey’s Anatomy, My So-Called-Life
“Dara and Deb lovingly and skillfully provided four fabulous days saturated with curious exploration, deep introspection, and heartfelt realization. A safe and sacred container provided the freedom to “run wild”—and I found myself poking and prodding into even the most secret and lost places within me. I walked away a little stronger, and a little taller. If this one calls to you, be sure to answer.”
– Donna DeNomme Award-winning author of Turtle Wisdom and Ophelia’s Oracle
“Whatever kind of writer you are, whether you make your living by your pen, or have only dreamed of putting the words of your heart on the page, Engaging the Feminine Heroic is the workshop you need. The journey that Dara Marks and Deb Norton guide you on is magic, deep and transformational. I consider it the finest, most concentrated learning experience of my creative life.”
– Carolynne Ciceri, Writer, Vancouver
“The supportive atmosphere, carefully nurtured by Deb and Dara, encourages writers to find their own truth, and even more important, gives them the courage to write it down. Under their skillful guidance, I discovered things I never knew I wanted to write about, or even thought I could write about, and I was excited to be able to share my work with others in the safe environment of their workshop.”
- Ellen Sandler, Emmy nominated producer and author of The TV Writer's Workbook (Bantam/Dell)
“I came home from the retreat feeling truly enriched and changed and part of a whole new community.
– Carin Pollack, Academy Award nominated Writer
“I don’t know by what miracle Dara and Deb came to create such insightful, thought-provoking, incisive workshop. It is one of the most creative, wholesome learning experience I have ever had.”– Elise Simard, Artist, Filmmaker
“It gave me words for my intuitions and tools to tame my stories.” – Danielle Dansereau, Author and Screenwriter, Quebec, Canada
"I left the retreat with a new sense of my own journey and a deep acceptance that was not there before. I now understand that the Underworld is where the jewels are buried. Thank you Dara and Deb, I truly felt I was safe, in a sacred space, to explore and mine. Your guidance is gentle, wise and profound." - Julie Lancaster Morris, Actress – Everybody Hates Chris, Married Without Children, Dexter
"Dara and Deb took us to places of the mind and heart I had never explored, and wish to return to again, and again."
- Kris Welchman, Writer
“This journey is for anyone who is banging on the ceiling, waiting for the breakthrough, hoping for the magic words that will help them navigate the turn and move on to Next.” – Bess Armstrong, Actress, I love that for You, Bosch, Grey’s Anatomy, My So-Called-Life
“Dara and Deb lovingly and skillfully provided four fabulous days saturated with curious exploration, deep introspection, and heartfelt realization. A safe and sacred container provided the freedom to “run wild”—and I found myself poking and prodding into even the most secret and lost places within me. I walked away a little stronger, and a little taller. If this one calls to you, be sure to answer.”
– Donna DeNomme Award-winning author of Turtle Wisdom and Ophelia’s Oracle
“Whatever kind of writer you are, whether you make your living by your pen, or have only dreamed of putting the words of your heart on the page, Engaging the Feminine Heroic is the workshop you need. The journey that Dara Marks and Deb Norton guide you on is magic, deep and transformational. I consider it the finest, most concentrated learning experience of my creative life.”
– Carolynne Ciceri, Writer, Vancouver
“The supportive atmosphere, carefully nurtured by Deb and Dara, encourages writers to find their own truth, and even more important, gives them the courage to write it down. Under their skillful guidance, I discovered things I never knew I wanted to write about, or even thought I could write about, and I was excited to be able to share my work with others in the safe environment of their workshop.”
- Ellen Sandler, Emmy nominated producer and author of The TV Writer's Workbook (Bantam/Dell)
“I came home from the retreat feeling truly enriched and changed and part of a whole new community.
– Carin Pollack, Academy Award nominated Writer
