Freeflow Writing
Writing sessions guided by the AWA method, that will help you access your authentic voice, inspire original writing, and feel energised by encouraging feedback from fellow participants.
What Happens In A Freeflow Writing Session?
In a Freeflow Writing Session, we’re not your typical writers’ group! These sessions are guided by the AWA (Amherst Writers and Artists) method, designed to nurture a safe and creative environment.
During our time together, we write in real-time using carefully chosen prompts that inspire creativity, evoke memory, and explore writing techniques.
Each week, participants are invited to share their work aloud, and everyone receives thoughtful feedback focused on what stands out: what’s powerful, resonant, and effective in the piece.
Our aim is for you to walk away from each session with vibrant, spontaneous writing, feeling energized by your creative process and supported by fellow writers.
Whether you are a complete beginner, someone returning to the page or a professional writer, you are welcome!
Strong Not Wrong – The AWA Philosophy
AWA’s core belief is simple: every person is a writer, and every writer deserves a safe environment in which to experiment, learn, and develop craft.
We only reflect what is strong — never “wrong” — in fresh writing. By mirroring back what is memorable, our responses help to support the development of each writer and bolster our creative practice.
This unique approach — developed by Pat Schneider and described in her book, Writing Alone and With Others (Oxford University Press, 2003) — allows for uninhibited experimentation without causing damage to a writer’s distinct voice and artistic self-esteem.
Whether you’re a newcomer or well-acquainted with the AWA method, you’ll discover a nurturing community with an experienced facilitator who honors each writer’s authentic voice and style. You don’t even need to consider yourself a writer to sign up!
The Five Essential Affirmations
- Everyone has a strong, unique voice.
- Everyone is born with creative genius.
- Writing as an art form belongs to all people, regardless of economic class or education level.
- The teaching of craft can be done without damage to a writer’s original voice or artistic self-esteem.
- A writer is someone who writes.
The Six Essential Practices
- We maintain a non-hierarchical spirit regarding the writing. The facilitator is not the “expert” and no one’s writing is treated as more or less important than anyone else’s.
- Confidentiality about what is written in the workshop is maintained at all times, and the privacy of the writer is protected. We maintain confidentiality by treating all writing as fiction – feedback is offered to the writing, not to the life of the person writing. We don’t talk about any work we’ve heard in the group to anyone outside of the workshop space.
- In an AWA workshop, we are asked to listen differently than we usually do in our lives. We are not asked to listen so that we can help or fix or sympathize with the writer. We are not asked to listen so that we can add our own story. We are asked to enter into the universe that the writer has created. We are asked to leave behind our own experiences and expectations. We are asked to listen to how the story or the poem is told. In an AWA workshop we listen for and notice what works. We listen for and notice the craft choices a writer has made that help to create success in the writing.
- A thorough critique is offered only when the writer asks for it, and only when he or she has distributed work in manuscript form. When work has been offered in manuscript form, critiques are balanced; there is as much affirmation as suggestion for change.
- The teaching of craft is taken seriously, and is conducted through exercises that invite experimentation and growth.
- The leader writes along with the participants, and reads that work aloud as well. This practice is absolutely necessary, for only in this way is there equality of risk-taking and mutuality of trust.
Writing Sessions
“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
Louis L’Amour
I am currently taking bookings for the next 4 session group which will take place during early Autumn (dates to be confirmed). These sessions will take place online on Zoom and cost £100.
To book your place on the next group of sessions please use the “Book Now” button below. For more information about Freeflow Writing, contact me at annabelfreeflow@gmail.com
Testimonials
About Annabel Grey
“Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way.”
Ray Bradbury
Annabel Grey is a writer, who has been putting words to the page for as long as she can remember, writing for her own sanity, healing, and pleasure. A certified energy healer and workshop leader, she is committed to nurturing the creative spirit, connection, and the soul.
With a rich background in literature, teaching and running community workshops, she has spent over twenty years exploring the intersection of creativity, writing and wellbeing.
For Annabel, creating writing groups using the AWA method is a way to build community through shared storytelling and creative expression. Her hope is that these spaces become sanctuaries for the soul, places where participants feel inspired to express themselves more fully, and where their voices are met with warmth, curiosity, and respect.
Annabel offers her writing workshops online and in person. She is continually moved by the power of artistic expression to transform lives, and humbled by the uniqueness of each participant’s voice, no matter how much or little they share.
Annabel also offers energy healing sessions to help unblock the creative flow for writers at: www.freeflowenergyhealing.com
You can read more about how Energy Healing can unblock the creative flow for writers by visiting Annabel’s article https://www.freeflowenergyhealing.com/how-energy-healing-can-unblock-the-creative-flow-for-writers/
For more information about Freeflow Writing or Energy Healing, or to book your place on the next group of sessions, contact me at annabelfreeflow@gmail.com