Write in the Vines

Barbara Nussbaum, published author, coach and mentor to writers, is hosting a writing retreat in Franschhoek, from May 11 – 13 this year. With the generous support of a variety of sponsors, and a panel of judges, she has created a competition to give an opportunity for two younger non-fiction writers to win a  place at the retreat.  Phakama Mbonambi, publisher and editor of Wordsetc, speaks to her about the thinking behind the Write in the Vines Competition, who is eligible to enter, what the prize includes, and her hopes for the future.

What is the thinking behind the Write in the Vines competition?

As an author who has written about Ubuntu, and a person committed to personal and social transformation, creating opportunities for others is important to me. Secondly, as a writer who understands the powerful inspiration that a beautiful landscape can give to any creative process I wanted to share with other writers the experience of a place like Franschhoek. So, the competition has many elements.

It will give young writers who are committed to a book or a significant writing project the opportunity to focus on their work in a gorgeous place. Writing can be a lonely business, and this environment offers many choices that support the writing process: time to think; to converse with others; to take in all the beauty.

I am working closely with a panel of judges. The reason for this is to ensure that writers with real potential are selected to win the competition.

The other intention of the competition is to give back to a broader community. There is a great deal of goodwill around everywhere in South Africa. So it was not difficult to bring in sponsors for this competition. If an idea is a good idea, people moved by it will support it.

Some of the applications received indicate that there are potential non-fiction writers in this country, earning a living as editors, journalists or providing online content to websites. These writers really have a vision for a book they want to write that extends beyond what they’re writing about in their job.

Is there any prize money for this competition?

There is no prize money. All the prizes are in kind donations. The prize includes the opportunity to spend four days in Franschhoek, staying at the Boekenhoutskloof Manor as the guest of Porcupine Ridge wines. For two days they will participate in a writers’ retreat that will give them an opportunity to focus on their writing within a supportive environment. The two winners will join six other people in a “Write in the Vines” retreat I am hosting at  L’Auberge Chanteclair, a guest house not too far from Boekenhoutskloof Manor. The retreat was timed so that writers who would like to attend the Franschhoek Literary Festival (FLF) could easily do this – immersing themselves in two great opportunities to nurture their love of literature. The organisers of the FLF have  kindly donated some complimentary tickets for the festival even though this retreat is independently organised and not part of the festival programme.

Restaurants in Franschhoek will be sponsoring vouchers, so that the winners can have  the opportunity to enjoy some of our delicious local food offerings.

We don’t know where the winners will come from and we wanted to create a competition that could have a national reach. This time round CNA will be offering a round-trip airticket to one winner from cities with airports around the country.

The prize includes full participation in the retreat, and two individual mentoring sessions with me, as retreat host. I have three non-fiction books to my name, two of them co-authored, the most recent one published by Penguin. In my coaching practice, I mentor and support people who have a vision for what they want to write about. We’re also very fortunate that Bookstorm CEO Louise Grantham will be present on the last day of the retreat to share practical advice on how to get published. She has been involved in publishing for more than twenty years and is qualified to talk about the ins and outs of book publishing.

Who is eligible to enter?

Anyone thirty-five years and younger who is resident in South Africa. We’re focusing on non-fiction writers for  a couple of  reasons. Firstly, apparently non- fiction writing is easier to publish and sell in South Africa, so we’ve gone for a genre where writers who enter have a more likely chance of reaching the publication phase. My own skills lie in the area of non-fiction. I’m hopeless at plot, dialogue and characterisation, all core elements to fiction writing.

How many entries have there been so far?

To date, there have been about ninety inquiries and of these ten per cent have sent in their entry forms. The deadline for receipt of entries is April 13, so there is still a chance for budding writers to enter. It is a relatively easy application. People are being asked to submit a one thousand-word writing sample; a list of their work (published and unpublished) and what they will be working on during the retreat.

Will the winners have their work published?

A couple of people who have access to publishing in one way or another have mentioned this possibility. However, we will have to see how things unfold. There needs to be a match between the writer’s topic and the aims of the publication, for example. But there has definitely been interest expressed from publications such as Wordsetc.

Will this competition repeated?

It’s important to remember this is a small beginning. Assuming the competition really works well this year, and there is no reason to believe it won’t, I am sure we could explore the possibility of making it an annual event. Franschhoek is a perfect place for the hosting of writing retreats and there is support among a number of people in the local community to build on this idea in the future. Ideally, it would be better if the retreat were to last for about a week, as this would really give the winning writers a chance to do significant work in inspiring surroundings. We will also be evaluating the time of year to host it. April may be ideal in terms of having a clement weather. But this is a conversation still to take place with our sponsors.

The competition marks a humble beginning of a  dream that is about creating nourishing, nurturing, inspiring  spaces for  writers. This builds on a small beginning. I hosted the first retreat in Keurbaai near Plettenberg Bay last December. My hope is that in time, together with others, it would be possible to create writing retreats over a longer periods, so that writers could truly advance their work. In January next year, I will be partnering with Editing in Paradise, based in Australia, to create another exciting opportunity here in South Africa. This is more for writers who are halfway through a manuscript, to give them the support they need to learn how to self-edit.

How can people enter the competition?

You can write to us at [email protected] for an application form. Interested non-fiction writers can call Barbara on 082 628 1886 between 2pm and 6pm. The deadline for application is April 13.