Put pen to paper

HAVE you always wanted to write but never got round to it? Always had a story but didn’t know where to start?

Maybe you’re a frustrated poet or you’ve written business stuff all your life and want to get creative?

Well an intensive creative writing course in the heart of rugged Ronda could be the answer.

Based at charming Casa del Rio, a boutique hotel set in rolling moun tains, the course by Chalk the Sun, in May, still has a few places.

Led by Jo Hepplewhite, the founder of the nearby Gaucin Writers group, there will be creative inspiration aplenty and dozens of helpful tips and guidance.

Cashing in

Get the creative juices flowing in the heart of Andalucia

Jo has taught at Westminster and Middlesex universities, at the University for the Creative Arts in Kent and in care homes and prisons. With a master’s degree in creative writing she likes to combine her knowledge of language as a communicative tool with her belief that everyone can benefit by exploring human experience through the practice of writing poems and stories.

“Genius is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration,” she insists, citing an Edison adage.

SPAIN’S government has approved the renewal of a birthday gift to all 18-year-olds in the form of a culture voucher worth €400.

The extension to the Youth Cultural Bonus, which can be spent on books, concerts, cinema tickets, museum entrances and now - following a court case - bull fights, has this week been passed by the Council of Ministers.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the scheme in 2020, saying it would introduce youngsters to Spain’s rich cultural history. Approximately 500,000 teenagers are eligible for the pass.

The money will be loaded onto a virtual card and spent via smartphone.

You basically need to acquire the requisite skills and techniques via the range of engaging and instructive exercises and activities that are built into the course. As well as detailed instruction the course offers time for individual work and exploration in the tranquil and picturesque surroundings. With a luxurious room, breakfast and dinner provided, stimulating company, group work and at least one individual tutorial, the course allows writers to focus entirely on writing, and to emerge at the end of the week with a project well on the road to realisation.

BAR NUEVO

A family run business that is English speaking. Their range of food covers all tastes, from tapas through to full dishes. As the only National lottery location in the village, you can choose your lucky numbers whilst dining.