The thrills and chills of memoir writing

Die lekkertes en lokvalle van memoires

Maybe you simply want to write down your own story for your children or grandchildren? Or you survived a traumatic experience and want to write about it for therapeutic reasons, even if no one else reads it? Or do you have an inspiring life story that you´re hoping to share with a wider public? Or perhaps you have a rather ordinary life, but you want to write about it in an extraordinary way, using humour, literary references or a lyrical style?

Whatever your reasons for wanting to tell your story, this memoir-writing workshop will help you achieve your goal. If you´ve never attempted any creative writing, it´s never too late to start. If you have published fiction or non-fiction but are wary of the vulnerability that comes with memoir writing, this will encourage and inspire you. And if you have already published a memoir, you will know that writing is a lifelong learning process, and we can always aim to improve.

We will look at different ways of telling the same story, explore narrative arches and dialogue, beginnings and endings, and hooks to catch the reader´s attention. You will learn to select the best bits and kill your darlings, focus on your strengths and avoid your weaknesses, and find the courage to step out of your comfort zone. We will talk about the pitfalls of personal writing, how to write about yourself without writing only about yourself, how to avoid ego and vanity, and how to transform a deeply personal story into something more universal. And we will write, write, write every day, between group discussions, individual sessions, and outings to places of specific interest to us as writers or potential writers.

Marita van der Vyver has more than 4 decades of experience as an award-winning, best-selling author across many genres. Her humorous memoirs about her not-so glamorous life in France (Home Is Where the Heart Is/ Die hart van ons huis and A Fountain in France/ ´n Fontein voor ons deur) have been widely read in the past twenty years. More recently, she has also published a memoir about her South African childhood (A Long Letter to My Daughter/ ´n Baie lang brief aan my dogter) as well as a memoir about travelling for fifteen months without a fixed address (My Year of Fear and Freedom/ My jaar van vrees en vryheid). She has presented week-long creative writing courses in Greece and South Africa, one-to-one online courses for SA Writers College, and three-month online courses for the Afrikaans chapter of the prestigious international writers organisation PEN. She has now designed a brand-new workshop focusing on memoir writing for Château de Najade.

Program:

Monday morning: Introductory session (2-3 hours), group discussions alternated with practical writing exercises.

Monday afternoon: A stroll through the ancient town of Sainte-Sevère-sur-Indre, sharing the story of Jacques Tati and Jour de Fête, with prompts for a snippet of writing that participants can practise in a local café, in the cool garden or next to the swimming pool at Najade.

Tuesday morning: A short drive to visit George Sand´s home in Nohant. This famous author of the region led an unconventional life that was much more memorable than the many conventional works of fiction she published. We have to ask ourselves: If she´d chosen to write a memoir, how would she have done it? We can play with the possibilities while having a picnic in the beautiful garden of her home.

Tuesday afternoon: One-to-one sessions where participants can ask specific questions or have private chats with the presenter. The rest of the time, when you are not with Marita, you can rest, write, or think about what you want to write.

Wednesday morning: Another 2-3-hour session, with group discussions alternating with practical writing exercises.

Wednesday afternoon: One-to-one sessions with participants, or free time to work on a piece of writing that can be discussed during the last group session on Friday morning.

Thursday morning: Short drive to the weekly market of Boussac, with prompts for a brief piece of writing.

Thursday afternoon: Louis Jansen van Vuuren, who has also written memoirs about his life in France, will join the group for an informal talk. Marita and Louis will pick each other´s brains, while participants can ask questions or comment on their own writing process.

Friday morning: Another 2-3 hour session of group discussions on the difficulty of pinning down deeply personal stuff. By now, we´ll all know one another a little better and feel a little less vulnerable. We discuss the final piece of writing each participant has delivered, compare it with something written on the first day, and take note of what we´ve learned and what we´d still like to learn.

Friday afternoon: A brief and playful group session to end on a light note, with a last spontaneous writing exercise that should be pure fun. 

Arthur and his team will lead this enchanting exploration of some of France’s lesser-known, but most inspiring gardens and landscapes. From hidden monastic retreats to extraordinary botanical collections. Participants will journey through a region where nature, history, and artistic inspiration exist in perfect harmony…

 Day 1 (Sunday, 6th June): The Grand Water & Renaissance Gardens

·       Morning: Visit Château de Courances near Paris. For our 1st garden, we explore this historic garden with formal and informal water features and a Zen garden. This is one of the remarkable Jardins of France; its simple elegance and romantic gardens are a perfect way to ease into the French way of life. Parisian and local chefs highly desire the organic vegetables grown in the chateau’s walled garden. Enjoy lunch in the beautiful barn restaurant.

·       Afternoon: Drive 2 hours and 15 minutes southwest to the Loire Valley.

·       Late Afternoon: Tour Château de Villandry. Widely regarded as the best example of a French Renaissance garden, Villandry, with its massive, terraced kitchen garden, Ornamental garden, Water gardens and the Maze and Sun Gardens, is without doubt the holy grail of French horticulture, and no garden tour would be complete without it. The intricate box hedging, formal design, and floral combinations are sure to give any gardener goosebumps. Our late-afternoon viewing showcases the garden in its best light.

·       Overnight: Stay near Villandry or Tours, dinner included.

🌹 Day 2 (Monday 7th June): From Rose Villages to the Indre Countryside

·       Morning: Drive 45 minutes to Chédigny. Walk and enjoy the streets of this village, the first village in France to receive the accolade of "Jardin Remarquable". Streets have become designated pedestrian zones, with the entire village participating in this horticultural wonder. Founded in 1988 by the then mayor of the town, it boasts beautiful houses, over 1,000 roses (many being ancient varieties), numerous bulbs, and over 300 special shrubs and perennials. The village also received the 2022 National Plant Diversity Award. In the center of the village, next to the presbytery, lies the priest's garden with many medicinal and cottage-style plants, which is a true inspiration for all gardeners. Enjoy the gardens, then have lunch at the Café de Chédigny.

·       Afternoon: Drive 50 minutes south to the magnificent gardens of Domaine de Poulaines. Developed with passion over many years, this garden combines formal cottage-style gardens, fruit trees, and a wide variety of trees, now forming a beautiful arboretum.

·       Evening: Drive 1 hour south to your new base in Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre.

·       Overnight: Check into your base at CHÂTEAU DE NAJADE, where a welcome dinner will be served.

🌳Day 3 (Tuesday 8th June): Enjoy St Sévère and La Châtre

·       Morning: Discover the gardens of Najade and the Château park a few minutes from Najade, followed by lunch in the garden. The garden at Najade is brand new and was planted in 2026. Arthur and Noelene Mennigke designed it, dividing it into several rooms and floral beds, including the white garden, secret garden, and hotbeds. Arthur will take you through the design process, the challenges, and the future hopes of this space. Still finding its "feet", the garden sits within the magical grounds of the Château, surrounded by giant trees and bordered by a tranquil stream. Najade, meaning water nymph, is a magical and ethereal space that you will use as a base for your visit. 

·       Afternoon: Drive 15 minutes to the nearby town of La Châtre, where we will visit a garden centre or two…. 

·       Overnight: Sainte-Sévère-Sur-Indre at CHÂTEAU DE NAJADE, dinner included.

·        

🏰 Day 4 (Wednesday 9th June): Trip to the Cher & Berry Masterpieces

·       Morning: Drive for 1 hour 15 minutes east to Parc Floral d'Apremont-sur-Allier. Situated in one of the most beautiful villages in France, this "Floral Park" incorporates the village into the park with seamless elegance; it’s often difficult to see where the village ends and the park starts. A white garden (a tribute to Sissinghurst), formal hornbeam hedges, and a Japanese-style pagoda all add interest to this intriguing garden. A wide variety of plants ensures year-round interest for green-fingered enthusiasts. Lunch at a local restaurant.

·       Early Afternoon: Drive 45 minutes to Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil, a 14th-century castle with gardens developed over the years. The hydraulic water system still operates in this garden, and other features include walled chartreuses and a collection of rare roses. 

·       Evening: Drive 55 minutes back to your base.

·       Overnight: Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre at CHÂTEAU DE NAJADE. Dinner included.

🏰 Day 5 (Thursday 10th June): Enjoy a country market and discover Orsan.

·       Morning: Drive 25 minutes to the nearby town of Boussac for market day. Lunch at one of the restaurants in town.

·       Early Afternoon: Drive 25 minutes to Prieuré d'Orsan. This garden, designed by Patrice Travella, who also designed the famous Babylonstoren gardens, is a rare delight. Medieval trellises divide the garden into a series of rooms, complete with viewing windows that give a special perspective on the garden and the fields beyond. Great color combinations, orchards and a potager make this a very special garden indeed. The garden shop is also a great place to pick up little gifts and treasures for your home and garden. The drive to and from the garden is a delight and showcases the French countryside at its best.

·       Overnight: Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre at CHÂTEAU DE NAJADE, with dinner.

🌳 Day 6 (Friday 11th June): Romantic Parks & Hidden Valley

·       Morning: Drive just over an hour to explore the wild woodland oasis at Jardin de Val Maubrune. Another remarkable garden in France, this garden received the coup de coeur award in 2012. Developed by Gilles Clément, treading lightly on the earth and being a biodiverse garden are paramount here. The garden and countryside blend seamlessly and effortlessly. This garden forms a sharp contrast to the very formal French gardens we have seen, but perhaps leads the way for a more sustainable gardening future? We enjoy a picnic lunch before returning to Najade.

·       Afternoon at leisure

·       Overnight: Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre at CHÂTEAU DE NAJADE

🚗 Day 7 (Saturday 12th June): Departure 

·       Morning: Time to pack before brunch is served under the trees at Château de Najade. Drive 40 minutes to Châteauroux Station for your transfer to Paris.