Have you ever wanted…

Time to write?
The perfect place?

Isobelle will offer three special individual five-day and two-day intensive residential mentorships on Mt Hotham this year, in June.

The host lodge is one Isobelle has written at year after year and she will begin a new work during this period. The mentorship will take place just before the snow season. There may be snow but there are marvellous walks and the mountain will be largely unoccupied at this time, the lodge, very quiet.

Being with Isobelle Carmody on the mountain was an enchanting experience. Time suspended, allowing me to dive deeply into my writing and only emerge for memorable shared meals, cosy fireside chats, and snow fights. The view from the chalet’s reading room was spectacular. Put it down to the mountain air, or the magic that follows Isobelle, but I was completely transformed when I returned.

~  Marianne de Pierres, author

Those interested would have a project well underway in the early stages, or at the first draft stage, and will be required to send a sample of the work to ensure it is suitable for this level of mentorship. For a novel, three chapters and a synopsis, for a short story collection, one or two short stories with a synopsis of the collection and the ideas around which it is organised.

Those selected to take part must be prepared to pay for an airfare to Melbourne, if located out of state, and either hire a car or bus from Tullamarine or Southern Cross station to and from Jack Frost stop on the mountain. Alternatively, you can travel by bus from Albury. For those in state, cars can be driven up to the mountain (chains are very unlikely to be needed) and parked free, close to Jack Frost stop at this time of year.

Mentees should bring food to prepare meals or pre made meals to heat. Meals can also be arranged in advance if the mentee is coming by air or if required. The lodge has a magnificent, new fully equipped kitchen. The five or two nights accomodation and meal on the first night will be covered by the mentorship fee.

Full details on application.

Cost:

$1500 for five day residency 
$1000 for weekend intensive
$2000 for both

Deposit fee: $300
Your deposit is due one week after your application is received, and will pay for an assessment of your outline or five pages, and is non-refundable.

The remainder of the mentorship fee is due in full 1 week before the mentorship commences. In the case of a COVID outbreak or a personal emergency, the mentorship can be cancelled or deferred at any time, excepting the non-refundable accomodation deposit I will have paid for you.

The fees cover:

• Five nights’ accomodation at Mt Hotham (or 2 nights’ accommodation if on the weekend intensive),
• the first night’s meal,
• an assessment and initial meeting,
• daily mentor sessions by the fire,
• workshopping of any problems,
• One follow up zoom session.

There will also be ample time to talk about the work over meals and in the evening by the fire and to read aloud and talk about work undertaken.

The focus of the mentorship is to plan and begin, to substantially progress a book or collection of stories that is currently incomplete, or to identify and address key work method problems or unhelpful processes so that the writer can progress a work.

There may be various exercises to complete each day calibrated to the work being undertaken or to work methods needing to be tweaked or restructured.

Yes, I’m interested

All places in the retreat are provided on a first-in, first-served basis. Your application is not in the queue until you have paid your deposit and provided proof of payment via email.

Thank you to the attendees of this year’s mountain retreat. When places open for the 2022 mountain retreat the form to register your interest will be placed here. For now stay tuned to Isobelle’s Facebook page and Patreon for information about writing workshops.