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A letter from Hazel

Storytelling is a powerful process. It helps us to heal and grow, and better understand and connect to ourselves and the world around us. I consider myself very lucky that I get to tell stories for a living, and I love what I do, but I’ve also had bouts of writer’s block and been filled with dread at the mere thought of spending time with my own words. I know what it is to lose that spark, and to find it again, and my dream is to help other writers discover or rediscover their spark. To “find the doorway into thanks, and a silence in which another voice may speak”, as Mary Oliver so beautifully puts it.

This retreat won’t be about bashing out as many words as possible or hitting any deadlines, I won’t be teaching you how to write (because I don’t believe there’s one correct way to do that) and we won’t be judging or criticising, only welcoming whatever comes. Write to Yourself is about gifting yourself some time and space to pour energy into just this one thing. It’s about sitting with the blank page with no expectations of the outcome, and seeing what happens.

Whether you write for publication or not. Whether you write through memoir or music or poetry or prose or journaling. It doesn’t matter. This is about you, me, and a group of likeminded people connecting with each other, with ourselves and with our stories.

There’s magic in that. I promise you!

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Hazel hayes

Hazel is an Irish-born, London-based writer and director. She graduated from Dublin City University with a degree in journalism, then went on to study creative writing at The Irish Writers’ Centre, before finding her feet online and honing her craft as a screenwriter through numerous short films and series. Her eight-part thriller, PrankMe, won the award for Excellence in Storytelling at Buffer Festival in Toronto and her debut novel, Out of Love, was warmly received by fans and peers alike. It was the Barnes & Noble Fiction Book of The Month upon its release and was also awarded a coveted Kirkus Star. Hazel’s second novel, Better by Far, hit shelves in April 2024, with a bustling New York launch event at The Ripped Bodice in Brooklyn, followed by a West Coast event at BookSoup, LA. Hazel will soon be holding launch events in the UK and is currently working on her third novel as well as building an online WTY community.

  • Matt Haig- Bestselling author of 'the midnight library'

    “Hazel Hayes writes with such honesty and casual confidence and flowing dialogue, you feel you are overhearing it rather than reading it. The writing sparkles with wit and a poignant emotional reality. I love it.”

  • David Nicholls- Bestselling author of 'One Day'

    “A smart, touching, time-bending romance. Funny and affecting.”

  • Kirkus (Starred Review)

    “It’s rare to finish a book and immediately begin reading it again. For many readers, this will be just that book. A gorgeously told story of heartbreak and recovery that still leaves the reader feeling hopeful about love.”

  • E! News

    “If you loved Normal People and One Day, this moving, messy, and magical debut is for you.”

  • Ling Ling Huang- Author of 'Natural Beauty'

    “Better by Far is a tender and powerful book that simultaneously bruised and healed me. I leaked all the way through this deeply felt and moving journey.”

  • Daily Mail

    “Fierce and often funny . . . It’s counter intuitive to be hopeful for a relationship you know is doomed from the start, but the sheer emotional intelligence of the unpicking, from horrible breakup to magical first kiss, kept me hooked. Wise, compelling, and beautifully written.”

  • Stylist

    “Hayes references Nora Ephron throughout the book and she’s a pretty good successor judging from this debut.”

  • Booklist

    “Hayes strips away the layers to reveal the heart of a relationship between two flawed but appealing characters with their whole futures ahead of them. Recommended for fans of One Day by David Nicholls and Normal People by Sally Rooney.”

  • Genevieve Wheeler- Author of 'Adelaide'

    “Hazel Hayes’s characters and prose have that innate capacity to make the reader feel truly seen, tackling themes like love and loss with immense grace, warmth, and nuance.”

Meet the Team