Workshops, expat books, and more

It’s high time for another international writing round-up. So without further ado:

Attend workshops, receive critiques, improve your skills, talk to publishing experts, meet other writers, take away tips and give yourself a creative workout. On October 27-28, WriteCon Zurich will host another writing conference in Zurich, Switzerland. The weekend will feature boot camps, masterclasses, and more.

Writer Abroad contributor Philip Graham’s new book about living in Africa, Braided Worlds, has just been published (co-authored with Alma Gottlieb). All royalties from the book are dedicated to the Being people.

The anthology Chicken Soup for the Soul has a new story call out. They are looking for stories that show how you made the best of a challenging situation. Chosen authors receive $200 and retain the copyright to their story. 

For those of you looking for books by expats for expats, look no further than the appropriately named Expat Bookshop. It was founded in late 2011 by Jo Parfitt and her team at Summertime Publishing, which publishes books exclusively about living abroad. 

The Train from Paris to Zurich

Take the train to take your writing further

There’s something about the TGV. Every time Writer Abroad rides it from Paris to Zurich her novel goes somewhere too. It was two years ago when the train inspired the idea for her novel and two weeks ago when the same train ride helped her solve a plot issue that had been bothering her.

This makes Writer Abroad wish she had the time to do her writing on the train every week. But unfortunately, this isn’t too practical. Because besides bringing her laptop, Writer Abroad would normally also have to also bring her 11-month-old baby. Nope, right now when it comes to writing, it's nap time or never.

Where would you write if you could write anywhere?