“Write What You Don’t Know”
3-Day Writing Retreat in Paonia, CO
with Imaginative Storm co-creator Allegra Huston, May 28 – 30, 2025
Teach your imagination to amaze you
About the Retreat
What are you writing? Memoir? Creative nonfiction? Fiction? Poetry? Not sure yet? No matter what you’re writing, be prepared to amaze yourself!
Transform your inner critic into your most valuable ally
Bring originality and playfulness to your writing
Pack your writing with emotional power
Make writer’s block a thing of the past
Finish the retreat with a powerful set of tools to take into the rest of your writing life.
Our Schedule
Day 1
10 - 12:30: We’ll write to prompts together
3 – 5: We’ll write to prompts together
Day 2
10 - 12:30: We’ll write to prompts together
2 – 6: Allegra will meet with each person individually to discuss your writing project
Day 3
10 - 12:30: We’ll write to prompts together
3 – 5: We’ll write to prompts together
Your Facilitator
Allegra Huston
“As a former Editorial Director of the London publisher Weidenfeld & Nicolson and holder of a First Class degree in English from Oxford University, I'm all about good writing. But when I started writing myself, I wasn't able to write anything I liked! Maybe I just can't write, I thought. I was trying as hard as I could to write well.
The Imaginative Storm method was a revelation to me. I learned that trying to write well didn't help me. That my writing would be better, and my own authentic voice would emerge, if I didn't try so hard. James Navé taught me to surprise myself and write what I don't know.”
As well as Write What You Don't Know, Allegra is the author of the bestselling Love Child: A Memoir of Family Lost and Found, the novel A Stolen Summer, How to Edit and Be Edited, and How to Read for an Audience (with James Navé). She wrote and produced the award-winning short film Good Luck, Mr. Gorski, and has also written numerous feature screenplays. Her articles have appeared in many major magazines in the US, UK, and France. An editor for over three decades, she worked with authors including three Booker Prize winners, two Nobel Prize winners, and Jane Goodall.
“Allegra Huston is incapable of writing a dull sentence.”
Praise for Allegra’s Retreats
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“If you want to write more of yourself onto the page, I can't think of a better place to do it than with Allegra in Paonia ... a peaceful, artsy and colorful Shangri-la. Under Allegra's gentle prompting, forgotten pieces of you dance into the light. It was worth every moment of the 2,273 miles it took to get there and come back renewed, refreshed and reignited.”
— Joyce Wycoff, writer
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“Allegra has the rare ability to help your writing at two different levels: rational analysis of the elements and structure of your memoir, and the emotional capacity to read between the lines, to recognize and empathize with the yelling or whispering of your heart. Her lessons were easy to understand and remember but deep and specific on the points where I needed to improve—and delivered with kindness and joy.”
— Jamil Mahuad, former president of Ecuador
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“The workshop was transformational. It offered incredible insight and a playful, creative method of writing. Allegra's passionate belief that we all have the ability to write was infectious and resonated with me for the duration of the week. Grab the first opportunity you get to work with her."
— Doug Raphael, architect
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“A fantastic, life-affirming experience. The writing prompts bring forth a style of writing that is surprising in its intensity and invigorating in its ability to communicate deep memories and emotions. This is a gift any writer should give to themselves. It will change your life!”
— Allison Kleinsteuber, educator
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“Allegra taught us an incredibly simple way to unlock our creativity. "Writing what you don't know" is an engaging and fun process that opens up deep wells of ideas and provides a structure that I was able to easily put words to paper. She is an amazing teacher. So incredibly grateful I held to my mantra of "do things that push your boundaries"!”
— Brenda, business owner
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“The Imaginative Storm method is so productive; it efficiently gets you right down to the heart of the matter. And the best part of all is that it’s fun and full of surprises! It’s Allegra’s gift of inspiring us to immerse ourselves in the creative process—she is uniquely warm, honest, and encouraging.”
— Terry Varner, writer
About Paonia
Paonia is a lovely small town in the heart of western Colorado, an agricultural hub of fresh produce and a tight community of creative people.
We’ll be based at Nancy Cook Kelly’s house on the river, a fantastic workshop environment filled with art and treasures from all over the world.
Paonia has a number of delicious restaurants, so we can go out to lunches and dinners together, or not - as we like! There’s also a wonderful evening farmer’s market.
FAQs
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ot at all.
The only requirement is a desire to write. If you write, you’re a writer—no MFA required.
Some of our participants have never taken a writing class before; others are published authors. What unites them is a deep curiosity—and the joy of discovering that they can write better than they thought possible. Our method helps beginners build confidence and gives experienced writers new depth, direction, and energy.
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No. This is much more than free writing.
The Imaginative Storm method is not a technique—it’s a full creative system.
In four days, you’ll move from pure imaginative exploration to structured creative form. You’ll learn how to:
Access surprising emotional depth and authentic voice
Use vivid imagery and original language
Develop compelling characters, narrative arcs, and emotional structure
Find the energetic core that drives every great story
We help you write what you didn’t know you knew—and shape it into something real.
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No required reading. No homework. Just your imagination.
We won’t assign books or offer models of “how to write well.” Our goal is not to mold you but to free you. Every writing prompt is designed to help you discover what you want to say — and how only you can say it.
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Yes—if and when you’re ready.
Every participant receives two one-on-one sessions with Allegra. You may submit up to 25 pages of writing (12 pt., double-spaced) one week prior to the workshop.
These sessions are tailored to you—they’re optional, private, and focused on helping your work grow.