AGM Week: Feel Good Friday – How to love the hands and body you write with – Alexander Technique
21 November @ 11:00 - 11:45 GMT
Between stimulus and response there is a space”, said the psychologist and philosopher Viktor Frankl, ‘In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.’
F.M. Alexander, founder of Alexander Technique, agreed:
‘..the way of employing oneself in activity is a matter of the manner of reaction.’
They understood that if we are more in control of our responses/reactions to stimuli – either internal or external – life overall is improved. To achieve this, we need to be more aware of our habits, in this case our postural and breathing habits. If, after hours sitting at your desk you sometimes feel stiff, tired or achy, and you wish things could be different, then this is a chance to get a few Alexander Technique tips that alleviate that strain, and could free up mental clarity and inspiration.
Join former media PA Susanna Scouller as she leads this Feel Good Friday session with author Sarah Waters, covering the Alexander Technique and showing you how this technique can be beneficial for you as a writer.
AGM Week 2025: Author Care
With discussions around transparency, support and inclusion, communication and self-care, we ask how authors and publishing professionals can work better together and how authors can find support if they need it. Author Care Week follows the launch of the Society of Authors’ new digital resource, Author Care: A Toolkit for Authors.
Download the digital resource via our website.
From an Industry Insider, online social and a Feel Good Friday workshop. You can also pop into the SoA Space to update your author photo at a special discounted member rate.
#SoAatHome
- Industry Insider – the big conversation: Author Care | Monday 17 November, 11.00-12.00
- AGM online member social | Wednesday 19 November, 11.00-12.00
- SoA’s Annual General Meeting | Thursday 20 November, 17.00
- Feel Good Friday – How to love the hands and body you write with – Alexander Technique | Friday 21 November, 11.00-11.45
SoA in Person
- Author Photos | Tuesday 18 November, 10.00-16.00 | SoA Space, Bedford Row
#SoAatHome Feel Good Friday events – free for SoA Members
As of Feb 2025, all #SoAatHome Feel Good Friday sessions will continue to be free for members. However, for non-members, the price is £5 including VAT.
Not a member? sign up here with our special #SoAatHome offer and get 20% off for the first year – use code SOAATHOME20.
Programme
- Welcome, introductions and housekeeping from Sarah Waters (3 mins)
- Workshop led by Susanna Scouller (30 mins)
- Q&A with audience (10 mins)
- Summary and closing comments (2 mins)
- This event will be moderated by Lilly Brend-Fish – Events & Engagement Manager, SoA
Who is this session for?
Anyone who would like to reduce strain on their body particularly while seated at a keyboard.
What will this session cover?
This session will cover:
- How to maintain an awareness of postural and breathing habits while seated for hours writing.
- How to conserve physical and mental energy by maintaining a more mutually supportive mind/body connection.
- How to take breaks and get the most benefit from even a few minutes away from the desk in an active state of rest.
- How to reduce anxiety by improving balance and reducing muscle tension in an overall sense.
Send us your questions in advance
If you would like to send questions in advance, email LBrendfish@societyofauthors.org with ‘Alexander Technique’ in the subject header. We will prioritise questions sent in advance and answer as many as we can from the audience on the day.
#SoAatHome Fundraising Bookshop
Browse our virtual Bookshop.org store featuring books by authors and speakers taking part in the #SoAatHome. When you make a purchase using our affiliate links, a percentage will go to the Society of Authors’ Access Fund, giving authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats.
The Line-up
Susanna Scouller
Susanna’s former job as a PA in the media industry means she is no stranger to the challenges of sitting staring at a screen for hours. Alexander Technique changed her life when it transformed her neck and shoulder pain. Since qualifying in 2007, Susanna has run a practice in London.
Website: www.alexandertechniqueinlondon.com | Instagram: @pimlicocentre
Sarah Waters
Sarah Waters has written six novels including Tipping the Velvet, Fingersmith and The Paying Guests. She has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Orange Prize and Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction. Her novel Affinity was also awarded the SoA’s Somerset Maugham Award and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. She served on the Management Committee from 2009 to 2012.
Need to know
Accessibility
- Attendees will have the option to turn on the live transcript, to watch with subtitles.
- If you require BSL interpretation for this event, please email events@societyofauthors.org
Before the eventi
- Once registered, you will be sent a confirmation email with the Zoom link
- If the confirmation email doesn’t arrive in your inbox, please check your junk/spam email folder
- Please add events@societyofauthors.org to your Safe Senders list so you receive our confirmation and reminder emails
During the event
- This online event will take place on Zoom Meetings; you will be visible on screen if you have your camera on.
- Attendees will be able to ask questions either via the chat box or by unmuting themselves.
- This event is 45 minutes
After the event
- Hashtag for this event: #SoAatHome & #AuthorCare
Booking
Book your place using the registration below.
SoA Members – Free
Non-Members – £5
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Access 20% off your first year of membership of the SoA with discount code SOAATHOME20
The Society of Authors is the UK’s biggest trade union for authors – representing more than 12,000 writers, illustrators, translators and other creative practitioners.
Our standard subscription rate is just £32.50 per quarter (£22.75 for students).
As an SoA member, you’ll get:
- Access to all our #SoAatHome events for free including the Professional Development sessions usually charged at £35 from Feb 2025
- Access to all our Feel Good Friday and Industry Insider events which are usually charged £5 from Feb 2025
- Access all #SoAatHome Vimeo professional development recordings so you can catch up in your own time
- Access Unlimited one-to-one professional advice
- Membership of our online and real-world professional networks and special interest groups
- A range of member-only discounts, including books, insurance and travel
- And much more
‘It was a surprisingly lovely way to meet fellow writers in a friendly, warm surrounding perfectly hosted by the SoA staff. Thank you for all the introductions, the welcome and the nourishment!’ – attendee from SoA in Person: Autumn New Members’ Party 2024
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If you are in a position to help, please donate via the link below. If you are an author facing access issues, please click here to see if we can help.
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Register - SoA Member
Please use the booking form to register for this event.
Please email
events@societyofauthors.org if you have any questions.
