Art of Writing Retreat, June 4-8, 2023
The Essentials of Story
All sessions are to be conducted at Palazzo San Niccolò.
Retreat June 4 - 8, 2023
Full 4 Day + 2 Night Workshop
COST: 1,300 Euro
Included in price:
All tuition and Zoom lectures.
Welcome drinks and opening dinner.
Morning cappuccino break.
Final light dinner and wine at Palazzo San Niccolò.
All wine during our evening special Aperitivo Zoom hours.
Please note this retreat does not include accommodation.
Sunday, June 4th
1830:
Aperitvo in Palazzo San Niccolò. Welcome!
1930:
Welcome Dinner to meet your fellow writers. Introduction to Lisa Clifford, you, your work and the week ahead. Opening dinner together at a nearby restaurant included.
Monday, June 5th
9:30 – 11:00
Turn the Page
THE ESSENTIALS OF STORY in-person with Lisa Clifford. Tenacity and curiosity are the keys, but technique is vital. A lively lecture, on emotional urgency in our text. Designed to bring your writing to life. Now, more than ever, writers must hook their readers in their first five pages. Even their first sentence! You’ll never leap out of the slush pile unless we nail down how to create and maintain narrative momentum with your work.
11:00 – 11:30
Morning break, cappuccino and caffe.
11:30-1300
Guest tutor by zoom, Jane Corry, Penguin UK bestselling thriller writer.
Hints on how to develop your own characters for your own particular idea. Give your characters ‘special something’ to make them stand out; a problem or challenge to move the pace along; and a particular way of speaking so their dialogue sounds natural and yet unique. How do your characters interact with other characters? How do we think through the impact of their families / homes / work on their actions and personalities? We will also cover conflict and themes.
13:00-15:00
Private writing time.
Tuesday, June 6th
09:30-1100
Sense of Place in-person with Lisa Clifford: This session starts in the ‘classroom’ and then becomes a walk. Learn how to add authenticity to your settings and characters, create atmospheres and articulate descriptions that show, not just tell, your reader’s location through its sounds, touch, smells and tastes.
11:00 - 11:30
Morning cappuccino break
Sense of Place continued:
Take your character for a walk-through Florence with Lisa Clifford. What is your character thinking, feeling, and seeing? Our Sense of Place trail starts from Palazzo San Niccolò and finishes at the San Ambrogio Food Markets. Lunch at our own expense around San Ambrogio.
Private writing time
Wednesday, June 7th
09:30-1100
The Art of Memoir, in-person with Lisa Clifford.
A compelling memoir digs deep into themes. How do we boil your story down to concentrate on what thematically truly matters to you? And how do we say that in 80,000 words? ‘Life writing’ is about your journey and always has a distinct story arc. How has your life challenged and changed you? And how do we set up the scenes that show that?
$11:00 – 11:30
Morning cappuccino provided.
11:30-13:00
Jane Corry: Plot and how characters can help your structure.
Tips on different ways to plot – should you draw up a thorough plan beforehand; make it up as you go along; or do a mixture of both? Each method has its pros and cons. Strong characters will also suggest the way in which your plot should go. Do you want your plot to be seen through the eyes of different characters? Is there an overall narrator? Can the use of the first person or the third person give your plot an extra ‘spring?'
Private writing time.
1830
InkWell Management New York
(1230 New York time)
Catherine Drayton
InkWell is one of the world’s leading literary agencies, proudly representing major literary prize winners as well as many of the world’s bestselling and best-loved authors. In addition to its full-time agents and their assistants, the InkWell team includes a foreign rights department and contracts manager. Inkwell also joins forces with leading literary agencies in every foreign market and has agents based in Australia, Boston, and Dallas. Inkwell is actively on the lookout for original ideas, riveting stories and great writing. The Art of Writing June writers have the chance to chat with Catherine about the major problems she sees in manuscripts, what genres seem to be gaining traction, and whether it's best for Australian, US or British writers to be represented in their own territories even if they live elsewhere and their stories are set elsewhere. Time to ask questions to a fabulous agent and agency!
Thursday, June 8th
9:30 - 11:00
The Art of Balancing Backstory:
Laurel Cohn shows us how to resist the temptation of using a slab of backstory rather than artfully placing our character's history throughout our story. The how, when, where and why to including past in our text.
11:00 - 11:30 Morning cappuccino provided
11:30 - 13:00
Villains and Antagonists and how to write them:
R.W.R. (Rob) McDonald discusses with us by zoom how to fully flesh out our ‘baddie.’ Should our antagonist be somewhat likeable, or detestable from the get-go? How should our story’s Pulse Points reveal the villain’s plan? If a villain is the hero’s opposite, how do we have the villain connect with our heroine? And make our readers believe in that connection?
13:00 Lunch break – Italian style
15:00
Afternoon writing time.
18:00
Conclusion and shared reading.
Let’s wrap up our time together with an antipasto buffet dinner and readings. Gift us your favourite piece, perhaps something you've written over the past week, over a glass of wine!