Art of writing comes alive in Florence
Florence, capital of Italy’s Tuscan region, is well regarded for its historic buildings and churches, its overflowing galleries of art and sculpture, and its food, wine, and rollings hills dotted with rustic villas and vineyards. For this photographer and writer [me], it also became the location for a five-day Art of Writing workshop with Australian author, journalist, and long-time Florentine, Lisa Clifford.
Set within the historic walls of Palazzo di San Niccolo, a former 13th century monastery near the Arno River, not far from the famous ponte vecchio (old bridge) and il duomo (the cathedral of Florence, Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore), 10 women from Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Holland, Scotland and the USA gathered to learn and hone their skills in the Art of Writing workshop, guided by Lisa and guest presenters.
Amidst a backdrop of ringing church bells, zooming vespers, medieval streets, and the waft of espresso coffee, we eagerly delved into the finer aspects of storytelling and writing a book, breaking open the detailed process of plot and place, pace and character development, narration, sense of place and scene-setting, dialogue and so much more.
Daily, Lisa shared her own knowledge, wisdom and passion for writing with us, having already successfully published a number of books including Death in the Mountains, The Promise, and Naples: A Way of Love (with photographer Carla Coulson). And we welcomed the insight, encouragement and creative inspiration of guest lectures Jane Corry and Lee Christine; literary agent, Kate Hordern; and Editor Philippa Donovan.
We set aside time each day to write; to practice what we’d learnt in the hours before; each day started at 9am and ended at 5pm. On a particularly colourful and vibrant day, we immersed ourselves in the sights, smells, sounds and edible delicacies of San Ambrogio Market. We were learning to sharpen our skill of observation and to help tell the story without being too obvious. How can we give our readers a ‘sense of place’ without spelling it out? How can we bring the scene alive and allow the reader to engage their senses?
By the end of the week, we’re all sharing an excerpt of what could be our next book. Certainly, many of the woman who attended are already accomplished writers and creative souls. I’m surprised to see what unfolds on my pages, and am intrigued to know how my story will continue to grow. The key is to write; just write! And we must write, every day!
The creativity and new learnings, and endless encouragement and inspiration filled my heart, mind and soul. All the yummy meals shared together filled my insatiable appetite! We had a truly fabulous group, and am sure there’ll be some exciting books to beyond down the track.
I’m pleased to say that I’m still writing, writing, writing, and practising my new skills. So, let’s see where this particular writing adventure leads in the future, for me.
