Italy Writing Rooms - October 2022

WRITING COURSE & TUTORED RETREAT

A two-day writing course, engaging with Florence to help students learn the foundations of writing. We will very much be focusing on writing location but for those with little or no fiction writing experience, writers will leave with a set of skills that can apply to any setting as well as the foundational tenets of fiction writing. Plot, character, tone etc

Obviously, Florence offers magnificent raw material for our endeavours and we will be using all that the city has to offer with on-site writing practice in the wonderful museums and churches of Florence. Students will learn to write about Florence without resorting to cliche or the kind of purple prose that such a beautiful city tends to inspire.

Learning to think like a writer is about learning to read like a writer and observing your environment with a new kind of attention. Writing into a history and culture such as Florence requires some understanding of the long literary tradition into which one is writing. We will always be writing in conversation with The Decameron and Dante through EM Forster, Mary McCarthy and DH Lawrence to the present day. 

What is included

 Tuition

 This is an intensively taught course but also allows writers sufficient time to complete responses to various exercises and on-site prompts.

 We begin each day with a short lecture at the beautiful British Institute library and then set out into Florence. As an example of the kind of site-specific response, we will spend time at Santa Maria Novella, using the extraordinary frescoes of the church and cloisters as narrative prompts.

• Small groups mean individual attention all through the course.

• In addition to the two days in Florence, the course includes two online meetings to take place before we meet in Florence.

•  A reading list to prepare for the week's course.

•  Another online meeting in the month following the course to which you may choose to submit work from the course for feedback. (This may be two sessions depending on the number of students who wish to submit work)

 As an alumnus of the Florence Writing Room you will always be invited to free online writing sessions and, from time to time, receive free invitations to online classes and events to help you sustain your practice.

Additional

 The price includes admission to all the museums and churches we will use for our inspiration.

 Aperitivo for those already in town on the evening of the 4th and a lovely dinner together on the night of the 5th.

 The cost does not include accommodation in Florence. Some of you are local to Florence and this option allows you to take make your own decisions about where you might wish to stay and at which price point. Breakfast is often included in hotel stays so we do not make provision for that. We break for about 1.5 hours at midday and again you will make your own choices around lunch though we may go as a group or in smaller groups local to where we are working or you may wish to return to your hotel for a nap!

 Cost

 EUR 585 approx GBP 495

 Places are very limited. A non-refundable deposit of EUR 185 approx GBP 150 secures your place with the remainder due 14 days before the course begins. You may pay in instalments or all at once.

 If you have any specific questions or want to know of this retreat is suitable for you, please feel free to contact me at mail@fionamelrose.com

Writing Room, Vicchio, Tuscany

8th to 14th October 2022

I am overjoyed at the prospect of this retreat.

We will gather in an exquisite  Medici-era home, Villa Poggio Bartoli, for a residential 6-night 6-day retreat. The villa is set in the Tuscan hills an hour north of Florence in the beautiful Mugello district, surrounded by organic farmland.

 The retreat is intended to give you plenty of time to simply work on your project but with daily support and structure should you require it. You are of course entirely able to simply keep your own counsel and immerse yourself in your work. However, should you require it, support includes a daily round-table to start the day so that you are clear about what you are working on that day, and one-on-one to discuss your work in depth (you can submit a portion of your work prior to the retreat) additional support, practical techniques for working through your blocks as well as evening discussion sessions around specific topics.

The idea of a tutored retreat is that you have hours of time to work on your novel or stories but have the structure and support which is often helpful when confronted with a full week of writing. The aim is to help you cover good ground on your chosen project but, importantly, leave the retreat with a very clear sense of how to continue your project.  Furthermore, the Writing Room’s online community will continue to offer support in the weeks and months that follow.

What you can expect

 A supportive, creative environment with on-hand encouragement for your writing. One-on-one support as well as a group discussions. 

 The retreat group is small (never more than about 10 participants.)

 A large, beautiful home that is conducive to quiet reflection and creative immersion. Having said that there are many rooms and outdoor spaces for connection and cosy chats. There is as much company or solitude as you feel your work requires.

 To create an environment of creative focus with no domestic distractions, all meals are included, coffee, tea etc. Meals are sourced locally and made with ingredients either from the farm or its neighbours. Writing Room friends Sandra and Fabrizio like to focus on fresh, in-season, regional meals that are healthy and delicious. There is a heavy emphasis on plant-based food.

 October in Tuscany is magical. Misty autumn walks, mushroom foraging, rolling hills, horses, exceptional food, the companionship of other writers and the time and space to immerse yourself in an existing project or begin to imagine a new one.

What is included

 Tuition

 All tuition and one-on-one support, group discussions

•  Daily round table to start the day and set objectives or voice concerns about your project.

•  Dedicated One-on-one session to discuss your project. This is your chance to really interrogate what it is you are trying to do and consider how you might best proceed. My approach is never prescriptive, rather it relies on helping you to ask better questions and thus see a way through.  If you choose you may submit a few thousand words beforehand for discussion during the retreat.

• I may suggest a different path, offer reading and will always ask you questions that narrow broad concerns or stumbling blocks down to specific, actionable answers.

• Evening discussions around specific topics and Informal discussions on cosy sofas. (We will be sure to light the fires if the Tuscan Autumn mist is too close.)

•   Supportive and professional tutor with years of experience in both writing and teaching, supported by at least one other colleague.

•  One online meeting before the retreat to make connections, ask questions and set expectations.

•  You will be provided with a lovely reading list for your own pleasure.

• Another online meeting within the first month after the retreat to make sure that your creative momentum is alive and well.

•  Another online check-in a month later to help keep the creative momentum going as well as reconnect with friends and colleagues so that the energy and focus of the retreat are not lost.

 Additionally, as an alumnus of the Vicchio Writing Room Retreat, you will from time to time be offered free tickets to online events such as a Writing Masterclass, and all online writing sessions to help keep your practice going once you have left the support of the retreat.

 Your Stay

•  Transfer from Florence to Vicchio (details of group collection point closer to the time)

•  All meals Including one meal out at a local restaurant.

•  Evening pre-dinner aperitivo to reflect on the day’s work.

•  All bedrooms are very large en-suite, double bedrooms/suites. All are traditionally Italian and full of character and romance. Each as a tv, fridge and other amenities.

•  Access to the estate for walks and other activities. In autumn there are mushroom and sometimes truffle foraging walks. The villa is set on a working agricultural estate, for example the retreat dates had to be adjusted to accommodate the chestnut harvest.

•  There are a limited number of rooms that can be arranged to offer shared accommodation with two large beds.

•  There is a beautiful little chapel attached to the villa which will be opened and is recommend for daily meditation or contemplation.

•  There is a laundry for you to use.

• The running of the villa and estate is fully supported by manager Antonio and his wonderful family.

 Prior to arrival details of the villa and your stay will be provided.

Cost

 EUR0 4,100 approx  GBP 3,550

 Places are very limited. A non-refundable deposit of EUR 1,000 approx GBP 860 secures your place with the remainder due 14 days before the retreat begins. You may pay in instalments or all at once.

 (In exceptional circumstances alternate payment schedules may be accommodated)

 If you have any specific questions or want to know of this retreat is suitable for you, please feel free to contact me at mail@fionamelrose.com

 NOTE: for those of you who wish to book both the two-day intensive Florence course and the Vicchio retreat, a discount applies. Please contact me directly for details.