This writing project was run earlier in the summer, with some wonderful entries submitted. You’ll find the full list of entries at the end of this post, with some excerpts to tempt you and go and read the original articles.

I’m very sorry that it’s taken us so long to do the round up and announce the results.

Co-ordinating activities over a summer of house moving and house building in different countries didn’t prove to be the best timing from a practical point of view - though it did prove invaluable from a planning perspective.

We’ve listened to and learned from the ideas in these submissions to develop a brand new service for next year: writing retreats in Sardinia.

We’re very excited about the potential of these writing retreats to help you unleash your creativity and free up your words.

Anyway, back to the competition results.

Ideal Writing Weekend

I’m delighted to announce that the winner was Isabella Mori from Change Therapy with a piece written as part of a blogathaon: my ideal writing weekend. Here’s an extract:

oh, and the stars last night! haven’t seen that many for ages. so beautiful against the black moonless night, right over calm little waves licking against the cliff along which we were driving (was that really an old butler in an even older but still oh-so-buttery bentley?)

before i pad to the bathroom, i grab my notebook and write down a few words. that’s what the pamphlet said. write something down as soon as you wake up. ok, here we go:

thick walls, old sandstone
hold me up while i fly off.
my pens are my wings.

aaah. haiku is good, any time of the day.

twenty minutes later, i stand by a copse of olive trees, looking down into the water.

This is what our competition judge Lea Woodward said about her contribution:

Isabella’s entry was compelling and captivating from start to finish. Isabella walks us through her ideal weekend from waking up, to making the first entry in her diary, to making friends with other writers throughout the experience. Her vivid imagination describes the sights, sounds, smells and feeling of the weekend. If you look closely, you can extract all the elements that come together to create an ideal writing weekend, not just for Isabella, but for many people - and I know that’s something Emma and Joanna will be able to take away and put to good use for Absorbing Writing.

The second place winner was Shari Smothers at Blog About Writing with this piece on my ideal writing weekend.

Lea said:

I liked the structured and practical nature of this post - from the tools and resources Shari uses to the criteria she uses to select her ideal location.

In third place was Jasmin Tragas at Wonderwebby with a futuristic piece: 48 Hours, 5000 Words and 12 Cubes of Ice.

The comment from Lea:

A fun, slightly wacky entry - which nonetheless contains some useful gems which we can all relate to when thinking about how best to coax those precious words out from our heads and onto the paper.

Prizes in the form of Amazon gift vouchers ($100, $50 and $10 to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place respectively) go to the winners.

Thanks go to our competition judge, Lea Woodward, for her help in assessing the entries, to everyone who joined the competition and shared so many wonderful ideas, and to all of you, for your patience!

Full list of entries

Shari Smothers at Blog About Writing: My Ideal Writing Weekend

People: I like people-watching, imagining their stories. There are times when I just want to be around people, to watch them and hear the hum of life in my solitary work

Dawn Goldberg at Write Well Me: My Ideal Writing Weekend

In the mountains, I feel at one with nature, and maybe even myself, as silly as that might sound. Of course, there’s the whole idea that one is away from distractions: work, kids, laundry, e-mail, maybe even phones in general. All that exists is the writing. And I’m wrapped in the mountains’ arms as I write.

Brad Shorr at Word Sell: What’s Your Ideal Writing Weekend?

It starts with stimulating conversation. I’m not much good at drawing inspiration from nature, and can’t create ideas in a vacuum. But a lively exchange of ideas can open up all sorts of writing possibilities. Chemistry, that hard to define quality that makes certain conversations click, is all important.

Isabella Mori at Change Therapy:
My Ideal Writing Weekend,
My Ideal Writing Weekend Part 2,
My Ideal Writing Weekend Part 3

this is what i write into my diary. it’s a beautiful diary, and i’m delighted, because that’s important. writing, to me, is a sensual experience. i love the feeling of paper, and what happens when pen (pencil, brush, marker, quill) touches down and starts moving.

Lillie Amann at A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye with My Ideal Writing Weekend

I wasn’t tempted to spend all day in the casino - a few hours in the evenings were plenty. What made the experience ideal were the days totally focused on writing interspersed with good times with good friends. By the time we returned to San Antonio, Dream or Destiny was ready to submit to a publisher.

Joanna Young (a non-competitive entry!): 5 Essential Ingredients of My Ideal Writing Weekend

Space: That includes creating the space to get away for the ideal weekend, and to switch off from normal concerns, but I’d also want enough time and space to walk off and do my own thing, read, write, not write, soak up experiences that I could write about later

Jasmin Tragas at Wonderwebby: 48 hours, 5000 words and 12 cubes of ice

I’m using a combination of voice recognition, typing and a slightly manic hand waving gesture with my LifeWriter. The words find some form and characters begin to bloom, but the words come to a screeching halt as it hits 3pm and I hit a wall.

Alina Popescu at Words of a Broken Mirror: My Ideal Writing Weekend

It was March and it was still snowing in the mountains. We were staying at this cozy little hotel and being alone in my room felt amazing. I needed some time to finish my novel and quite a lot of inspiration to do so.

Keith Andrews at Comic Book Day: Comic Book Retreat

It will give me the time to decompress, so I can give the best to those that have sacrificed a year away from me. Comic Books are an outlet for me. Writing is an outlet for me. What a wonderful respite I will have when I step away from everything, and read and write for just a single weekend. Who knows, it may become a habit.

Except, the plans changed, as plans do. Because some things hadn’t quite worked out the way we expected (the way things do). And because we both knew, deep down, that were there things we needed to add to Absorbing Writing to make it just the way we wanted it to be. Knew we wanted to take it in a slightly different direction.

Luckily enough, it turned out we both wanted to take it in the same direction:-)

We knew we wanted to add in some vital ingredients. We wanted to add:

More time away: a 7 day retreat to give the time and space to unwind, to recharge, to refocus, to find your writing voice

More interaction: spending a week together as a group to create the conditions for learning, sharing, inspiring

More space to write: more time would mean more freedom to do your own writing. The right location would make it possible.

So we agreed to change tack. And then used the time in October to hatch new plans, and get ready to launch a new programme for 2009. You can read all about it here: our writing retreats in Sardinia.

But we also knew we had to find the right place to make the whole thing work. Decent, quality, affordable accommodation. Fantastic food. A welcoming environment. A place where you could relax, and be inspired. A place you could write.

It was the search for a writing oasis. The kind of place you know you’ll recognise when you see it it - but don’t quite believe you’ll ever find.

Except we did. Find the perfect place that is.

It’s called Ca’ la Somara. You can read more about it here… or dip into this photo album to see just what it’s got to offer.

And once we’d found it, well then we then we were able to use our time to explore, to walk up and down the roads round about, to check the nearest bus routes, to walk to the local town, to look at the bedrooms, to think about the best places for group conversations and where you’d write in private, to take photos, to talk to the owners, to sit at the long table under the vine and hear in our minds the sound of your after dinner conversations. Sharing your words. Telling your stories.

Knowing, just knowing, that we’d found the right place. A writing oasis.

And that’s how we’re ready now to offer something new. Something you’ll love.

A writing retreat to Ca’ la Somara.

May 4 - 11 2009.

Will you join us?

Summer in Sardinia, more so than at any other time of the year, is a total sensory experience. And when I indulge my senses, that’s when my writing comes alive.
Emma in Sardinia

We’ve had some great entries in so far - why not join them?  It’s very easy to contribute and there are prizes on offer for the best entries.  You’ll find out more about how to take part on this introductory post.

Happy writing!

To help put the finishing touches on the programme we’d like to hear your ideas, thoughts and suggestions on the ingredients of your ideal writing weekend.

To get you talking we’ve launched a writing competition to get your most inspiring suggestions.

Take Part In Our Writing Competition: Here’s How

My Ideal Writing Weekend

Tell us about the ingredients of your ideal writing weekend. That might be a weekend you’ve already enjoyed, one that you’ve got planned, or one that you’re hoping to take part in, some day.

You might talk about how this relates to the writing process: getting past writer’s block, finding the right words, tapping into your muse.

Feel free to relate your piece to your writing or blogging purpose

You can include a mixture of pictures and words, with a word limit of 500 words.

Posting Guidelines:

1. Post your entry on your own blog by midnight Friday 1st August Monday 1st September (your time) Please note extension to deadline!

2. Link back to Absorbing Writing: Writing Workshops In Italy

3. Send us an e-mail at info@absorbingwriting.com to make sure we’ve got your entry

4. Let your readers know it’s part of a competition - who knows, they might want to join in!

5. Keep it G rated please

Competition

The winning entry will be the most convincing description of an ideal writing weekend.

Entries will be judged by Lea Woodward of Location Independent … whose decision will be final.

Prizes on offer

1st prize: £50 ($100) Amazon gift card

2nd prize: £25 ($50) Amazon gift card

Runners up: 3 x £5 ($10) Amazon gift card

Link Love for Participants

We’ll post a round up of entries on our 3 linked blogs, which means a link from:

Absorbing Writing

Confident Writing

How to Italy

Last but not least

To spread the word, please give this a stumble? Many thanks

Emma Bird and Joanna Young

I love the way ice-cream stands out… and is it just me or is the word cloud kind of reminiscent of an ice-cream too?

We’re planning around various workshops between 17th April and 2nd May 2009. If you’ve got a strong preference for spring time dates, please do let us know (info@absorbingwriting.com)

We’d like to get your views on the shape and content of the workshops we run in the spring. Please do take just a few minutes to complete this customer survey and let us know what would work best for you.

Many thanks. You can follow this link to start the survey, or click on the picture below to open it.

Up to 30°C and I’m still firing on all cylinders. But when the temperatures soar to 37°C in the middle of the day, I spend more time trying to keep cool - an ice cream? a swim in the sea? a refreshing glass of limonata made with sparkling mineral water, pressed lemons, sugar and ice cubes? - than I do writing.

That’s why we’ve chosen April and May 2009 as the months for our next round of Absorbing Writing holidays in Sardinia. Warm enough to sit outside and write, yet cool enough to concentrate.

The island - the second largest in the Med - boasts shimmering turquoise sea, white sandy beaches, secluded coves and hidden forests.

But that’s not all. April and May, when Sardinia is drenched in early summer sun, are also ideal months for canoeing on the River Cedrino, exploring the longest caves in Italy, walking through lush green forests and ‘discovering’ Greek temples. This is the ’secret’ Sardinia: the one few tourists know.

Author DH Lawrence came here in 1921. His nine-day trip was so memorable, it resulted in him penning his bestseller travel memoir Sea and Sardinia. In it, he described Sardinia as “like nowhere. Sardinia, which has no race, no history, no date, no offering.”

His words still hold true today. Couple that with good food and wine and it makes Sardinia the ideal writing destination. In a beautiful setting and away from the stresses, strains, niggly thoughts and time constraints of everyday life, you can unleash your creativty and come up with several pieces of absorbing writing.

MatadorTrips agrees. Click here to see what they had to say about our writing workshop in the sun.

Emma in Sardinia

Photo credit: david.nikonvscanon on flickr.

You can keep in touch with us:

1. On Facebook

We’ve got an Absorbing Writing page on Facebook that you can join as a ‘fan’ to keep up with news, dates, posts, listings and meet other people who are interested

2. On Twitter

You can find me on Twitter @joannayoung and Emma @emmabird - follow us and say hello to let us know you’re there!

3. Direct to your inbox

You can get all the updates from this site direct to your inbox. It’s free to use - you just need to provide your e-mail address and remember to click the link once you get the opt in confirmation from Feedburner. Follow this link for updates on the workshops direct to your inbox.

4. Through this blog

You can get all the news from the ‘news’ section of this site. You can bookmark if you’re coming back often for news on the writing workshops, or get updates by free RSS feed.

5. By signing up to our newsletter

You can get news and updates on future workshops - dates, themes, venues - by signing up to our free newsletter.

These are 5 of the best ways we know to keep in touch. Which one works best for you? Are there others we should add to the mix?

Photo Credit: Small Town Italy 3 by Austin TX on Flickr

If you’re anything like me you might have noticed it subconsciously or intuitively. I tend to feel more creative when I’m walking near water, even if it’s the quiet urban canal near where I live in Edinburgh.

But it’s definitely more inspiring when I’m out and about near moving water: watching a waterfall, walking along the shore watching the waves roll in or sitting by a harbour and watching the movement of people, water and boats.

Henriette Anne Klauser in “Write It Down, Make It Happen” suggests changing your environment and getting near water to write.

Being near water, especially moving water, gets ideas to flow… Streams, showers and waterfalls stimulate creativity. To create aha! moments in your life, to capture and expand your insights, for inspiration about the shape of your dreams, get near water, especially moving water.

Going across water, especially by ferry, has a similar effect for me: waking me up and signalling that I’ve moved to a ‘different’ place, not just geographically but the way things feel and the way my creativity starts to flow.

This is just one of the many reasons why Sardinia is the perfect venue for our writing workshops. It’s the journey to the island. The sense of movement and transition. Oh, and of course, the sea.

I’m hoping we can tempt Emma into writing a bit more about beaches, rocky shorelines and the Sardinian seaside in a post coming soon…

What impact does the environment have on your creativity? What kind of environment would you choose to help get the words to flow?

Joanna in Edinburgh

Photo Credit: Colori della mia Terra by goodintention on flickr