What’s the Weather Like in Sardinia in Early May?
November 28, 2008
Introducing a new series of answers to questions we’re asked or you might be wondering about.
#1: What’s the weather like in early May?
Early May means the weather might be variable as it’s the change between spring in summer.* There will probably be days with blue skies, and the temperature can hit the mid 20s. But it will be cooler in the evenings when the sun goes down.
It should definitely be sunny and there will be days where you can sit outside and write (unless freak weather arrives).
Thirst Quenching by joanna
Sadly, we can’t guarantee there won’t be rain… but it’s unlikely.
* We don’t have scientific evidence for this, but have a hunch that tuning into that change of the seasons, the transition from one season to another… might just be good for your creative energies. What do you think?
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A Sensory Love Affair with Sardinia
July 30, 2008
I’ve just been for a swim and now I’m sitting on the crowded beach below my house. There’s no need for a towel. In a few minutes, thanks to the strength of the early evening sun and the salty sea breeze, I’ll be dry. Wet sand, made up of tiny grains of pink granite, slide through the gaps between my toes. In the oleander bushes that separate me from the road, I can hear the heady hum of cicadas. But only just. Drowning them out are the happy squeals of nut brown Italian children playing in the sea, singing their national anthem as they dive in and out of the water.
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
Why Sardinia will allow you to create absorbing writing
July 3, 2008
I’m not much good in this hot weather.
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.
Writing Workshops In The Sun
May 13, 2008
Are you looking for writing workshops that you can combine with a short break in the sun?
At Absorbing Writing we believe in combing writing with pleasure, which is why our workshops are set in the beautiful Mediterranean island of Sardinia, and take place in the warm (but not searingly hot) sunshine months of April/May and September/October.
Our focus is on teaching you the art of absorbing writing: writing that’s engaging, readable and compelling. Writing that tells your story and expresses your values. Writing that works on the web to promote your business or share your expat adventures.
Our starting point is to get you out of your head and into your senses, absorbing you in the sights and sounds of this beautiful island: wandering the narrow streets , people watching as the sun goes down, the sensual pleasures of pizza making or devouring an exquisite Italian ice-cream…
Oh and then getting you to write your experience of course!
Joanna Young and Emma Bird
Absorbing Writing
Writing in the morning sun
May 6, 2008
Here in Sardinia, there’s something rather special about the first few days of May.
The heavy winds and rain of April suddenly disappear and in their place are cloudless blue skies and long, sunny days that go on until 9pm.
After months of being trussed up in thick woolies, I can finally pack away my jumpers and coats, safe in the knowledge that they won’t be required for another six months.
This sheedding of layers also has an impact on what and how I write.
I feel lighter. More care-free. Less preoccupied by niggling thoughts. It’s something other people notice, too: readers no longer haver to wade through streams of waffle because my words are more purposeful than they were before.
I wonder what impact being in the Sardinian sunshine will have on your writing?
from Emma in Sardinia
May 2008
Ps - now there are even more courses and locations to choose from. Next week, we’ll be revealing all.
Flickr Credit: Birds by Kaunokainen on Flickr
The Pleasure of Writing in a Café (Part 2)
February 19, 2008
Last week, Joanna blogged about the joys of writing in a bar or café. Like her, I love it, too.
I love watching the shouting out of orders and the quickness of the barmen as they respond. I love listening to the gurgling of the coffee machines which give rhythm to my writing. And I love how sitting in the bar at different times changes what I write.
If I’m in there at breakfast time, the tempo is fast-paced. In the afternoon, it’s more laidback as everyone steps down a gear and recovers from the post-lunch blowout. And in the evening, with a glass of red wine to hand, my writing takes on a more indulgent stance.
What does writing in a bar or cafè do for you?
from Emma in Sardinia
February 2008
Alghero’s sunset and how it helped my writing
February 18, 2008
I’m back in England but still dreaming about Alghero.
As I’ve blogged about before, the coastal city has had a special place in my heart ever since my first visit back in December 2002.
But this time around, it was a truly cathartic experience.
I’ve been struggling with my writing for a while. Not my everyday writing but the book I have to get out if I’m ever going to meet my deadline. But, however much I wrote my diary on the beach and sat in front of my computer, it just wasn’t happening.
That all changed, though, with my trip to Alghero. Whether it was finally getting to catch up with my friend, Sally, in the sushi bar near her house, or seeing the sun set over the sea at Capo Caccia, something powerful shifted inside of me.
So much so that this morning, I woke up hours before my alarm clock, switched on my computer and let the words flow. All I had to do was type as fast as the words were coming. And that’s a wonderful feeling.
from Emma in Sardinia
February 2008
Why I love writing on the beach
January 30, 2008
When it’s warm and sunny (like today), there’s nothing I love more than starting the day sitting on a sandy beach, breathing in the sea air and writing a few pages of my diary. In fact, I did just that this morning.
I’m not sure what makes it so special. The grains of sand between my toes? The sun gently warming my face? Or the limitless sea stretching out in front of me?
All I know is that it frees my mind, awakens my senses and is the perfect way to start the day.
from Emma in Sardinia
January 2008
Photo Credit: Dear Diary by Kiwanja on flickr
The magic of Sardinia (and how it helps your writing)
January 17, 2008
I’ll never forget the moment I fell in love with Sardinia.
I was living in Milan at the time, where the cold, damp weather and the permanent smog left me yearning for sunshine and winter walks along the beach.
I was desperate for a holiday in the sun but as a young, strapped-for-cash journalist, my budget didn’t stretch that far. Thank goodness for Ryanair, then, and my Eur10 flight to Alghero for a New Year getaway.
In the end, I’m not sure what is was that made that weekend in the medieval city so special - was it the narrow cobbled streets with washing strung across in the heart of the old town centre? The long, sandy beach shaded by pine forests? Or the unspoilt fishing port where locals are pleased to see you?
Whatever it was, Alghero worked its magic. Less than four months later, I moved to Sardinia for good and I’m as in love with the island now as I was six years ago.
That’s why I’m so pleased to be running this Absorbing Writing workshop/holiday here with Joanna. When I was in Milan, I often felt the soul being sucked out of my writing and, even though I’m a trained journalist, had no idea how to make it come alive again.
Sardinia has changed all that and now I can’t wait to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and produce something that other people want to read.
I know it will change your writing, too.
See you soon!
from Emma in Sardinia
January 2008
Photo Credit: photo number sixty nine by Miss Baker on flickr
A writing holiday in Italy: something to look forward to
January 7, 2008
Apparently today (7th January) has become known as Holiday Day, because it’s “the most popular day of the year to banish the post-Christmas blues and book a summer holiday.” (It must be true, I got that from a Government news site!)
It’s easy to see why - first day back to a full working week, all the festivities over, the weather in Britain cold, sleety and dark.
Makes me kind of glad I’ve already got a holiday in the pipeline to look forward to. Okay, I know I’m going to be working over the four days of the workshop, but it’s hard to think of four days, five nights eating, drinking, talking, absorbing writing as work…
One of the things I love best about organising travel and holidays is the looking forward, the anticipation that goes with it. To help build my sense of anticipation I’ve signed up for a beginners Italian class. I know I won’t need it (as Emma speaks fluently - she lives in Sardinia after all!) but it adds to the intensity of the experience if you can pick up some of the conversations round about you, and venture a few words yourself.
Our charming Italian teacher beat the gloom of the Edinburgh night by teasing us with an introduction to the language of food and drink. Espresso, she purred. Cappuccino. Vino. Pizza. Pasta. Birra.
She was teaching us masculine and feminine noun endings but I think we were all lost in the images, tastes, sounds that her words were conjuring up.
Reminding me of something else I’ve got to look forward to. Teaching and learning how to capture, to realise, the simple evocative power of our words.
from Joanna in Edinburgh
January 2008
Photo Credit: Alghero Beach by david.nikonvscanon on flickr