We’re currently working on some plans to make the retreats at Ca La Somara even more laden with goodness to recharge your batteries and add some zing to your creative energies…

To give enough time for the planning we’ve decided not to run an event this autumn.

Sorry if you were looking forward to it!  Do look out for information on events from the spring of 2010 onwards.

To make sure you get the dates as soon as they’re out you might want to sign up for the Absorbing Writing newsletter – just sign up in the box below.

Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you in Sardinia soon.

Ciao

Joanna and Emma

If you make something remarkable, that’s because there’s something to talk about. ~ Seth Godin

It’s what Godin calls ‘the baxter’.

That extra sharp point on the top of your new rock climbing shoe? It’s a baxter. That service you get at the spa after your massage is over? Oh, you mean the baxter!

Reading his piece got me thinking about what the Absorbing Writing baxter is.

Of course we’re not creating a thing, we’re creating an experience.  A writing experience, for you.

Getting the place right is a huge part of it, and that’s why we knew Ca’ La Somara was the perfect venue.

But I think the thing that really sets us apart is our personal approach.

This is not a big business, running retreats and holidays throughout the year, with more customers than you could remember the names of.  We’re creating this experience twice a year, with groups of no more than 10 people at a time.

Our commitment is to making this experience work for you.  We think it’s good business… it’s also just the way we are.

It means we make and take the time to:

• Talk to you about what the retreat is about, and how it might fit with your dreams and ambitions
• Find out what your writing goals are, so we can make sure the retreat works for you
• Help you making travel arrangements
• Get to know you in advance, so once you’re here you’ll feel at home

It’s not an extra sharp point on the top of a climbing shoe… but for me, still something remark able.

If you’re interested in coming to the writing retreat in May but are still wondering about a few questions, or still feeling a little shy… why not drop us a line and test the baxter?

You can reach us at info@absorbingwriting.com

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Joanna

Here are Emma’s questions to me, and my answers.

1. What made you give up your career in the civil service to become a writing coach?

It seems quite hard to believe now but I worked for 10 years in the UK civil service, in a senior management job.  I left the job a couple of years ago to travel, write, and work out what I wanted to do next.  It probably had a lot to do with turning 40 and thinking ‘I don’t want to spend the rest of my life like this!’

The writing dimension was also important: I got tired of writing other people’s words and itched to write some of my own.  Plus the busyness of the job meant I didn’t get the time for the kind of one to one coaching and mentoring that I enjoy, and am good at.

I did learn a lot about confident writing though in that job, because you had to craft words quickly, often under impossible deadlines, without room for excess words or phrases that weren’t absolutely right.  [I think Emma's journalistic experience might bring out a similar approach... watch this space to see if it features in her interview too!]

2. What are you most looking forward to during the Absorbing Writing retreat in May?

Sitting outside over dinner at the end of the day and watching people’s faces, listening to their voices as they share what they’ve done, how they’ve felt, and what they’ve written that day.  Listening to the words people are willing to share, and feeling the shot of recognition run through me – recognising their stories, their words, the truth of what they’re telling.

3. What’s the biggest influence on your writing?

That’s a surprisingly hard question.  I guess what I aspire to is powerful non-fiction – memoirs, essays, some travel writing.  I’m also heavily influenced by those who teach who to do it, like Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’ .

I write on a blog most days and the act of writing on the internet, getting feedback, and reading the works of other thinkers online has definitely shaped and influenced the way I write.

4. What writing projects are you currently working on?

I have a book coming out in the spring based on the teaching I’ve done on my Confident Writing blog.

There’s another book in the pipeline on non-fiction writing styles, and I’m doing some memoir based work as part of my learning to teach the art and craft of memoir writing.

I’ll probably be bringing that memoir work along with me to Sardinia – I have a feeling it’ll help me get into the flow…

5. How do you overcome writer’s block?

I change location in order to change state.  Sometimes going for a walk is enough, but I love journeys, especially trains and boats.  I always find new ideas and words when I go on those kind of journeys.

The other thing I do is write what I’m resisting in a journal.  All the reasons I can’t or don’t want to write.  Once you’ve got the gunk out there it’s much easier to look your fears or blocks in the face, and move on.

Do you have any other questions you’d like to ask me?

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And why not?  You’re making an investment of time, of money, and not least your creative energy into this week away. It’s not surprising you’d want to talk about it first, and get a feel for what we’re about, and who we are.

Luckily that’s just the way we like to work too. (Of course, I realise this isn’t really a coincidence).

Absorbing Writing is not a faceless business: it’s run by two individuals who are committed to creativity, self-expression and the wonders of exploration and travel.   We’re the people who will answer your queries (and don’t worry how weird and wonderful they might sound), help you work out travel plans, talk through your hopes and aspirations about the writing side of things… and greet you at the door when you arrive at Ca La Somara.

We’ve gone for a small, family-run business to provide the perfect accommodation for the retreat. It’s an agriturismo, which means that the food and drink will be sourced locally, and much of it grown on the land round about you.

We run this website ourselves, and one of things we’re learning is that you’ll never get all the information that people are looking for at the first time of trying.

So we’ve been adding bits and pieces in response to enquiries, and will also be compiling some of the most common questions and answers into articles here over the next week or so.

We’ll also be posting a couple of pieces to let you know a bit more about Emma and me.

You can follow along through the blog – as well as bookmarking you can get RSS updates (if you’re using a reader like Bloglines or Google reader) or direct to your inbox (click here to get updates to your inbox)

We do also have a keep in touch mailing list / newsletter – you can sign up for that in the box below

Meantime, if you’ve any questions about the retreat please do let us know – either by e-mail (info@absorbingwriting.com) or in the comment box below.

Thanks!

Here are some of them:

1. The sea. Sardinia’s coastline is spectacular. From stretches of white sandy beaches to intimate, secluded coves,  Sardinia boasts surprise after surprise. As for the sea itself, think emerald jewels, peacock feathers, cornflowers, forget-me-knots,  and sapphires. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you’ll stumble upon another beach, another setting, even more beautiful than the last.

2. The signature scent. A summery tangle of juniper, lemongrass, jasmine, honeysuckle, thyme, myrtle, rosemary and almonds whipped together with salty sea air, the Profumo Sardo as I like to call it never fails to boost my spirits and make me feel alive.

3. The granite rocks. Unless you’re permanently fast asleep, you won’t be able to help but notice the craggy granite rocks looming up around Ca’ La Somara and San Pantaleo, the nearby town which is just a brisk half-hour walk away.

4. The lifestyle. Sardinia has one of the oldest populations in the world. Although genes play a part, the longevity is also said to be down to the healthy living, good food and antioxidant-rich red wine. That’s something I can vouch for. When I lived in England, I was a permanent fixture in the GP’s waiting room. Now on the rare occasions I do get a cold, it’s gone within 24 hours.

5. The hospitality. Sardinians are famed throughout Italy for their hospitality, genuinely going out of their way to make you feel at home.  On several occasions I’ve gone into bars and restaurants and realized just after ordering that I don’t have any money on me. The result is a heartfelt ‘don’t worry, it’s more important that you eat well’ rather than a threat to make me wash the dishes. All that from people I’ve never met before.

We know you’re coming on the Absorbing Writing retreat to write, but I promise that you’ll go home with your soul nourished, too.

Tempted to join us? Find out more about the May Writing Retreat here

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That’s one of the reasons I’m pleased to be back in Sardinia after the Christmas break.

With the sun shining, it’s actually been warm enough to sit outside to drink my morning cappuccino which is cappuccino as God intended. None of that milk and coffee being poured into the cup at the press of a button that I drank in motorway services. No, this one was perfect – rich espresso topped with a velvet blanket of steamed milk.

For the past six years, I’ve been in Sardinia and for the past six years I’ve been drinking perfect cappuccino in bars up and down the country.

I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s impossible to be bad tempered when you drink cappuccino in a bar. It’s as if that velvet blanket of milk jumps out of the white china cup and envelops you to the point that all your worries disappear…

When you think about food and drink in Sardinia… what would you most like to make the time for?

Photo Credit: Capuccino by Auntie P on flickr

Despite the coldness here (in Scotland), and the short, dark days the scenes throw me back to Sardinia, and forward, with anticipation, to the May writing retreat at Ca’ la Somara.

If you’d like some of the postcards to remind you of the sunshine and whet your appetite for the writing retreat…

Maybe to drop a hint to a loved one about where you’d like to go next year…

Drop us a line at info [at] absorbingwriting.com and we’ll pop a selection of postcards in the post.

Don’t forget to include your mailing address!

#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?

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