Iceland Writers Retreat (2)

[Madeleine Brinkmann continue de nous raconter son expérience de sa retraite littéraire islandaise]


Day 3: Workshops and visits

Barbara Kingsolver, Charged with purpose: theme as starting point for fiction writers

How do we charge our writing with purpose? What is the novel about? How is it going to elevate my life?

Barbara Kingsolver speaks about her need to start writing with a ‘map’ or a theme that shakes her with a deep emotion or conviction. It would be something she would like everyone to think about (e.g. climate change).

Exercise:

We have to think about an incident (e.g. in the news or in our lives) and carve out the theme from it. Of course the exercise is not simple and the author admits that it can take days or weeks to find the theme.  But once you have found it, it is amazing how everything seems to fit in!

Then it is time to build the architecture of your novel.

B.K. then backs up and asks herself why the theme is her conviction, which character is going to convey that truth, and how the character is going to drive the novel.

Never forget that to write is 98% work and 2% magic!

Some of us then participated in the fun Poetry Game imagined by Zahara… Many thanks! What a nice creation!

After an excellent meal some took part in a yoga class while others continued with workshop programs.

Ruth Reichl, Imaginary Meals: Writing Delicious Words
 

The workshop starts with an exercise. We have to write about parsley distributed by Ruth. It was amazing to listen to everyone’s texts about that plant! So many different things came out!

The author underlined the fact that we should never assume the taste of a certain food in other people’s mouth. The experience can be so different to everyone.

Also, be aware that it is difficult to write outside your own culture.

Always be conscious about the time when you are writing; some dishes were popular in the Middle Ages (or in the 1970’s) but are not anymore, or vice versa.

You need to have the reader on your side so never talk down to him or her by explaining how to eat a certain food; you can use another fictitious character for this purpose.

Harpa, Reyjavik Opera and Concert Hall

In the afternoon, I took part in a very interesting guided tour of Harpa (the Opera and Concert hall) by Ingibjörg Frida Helgisdóttir, singer and student in musicology who also treated us with a beautiful old love song about Agnes Magnusdóttir, the last woman to be decapitated in Iceland around 1820.

Finally, we attended a very nice reception at the City Library hosted by the British and the Canadian Embassies.

 

Day 4: Literary-themed Golden Circle tour for the overseas delegates

The participants visited the so-called ‘Golden Circle’ sites.

In the evening, everyone enjoyed a cabaret at Kex, with songs and texts by famous Icelandic authors: Jónina and Gerdur Kristny.
 

Day 5: Roundtable Q&A with all featured writers

Final Roundtable with Featured writers

Thank you, dear writers, for sharing again your advice so generously!

Most participants and authors will head home after that, unless they join the ‘Write and Relax’ prolongation program.

 

Some pics of the participants and volunteers: Elisabeth, Jane, Susan, Sarah and Sarah, Roman and Ramon.

Iceland Writers Retreat (1)

Madeleine Brinkmann, une de nos plumes, nous fait partager son expérience : elle participait à cette retraite littéraire islandaise. Une version en français de cet article sera bientôt disponible.

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ICELAND WRITERS RETREAT, Reykjavik April 8-12 2015

by Madeleine Brinkmann

Featured authors: Marcello Di Cintio, Adam Gopnik, Barbara Kingsolver, Alison Pick, Ruth Reichl, Taiye Selasi, Sjón, Linn Ullmann, John Vaillant, Alan Warner. So many thanks to the authors for their teachings!


I did it again! The 2014 edition of the IWR was so inspirational, I learned so much, and I had so much fun meeting all the authors and participants from all over the world and it was so well organized that I just had to register again. Of course, for me it is easy. I’m a local delegate and I live just five minutes away from Hotel Natura, our ‘headquarters’.

The Retreat came into life three years ago during a long and dark Icelandic night when Eliza Reid and Erica Green, the Founding Directors, met and talked about creating a space for writers and aspiring writers for ‘learning, exploring, writing and getting creative inspiration’. This year the number of participants is over a hundred.

So far, I can tell you one thing: the 2015 edition is keeping its promises! Thank you Eliza and Erica for such a great organization!

Day 1: Getting started

The founding directors, Eliza Reid and Erica Green (positions 1 and 3) Madeleine, a participant (2), Tobba, Iceland Travel (4).

  Everything started with a welcome dinner where I met Jane from Australia, Stephen and Leanne from Malta, Zahara, Molly and Jeanine from the US, and Kit from Canada. We all immediately connected. After the dinner we enjoyed listening to the authors, who read from their own work.

Day 2: The workshops

I would have loved to attend them all. But we were each allotted five. All workshops were apparently fantastic, but I’m going to write about the ones I attended.

A message to our IWR Friends: please feel free to comment on and share what you learned during the other workshops!


 With Alison Pick: The Journal as a literary tool


Alison Pick, in the middle

We were encouraged to keep a journal and to write in it every day. It’ll be used as a container where we can find interesting material about both our conscious and unconscious thoughts.

The exercise:
Let the pen run freely on the paper (5’-10’).
Then, reread and underline the passages where you feel energy, excitement, fear or anxiety.
Write, following the ‘nerve’ of these underlined moments.

This exercise reveals a lot in terms of feelings which we don’t want to see and which then appear.
There seems to be no best solution for organizing a journal apart from dating the entries or editing them online with a title.



With Linn Ullmann: small and complicated things



Linn Ullmann signing a book

After a welcome coffee break, we are ready to attend our next workshop with Linn Ullmann.

The author had 4 expectations:

1. We should focus on our creativity and just start to write, otherwise the energy will be used to make excuses : the laundry has to be done, I feel too tired to write, I need another cup of coffee...
2. We should think of ourselves as bearers of stories. Sometimes they can be the smallest things.
3. We should be aware of where and when we write, then create the space needed in our schedule! Social media are the death of writing, she says, because they use up so much time!
4. Don’t be afraid to lose your footing when necessary.

Never wait for inspiration. Just write!

Exercise: In general, practice a fierce curiosity and be attentive at all times.
Tell us about what happened to you this morning.

  

Barbara Kingsolver, Bridging the Two Cultures: Creative writing about scientific matters

After a delicious lunch, we had a great discussion about the role of authors whose topics are science. Actually, few authors combine a scientific background with a literary one. Nevertheless, to bridge that gap between science and literature is very important in our world to raise consciousness in matters such as climate and environment.

As a writer, you have to check all the facts and rely on experts. You owe your readers the absolute scientific truth. And the contract is also to make the reader turn the page, so it has to be fun and interesting.

Later in the afternoon, we attended a reception hosted by the City of Reykjavik at the City Hall.

(To be continued)

Looking for ideas?

Congratulations to all those who have registered so far! We’ve even received some completed texts already.

Here are some ideas to keep you inspired.

Collection Page - National Gallery of Canada

First, find your art piece and describe it precisely, without any preconceived ideas. Then, explore one of the following ideas:

·         This picture is unhappy, it doesn’t get enough attention at the museum. It complains, tells you all its problems, nobody likes it… Let the picture talk.

·         This art piece has a secret story. It has traveled a lot, maybe it was stolen…

·         You have the same picture at home! Maybe the one you have at home is… Tell us the rest.

·         Give the voice to the some people/ or someone looking at the artwork.

·         What’s going on at night in the museum? Write a fantasy novel…

This is only a start. There are so many possibilities just as there are so many works of art. Even if you choose one of these ideas, everyone has his/her own style.

Take up your pen! We will enjoy reading all the short stories. Don’t be afraid if you don’t get to 9000 signs (characters including spaces). Shorter is often better!

And remember, you have until December 31st to register.

Bye for now

Les plumes d'ici et d'ailleurs 

Write at the Museum!

Welcome to our English speaking friends!

The Write at the Museum contest documentation is now available in English. You will find the contest description and the contest rules on our blog. 

We are very happy to tell you that this contest is made possible with the support of Alliance Française locations throughout Canada and the National Gallery of Canada.

We hope to receive your short story and wish you a good time when you Write at the Museum!

Les plumes d'ici et d'ailleurs