Jim did a fantastic job in June 2013 , breathing fresh light into every sentence – almost every word – that we reviewed – carefully selecting passages  by some of the greatest writers of the past two centuries to illustrate each section of the course.

The morning programmes covered:-

Getting off the starting  block – or getting restarted – moving a stalled story forward and taking your project from idea to novel.

Elements of writing including Plot, Structure, Drafting, Establishing Characters, Point of View and Dialogue

Life writing – from Biographies, Autobiographies through reminiscence,  to confession, vindication , prison writings and up the scale to the non-fiction narrative of Cook Books.

Throughout the week every delegate had a one- to -one session with Jim to review their own project – as well as a similar session with Lisa Clifford and other guest authors who spoke to the group during the course.

More about your Tutor 

James Friel was born in North West England to Irish parents from Donegal, his mother is a native Gaelic speaker.

James Friel is the author of The Posthumous Affair, published by the Tupelo Press 31 May 2012.   He is the author of four previous novels, The Higher Realm, Left of North, Taking the Veil and Careless Talk.

He has adapted works of fiction for radio, including Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day and A Pale View of Hills, William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying, and Orhan Pamuk’s Snow.

He is Programme Leader for the M.A. and Ph.D. in Writing at Liverpool’s John Moores University, and he is Visiting Writer at L’Universite de Rouen, France.

 

Some comments and reviews of his latest book and James Friel’s work are shown below:
‘The Posthumous Affair is a devastating and illuminating exploration of love and grief, opens in late nineteenth-century New York then travels to a Venice that is mysterious, decaying, and gloomily beautiful… All the way through, the novel is so lucid, and reveals such deep understanding of the emotions, that it presents to us an astonishing new form of erotic love.’ Grace Dane Mazur.

‘This book, a perfect gem where everything fits, is enthralling, poignant, and brimming with meaning.’ NewPages Review

 

For full details on the 2014 Art of Writing Writers Workshops please check the web-page www.the-art-of-writing.com but just to whet your appetite………….

Your accommodation will be in the delightful private apartments of Il Borgo Residence in Caiano – please note that all meal costs at the Residence, as well as your Tuition, are included in your attendance fee.

Each apartment has its own kitchen-diner, bathroom, living room with pull-out sofa and outdoor terrace with writing tables.

Free Wi-fi is provided in every room.

The price of your stay is reduced if you attend the course with a friend who doesn’t mind the sofa.

Sample Dinner Menu

• Artichoke mousse with prosciutto
• Home-made chestnut ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach with butter and sage sauce
• Chestnut tagliatelle with ‘forest sauce’
• Beef and oven roasted tomatoes with roast rosemary and sage potatoes
• Chocolate pie or mille foglie with cream

A choice of reasonably priced wines and after dinner digestifs can be purchased at your own expense.

There  is a Vegetarian option with every meal , plus if we are advised in advance Gluten free meals can be provided throughout the course.

 

 Some of this Class of  ’13 are returning in 2014 – including Philosopher Matthew Ferrara  who is joining us to speak as well as to study.