WRITING

Learning to Write in the City of Light

My experience at a writing workshop in Paris

“Then we sallied forth into the streets, arm in arm, continuing the topics of the day, or roaming far and wide until a late hour, seeking, amid the wild lights and shadows of the populous city, that infinity of mental excitement which quiet observation can afford.” — Edgar Allen Poe, The Murders in the Rue Morgue

One of the best decisions I have ever made, as a writer and lifelong learner, was to enrol in a week-long “travel memoir writing workshop” in Paris, which I attended in August 2023. I will detail here what led me to this course, what it included, and what I took away from the experience.

While traveling over the past few years, I often kept a paperback copy of Don George’s “The Lonely Planet Guide to Travel Writing” in my pack. While flipping through it before my flight out of India, I happened upon an interview with Rolf Potts (bestselling author of “Vagabonding”) where he is asked about formal opportunities to study travel writing and cites his own annual travel memoir writing workshop in Paris.

When I typed in his URL with skepticism, I was blown away when I found that there were, in fact, openings for only the last of his three August courses. It was May at the time, and I was about to fly back to Europe for more photography and writing work. It seemed almost like it was fate for me to stumble upon that page on that pivotal day departing India, with my name seemingly calling from one of the two remaining course seats.

Expectations and Concerns

My chief concern was the hefty price tag. I wasn’t making a lot of money as a freelancer at that time and would have to dip into savings to cover the admission cost, and travel expenses to get there. Also, as someone who had never undertaken a writing workshop before, I questioned how seriously it would be taken, and whether the experience and material were ultimately worth the price. I was aware of destination writing courses out there that seemed more about entertainment — enjoying yourself somewhere with pithy assignments to live out a romantic fantasy sold to you of being a writer in paradise.

I had first stumbled upon Potts’ work when my best friend gifted me a copy of “Vagabonding,” a book that changed my outlook on what travel meant, and inspired me to redraw my relationship towards travel, and the context around which I built my life. The idea that long-term travel was not only possible but affordable, with such a clear manual outlining how to accomplish it inspired me to take the initial steps of the journey I am still on today.

From knowing how Rolf had traveled and how he had written, I assumed his workshop would be as authentic and genuine as his writing. Also, I had befriended some Parisians over the course of my travels, and figured if they were cool with me crashing with them to save on lodging costs, I could perhaps justify the expense of investment in education.

There was also one other deciding factor that did it for me. I’ve known for a while that travel writing is a rather lonely profession. There are very few people who understand what you do, why you do it, and how frustratingly difficult it can be. Regardless of course content, I realized I would be shoulder to shoulder with eleven other aspiring writers from all sorts of backgrounds and that — given those odds, if even one of those connections proves to be pivotal or transformational — a force of motivation and mutual encouragement, then that alone would justify the cost of the workshop.

The Review

Course structure

The course had a perfect blend of in-class-lecture and discussion, two engaging literary walks through Paris, in-class exercises, and homework assignments that exercised material related to storytelling, the craft of travel writing, tips and tricks, an introduction to workshops, as well as how to get published. There was a required essay submission before the class started, which we would workshop together in Paris. Each day also included presentations (via Zoom) by various industry professionals — writers, editors, agents, each of which closed with a Q&A at the end that was beyond valuable.

Workshop

The workshop event itself was perhaps the most valuable piece. Learning how to properly critique submitted pieces, facilitating a workshop, and finally holding one among our cohort was almost a cathartic process. By that point in the week (Thursday), we had formed close enough bonds as participants that we really took an investment in each other’s work — and it was equal parts inspiring and emotional to see the effort with which everyone read and scrutinized each other’s work, and the encouragement that poured out in the workshop session.

It was so helpful in fact, that a number of the participants and I are to this day continuing a collaborative virtual workshop through Google Docs and Zoom that keeps us accountable and brings (me at least) inspiration via mutual encouragement to continue with the craft.

Free-writing exercises

The prompts that Rolf brought into the course were perhaps even more cathartic and helped me to reevaluate my relationship with writing, especially with journaling. I had come to a rather complacent state in my journaling technique, not differing enough day to day, and when tasked by Rolf to immediately begin writing about a given topic, I couldn’t believe the almost therapeutic outcomes of ideas and emotions welling up within me as I wrote.

One-on-one Consultation

We were each given a half hour one-on-one with Rolf to direct however we wished. I tried to think up a list of questions for advice, and a possible book outline I was working on, to ask for his advice and direction. I had initially put too much pressure on this and found that as knowledgeable as he is, it’s not what he says that makes someone a writer, it’s whether or not you show up to work every day.

The Paris Effect

While definitely a cliche in many ways, Paris undoubtedly has a special energy that lends itself to creativity. Being there, with a purpose, and shaken out of the tourist’s routine I think made all of the difference as opposed to just attending an online workshop. In August, the city is also a lot less crowded.

Still, for me personally, the ability to stay with my friends who live there added a color and uniqueness to the city that wouldn’t be the same if I had stayed alone in a hotel or Airbnb (however, some of the participants roomed together to save on lodging costs). There was something mysterious about walking streets trod by literary giants, and participating in that end-of-summer atmosphere with other aspiring travel writers — the shared lunches, the nights out at brasseries discussing our lives and aspirations.

Conclusion

I came into this workshop after having traveled for a full year. I was burnt out from travel, and not feeling energized at all to continue writing. The workshop reinvigorated and inspired me. It opened my eyes to blind spots in my writing, and at no point did I feel like what I was learning wasn’t challenging or worthwhile.

I also learned so much from the other participating writers and built what I believe to be some lasting friendships: people who will encourage me in my writing, share tips and tricks and workshop opportunities, or info on pitch calls for press trips.

Also unexpectedly, the free-writing exercises opened up in my heart a personal story that I believe needs to be told. I have determined to begin writing that memoir as soon as I return home from my current project in Europe — Something which I don’t think I would have realized had it not been for those experiences and exercises that led me to that state.

Lastly, I will leave you with my favorite takeaways from the course:

Be “lonely lost and bored.”

The importance of traveling alone, and having nothing to distract you from what is happening around you, enabling you to become a part of your environment, see clearly, and uncover the stories of the mundane that surround you.

The importance of a commonplace book:

Which is a document or file where you record all of the ideas that you’ve come across while traveling, favorite quotes from people, or the books you have read, stored away to access when you’re writing a travelogue or memoir.

Looking for “heat” in your free-writing.

Sometimes the best ideas come from writing for writing’s sake. Instead of always setting out with a particular goal or story in mind, if you just write yourself into a meditative state, a flow process becomes engaged. When rereading these pieces, it’s amazing to come across the moments of “heat,” the sensation that there is some momentum being built, that something within you needs to be explored.

I’m always seeking new opportunities to challenge myself. If you’ve read this, and are aware of other great writing workshop opportunities out there, I’d love to hear about them!