SUNDAY 26 MAY | 10.00am - 1.00pm
WRITING FAST AND SLOW - with Amanda Niehaus
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
As readers, we can all think of those books or stories that pulled us in and didn’t let us go, that surprised us with new ways of looking at the world. The written details of historical places, fantastical creatures, or even a contemporary urban garden can be used to define or shape characters’ perspectives, add writerly authority, and – if done well – immerse readers in story. But detail is a fine balance: too much or too slow, and it’s boring or pedantic; too little or fast, and the story feels unreal. What kinds and levels of detail, then, should we include?
In this workshop, we will cultivate different ways of observing (or imagining) details in our own and our characters’ lives. We will practice ideas around observation, thinking, and work from Slow Looking (Shari Tishman, 2017); Thinking, Fast and Slow (Daniel Kahneman, 2011); Deep Work (Cal Newport, 2016); and Flow (Milhaly Csikszentmihalyi, 1991) – and discuss how we can translate these methods into our own writing and process. We will then look at the writing of different authors to see how they use detail of different kinds or at different 'depths' in their work asking: what do they ‘see’ that we don’t? How have they brought these details to the page? And how do details function to guide, transport, or disrupt us as readers? Ultimately, this workshop aims to show participants how to use both ‘slow’ and ‘fast’ methods in all stages of the writing process.
ABOUT THE TUTOR
Amanda Niehaus is a biologist and award-winning writer living in Brisbane, Australia. Most recently, she is author of the acclaimed novel THE BREEDING SEASON—a story of love, loss, and resilience based on the reproductive biology of northern quolls. Amanda weaves scientific ideas, facts, and the lives of scientists into her creative writing. Why? Because fiction, memoir, and personal essay show us what science means in our everyday lives.
