PARIS

‘STORYTELLING &
SENSE-BASED WRITING’

INTENSIVE FULL 3-DAY STORYTELLING & SENSE-BASED WRITING WORKSHOP

MAY 30TH - JUNE 1ST 2023

With special guest teacher: Eleonora Galasso
I am immensely proud and honored to announce, that one of the most spirited and talented food interpreters, writers, cookbook authors, and wordsmiths, I know, Eleonora Galasso, has agreed to take the role as our special guest teacher during this writing workshop and share how she uses storytelling and sense-based writing as powerful tools to engage her audience and keep them enthralled.

€1.597

You find our other full 3-day Paris Spring workshop, “Style, Shoot, and Edit Photos Like a Pro” here.

This workshop is structured for everyone who dreams of unlocking the secrets to storytelling and sense-based food, lifestyle and/or travel writing. We welcome all levels and breeds of creatives from all walks of life.

✅ Have you always wanted to write about food, but wondered how you get started, what kind of writing you should do, and what kind of qualifications you need?

✅ Do you dream about knowing the secrets of bestselling cookbook authors, successful freelance writers, and food & lifestyle bloggers, and learning how to put pen to paper, fingertips to keyboard, and effortlessly write engaging, evocative, and layered stories?

✅Would you like to never again find yourself staring at a blank page, computer screen, crumbs on the table, or cobwebs in the ceiling, wondering how to get started?

✅ Can you imagine how satisfying it would feel to know how to draw your readers in from the first breath and hold them captive through to the end of your written work?

✅ What if you wrote in a way that spoke not only to the heart and the mind of your readers but also to the tongue, eyes, ears, fingertips, and nose of each of your readers?

✅ Using the five senses, you can pull your readers into an experience that sparks their memories, evokes their dreams and longings, and speaks to their senses all at once. Would you like to learn how to do that?

Then this workshop is for you!

Introduction

At the end of May 2023, Sisterhood Retreats has crafted a very special opportunity to spend full three inspiration-packed and unforgettable days in the ‘City of Light’ learning the craft of food & lifestyle writing through daily classes, discussions, and training in the field with yours truly, 7-time award-winning cookbook author, freelance food, lifestyle & travel writer, and publisher accompanied by guest teacher, bestselling cookbook author, acclaimed journalist, and public speaker, Eleonora Galasso.

Regardless of what stage you’re at as a food & lifestyle writer, this workshop will provide you with valuable tools, resources, and exercises to enrich your knowledge and skill level. You’ll come away with priceless insider knowledge you can use whether you’re looking to pursue a career as a cookbook author, pitch and sell your food & lifestyle stories to magazines, newspapers, and digital outlets, try your hand at restaurant or hotel reviewing, writing a stronger and more compelling brand story, or simply just want to improve your storytelling skills and learn how to write from the senses. A sense-based story means relating events as they were seen, heard, smelled, tasted, and touched. To really create descriptions that will stay with your reader and improve your writing skills, you’ll need to learn how to describe the sensory details of all five of your senses. Descriptive writing is one of the most basic tools in a writer’s toolkit.

You don't need to say any more - I am so ready to sign up!

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT TO LEARN DURING THE WORKSHOP?

During this 3-day intensive workshop, YOU WILL BE INTRODUCED to essential techniques of food & lifestyle writing and RECIEVE expert, insider advice about how to turn your food and travel experiences into stories you can share.

You will be fueled with powerful examples of evocative writing, and provided with knowledge about how all the sensory details that infuse your everyday experience can be used to add spark and richness to what you write.

**SMELL, SOUND, TASTE, TOUCH & SIGHT**

During the workshop, we will have daily lectures where I will share my secret personal technique for writing award-winning, evocative food-, lifestyle-, and travel stories by using storytelling and sense-based descriptions. I will show you how to tap into an endless source of engaging material, using your senses to develop details & imagery that bring your writing alive. These techniques can also be used as powerful tools for sensory marketing and branding.
Each day we will focus on one or two of the five senses - smell, sound, taste, touch & sight - and I will bring you on a sensory journey to places and through activities in Paris, that stimulate the specific sense we will explore that day.

**GUEST TEACHER: ELEONORA GALASSO**

On May 30th we will visit the über-talented wordsmith and bestselling cookbook author, Eleonora Galasso in her private home in Paris for a class in which she will share a wealth of experience and powerful writing and storytelling tips. Eleonora will serve us a homemade lunch and talk about the stories that unfold around the ingredients, the cooking process, the serving methods, and the ways food can nourish both body and soul, friendships, and evoke and create memories.

**By the end of this workshop…**

… you will have learned how to tap into an endless source of engaging material, using your senses as prompts, and have a broad understanding of the food and lifestyle writing landscape. You will have gained new approaches to developing ideas and stories, and using your five senses to transport your reader into the scene you are describing.

“I CAN’T WAIT TO WELCOME YOU IN PARIS AND FUEL YOU WITH NEW ESSENTIAL LEARNING AND USEFUL WRITING TOOLS, THAT CAN HELP YOU BRING YOUR CREATIVE IDEAS INTO EXISTENCE.”

— sif orellana

Get access to both Paris spring workshops and save €200

If you truly want to improve your creative skill sets dramatically and join both workshops you receive a SPECIAL ‘FULL PASS’ DISCOUNT OF €200. The two workshops are scheduled right after each other (with just one day’s break between them) so that you can join them both during one week’s stay in Paris and spoil yourself with a true creative power boost + some wonderful time to relax, enjoy & explore the 'City of Light.

**JOIN BOTH SPRING WORKSHOPS IN PARIS 2023**
**& RECEIVE A SPECIAL DISCOUNT**

If you want to boost your creative skills dramatically and join both *“Style, Shoot & Edit Food & Lifestyle Photos Like a Pro”* + *“Storytelling & Sense-based Writing”* in Paris, we offer an exclusive €200 discount on the total expense. The normal price for the full pass is €3.194.
*YOUR SPECIAL FULL PASS PRICE IS €2.994 IN TOTAL.*
The “Full passes” are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. The passes can be paid in either 1 or 3 installments. Choose your preferred option at check out.

full pass (both workshops): €2.994

This sounds wonderful - bring me to registration!

WHEN
May 30th-June 1st, 2023.
The workshop begins on the 30th at 10 AM and ends on June 1st at 5 PM. We begin each workshop day at 10 AM and will round up at around 9 PM on the first evening after having enjoyed a wonderful welcome dinner together at one of my favorite bistros. On the second and on third day, we will round up at 5 PM.

WHAT
3 days of guided facilitation, hands-on training, and in-depth instructions on food-, lifestyl-, and travel writing, storytelling & sense-based descriptions combined with delicious meals and sensory walks and activities, that will strengthen your ability to open up memories, feelings, and imagination - awake and aware you bring your writing alive.

WHO
Aspiring cookbook authors, recipe developers, food, lifestyle & travel bloggers, cooks, freelance writers, and other types of creatives and communicators, ready and determined to improve their storytelling skills and want professional guidance to succeed. Space is limited to 8-10 attendees.

ACCOMMODATION
This workshop is without accommodation, since many participants wish to come either a few days before or stay a few days after the workshop, and like to stay at an Airbnb or a hotel, they've stayed at before. However, I would be more than happy to share the names of some of my own favorite hotels with you in Paris: Hôtel de L’Abbay, Hôtel de Beaumarchais, Hôtel de Seine, Hôtel Odeon Saint Germain, Hôtel des 2 Continents, Hôtel de L'Univers de Paris, Hôtel Odeon.

If you would like to have recommendations for less or more expensive hotels, just let me know, and I'll send you some.

HOW TO GET THERE
The nearest major airport is Orly, about 30 minutes to the center of Paris by taxi. Charles de Gaulle airport is located about 1 hour and 15 minutes drive by taxi from Paris. You can also jump on a bus or a train.

WHERE
The classes, training, and activities will take place at different locations in the center of Paris.

PRICE
€1.597
*The workshop fee can be paid in either 1 or 3 installments. If you choose to pay in 3 installments, the first payment of €567 gets paid at the time of enrollment. The second payment will be due on December 1st, 2022, and the third on February 1st, 2023. A few days before the due date of the next payment you will receive an email from us with a direct payment link. The prices listed are per person.

You can also purchase a ‘Full Pass’, that gives you access to both Sisterhood spring workshops for a special price.

INCLUDED
* Welcome gift
* 3 x morning coffee & viennoiserie
* 3 lunches
* 1 welcome dinner + 1 glass of wine
* 3-days in-depth instructions & hands-on classes
* City walks using our 5 senses
* Transportation within Paris for all group excursions
* The unique opportunity to meet and connect with a group of like-minded creatives from all over the world

NOT INCLUDED
* Accommodation during the workshop
* Dinner on the 2nd workshop day
* Your transportation costs (flight/train ticket) to and from the workshop destination, taxes & baggage fees
* Travel insurance (highly recommended!)
* Meals/items/activities bought when you're not with the group

EQUIPMENT NEEDED
Please bring your laptop, your favorite notebook and pen.

ACCESSIBILITY
Please note that you may be on your feet for a couple of hours at a time during the workshop, so we recommend bringing along a pair of comfortable shoes, that are gentle to your feed on days where we walk or stand for long periods.

BOOKING TERMS + CANCELLATION POLICY
Unfortunately due to the involved logistics & upfront costs of these workshops, we have a strict no refund and no cancellation policy regardless of circumstance. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance, and to be sure you can make it before you book. If you need to cancel, we will happily help you try to find a replacement traveler for your spot, and if we succeed you will be refunded in full minus a service charge of €250, but only in the event that a replacement is found. Please ensure you read through our full terms and conditions here.

WEATHER
From the end of May-beginning of June, Paris flourishes. The clear light and fresh air bring out the best in Paris—long days and languorous nights are perfect for outdoor enjoyment. Clement temperatures allow you to fully enjoy the city’s many parks, charming cafes, and other outdoor areas from early morning until late at night. The average high temperature in Paris during May is 69 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) and the average low temperature is 52 degrees Fahrenheit (11 degrees Celsius).

WHAT TO PACK
What to pack, what to wear in May in Paris?

* A sweater or a warm jacket for chilly evenings
* Comfortable shoes for walking
* Sunglasses
*Smart clothes for going out in the evenings

I want to secure my spot right away - Please send me straight to registration!

Day 1: the art of telling plated stories - Writing class with acclaimed writer Eleonora Galasso over lunch + the ‘why that drives your writing, the art of storytelling & sensory language. get started with free writing +
**welcome dinner**

10 am-12:30 pm: Class with guest lecturer **Eleonora Galasso** on the art of food & lifestyle writing at her private historical home in Paris. Eleonora will concoct and serve a lovely light lunch for us during our visit and read aloud from some of her bestselling cookbooks packed with storytelling and sense-based language, that gives you examples of sublime food & lifestyle writing.
12:30: We head back to the workshop apartment
1:30-4 pm: Class on what food & lifestyle writing exactly is, how you identify your ‘why’ and your ‘voice’. We cover the power of descriptive writing & storytelling, and how to use **freewriting** as a technique to let your creativity bloom and your words and thoughts flow through your pen, fast and spontaneous, without editing. I will guide you through simple, impactful exercises, that will open your senses, memories, feelings, and imagination.
4 pm-6:45: City activities + mini writing exercises over coffee that will train you in using the sense of “**sight**”, to enrich your writing.
7-9 pm: Dinner at one of my favorite restaurants

**Day 2: + SHOW - DON’T Tell + smell & ttaste**

10: Morning coffee & croissants at the workshop apartment
**Show - don’t tell!**
Class on how to use visual descriptions to tell your story and paint the scene with images. I will show you how you can use different tangible subjects as prompts to segue from description to memories or stories and make visual details pour forth.

2-5 pm: Class and city activity devoted to exploring the senses “**smell”** & “**taste**”. The sense of smell is often underused in writing, so in this class, I will provide you with insights on how you can include this sense in your stories. Smell-based descriptions can snap your readers to another time and place, and excavate memories and emotions long forgotten. Smell has been called the mute sense because scents are often difficult to describe, but using similes (her bedroom smelled like a flower field) can often convey the scent in a fresh and evocative way. Nose is often connected to tongue, so in this class, I will tell you how you can bridge “smell” and “taste”, and I will give you a vocabulary for writing about food and taking descriptions of food beyond “delicious”.

**Day 3: Touch & sound + what steps you can take to become the food writer you dream of and start making an income from your passion**

10 am-12:30 pm: Morning coffee, class, and city activity devoted to exploring the two final senses “**touch”** & “**sound**”. Developing awareness and incorporating a sense of touch and sound add new rich layers to food & lifestyle writing, making it more evocative, and helping readers feel they’re in the scene. I will hand out a list of adjectives, that can be used as a good starting point.
12:30-2 pm: Lunch

2-5 pm: **Types of food- and lifestyle writing and how to take it from passion to income**
Class on what type of work a food and lifestyle writer can do, and how you can take your passion from the plate to the page so that you can start making an income from food & lifestyle writing. I will walk you through a breakdown of the most common categories of food writing, and tell you what you need to master and what steps to take in order to break into the field you wish to work in. We will cover food blogging, cookbook writing, freelance writing, food reviewing, and crafting memoirs & nonfiction. We will talk about traditional ways to make money as a food writer, how you can generate income as a food blogger, and how you can launch into related fields from food writing that are still about food, but not about writing.
Round up and good bye hugs.

“WHEN YOU LEAVE THIS PARIS FOOD & LIFESTYLE WRITING WORKSHOP YOU WILL KNOW ALL THE BASIC TECHNIQUES TO TELL COMPELLING AND INSPIRING STORIES, THAT TRANSPORT YOUR READERS INTO YOUR WORLD OF TASTE, SIGHT, SOUND, SMELL & TOUCH.”

— Sif Orellana

WELCOME LETTER & SECRET FACEBOOK GROUP
A couple of weeks prior to the workshop you will receive a welcome letter with more practical information, a list of participants, and a detailed itinerary. You will also be invited to become a member of a private 'STORYTELLING AND SENSE-BASED WRITING' Facebook group. Here you can communicate e.g. about sharing taxis from the airport and other practicalities, post questions, ask for advice, share insights, and I can upload the links, recommendations, tips, and tricks, I share with you during the classes. In this group, I'll also share my favorite recommendations for lovely places to stay, eat, and visit in Paris. After the workshop, I will offer to give you feedback on one of your favorite texts written during the workshop - this will also take place in the FB-group, so that you can all benefit from the feedback.

I am ready to grab my seat!