In Week 5 of the MemoryLab creative writing workshop, the participants shared diverse narratives exploring various literary styles and themes.
Rita’s fiction, influenced by Italo Calvino’s “Difficult Loves,” blended real-life inspiration with fictional storytelling, while Anilda’s piece delved into societal trauma under dictatorships, examining who controls collective memory. Jona’s hybrid text wove together poetry, prose, and screenplay to tell a deeply personal story, and Vesa’s work combined travel and food writing with social critique, using vivid descriptions of wild strawberries to explore identity.
The group discussions focused on the craft of writing, emphasizing how to interweave multiple narrative threads while maintaining a strong central theme. Key insights included the importance of knowing what to remove or shift to other pieces (a take on “Kill your darlings”), staying true to the theme in nonfiction, and strategically using suspense, shock, and surprise to enhance storytelling.
In Week 6 of the MemoryLab creative writing workshop, Florida’s text demonstrated how to craft a deeply personal nonfiction story by using multiple points of view and narrators to create a mosaic-like narrative, revealing different aspects of a family member and the events surrounding them. The discussion touched on how societal traumas affect not just individuals, but their entire social circles, including family and friends.
Dennis’s piece showcased the potential for a book-length memoir, rich with vivid experiences. This led us to discuss how to manage pacing by slowing down with descriptions or background information, especially when the story becomes too fast-paced, and how to handle narratives that require a lot of contextual details.
The group also explored several craft techniques, such as the use of a unifying theme to tighten a story and the concept of artistic license, which allows writers to explore unconventional themes or styles by drawing inspiration from other artists.
We are deeply grateful for the incredible participants who have enriched this workshop with their constant contributions. Each session has been filled with inspiring stories, thoughtful discussions, and a true sense of creative collaboration. The diversity of perspectives and the willingness to share personal narratives has not only expanded our understanding of memory, identity, and storytelling but has also fostered a warm and supportive community.
Special thanks to Fondacioni 17 for the cozy environment at Rezidenca 17.