Witnessing Landscapes: Nature Writing Masterclass

In this three-hour masterclass writers take a deep dive into their connections with the natural world

Humans are often the only actors in a story, with place and landscapes little more than a stage upon which human activity is performed. My aim with this generative three-hour masterclass is to redress this.

Through targeted prompts, writing exercises, readings and discussions, participants will be encouraged to re-imagine their relationship with the natural world and guided in new ways to think and write about place and landscapes so that they become drivers of a story and not a passive or barely seen background presence. Throughout the masterclass, participants will learn ways to create compelling metaphors, add layers of meaning to a story, increase tension and drama, set mood, and direct character motivations and actions via the places their characters inhabit or move through.

The readings, prompts and writing exercises encourage participants to examine their connections to the natural world first through the senses (sight, sound, taste, smell or touch), then move beyond these to the emotional, physical, political and philosophical realm. As the masterclass progresses, participant’s perceptions of those connections shift from a sensorial experience to a felt experience, and culminates in imagining nature beyond the human.

This interactive masterclass is open to writers at all stages of their practice. All participants need bring with them to the session is a passion for the places that sustain them and a desire to write about them in new and meaningful ways.

Bookings

If you would like to know more about the masterclass or to make a booking, I can be contacted here.

The workshop can be presented either in-person on online.

Cost

Australian Society of Authors rates.

Testimonials

In 2020, under the weight of Melbourne lockdown, Sally Piper offered reprieve in the form of a 3-hour (free of charge) workshop on nature writing. The course was practical, thoughtfully structured, supportive, and delivered with clarity and warmth. Through writing exercises, Sally taught me to think harder and differently about the way I convey nature, to explore its nuances more fully. I’m immensely grateful for her generosity and wisdom. I wholeheartedly recommend Sally’s masterclass.

- Melissa Manning, author of Smokehouse (UQP 2021)

When Melbourne was locked down in 2020, Sally Piper offered our freaked-out selves a 3-hour nature writing workshop, free of charge and delivered with love. And what a balm it was to connect with each other, to appreciate the beauty and power of nature in a world where it felt like it might be lost, and to follow Sally’s recommendation for further reading. Sally’s inspiration helped me to write through a difficult year.

- Anne Casey-Hardy, author of Cautionary Tales for Excitable Girls (Scribner 2022)

‘Sally Piper’s ‘Witnessing Landscapes’ workshop was a wonderful learning experience, as well as a great opportunity to connect with fellow writers. This was the first time that I’d undertaken a face-to-face workshop online, and the format exceeded my expectations. Sally was incredibly generous in sharing her wisdom about writing – and inhabiting – landscapes. She turned my thinking about nature on its head by encouraging me to interrogate my long-held assumptions about how humans interact with the natural environment. She also fostered a sense of community in the class by encouraging people to share our writing exercises. Normally I’m not a fan of reading my unedited, unpolished work out loud, but I did it, and my learning experience was richer because of this. It really boosted my spirits and has given me some creative tools to use in my writing as well as in my daily life.’

- Magdalena McGuire, read Magdalena’s short stories here

‘I attended Sally Piper's workshop on Witnessing Landscapes and came away with a suite of tools in my writer's craft kit as well as a renewed appreciation for our environment as Sally expertly led us through exercises and thought-provoking methods for writing landscape and eco-centric fiction. The workshop was both practical and structured as well as a safe and supportive space for writers and creatives alike to contemplate, reflect, meditate on, share and most importantly, write about how our words on the page can resonate and evoke a sensory experience for the reader, reframing our relationship with and belonging in nature.’

- Bianca Millroy, creative writer and editor