How do you make your readers feel the tension? How do you craft a scene that lingers in someone’s mind long after the last line? One of the most essential skills a writer can master is the art of showing, not telling—and bestselling author Petronella McGovern is a master of it.
In her novels—The Last Trace, The Liars, The Good Teacher, and Six Minutes—Petronella doesn’t simply tell you what her characters think or feel. She shows you through gesture, atmosphere, unspoken tension, and the weight of what goes unsaid. And that’s exactly the kind of craft we’ll be exploring with her this year.
Join us for a live Zoom chat on April 22 at 7 PM Sydney time, where Petronella will share how she builds emotional suspense, uses setting as a storytelling tool, and constructs powerful narratives around ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances. You’ll hear first-hand how she brings her characters to life—and how you can too.
Showing, Not Telling: Why It Matters
It’s the difference between:
- “She was angry.” (telling)
- And: “Her jaw tightened. The cup rattled in its saucer as she set it down.” (showing)
Showing invites your reader into the moment. It builds trust. It creates a world they can walk into. And it’s one of the core skills we’ll focus on at The Art of Writing Retreats in Florence, running June 1–5 and July 6–10, 2025.
Whether you're working on fiction, memoir, or personal essays, understanding how to show emotional truth through action, dialogue, and detail will elevate your writing from flat to unforgettable.
Come Learn with Us
Petronella will be joining us in person in Florence this July, offering deeper insights into writing suspense, building character complexity, and—of course—mastering the art of subtle storytelling.
So don’t miss this chance to hear from her live on April 22nd, and consider this your invitation to join us under the Tuscan sun this summer.
Live the story. Learn to show it. Write it well.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89955043300?pwd=AOLDvUgQUz8ED8avx73FlWLXAkygkN.1
Meeting ID: 899 5504 3300
Passcode: 796072
Have questions about your writing journey? I’d love to tell you more about our transformative creative writing workshops. Write to me at clifford.lisa@hotmail.com and discover how The Art of Writing will give you the tools, support, and inspiration to write the story only you can tell.
Lisa
