Scene and Heard
Lisa Clifford
This photograph was taken in Pratovecchio Stia, in Casentino, Tuscany.
At first glance, it looks deceptively simple. A row of men. Chairs lined up against the wall. The bar doors open, the inside dimmer than the street. Everything balanced. It’s a great shot!
But this is exactly where many writers stall because they think a scene begins with description.
It doesn’t.
A scene begins with your decision!
Before you write a single word, ask yourself:
What is happening because this moment exists?
Not what do I see, but why is my protagonist here and what do they want?
Try this scene exercise:
Choose your point of entry. A scene comes alive the moment you decide who carries the unease.
Name the pressure. A secret has been shared inside the bar? A chair is empty that shouldn’t be? Someone is being judged?
I talk about this all the time in our Art of Writing classes, if nothing is at stake, it isn’t a scene. It’s a photograph! Can you pop a bit of dread in there? Readers love that darkly unsettling feeling of ‘something isn’t quite right here but what is it?’
Now write. One page only.
Do not explain where we are.
Do not tell us who these men are in general.
Do not give us history, opinions, or interpretation.
THIS IS THE ISSUE: Let the pressure come from what is unsaid.
This is the kind of writing I see writers struggle with again and again. Which is why, after sixteen years of running The Art of Writing in Florence and 40 years coaching writers, I’m finally bringing this work to Sydney.
The Art of Writing: Sydney Story Workshop
📍 Woollahra Library
🗓 Friday 21 – Sunday 23 August 2026
Three days.
Seven masterclasses.
Five extraordinary teachers.
Plus a literary agent Q&A with the chance to present your précis.
🥗 Light lunch included.
This is a carefully structured weekend that takes your story seriously, without making it heavy.
It’s for all genres.
It’s for writers whose stories are still forming.
There are no levels.
Leading into the Story Workshop in Sydney, I’ve planned 4 Zoom Craft Clinics, each one drilling into a core skill that I see as a pressure point in almost every manuscript I mentor.
One workshop a month.
Two to three focused hours.
One skill at a time.
Upcoming Craft Clinics
Feb 17 — The Art of Scene
Mar 17 — Memory into Memoir
Apr 14 — The Major Dramatic Question
May 12 — Character & Conflict
When you strengthen one of these areas properly, the whole story begins to pull together.
⏱ Times
Sydney: 7–9 PM
Brisbane: 6–8 PM
London: 8–10 AM
Central Europe: 9–11 AM
🎟 Pricing
Early Bird: $99 AUD
(Approx €55 / £49)
More details are available via the-art-of-writing.com.
Write to me directly for the full Sydney Program.
So excited to see your story come together in 2026!