The Ten Month Novel & Script First Draft Course - Live |
| Print | |
|
We specialise in novel and script writing coursesIn this course you will finish the first draft of your novel or screenplay in ten months utilising our step-by-step process in the stimulating and supportive environment of our live classes.
"If it wasn't for the Unlocking Creativity and First Draft Courses I wouldn't be where I am today - an author about to be published." "The lesson that has stayed with me is; not to be afraid. Someone who wants to write but hasn't, can be fearful. Afraid that they have nothing to say. Afraid they don't have the instinctive skills to write something worth reading.
Please click here for detailed information about the ONLINE course Many people dream of writing their novel or screenplay. this course will get you doing it.Most writers starting out are overwhelmed by the enormity of the task and have little understanding of the architecture of fiction. The Ten Month Novel and Script First Draft Course is a step-by-step process that makes writing your first draft manageable, creative and inspiring. The course provides a totally practical approach to the art and craft of classic storytelling and is designed to help you write the best story you are capable of writing. By the end of the course, you will have completed the first draft of your novel or screenplay. It will be better than you could have ever imagined had you tried to write it on your own.
The course is designed for those who work full-time.
As Shari Hooper said, after completing the first draft course, "I have now written the first draft of my first novel. A quarter of a century dream has come true."
Pre-requisite: Unlocking Creativity See Course Dates, Fees and Earlybird Specials BROAD OVERVIEW OF THE COURSEDuring the course you will:
the importance of structure and having a processNinety per cent of novels and screenplays are rejected because of poor structure. Many people can write great scenes and/or have a strong initial incident that they think will make a great story. But a few good scenes and a dramatic incident don't make a powerful story. As Dwight V Swain says in Techniques of the Selling Writer , "With skilled handling and the development of point of view and dynamic characters and complications and climax and resolution, the incident may quite possibly build into a story. But a story is a complex thing. Its materials demand skill in their manipulation." The purpose of structure is to link the action of the story with the character journey. So that each scene contributes to the overall character arc and the story builds in a dramatic and logical way, engaging your reader from beginning to end. This is the art and craft of writing. You don't have to re-invent the wheel. It is not necessary to come to class with a clear idea for a story. In fact, 60% of writers who do this course start without a clear idea of what they want to write.The course will help you find and clarify the story you want to write. The structured process will also enable you to separate the planning and the writing. The biggest mistake you can make is to try and do both at the same time. This will stifle your creativity. Writing your first draft should be an adventure, an act of discovery. A dance between your conscious and unconscious mind. As David Mamet says, "The purpose of technique is to free the unconscious." The structure will stimulate your creativity. To quote T.S Elliot, “When forced to work within a strict framework the imagination is taxed to its utmost – and will produce its richest ideas. Given total freedom, the work is likely to sprawl.”
workshops at the Writers' studio and at home requirementsat the studio
The course consists of a combination of: 9 full Saturday workshops (one per month) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. plus 1 weekend intensive. (Saturday and Sunday) 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The founder of The Writers' Studio, Roland Fishman, runs all classes. Class size is limited to 15 students. At homeIn addition, in between workshops, the course includes weekly exercises, writing of your scenes, a unique interactive online component and weekly feedback from Roland so he can guide you and expand the possibilities of your story as it unfolds one step at a time. We recommend you spend between 30 to 60 min a day, 4-5 days a week planning and writing scenes at home.
Important Note 1: You will write the majority of your first draft behind closed doors. You will not need to post scenes for feedback. Roland will give feedback on the dynamics and evolving spine of your story, not on your writing. This is because a First Draft is all about finding and expanding the dramatic possibilities of your story, not writing the perfect story. Important Note 2: Writing your first draft is an act of discovery. Creating stories is never a neat or predictable process. It is a creative adventure. You will not write a perfect first draft. When you have finished you will still have work to do. Excellence is a commitment to completion. Important Note 3: If you want to write a screenplay, we recommend you write it in narrative form first. Only when you have completed the First Draft and found your story should you attempt to put it into screenplay format.
Course OUTLINEPart One - Find and explore the broad Spine of your Story
Before you start your actual first draft, you'll follow a guided process that will enable you to find and clarify the story you want to write culminating in a broad 10-Step outline. We'll provide easy to follow templates, tools, techniques and exercises for each step. You will find your 10-Step outline through a combination of class work and exercises done at home. Finding the story you want to write about is a matter of asking the right questions. Workshop 1: Explore your main character's inner journey and use scene templates to create internal/external conflict and drama in every scene.
Workshop 2: Weekend Intensive: Find the broad spine of your story: The Desire Line, Central Opposition, Plans and Complications. “If you don’t have need, and you have no conflict, you have no story.” We'll provide easy to follow templates, tools, techniques and exercises for each step.
By the end of Part One of the course, you will have a broad ten-step outline of the story you want to write. Following this process, means that before you start writing your first draft, you will: • Be confident that you have found the broad outline of the story you want to write. • Know that your story design and structure is sound and that if you commit the time to writing your first draft it will have solid foundations as a story. Bearing in mind, your story will continue to evolve, expand and even change as you write your first draft proper. It will continue to become deeper and richer.
|
|
"This is without a doubt the best writing course in Sydney. I strongly recommend it to anyone with a story to tell and more to the point - to people unsure of what the story they want to write is." "Sometimes it feels "The Bet" was miraculous - where did it come from? But then I remember everything that went into it - not talent (there were far more talented writers in my class), rather faith and persistence, using all the tools provided by the Writers' Studio. The dance between structure and imagination, the understanding of the character and writer's journey, the constant re-writing and keeping the faith - these were the fundamental building blocks of my script and my experience of writing it. I hope I can do even better next time, but I'm proud that the story of "The Bet" works. How do I know? Because of the spontaneous expressions of complete strangers about the film - their enjoyment of it, their empathy with the hero and his journey and the lingering emotional impact of the story on them. Ultimately, that's the power of classic story telling which is at the heart of what the Writers' Studio is all about." “After years of writing half-assed stories that lacked no structure and were muddled with boring characters, I finally found this course. Thank you so much for saving me from myself. What I’ve learnt cannot be encapsulated on this small space. Suffice to say, when I look at my stack of black notebooks, there’s a grin on the inside. What I did feels like a piece of work that belongs to everyone in this room. I couldn’t have done this on my own, nor would I have wanted too. I would grumble about the early flights up but wouldn’t have missed the classes, the jokes, the fun and the great morning teas for the world.” “This course has taught me an enormous amount, both about the process of writing and about myself as well. It was something I was so thoroughly convinced I did not have in me that I’d never even bothered to wonder if I did. I had not harboured a long-standing yearning to write, In fact, I had found the few diary entries I had even bothered with to be constipatory and tedious. But during Unlocking Creativity something happened to me. A profound unshackling from my ego occurred and I was, for the first time ever, suddenly free to create. And some startling things happened. Inspired by those few Wednesday nights, my newfound “why not?” attitude propelled me into the First Draft Course, where I have done something big. It is the largest sustained and interested effort I have ever expended on anything, and I have a story to show for it. I am so grateful to The Writers’ Studio for the practical and spiritual support they have given me to achieve this. I feel very proud.” Fiona Seres, studied scriptwriting at The Australian Film and Television School and at New York University. She worked on a treatment in the Novel and Script Course at the Writers' Studio and on the strength of that treatment, had her next script optioned by Working Title film who made Notting Hill and Billy Elliot, which she was working on in class with us. She is one of the writers on “Love my Way” and is the writer of ‘Dangerous.’ To see more Ten Month Novel and Script First Draft Testimonials |
IMPORTANT LINKS
To see a slideshow overview of the course click slideshow. You can adjust to fit your screen and how you view it by clicking on the button on the bottom left.
For more information about our courses please contact us by phone or email.
Please read Terms and Conditions carefully for refund and deferment policies.