ABOUT THE COURSES
LIVE & ONLINE
HOW TO ENROL CONTACT US HOME Ten Month Novel and Script First Draft Course
TESTIMONIALS - STORIES AND EXPERIENCES
Course Details Dates and Prices About Online Frequently Asked Questions
This is what a number of participants wrote about the experience of doing theTen Month Novel and Script course."This course has changed the way I think about writing. I have always known I wanted to write, and thought that my raw ideas were enough. Through this course I have learnt a lot about structure, something that I have never really been exposed to before. I can see now how key this is to a successful, gripping story. It has made me more aware of the ingredients that have always existed in all the stories and movies I love without ever really stopping to think about it. I now feel I have the tools to drive my story forward, to make it a story worth reading. It has been great getting other people's perspectives and ideas." Britt H
"I have discovered that writing isn't all about this fantastic creative talent hidden or otherwise. There is a process to it and I like the fact that there is actually a simple step-by-step guide and procedure to it. Of course there are days when I just don't think I have enough discipline but when I do, it is pure pleasure." Lillian Lim
Fiona S, 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 also working on a project with Columbia Tristar.
"I have been amazed at how the story evolved. I started with a basic notion that I wanted to write a 'who done it' story', and I had no idea as to who, what, or what it could look like it has in the first draft revealed itself to me scene by scene as the main character went through a journey the writing changed my ideas changed, I never knew it was possible to write a first draft now I know how funny, interesting and exciting it has been. I also learnt that structure can be the bones of a story and seeing and hearing stories from that perspective is part of an exciting journey." Dalia Maron
"Finally, really nearly at the end of the first draft which is both exciting and depressing. Exciting because it has been such a journey, one that has informed many aspects of my life and now we've reached the point where I can read it all again. Depressing because some of that excitement must give way to the hard graft of writing the next drafts. No excuses of "I'll fix it up later." Now is thetime to do it. I'm raring to go back and make some changes now. Most of all though, writing the first draft has been a fantastic lesson in process, both the value of it and trusting in it. Art does indeed reflect life or perhaps now it is the other way around." Andy Polaine
"I've just finished the First Draft Course at The Writers' Studio. I've learned a lot through the experience of building a structure for my story. Most importantly not to try to control the structure from day one. It changes. There have been times when I thought my story was crap, and felt like giving up, but I always would feel refreshed with renewed hope after the Saturday class. I learned that everyone is going through a similar experience, and there is bravery with company." Amy Fuqua
"By being part of the group and the course it has opened up a whole new world of creativity for me. Throughout the year it has really had an effect on me and on my choices and path of my life. Writing the first draft seems only a small part of what I have realised. In my work outside of here there have been dramatic changes. I am now seen as the creative personin the department, the one with lots of ideas. And I have even come to see myself as this person as well. I have questioned what I do for work and have realised the benefits of working in a creative environment and how it affects who I am as a person. I have finally found a passion and am now on the path to finding a whole different career in a creative field where I can push my ideas to the imit without restriction because I find the idea of this the most exciting thing." Theresa Holgate
"What a miracle, I've showed up whether I've written scenes I'm supposed to have written or not, whether I'm feeling like shit or feeling great. If someone had told me two years ago that I would finish the first draft of a novel, I would have laughed hysterically.This course has been amazingly positive. The structure of it is such that I couldn't help but be supported to continue writing. Positive feedback, group participation and focus on perseverance is just what I need. For someone who has started and half finished numerous things, the feeling of gratitude I have for even just completing a first draft is immense. Finally. I have a first draft. After hours of pondering and writing until my hand was cramped it is sitting there, done. Scratching in a pile of books.Well sort of.There are a few holes, bits to catch up on. But I am finished. I know the journey and just have to fill in the gaps. Amazing feeling to get there, after feeling like it would never come. It is an achievement and something I would recommend to anyone. It feels like I have done something, something meaningful. After so many years talking, but mostly thinking about how I wanted to be a writer, I have done it. The course has made sure I have done something about my dreams. There is still a long way to go but it's a bit of a milestone." Mandy Galbraith
"Well, here I am at the last session to the first draft of my novel. I can't believe I set this goal and achieved it! I feel great, inspired and on top of the world. The class today re-ignited a few lost passions that had waned in the last few weeks we hadn't been together. I could not have done this with out the Writers' studio class; my inspirations you all are. Thank you for your kind words, friendships, ideas and for allowing me to be a part of all your fabulous stories. I am so excited for us all. We all deserve pats on the back and lime caprioskas! Make mine a double! The steps to writing this first draft are so important and give the guidance to ensure that we haven't wasted the last year of our lives churning out words on lines, words on lines without structure. They gel, entwined and make it all real and happening and provide the skeleton for all the muscles, bones tendons, sinew, veins and skin to hang on but created in the correct steps to finish as a work of art, just like the human body. I will definitely be doing the Second Draft course and hope that everyone here is too. I will miss your stories and so want to be a part of theirevolution and publishing euphoria." Judy Senn
"I have learnt so much about building a story. It is amazing what the benefits of building a structure can do for a wild and unruly imagination. I knew a little about what I wanted my story to be, but I didn't know how I could make it evolve. I have learnt that my character needed to have values and an enormous desire for something concrete. I learnt that she needed opponents to put her under pressure, complications and a conflict of values to make the story evolve. It's still evolving. I'm starting to know my story, my characters… even though they have faces but no names. I'm starting to enjoy this process and can't wait to see where this journey takes me." Chris P
"Well ,you know how I raved about the first 6 week Unlocking Creativity, and how I gleefully signed up for the "Write your Novel or Screen Play course", well, I didn't know what I was in for. I have been besieged with my inner critic saying "what a stupid story, magic and dragons, no one will take that seriously." My daily task is to beat that critic into submission and just pick up the pen. Then I've discovered I don't know the story, fear again, but of course I'm not meant to know the story yet. What an amazing revelation to learn that the story will write itself, all I have to do is put pen to paper and let go. The dance has been getting more and more intense, moral decline, complications, opponents, all the ingredients for a juicy story." Mandy T
"Well this course has certainly been one of the best things I have ever done. It has met and exceeded every expectation. I am now fulfilling a lifetime dream of writing a novel. I am nearly halfway through the first draft and I am so proud that I have made it this far. I feel I have grown as a person and that my thoughts, feelings and emotions have so much more clarity and I really experience things differently now- better, far more vividly than I ever have before. The grass seems to be an emerald green some days, not just plain old green, and that person's big nose is not just a big nose but a bulbous, red snoz that could inhale half the earth. I am more positive, more inspired, and more confident. The steps give me a process to follow that is not daunting but fun and makes sense. I now read books in a different way and question the author, feel more, and understand why and why not far better than before. I can't wait to go forward and finish the first draft and recommend that everyone commence and finish their dreams. It is a self-inspiring and invigorating task and you will never be the same again." Beth S
"What have I learnt? Well firstly I had to learn to be generous in my comments. After years of professional life where the expectation was for critical comment I had to do a U-turn in my approach. I believe I have learnt to do this and am a better person for having done so. Next, I learnt something of the elements that bring words to life, the development of character values, of the importance of conflict, of the forces that drive characters, the identification of opponents, and most of all that pressure, pressure, pressure brings out the action that draws in the reader. Next, I have learnt to place myself inside the character, much as an actor in a play has to do, and to let the character take over my pen, to create moral dilemmas that challenge the weaknesses of my characters. But most of all I have learnt to have fun with my characters and my story. The challenges you pose for us push the limits of the story continually into new and expanding territory. Incidents, places, new characters emerge and grow. The course has given my writing form and purpose. How good it is remains to be seen but I am learning to tread the journey. I am looking forward to the next phase with much anticipation of the fun to come." Kevin R
"I love the dynamics of being week after week with people who want to adventure into their other world, and I always find the feedback fascinating because they are focused; ideas fuelling other ideas, and because the group is so diverse in what they are writing. Quotes from published writers I have found very pertinent for my down and blank days. I think the clear simplicity in the way the course is structured allows the imagination to play and engage easily. I think the course allows us to freely explore who we are and what we want. The exercises have strengthened my character's choices, and, with the tighter focus, are making my writing stronger. The fun is there too, especially when something great pops out of nowhere." Carol R
"At every single Saturday I walked away with a spring in my step and ideas running through my head. I have become more aware of my world, my surroundings, people the way they are. I now notice tiny details and appreciate them. Sunlight on water, frown lines on a face, trees standing strong and tall. The beauty in detail in all things." Tracey W
"This course is about a damp neck, shaking fingers, furious ego-battling the 'does everybody think this is crap?' A writers' board, conversation, the coffee going cold. It's about swimming in the structure and letting go of the plan. Above all it's about letting the pen opening your heart, make you look like a fool, it's dancing in a red dress with determination and drive. Finally, finally, something to say." Maria G
"The power of the group was so apparent. I really felt my own and other people's stories emerging and evolving with contributions from others." Gabby M
"My confidence in my own writing has escalated, and now I'm able to relax and trust in the process, which is a totally liberating feeling." Trish P
"I'm following my dream. When I write I feel powerful, alive, and it is something I really enjoy; My small oasis amongst the plans, the meetings and the deadlines of everyday life." Judith S
"I have learnt so much, where do I start? This is so much like a mini version of my life. I start to learn something new, I love it, I feel open and inspired, then it gets hard and I give it up saying "that's not for me"… But this time I haven't. I've kept doing it anyway. I am realising more and more that life is about participating, joining in, having a go, trying things. Not the outcome, how I look, getting things perfect or always enjoying every moment. I can really see that writing a novel is within reach. A reachable tangible process done by writing word by word, one scene then another, how amazing." Marilyn D
"In this course I learned how to write a book and finish it. I learned about persistence, that without it you can be the best writer in the world but no one will know it. I learned about the kindness, enthusiasm and generosity of other writers, how one can learn as much from others as from one's own work. I learnt and felt and experienced the true joy of writing. That once I silenced that niggling fearful little voice that said it was all too hard, that I couldn't write anything good, nothing was impossible." Isabel Robinson
"Brilliant! I've gone from wanting to be a writer to actually writing regularly. I am a writer. I have thrashed out a story far richer than the one I walked in with." Alexander G
"This course has been excellent. Every week has been like a revelation. I think what was most exciting was discovering how plots work." Ros Burton
"This course is all about turning that vague feeling of I'd love to write a novel into a concrete plan. Without the support and guidance of the group, I wouldn't be this close to making that vague goal into a reality." Fiona McLay
"This course has made the story writing process incredibly clear and complex, achievable, uplifting and inspiring." Donna Van
"This course has transformed the way I looked at writing. I used to believe you started at the beginning and just wrote till you came to the end. I found this daunting and always unachievable. But with scenes, small steps, piece by piece, I know that I am on my way to writing the story I was keen to tell." Barry Stevenson
"I have realised the importance of structure to make any story work. What I learnt about morals, values and personal conflict was brilliant. Now I can finally see HOW I can make it work. Yah!!." Wendy Rodio
"The 10 months have gone really fast. When I started the course, I had no idea what genre I would be exploring, let alone what I wanted to write. Never in my deepest imaginings would I have thought Fantasy! So I guess it has been quite an intense personal journey as I have been able to explore my issues in the land of the metaphor." Jenny Morawska-Ahearn
"This course has shown me how to go from an idea to a story and from a story to sequences and from sequences to scenes. It has made me realise that I do not have to give up work to write, but that if I can plan methodically, I can write 20 minutes a day and get it done. I've learnt about central opposition, split desire and a character's emotional path, all of which have given my original idea life." Nigel Bartlett
"The greatest dividing line between success and failure can be stated in five words: I did not have time." Henry Davenport
About the Courses Course Details Dates and Prices F A QS About Online T DRAFT CO
For more information call us on 61 2 9386 4994 or
email us at wstudio@writerstudio.com.au
Content @ 2002 The Writers' Studio Design