Course Information
This course has payment options available, click the Enrol Now link to view the payment options. Pre-requisite: Novel & Script Third Draft course.
The Power of Feedback
Getting ongoing high-quality feedback makes all the difference to your development as a writer.
Ed Catmul, the founder of Pixar, who made such classics as Finding Nemo and Toy Story, said, “All the Pixar writers no matter how smart, talented and well organised they are become lost somewhere along the way.
“We believe in the power of embracing candid feedback and the iterative process of re-working, re-working, re-working and re-working … The story steadily improves with each step of the process. In my experience, creative people discover and realise their vision over time.”
At this point in the process, tutor feedback is more tailored and geared towards identifying what you need to write the best story you are capable of writing.
The combination of advanced feedback templates, writing exercises to further develop your craft and more personalised and challenging analysis from your tutor will uncover what is unique about you, your writing and your story.
Finding your unique voice and take on the world is what will make your story and writing stand out.
The Process
Pre-Course Work
Before the course starts, you will follow a process to explore and clarify your entire story. Often you will find that the insights you’ve gained through the writing in the Third Draft will impact your character development and story structure.
When re-writing and editing, it is critical that you are clear about all your characters’ motivations and that your story structure is sound for you to get the most useful feedback on your writing.
You will be given targeted exercises designed to keep you on track and help you further develop your characters, story and writing skills.
Bringing out your unique voice
There is a difference between writing at a competent level versus something that is compelling, unique and engaging. To achieve that requires developing your unique voice and exploring moral problems that everyone can connect with.
As well as continuing to plan and write each chapter with support from your tutor, the Third Draft Part 2 process will help you find the most dramatic and meaningful shape for each scene.
How the process works
In each session, you will be given targeted exercises designed to keep you on track and help you further develop your characters, story and writing skills.
The tools you will learn will also enable you to track your character’s decision-making process and inner journey at an incremental level that builds drama and emotional engagement.
During the course, you will?
1. Draw your reader into deep participation in your character’s moral problems by shaping the action-reaction cycles that track the rise and fall of their decision-making process in each scene.
2. Learn how to develop the right pacing in your story so the character journey and the action of your story work in tandem in a dramatic, seamless, and engaging way.
3. Further develop irony and subtext so that you are aware of the deeper themes running through your story and revealing them in a subtle yet emotionally engaging way.
4. Explore why you are the perfect person to write your story and learn how to make that reveal itself on the page and enrich your story.
5. Reveal information about your character in a systematic and dramatic way that builds without feeling forced and creates maximum impact on your reader.
6. Participate in live on-screen editing sessions that will help you integrate the re-writing and editing tools into your own process.
7. Be part of a group of passionate, like-minded writers who will inspire you, keep you accountable and encourage you to keep reaching for excellence in your craft.
Crafting a Strong Opening
Towards the end of the course, you will apply all you have learned to the most important 12,000 words of your story: your opening.
Your tutor will read and critique the first 12,000 words of your story and you will have a one-on-one consultation to discuss your progress and what you need to do to next.
This is an important milestone to see your writing and story take shape and to get an honest and supportive assessment of the stength and opportunities in your writing and what you need to focus on to ensure your story achieves its potential.
Receiving objective, targeted feedback on your writing makes all the difference.
“As I was reading everyone’s work for this session, I felt that the writing in general has reached a close-to-publishable standard, better than many of the books I read.
“The voice of each writer is much clearer and confident; there is a sense of finding and settling down with the voice. There is a shift from being a slave to language to owning it. This is really satisfying to see.” Wallace Lee
Course Review
