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This is an excerpt from an ABC Book Show interview between Jennifer Byrne and best-selling Welsh novelist, Ken Follett. I thought it was a great interview that captured the essence of what makes a successful novel and reflects many of the key principles we apply in our courses at the Writers’ Studio.

In her background briefing of Follett she said, “I think it’s fair to say you went somewhat slowly to the top. Ten books which went nowhere, then the eleventh – Eye Of The Needle, which sold over ten million copies.

Writing a novel or screenplay is an art and a craft that requires writers to go outside their comfort zone and understand the challenges of the creative process.

To fully harness your creative potential, it is essential to grasp the subtleties of the creative process and understand how at first, elements of the craft of writing and storytelling can often feel counter-intuitive or counter-instinctive.

Writing is an art and a craft. If you want to write a novel or screenplay that other people are going to want to read, you have to learn how to craft your story from beginning to end.

In this blog we are going to talk about the critical opening of your story.

John Truby is a Hollywood screenwriting teacher and story consultant who shares many of the beliefs we hold about the process of storytelling and structure.

One of the key lessons we took away from this interview with him is that a good story and good writing comes as a result of sound structure and a well thought out, step-by-step process. You cannot really judge your work until you’ve completed the process.

Many people who take our courses are lawyers, investment bankers or other professionals who have always had that itch to do something creative instead of corporate. Matt Sherring was an advertising executive when he first signed up for Unlocking Creativity.

It was the first creative writing that he’d ever done and he said it gave him the confidence to keep writing.

We recently got the chance to chat with the lovely and talented Krew Boylan.

Krew has been taking writing courses with us for several years and is currently starring in the TV drama Wild Boys. Here’s what she has to say about her own creative journey.