http://www.writersworkshop.co.uk
WW have an amazing website and if you link to their blog, they are offering a copy of Getting Published!!!
Thursday, 12 January 2012
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Brit Writers' Awards 2011: And the Winner Is......
Not me, this time folks. Still, I had the most enjoyable glitzy evening at the Brit Writers' Awards last night.
Firstly, the ceremony was held at Madame Tussauds and I haven't been there for years. It was great to be at a party there and walk around the waxworks at leisure, plied with free wine and nibbles, instead of being herded around. (It is also £30/adult and a 3 hour queue to get in these days). Last night was red-carpet all the way, and we felt like celebs with the photographers clicking away and TV cameras everywhere. I was photographed with Russel Brand, Daniel Radcliffe and Twilight's Robert Pattinson (for my daughters of course!)
We weren't expecting a sit down 3 course banquet - especially being watched by Michael Jackson, Tony Blair, David Cameron, Saddam, Hitler and Ghandhi!!
Secondly, I got to meet some charming writers including the lovely Catherine Cooper -last year's worthy winner, and a couple of authors from the BWA publishing programme, which seems to be working really well for them.
The overall winner this year was the children's book category winner, Georgia Kirk, and I hope she goes on to be successful like Catherine. Certainly the work done by BWA in schools this year to promote creative writing is to be applauded and the youngsters at the ceremony were brilliant.
So, no statuette for me this time, but I have to say that I had an amazing night and am still on cloud 9 to have reached the final four with my first book.
The awards are going to be shown on Sky and I have a terrific souvenir of the glossy 'Write On' magazine with my picture and Bio in it. OK - I admit it - I took 3 copies home!
Lisa :)
Firstly, the ceremony was held at Madame Tussauds and I haven't been there for years. It was great to be at a party there and walk around the waxworks at leisure, plied with free wine and nibbles, instead of being herded around. (It is also £30/adult and a 3 hour queue to get in these days). Last night was red-carpet all the way, and we felt like celebs with the photographers clicking away and TV cameras everywhere. I was photographed with Russel Brand, Daniel Radcliffe and Twilight's Robert Pattinson (for my daughters of course!)
We weren't expecting a sit down 3 course banquet - especially being watched by Michael Jackson, Tony Blair, David Cameron, Saddam, Hitler and Ghandhi!!
Secondly, I got to meet some charming writers including the lovely Catherine Cooper -last year's worthy winner, and a couple of authors from the BWA publishing programme, which seems to be working really well for them.
The overall winner this year was the children's book category winner, Georgia Kirk, and I hope she goes on to be successful like Catherine. Certainly the work done by BWA in schools this year to promote creative writing is to be applauded and the youngsters at the ceremony were brilliant.
So, no statuette for me this time, but I have to say that I had an amazing night and am still on cloud 9 to have reached the final four with my first book.
The awards are going to be shown on Sky and I have a terrific souvenir of the glossy 'Write On' magazine with my picture and Bio in it. OK - I admit it - I took 3 copies home!
Lisa :)
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
TIME TO BLOG MY STORY
Well, I guess it's about time I told my story... if I get enough followers perhaps someone, somewhere might publish it and then it will reach many more people and offer hope to many more sufferers and their families and friends. Any proceeds from this will go to Breast Cancer charities.
My book is called 'The Big C in my Bra - Dealing With BRCA' and it is now free to read on my website. If the book helps you in any way please consider a donation to Breast Cancer Care on my justgiving page. Thanks.
Lisajdonaldson.com
Lisa xx
My book is called 'The Big C in my Bra - Dealing With BRCA' and it is now free to read on my website. If the book helps you in any way please consider a donation to Breast Cancer Care on my justgiving page. Thanks.
Lisajdonaldson.com
Lisa xx
Thursday, 7 October 2010
CREATIVE WRITING - Part 3
Week 3 didn’t get off to a great start as the interactive whiteboard wasn’t working and apparently we needed it for the lesson. The first 15 minutes of the class was spent with the tutor tinkering with the PC and waiting for a repairman (who didn’t turn up during the class, come to think of it). After 10 minutes, one of the chaps on the course had a go. After trying various things, he realised that the web camera remained plugged in by the previous group and it just needed unplugging for the PC to go to projector mode. Technology eh?
I was disappointed to see two more original attendees absent – I suspect for good - and even though another new student appeared, it is hard to chat as openly and share your work with total strangers.
This week’s class included a presentation (hence the whiteboard) showing some useful tips for editing/re-drafting. Some of the tips are obvious, and many are done automatically as you write – or easily spotted on first edit if you have a decent grasp of English. It is useful to have a list though, and as I didn’t study English beyond ‘O’ level, it’s good to have a few ‘rules’ handy. Here is a selection:
Write actions and their reactions in chronological order. Not: She read the letter after she opened it. But: She opened the letter and read it.
Do a search for "ly" and edit as many adverbs as possible. Another way to resolve the "adverb problem" is to rewrite the sentence. Not: He wrote magnificently, and his essays gained the respect of all. But: He wrote magnificent essays, respected by all.
Crying, sobbing, and tears are considered clichéd and melodramatic. How else can you show the emotion?
Not: "Please don't do it," she cried, and fell sobbing to her knees. But: Her grip on his arm tightened and her voice grew raspy. "Please don't do it."
Dialogue : For more natural dialogue, write in short sentences, use contractions, forgo pleasantries, and compress your dialogue. Edit dialogue to its barest essentials, and don’t overuse names. More tension in dialogue also makes it snappier and more interesting. Use the following techniques to increase tension:
# Have characters talk at cross purposes, so that one character either misunderstands or is purposely nonresponsive.
# Avoid direct responses in favour of oblique ones.
"ing" constructions: Separate ideas into two sentences or use conjunctions to join them. Not: Jogging down the street, he saw Shirley get into a car. But: He jogged down the street and saw Shirley get into a car.
Intensifiers are the words placed before adjectives and adverbs in an attempt to intensify an effect. Search for
such words as very, so, quite, extremely, really, and absolutely. Removing them almost always improves the sentence.
Internalization: Showing a character's thoughts through internalizations often helps resolve the problem of too much telling. Not: Alice felt frustrated by their slowness because she needed to be home in ten minutes.
But: Alice checked her watch again. She had to be home in ten minutes. Why wouldn't he get on with the lecture?
Overwriting: Remove extraneous details. If you want a character to get in his car and drive away, don't have him insert the key in the lock, twist it, lift the door handle, open the door, and sit. Have him start the car and drive away.
Passive verbs: Too many passive verbs slow and weaken a narrative with wordiness—tighten and strengthen
your sentences by naming who did what. This is where your list of creative writing tips will help. Add is, was, were, am, and are to your personal checklist and change as many passive verbs as possible to the active form.
Not: The papers were laid on the desk. But: Morgan laid the papers on the desk.
Not: What was most worrying to her... But: What most worried her...
Qualifiers: Like intensifiers, these words qualify adjectives and verbs. Look for such words as just, sort of, quite, somewhat, usually, always, and never. They’re unnecessary. Let them proliferate, if they must, as you write the first draft, but weed them out in the second.
If you remove unnecessary speaker attributions, you can also eliminate the "ing" constructions that often follow. For a more polished feel, eliminate as many speaker attributions as possible, and only use them if not using them will confuse readers. Show who speaks through character action, and when you do need a speaker attribution, stick to "said," and "asked." Never use speaker attributions as verbs meant to convey action. Keep action separate.
Not: "Take it," Betty said, pushing the book on him.
But: Betty pushed the book on him. "Take it."
Don't use "thinker's attributions" in the third person limited POV. If a character internalizes (interior monologue), the context lets readers know his words are thought, not spoken.
Not: I've got him now, Tom thought.
But: Tom struggled with his fishing line. There he is, I've got him now.
***
The examples were not all the best in the world, but they illustrated the points suitably enough. As we read through the pages of tips, a few members of the class concentrated on ripping these examples to bits, (fortunately the tutor said they weren’t her examples), and more discussion took place over that than the tips themselves! I kept quiet for most of this as I could see that considering the points illustrated would undoubtedly make our writing better, and I was furiously scribbling notes about the tips on dialogue. I had started writing my homework piece the evening before and had struggled a bit with dialogue, so these tips were immediately useful.
After I had written 6 pages of notes, the tutor said she would be emailing the list to us. Rats! Oh well, at least I could start using my notes to help me edit my work during the rest of the class.
We broke into small groups to read each others’ first drafts and start editing. Unfortunately, the lady I was paired with hadn’t done any homework. She’d had some ideas but as she hadn’t written anything down, we couldn’t work on it. We read through mine, and the tutor came around to each group to see what we were doing. With hindsight, I think it might have been better for us to edit the obvious errors out first, and then try it out on each other. I have offered to look at my colleague’s piece before next week and offer some suggestions.
Gerald was in attendance again, happily. He wasn't in my group but during the discussion about editing he revealed something odd. He NEVER rewrites anything. The only editing he does is put spelling mistakes right! The tutor asked him why, and he replied that he can't be bothered. He writes a piece and then is bored with it, so it stays as he wrote it. If this is true then he has a rare gift, because the piece of his writing I heard was excellent.
Homework this week is to finish editing the piece we started and hand it in for critique next week. I’m tempted to take a chapter of my thus far rejected novel instead of the second draft of the first chapter of my new one.
I was disappointed to see two more original attendees absent – I suspect for good - and even though another new student appeared, it is hard to chat as openly and share your work with total strangers.
This week’s class included a presentation (hence the whiteboard) showing some useful tips for editing/re-drafting. Some of the tips are obvious, and many are done automatically as you write – or easily spotted on first edit if you have a decent grasp of English. It is useful to have a list though, and as I didn’t study English beyond ‘O’ level, it’s good to have a few ‘rules’ handy. Here is a selection:
Write actions and their reactions in chronological order. Not: She read the letter after she opened it. But: She opened the letter and read it.
Do a search for "ly" and edit as many adverbs as possible. Another way to resolve the "adverb problem" is to rewrite the sentence. Not: He wrote magnificently, and his essays gained the respect of all. But: He wrote magnificent essays, respected by all.
Crying, sobbing, and tears are considered clichéd and melodramatic. How else can you show the emotion?
Not: "Please don't do it," she cried, and fell sobbing to her knees. But: Her grip on his arm tightened and her voice grew raspy. "Please don't do it."
Dialogue : For more natural dialogue, write in short sentences, use contractions, forgo pleasantries, and compress your dialogue. Edit dialogue to its barest essentials, and don’t overuse names. More tension in dialogue also makes it snappier and more interesting. Use the following techniques to increase tension:
# Have characters talk at cross purposes, so that one character either misunderstands or is purposely nonresponsive.
# Avoid direct responses in favour of oblique ones.
"ing" constructions: Separate ideas into two sentences or use conjunctions to join them. Not: Jogging down the street, he saw Shirley get into a car. But: He jogged down the street and saw Shirley get into a car.
Intensifiers are the words placed before adjectives and adverbs in an attempt to intensify an effect. Search for
such words as very, so, quite, extremely, really, and absolutely. Removing them almost always improves the sentence.
Internalization: Showing a character's thoughts through internalizations often helps resolve the problem of too much telling. Not: Alice felt frustrated by their slowness because she needed to be home in ten minutes.
But: Alice checked her watch again. She had to be home in ten minutes. Why wouldn't he get on with the lecture?
Overwriting: Remove extraneous details. If you want a character to get in his car and drive away, don't have him insert the key in the lock, twist it, lift the door handle, open the door, and sit. Have him start the car and drive away.
Passive verbs: Too many passive verbs slow and weaken a narrative with wordiness—tighten and strengthen
your sentences by naming who did what. This is where your list of creative writing tips will help. Add is, was, were, am, and are to your personal checklist and change as many passive verbs as possible to the active form.
Not: The papers were laid on the desk. But: Morgan laid the papers on the desk.
Not: What was most worrying to her... But: What most worried her...
Qualifiers: Like intensifiers, these words qualify adjectives and verbs. Look for such words as just, sort of, quite, somewhat, usually, always, and never. They’re unnecessary. Let them proliferate, if they must, as you write the first draft, but weed them out in the second.
If you remove unnecessary speaker attributions, you can also eliminate the "ing" constructions that often follow. For a more polished feel, eliminate as many speaker attributions as possible, and only use them if not using them will confuse readers. Show who speaks through character action, and when you do need a speaker attribution, stick to "said," and "asked." Never use speaker attributions as verbs meant to convey action. Keep action separate.
Not: "Take it," Betty said, pushing the book on him.
But: Betty pushed the book on him. "Take it."
Don't use "thinker's attributions" in the third person limited POV. If a character internalizes (interior monologue), the context lets readers know his words are thought, not spoken.
Not: I've got him now, Tom thought.
But: Tom struggled with his fishing line. There he is, I've got him now.
***
The examples were not all the best in the world, but they illustrated the points suitably enough. As we read through the pages of tips, a few members of the class concentrated on ripping these examples to bits, (fortunately the tutor said they weren’t her examples), and more discussion took place over that than the tips themselves! I kept quiet for most of this as I could see that considering the points illustrated would undoubtedly make our writing better, and I was furiously scribbling notes about the tips on dialogue. I had started writing my homework piece the evening before and had struggled a bit with dialogue, so these tips were immediately useful.
After I had written 6 pages of notes, the tutor said she would be emailing the list to us. Rats! Oh well, at least I could start using my notes to help me edit my work during the rest of the class.
We broke into small groups to read each others’ first drafts and start editing. Unfortunately, the lady I was paired with hadn’t done any homework. She’d had some ideas but as she hadn’t written anything down, we couldn’t work on it. We read through mine, and the tutor came around to each group to see what we were doing. With hindsight, I think it might have been better for us to edit the obvious errors out first, and then try it out on each other. I have offered to look at my colleague’s piece before next week and offer some suggestions.
Gerald was in attendance again, happily. He wasn't in my group but during the discussion about editing he revealed something odd. He NEVER rewrites anything. The only editing he does is put spelling mistakes right! The tutor asked him why, and he replied that he can't be bothered. He writes a piece and then is bored with it, so it stays as he wrote it. If this is true then he has a rare gift, because the piece of his writing I heard was excellent.
Homework this week is to finish editing the piece we started and hand it in for critique next week. I’m tempted to take a chapter of my thus far rejected novel instead of the second draft of the first chapter of my new one.
Friday, 1 October 2010
CREATIVE WRITING - Part 2
Please note all names have been changed for confidentiality.
I hope you weren't actually watching this space because I'm afraid I can't tell you what it was like to read my work aloud - I didn't do it. For different reasons, only three did read aloud, but I think I had a good reason for not reading out my (thrice re-written) homework. In my defence, I was trying to save someone’s feelings in the group. After hearing an intensely personal and harrowing story about alcoholism, my attempts to be witty about an AA meeting would’ve sounded horrendous and glib. (That could only happen to me – and THANK GOODNESS that person went first!!!!)
As the next person read out their piece, I was sorry to realise I had missed the last part as I was so busy thinking what an amazing title they had given to the work. (Plus I hadn’t thought to give mine a title: another learning point!) One of the others didn’t do the homework as they ran out of time, (which happens to us all when we leave it to the last minute). Gerald then read out his piece which was about how he felt coming to this class. Funny, warm, and totally engaging, we were all spellbound. The final member of the group had written two pieces but decided only to read the shorter one. In this, they chose to make a joke, (or a point?), by saying a one-liner. After the intensely personal account, and others who were nervous had shared, I found that a bit disrespectful. (Though maybe that person felt their longer piece was also not suitable for today?)
I was incredibly disappointed that two of last week's ladies didn't come back today. I really hope they will return and have not left the course. Perhaps last week put them off with all that form-filling? Perhaps they didn't think the course sounded like it was going to be what they expected or needed? Perhaps, as the tutor suggested, the rain and wind put them off? Fortunately, a new student joined us - but we didn't learn much about him this week. Maybe next week he will tell us a little about himself?
The arrangement of tables was different this week, with a horse-shoe arrangement instead of a solid block. I was not the only person to find this a little more comfortable, and it was easier to see everyone. I was surprised that the tutor decided to sit amongst us rather than at the front in the obvious teacher's seat. This made the session more informal and more like a big discussion of other people's writing than a class being specifically 'taught' lessons. I discovered today that this description could possibly sum up the course in a nutshell.
I had gone with a pre-conceived idea of what the course would be like, which was more or less the live version of some of the ‘How To Write’ manuals, but with a bit of discussion, subjective critiques/suggestions and homework exercises thrown in. My approach would probably have been sessions on genre; character (building and arc); scene setting; viewpoint and ‘voice’; so-called rules: show not tell etc; story structure/plot; titles and endings; idea generation; dialogue; and the final lesson would have been held in the pub. However, after today, I think it was a case of ‘I didn’t know what I didn’t know’ – in that the above things are all writing topics that I can, and have, already read something about. It is purely the writing itself – the practice if you like – that teaches you the most.
This was a bit of a revelation and I realise now, (whether it is intentional or not), this course mirrors the writing experience itself: you can’t re-write/edit/improve your writing until you have actually written something (doh!) and we cannot learn from this course until we start ‘practising’ the art rather than just reading about (or being told) how it should be done. It was staring me in the face all along. I have read several books on watercolour painting recently – techniques, tips, step-by-step guides, what brushes/paints to use, colour theory etc., but still I produce what can only be described as muddy puddles on my poor, wasted canvasses that held such potential in the right hands...
Fortunately we did undertake a writing exercise this week. We were split into 2 groups, and given a passage from a book. We had to analyse it in terms of style etc. and then write the next section, as a group, in the same style. I was relieved to get a passage I hadn’t read before, (no knowledge of the whole story to restrict us), and so relieved not to get the other group’s section, which was the start of a chapter of ‘From Russia, With Love’. I hate James Bond even more than I hate books on how to paint watercolours... Our new member agreed, calling the 007 story ‘soulless’, so I am really looking forward to hearing some of his work.
Actually, I think that is why I enjoyed today so much; I am fascinated by the others’ work – their writing style and their ideas in discussions – some good, some not-so-good, but all incredibly fascinating.
Homework this week is to begin writing about a character without doing ANY editing on the piece. We will be working on these drafts next week, in small groups to help with re-drafting and editing.
It will be hard not to edit it a little methinks..... ;o)
But WHO should I do?
Who would you do?
I hope you weren't actually watching this space because I'm afraid I can't tell you what it was like to read my work aloud - I didn't do it. For different reasons, only three did read aloud, but I think I had a good reason for not reading out my (thrice re-written) homework. In my defence, I was trying to save someone’s feelings in the group. After hearing an intensely personal and harrowing story about alcoholism, my attempts to be witty about an AA meeting would’ve sounded horrendous and glib. (That could only happen to me – and THANK GOODNESS that person went first!!!!)
As the next person read out their piece, I was sorry to realise I had missed the last part as I was so busy thinking what an amazing title they had given to the work. (Plus I hadn’t thought to give mine a title: another learning point!) One of the others didn’t do the homework as they ran out of time, (which happens to us all when we leave it to the last minute). Gerald then read out his piece which was about how he felt coming to this class. Funny, warm, and totally engaging, we were all spellbound. The final member of the group had written two pieces but decided only to read the shorter one. In this, they chose to make a joke, (or a point?), by saying a one-liner. After the intensely personal account, and others who were nervous had shared, I found that a bit disrespectful. (Though maybe that person felt their longer piece was also not suitable for today?)
I was incredibly disappointed that two of last week's ladies didn't come back today. I really hope they will return and have not left the course. Perhaps last week put them off with all that form-filling? Perhaps they didn't think the course sounded like it was going to be what they expected or needed? Perhaps, as the tutor suggested, the rain and wind put them off? Fortunately, a new student joined us - but we didn't learn much about him this week. Maybe next week he will tell us a little about himself?
The arrangement of tables was different this week, with a horse-shoe arrangement instead of a solid block. I was not the only person to find this a little more comfortable, and it was easier to see everyone. I was surprised that the tutor decided to sit amongst us rather than at the front in the obvious teacher's seat. This made the session more informal and more like a big discussion of other people's writing than a class being specifically 'taught' lessons. I discovered today that this description could possibly sum up the course in a nutshell.
I had gone with a pre-conceived idea of what the course would be like, which was more or less the live version of some of the ‘How To Write’ manuals, but with a bit of discussion, subjective critiques/suggestions and homework exercises thrown in. My approach would probably have been sessions on genre; character (building and arc); scene setting; viewpoint and ‘voice’; so-called rules: show not tell etc; story structure/plot; titles and endings; idea generation; dialogue; and the final lesson would have been held in the pub. However, after today, I think it was a case of ‘I didn’t know what I didn’t know’ – in that the above things are all writing topics that I can, and have, already read something about. It is purely the writing itself – the practice if you like – that teaches you the most.
This was a bit of a revelation and I realise now, (whether it is intentional or not), this course mirrors the writing experience itself: you can’t re-write/edit/improve your writing until you have actually written something (doh!) and we cannot learn from this course until we start ‘practising’ the art rather than just reading about (or being told) how it should be done. It was staring me in the face all along. I have read several books on watercolour painting recently – techniques, tips, step-by-step guides, what brushes/paints to use, colour theory etc., but still I produce what can only be described as muddy puddles on my poor, wasted canvasses that held such potential in the right hands...
Fortunately we did undertake a writing exercise this week. We were split into 2 groups, and given a passage from a book. We had to analyse it in terms of style etc. and then write the next section, as a group, in the same style. I was relieved to get a passage I hadn’t read before, (no knowledge of the whole story to restrict us), and so relieved not to get the other group’s section, which was the start of a chapter of ‘From Russia, With Love’. I hate James Bond even more than I hate books on how to paint watercolours... Our new member agreed, calling the 007 story ‘soulless’, so I am really looking forward to hearing some of his work.
Actually, I think that is why I enjoyed today so much; I am fascinated by the others’ work – their writing style and their ideas in discussions – some good, some not-so-good, but all incredibly fascinating.
Homework this week is to begin writing about a character without doing ANY editing on the piece. We will be working on these drafts next week, in small groups to help with re-drafting and editing.
It will be hard not to edit it a little methinks..... ;o)
But WHO should I do?
Who would you do?
Friday, 24 September 2010
CREATIVE WRITING - Part 1
Please note all names have been changed for confidentiality!
Creative Writing. The first class and my first venture into such territory. Feelings this morning? Impatience, nervous excitement, new chapter in life, next step to becoming a professional author? And, well, more nerves than I could shake ten sticks at - but as the books all say - it's good for a new author to get out and share...
What was I expecting? A smallish group of possibly more women than men, more retired than under 30's (big clue: class is during the day), maybe one or two people who love the sound of their own voice, a teacher's pet, a silent watcher? I have read about these stereotypes in writing magazines and looked forward to spotting if any were in attendance.
What I found? It’s early days but only the first 3 correct so far. (Small group, more women than not, more retired than not). I was relieved to find we were nearly all feeling quite nervous - only a couple didn't appear so and they had been to similar classes before. Nobody took over, nobody spoke over anyone else and I couldn't wish to have met a more diverse group from so many interesting backgrounds! Phew.
The best part was after about 20 minutes, when the door opened and an elderly gent walked in, sporting a big white name sticker. I will call him “Gerald".
"So sorry I'm late. I just spent 20 minutes in the wrong class wondering when the hell they were going to get around to the Creative Writing!"
‘Gerald’ is 89, and a real character. I am soooo looking forward to meeting him again next week. He really broke the ice too! The tutor said how glad we were that he was here, and he replied with a twinkle in his eye,
"Thank you. I am very pleased to be here too. In fact, at my age, I'm glad to be anywhere at all!"
Disappointingly, we spent almost the entire first session going through and filling in forms. These were mostly concerned with what we hoped to get out of the course (dreaded Learning Objectives form) and how to demonstrate what we had learned. It’s a shame the tutors have to spend time going through the course outline, H&S, facilities, regulations, etc., and I'm sure they don't want to do it either! Our tutor did ask what sort of writing we were interested in too though - so hopefully the remainder will be tailored appropriately.
The emphasis of the given structure of the course was on producing written pieces of work for Ofsted and the accreditation of the course. Thankfully most people said they were not really interested in gaining points or a certificate after the course, so now the tutor doesn’t have to be concerned about meeting those requirements for our group and we will be freer to explore other areas. She did say that her evening group had been pushing her for weeks to try and get accreditation for the course, so I feel that I made the right choice coming to the daytime class. In addition I will save lots of babysitting money which would have been prohibitive on top of the course fees.
I felt sorry for the poor tutor having to ask us (and apparently she will have to do this every week) if we 'feel safe’ to learn in this environment? Health & Safety /Ofsted regulations, etc. More red tape, grrrrr. Interestingly my Mum started a computer course at the same college the same week and they only spent 15 minutes on all the forms, and never asked if they felt safe - so fingers crossed we can hit the ground running next week.
At the end we were given our first piece of homework. (After moans of disapproval of not being given any!) Don’t forget we are all students again, and this time we CHOOSE to be here and actually want to learn. We want to get started and we WANT homework! This was the most refreshing part of today's foray - so very different from being at school! Our first piece of homework, thought up quickly by the poor tutor caught on the hop, is to write a short piece (about 500-1000 words) on something we haven't told each other during the morning - including those bits we all told during the horrendous 'creeping death' of introducing ourselves one by one. That had been nerve-wracking, and took up all of the remaining time between forms, but when it had been done everyone felt a lot more confident about talking openly to each other, and for future weeks to talk aloud.
In answer to a question I was asked on another forum, no I don’t feel short-changed that we weren’t actually taught anything in this first class, and the homework task was one set at short notice. I expect we will be moaning in later weeks that we don’t have time to write more!
I will be interested to see the levels of constructive criticism offered; when people said a little bit about why they were here, it got quite emotional. The tutor also talked about bullying and had to ask that when we offer our opinions on others’ work, we don’t ever say “It’s rubbish!” How awful to have to tell us – would anyone really say that?! Apparently someone on a similar course was a bit of a bully. Having said that, I hope that people will feel they can still be honest and if they think a particular piece of mine is a complete load of rubbish, I think I would prefer them to say so, as long as it is backed up with reasons and /or suggestions (and maybe a box of Kleenex, a big box of choccies and a huge bouquet of roses.)
It will also be interesting to compare notes with an on-line buddy who is doing a virtual course on-line. So far they haven’t been asked if they feel ‘virtually safe’ – but it’s early days! I would be interested to know what the OU Creative Writing course has to offer too if anyone has done that?
Week 10 of the course structure says 'collect booklets and relax'. The booklets referred to are homemade A5 pages of our work which will be copied for us all at the end. The pieces from last year's course were all about the fairytale Red Riding Hood. The task was to write anything they liked about the fairytale, so predictably, there was the wolf's story and grandma’s perspective in addition to a contemporary RRH tale, but one piece did look a bit different – it was a well-researched history of the tale in all its incarnations. Good stuff!
Regarding fairytales, the best book I bought to read to my little girls at bedtime (apart from the obvious 'Guess How Much I Love You' and ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’and not forgetting ALL of the original Mr Men), was a gorgeous picture book called "The Three Little Wolves And The Big Bad Pig." I highly recommend it to all readers with small children or grandchildren!
In conclusion, I believe the course will provide a great opportunity to get to know other writers, and I am sure when it gets going we will enjoy some interesting discussions and receive teaching which is tailor made to help us achieve our objectives for doing the course. As I explained in the group, I need help with plot/structure and changing viewpoints, from first person to third/narrative, as I want to change from writing non-fiction to fiction. (I had found writing 'true-life' relatively easy - as it was almost like writing a diary).
Crikey - how will it feel to have to READ OUT our own writing next week???
Watch this space!
Creative Writing. The first class and my first venture into such territory. Feelings this morning? Impatience, nervous excitement, new chapter in life, next step to becoming a professional author? And, well, more nerves than I could shake ten sticks at - but as the books all say - it's good for a new author to get out and share...
What was I expecting? A smallish group of possibly more women than men, more retired than under 30's (big clue: class is during the day), maybe one or two people who love the sound of their own voice, a teacher's pet, a silent watcher? I have read about these stereotypes in writing magazines and looked forward to spotting if any were in attendance.
What I found? It’s early days but only the first 3 correct so far. (Small group, more women than not, more retired than not). I was relieved to find we were nearly all feeling quite nervous - only a couple didn't appear so and they had been to similar classes before. Nobody took over, nobody spoke over anyone else and I couldn't wish to have met a more diverse group from so many interesting backgrounds! Phew.
The best part was after about 20 minutes, when the door opened and an elderly gent walked in, sporting a big white name sticker. I will call him “Gerald".
"So sorry I'm late. I just spent 20 minutes in the wrong class wondering when the hell they were going to get around to the Creative Writing!"
‘Gerald’ is 89, and a real character. I am soooo looking forward to meeting him again next week. He really broke the ice too! The tutor said how glad we were that he was here, and he replied with a twinkle in his eye,
"Thank you. I am very pleased to be here too. In fact, at my age, I'm glad to be anywhere at all!"
Disappointingly, we spent almost the entire first session going through and filling in forms. These were mostly concerned with what we hoped to get out of the course (dreaded Learning Objectives form) and how to demonstrate what we had learned. It’s a shame the tutors have to spend time going through the course outline, H&S, facilities, regulations, etc., and I'm sure they don't want to do it either! Our tutor did ask what sort of writing we were interested in too though - so hopefully the remainder will be tailored appropriately.
The emphasis of the given structure of the course was on producing written pieces of work for Ofsted and the accreditation of the course. Thankfully most people said they were not really interested in gaining points or a certificate after the course, so now the tutor doesn’t have to be concerned about meeting those requirements for our group and we will be freer to explore other areas. She did say that her evening group had been pushing her for weeks to try and get accreditation for the course, so I feel that I made the right choice coming to the daytime class. In addition I will save lots of babysitting money which would have been prohibitive on top of the course fees.
I felt sorry for the poor tutor having to ask us (and apparently she will have to do this every week) if we 'feel safe’ to learn in this environment? Health & Safety /Ofsted regulations, etc. More red tape, grrrrr. Interestingly my Mum started a computer course at the same college the same week and they only spent 15 minutes on all the forms, and never asked if they felt safe - so fingers crossed we can hit the ground running next week.
At the end we were given our first piece of homework. (After moans of disapproval of not being given any!) Don’t forget we are all students again, and this time we CHOOSE to be here and actually want to learn. We want to get started and we WANT homework! This was the most refreshing part of today's foray - so very different from being at school! Our first piece of homework, thought up quickly by the poor tutor caught on the hop, is to write a short piece (about 500-1000 words) on something we haven't told each other during the morning - including those bits we all told during the horrendous 'creeping death' of introducing ourselves one by one. That had been nerve-wracking, and took up all of the remaining time between forms, but when it had been done everyone felt a lot more confident about talking openly to each other, and for future weeks to talk aloud.
In answer to a question I was asked on another forum, no I don’t feel short-changed that we weren’t actually taught anything in this first class, and the homework task was one set at short notice. I expect we will be moaning in later weeks that we don’t have time to write more!
I will be interested to see the levels of constructive criticism offered; when people said a little bit about why they were here, it got quite emotional. The tutor also talked about bullying and had to ask that when we offer our opinions on others’ work, we don’t ever say “It’s rubbish!” How awful to have to tell us – would anyone really say that?! Apparently someone on a similar course was a bit of a bully. Having said that, I hope that people will feel they can still be honest and if they think a particular piece of mine is a complete load of rubbish, I think I would prefer them to say so, as long as it is backed up with reasons and /or suggestions (and maybe a box of Kleenex, a big box of choccies and a huge bouquet of roses.)
It will also be interesting to compare notes with an on-line buddy who is doing a virtual course on-line. So far they haven’t been asked if they feel ‘virtually safe’ – but it’s early days! I would be interested to know what the OU Creative Writing course has to offer too if anyone has done that?
Week 10 of the course structure says 'collect booklets and relax'. The booklets referred to are homemade A5 pages of our work which will be copied for us all at the end. The pieces from last year's course were all about the fairytale Red Riding Hood. The task was to write anything they liked about the fairytale, so predictably, there was the wolf's story and grandma’s perspective in addition to a contemporary RRH tale, but one piece did look a bit different – it was a well-researched history of the tale in all its incarnations. Good stuff!
Regarding fairytales, the best book I bought to read to my little girls at bedtime (apart from the obvious 'Guess How Much I Love You' and ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’and not forgetting ALL of the original Mr Men), was a gorgeous picture book called "The Three Little Wolves And The Big Bad Pig." I highly recommend it to all readers with small children or grandchildren!
In conclusion, I believe the course will provide a great opportunity to get to know other writers, and I am sure when it gets going we will enjoy some interesting discussions and receive teaching which is tailor made to help us achieve our objectives for doing the course. As I explained in the group, I need help with plot/structure and changing viewpoints, from first person to third/narrative, as I want to change from writing non-fiction to fiction. (I had found writing 'true-life' relatively easy - as it was almost like writing a diary).
Crikey - how will it feel to have to READ OUT our own writing next week???
Watch this space!
Saturday, 28 August 2010
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