I was wondering about doing a regular workshop on writing techniques that are used in various books and how to use them yourself. Things like mood, dialogue, tense use for effect...

I could post a few passages from various books in the forums for people to read and discuss, and we could have a live chat workshop sometime on the first Saturday of every month, and post any writing that comes out of it for other people to enjoy.

If anyone else fancies running any of the workshops, you're more than welcome to, because I'm always up for learning new stuff too.

Anyone think this would be worthwhile?

Imogen

Told you already, I think the idea is awesome. All for it.

Bee.

yus, its sounds like a brill idea..go 4 it

[SIZE=14]YES!!!!!!![SIZE=14]

besides, I need all the help I can get.........

So do I really. Maybe we can all learn together!

Imogen

im actually very very very very bad at writing, a story or anything for that matter...so needing help, to improve

jenni

p.s also needing help to write storys else im never gonna get a passing grade in english this yeer!

Well, you can count me in! I've been doing some work on my own but feedback, support and deadlines always helps.

I would love to! My writing needs so much work, and I really have never gotten any kind of structured advice/instruction about it.

Still Amy, cunningly disguised

oh yes! that would really be great-I have ideas but I'm really not good at writing.

does the workshop like help people get better at writing techniques?

jenni

That's the general idea. I don't know quite how it'll work out, but we can play it by ear and see how we go.

If anyone's got anything specific they want to kick off with, let me know and I'll start planning a session.

Imogen

No specific ideas from me, but definitely count me in. If I think of anything specific I'll pipe up!

Joe

its you're idea you choose we'll just go along with whatever you pick
if you pick first we'll get the gist of what to do and join in...

jenni

That sounds like a great idea. I love to write, but I know I definately need to improve!

-Enna

I don't know how regular I could be (lots of theatre work), but I'd love to join in on the days I have time!

Count me in!

Becky

Just got back online after herding the cats, err kids, to the dinner table. About the workshops: my ideas of topics off the top of my head are setting and mood. It might also be fun to do a free association exercise where we're each set a few words and put together a scene or vignette from those.

I'll muse on it a bit today at work. I think mood might be a good one to kick off with.

Percival's been brilliant at posting odd words for us to do free writing from but I've been remarkably sloppy at keeping up with her. I think we might need to reinstate that as well.

Got to run - about to be late for work!

Imogen

Subject 1: Proper form for submissions (Professional)

Subject 2: Characterization

Subject 3: Outline plotting

more as they come to me.....

Great idea Imogen! There are very few of us (even lots of published authors) who can't do with plenty of improvement. Strong and/or natural dialogue would be a topic I would find interesting. It seems to be one of the weaker areas for most fiction writers and I do not consider myself to be anything approaching an exception.

Tip

Here are some that might be good (remember, I didn't get a literature degree, so I don't always know the terms)

1. Writing in first person: good, bad? One of my favorite authors, Kazuo Ishiguro always writes in first person. (He wrote Remains of the Day.)

2. How to avoid using the narrator voice too much. In other words, showing something rather then telling it.

3. How many different points of view should you have in one story.

4. Dialogue.

I'd like to participate, although I may not be able to that often because of family obligations.

QUOTE (Yolanda @ Sep 24 2003, 02:26 PM)

3. How many different points of view should you have in one story.

i always get stuck on this one, its a good one to discuss by me
different points of veiw, and how to swop from one to the other (if u understand what i mean)

jenni

Writing Workshop eh? Yeeessss...the idea has merit....

We should hammer together the specifics on how we'll be conducting it. I like Imogen's initial idea of posting a piece of literature for everyone to read and comment on from a style/form point of view. Reading and analysing professionally written work is a fantastic way to improve your own writing skills, not just by seeing what professionals do well, but also by seeing what they do that's questionable.
Another bonus is that this sort of thing is a great way to expose yourself to a number of different styles and methods, things you wouldn't even think about even... so you learn how to discern and appreciate truly well-written work, which makes the reading experience all that much better

Just my two-cents worth :-D

Steve

I think what I'll do is set up a separate forum for this, and post a chatroom/Yahoo group chat link in that.

My idea was to have extracts from an assortment of novels posted in a forum for people to look at and discuss with a particular focus. Maybe with a few questions to begin with. We can do that in the week to ten days before the workshop.

Then I was pondering about a chat session where we can really work on the skills. I could post that on the boards afterwards, so even people who can't go can see what we've done.

Then a follow up posting of our own writing, so that people can comment on it. Hopefully that would be in a supportive, critique sort of way, so we can all grow and learn from what we've been trying.

That was the threefold thing I was thinking of... Although I'm willing to take on board all suggestions.

Imogen

Hi!

I would like to join up to a creative writing board, if you make one. I could do with some traning, since I like to write, and people tell me I have a good imagination.
If you need any crazy ideas, i can be sensible....sometimes, I would love to be part of the group!

TTFN

Phil

I'm going to get this set up as soon as we've switched server and look at having the first 'live' session towards the end of October. I'll post extracts for discussion the week or so before that.

What times are going to be best for people? I know we've got a massive range of timezones so I don't mind doing it twice.

Imogen

*jumps up and down* I wanna play!

I don't always have a very dependable schedule, so available times vary. However, it's flexible.

would a live session be on a like a weekend for U.K time? or would it be during the week?

XxX jenni XxX

Weekends, mostly evenings, or mornings, say 10 - 11 ish in the morning, and 9pm + in the evening (UK time)

I don't mind weekends or evenings. I'm in the UK as well, so the only thing that's really ruled out are American evenings because I'm asleep!

Although, having said that, James Bow is keen to get involved so maybe we'd be able to do two sessions between us, or something like that. I need to chat to him really!

I think on the whole that weekends would be slightly easier, or Friday nights.

Imogen

oh goody, weekends are good

XxX jenni XxX

Lessee... Friday nights for Imogen mean middle of the day for me... hm.

Perfect! no class, no extracurriculars.

How's Friday nights for everyone else?

friday night is good apart from sex and the city, but that can be taped
hehehehe

XxX jenni XxX

yep friday night, except Scrubs.......but i recording that for my brother anyway, so thats ok. Brother is in Germany at the moment as part of his European Law course

I'm a college student, I can live on the computer any time past two o'clock Eastern Standard on Fridays :-)

Joe

Yay, these sound brilliant! Friday nights are niceful for me, too Am definetly in.

It'll only be once a month as well, so it shouldn't be *too* tying.

I don't mind having two sessions across that weekend so that if people can't make one, they can drop into another.

Imogen

thats a goody idea

It all depends on rehearsal schedules, but Friday afternoons (US time - East) sound good to me.



Becky, up too late

as this is going to happen now, have moved this thread into the relevent forum and closing it, there a nice shiny new thread just below