September, 2008
Writing for children (a one-off half-day workshop)
Features writing for magazines (a one-off half-day workshop)
November-December, 2008
Storymaking (five two-hour workshops running over five weeks)
Storymaking 2 (five two-hour workshops running over five weeks)
sign up for a workshop
Five week creative writing course for emerging writers
In November, I'll be launching my next Storymaking course. Courses are tailored to suit both first-time writers and more experienced writers wanting to hone their narrative skills and develop an understanding of the rules and conventions that govern their art. The workshops will run for small groups from my home in Bukit Timah (Singapore).
Basic information
Workshop days: Every Wednesday for five weeks.
Workshop times:
- Morning course: Wednesday mornings for a total of five weeks (9.30am-11.30am).
- Evening course: Wednesday evenings for a total of five weeks (8pm-10pm).
Price: $600. There is a 10% discount for early bookers. To enjoy this discount, the course fee should be received by October 8.
Included in course fee:
- 10 hours of tuition. Weekly appraisal of homework.
- Refreshments.
Optional extra:
- A detailed critique of one piece of creative writing (max length 3,000 words). Please see my mentoring rates on 'Mentoring' page.
Is this the course for you?
The only two course requirements are for you to be passionate about learning to write and for your English language to be of a high standard. This writing course is designed to illuminate six fundamental aspects of creative writing (see below), enabling you to transform your creative ideas into engaging fiction. Through discussion, exercises and example, workshops will give you vital insight into your own creative process. By the end of the course, you will have the confidence to write strong, imaginative stories with original plots and convincing, plausible characters.
Course outline
• Week 1: Beginnings. Building and maintaining good writing habits. Seeing the world anew, through the lens of a writer. This workshop includes: ideas organising and initial planning; story beginnings; writing with 'tension'.
• Week 2: Character. Creating and developing believable and original characters.
• Week 3: Dialogue and Point of View. Writing sharp and realistic dialogue. Coming to grips with 'point of view': deciding who your story belongs to and who is narrating it.
• Week 4: Description. Gaining confidence with descriptive passages. Knowing when to 'show' and when to 'tell' – ie. when it's right to summarise a detail and when it's important to show the action up close.
• Week 5: Setting. Giving your story a context or a sense of 'place'.
Course structure
For each workshop, I turn to published works and sometimes my own fiction to explore the day's theme. Through discussions, practical exercises and tutor-led feedback, participants learn to apply the rules and conventions of creative writing to their own work. Participants are encouraged to read their works in progress to the group, though no pressure is applied until a participant feels safe sharing their material. My aim always is to present workshops that are light on theoretical explanations and heavy on concrete examples. For instance, I often use colour images and soundtracks to bring concepts to life. I strongly believe this keeps the workshops fun and (I hope) memorable, as well as making it easy for participants to relate to the message of the day.
Short homework exercises are set between workshops, which I then take in for appraisal.
Throughout the course, I actively encourage participants to work on (and complete) their own short story/novel chapter. This writing is done in participants' own time, though all workshop exercises are designed to support individual stories/chapters. During the penultimate workshop, I coach participants on the art of giving and receiving constructive feedback. Participants are asked to bring their finished story/chapter to the final workshop and to swap manuscripts with a colleague. Each group member is then asked to provide a detailed critique of their colleague’s work.
Five week creative writing course for writers with some experience
This is a more advanced course, designed for writers who have completed Storymaking or who have ventured into creative writing at an earlier time. The purpose of this course is to help writers add vital layers of depth, texture and meaning to their prose. Story shape and structure are explored in detail and the group is encouraged to focus on language and how it can be used to best effect. Participants are invited to experiment with different styles and to write in different voices. Presentation of manuscripts is also examined.
The course venue will be my home in Bukit Timah.
Basic information
Workshop days: Every Thursday for five weeks.
Workshop times:
- Morning course: Wednesday mornings for a total of five weeks (9.30am-11.30am).
- Evening course: Wednesday evenings for a total of five weeks (8pm-10pm).
Price: $600. A 10% discount is offered to early bookers (to enjoy this discount, the course fee should be received by October 8).
Included in this price:
Optional extra:
Course aim
The course is designed to deepen participants' understanding of fiction and to inspire them to make the most of their writing skills. Everyone should leave these workshops with the confidence to shape and structure a manuscript of any length.
Storymaking2 workshops include instruction from me alongside practical exercises, group discussions, reading of participants’ ‘work in progress’ and feedback (from me of course but also, increasingly, from the group, as everyone deepens their understanding of the writing and editing processes). Emphasis is placed on finding fresh ways of tackling established and emerging problems, and participants are encouraged to take chances with their fiction, expressing themselves in new and original ways.
On popular request, I now hand out homework! Short exercises are set between workshops, which I then take in for appraisal.
Like with Storymaking1, I actively encourage participants to work on their own longer pieces of fiction in their spare time. All exercises and homework are designed to support these stories. I also urge participants to complete a manuscript (short story or chapter) by the final workshop and to swap with a colleague. However, I no longer ask for completed stories/chapters to be sent to me for critiquing.
That said, where participants feel they would benefit from my feedback on their finished pieces, or from my help in working through individual areas of difficulty, I am happy to offer this service in accordance with my regular mentoring rates.
For Storymaking2, I do not create big divides between writing themes as I do for Storymaking 1. Given participants have now covered the 'big six' (ie. beginnings, character, dialogue, point of view, show-and-tell, setting), it would be a bit artificial for me to replicate this pattern of tuition. So my presentations are more fluid, with blocks of time dedicated to revising and re-examining those five principle workshop themes, with the aim of making writers' characters and prose more robust and credible.
In addition, I cover the following topics:
Half-day course.
If you dream of writing features but haven’t had the chance or know-how to leave first base, this workshop is for you. It is also suitable for ‘cub’ reporters who wish to hone and develop their feature writing skills.
Basic information
• When: Date to be decided.
• Time: 9.30 am–1 pm.
• Price: $170.
• Discounted rate: $153 (Early payment rate)
• Venue: Bukit Timah. Venue to be finalised.
• What else? Small group guaranteed. Refreshments provided.
Workshop aims
To guide you through the process of researching, writing and selling top quality feature articles.
Workshop outline
• Defining genre: from travel and health writing to general women’s features and features with a strong news angle.
• Explore where ideas come from and how to make them grow.
• Develop your research skills.
• Learn how to ‘hook’ your audience in the opening paragraph and then sustain interest throughout your feature.
• Learn to make important decisions about your target audience.
• Find out what it takes to ensnare an editor and get those feature commissions rolling in.
Half-day course.
Learn to weave story magic for kids. Discover how published authors turn bedtime stories into print. This workshop is suitable for adult writers of all levels—even those who haven’t jotted down a creative word since they were 10. So if it’s your dream to recapture the thrills and pleasures of childhood, don't miss out on this great opportunity—just bring along your imagination and a love of storytelling!
Basic information
• When: Date to be decided.
• Time: 9.30 am – 1 pm.
• Price: $170.
• Discounted rate: $153 (Early payment rate)
• Venue: Bukit Timah. Venue to be finalised.
• What else? Small group guaranteed. Refreshments provided.
Workshop outline
This workshop will focus on the fundamentals of storytelling and magic-making for children up to the age of 12. Through a thought-provoking and lively combination of expert tuition, practical exercises, tutor-led feedback and group discussion, you will cover all the essential aspects of story crafting for kids. By the end of the workshop, you’ll be comfortable with plot-building, character development, voice, sub-plots and dialogue.
There are fundamental differences in the way stories for children are plotted and structured to stories for adults—do you know what they are? If not, you certainly will by the end of this workshop!
As tutor and facilitator, my mission is to provide you with the tools to hook a young audience from the first paragraph and to keep those rugrats spellbound all the way through to...
...The End.