Course Description and Objectives:
As a former writing teacher, I found that the easiest thing to teach is structure and the hardest thing to teach is the magical act of unlocking your authentic creative voice. Together, we'll try different writing exercises to find new ways of writing and finding ideas. You'll leave with new tools, techniques to end writer's block, and hopefully, brand new ideas or characters that you can continue to explore as you develop a new project. The objective of this Creative Lab will not be to achieve perfection, but to explore new ways to approach the process of writing.
Skill Level:
All Levels. (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced)
Target:
This lab is best for participants who want to come up with new ideas and shake up their writing process. Prerequisites and Advanced Preparation: Please bring a notebook, pen or pencil, and your laptop if you wish.
Agenda:
- Introductions (5 minutes)
- Abdi will discuss process along with insights from texts e.g. The Artist's Way (10 minutes)
- Meditation (5 minutes)
- Journaling (5 minutes)
- Free writing of a new idea, character, scene (10 minutes)
- Discuss thoughts and feelings: What flowed? What was a challenge? (5 minutes)
- Word association writing exercise (2 minutes)
- Free writing based on word association (8 minutes)
- Coffee/snack/stretch/bathroom break (10 minutes)
- Sharing, discussion, and Q&A (10 minutes)
- Abdi will introduce new writing prompt (2 minutes)
- Free writing based on prompt (8 minutes)
- Discussion of creating our own prompts (5 minutes)
- Participant comes up with a prompt for the group to try (5 minutes)
- Free writing based on new prompt (10 minutes)
- Discussion of how to merge disparate ideas together into one project (5 minutes)
- Free writing: Bring two characters together from today's free writing sessions (5 minutes)
- Final Q&A (10 minutes)
