arts4every1 writers' workshop: 7th november 2015

Words4Every1 Writers’ Group:November 7th

Introduction

Words4Every1 Writers’ Group: November 7th

TIMINGS:

- 3:00 PM:11 Writing Tips and Tricks

- 3:30 PM: Writing Activity

- 4:00 PM: Editing Workshops

- 4:30 PM: Writing Activity

- 4:45 PM: Guest Speaker: Elaine Will

Introduction

Words4Every1 Writers’ Group: August 22ndTIMINGS:

- 5:15 PM: Break/Networking

- 5:30 PM: Readings/Performances

- 6:00 PM: Pub!

Introduction

Your Host

Hi, I’m Dane

- Social media marketing specialist of four years

- Author, poet and musician

- Debut novella – No Rest for the Wicked – available now

- Industry speaker/commentator

- General Arts4Every1 busybody

11 Writing Tips and Tricks

Last Time

Last Time- Writing Challenge: Hallowe’en

- Author Saqib Deshmukh talked about research and his journey as a writer

- Launched the Words4Every1 book idea

- Writing activities from Dane and Lorraine

- Awesome performances


Dramatic Irony- A form of irony that’s expressed through art

- When the reader knows something that the character doesn’t

- Can create different emotions – i.e. tension or humour

- A very basic example: “He’s behind you!”

- Shakespeare is often credited as the master of dramatic irony


Random Words- Can be a great way to get started

- Create a list of 6-10 random words and write something that includes them

- You could ask a friend to pick the words for you

- Alternatively, write down a load of words that you like, put them in a bag and pull them out at random

- You could also simply Google ‘random word generator’


Shifted Elements- Something unexpected, particularly as part of a phrase

- Allows the writer to play with reader expectations

- For example:

- He played the piano beautifully, delicately, artistically, magically and aggressively.

- ‘Eat, drink and be merry,’ becomes:

- ‘Eat, drink and pick a designated driver.’


Show, Don’t Tell- TELLING: ‘I saw the life guard rescue someone at the swimming pool.’

- SHOWING: ‘As I walked across the damp tiles, the smell of chlorine hurt my nose. I heard a shout. I could see somebody struggling in the water.’

- A ‘tell’ is a quick summary or a generalisation

- Telling is lazy and counter-productive

- The exception to this is journalism, when telling is the name of the game


The Four Virtues- DETAIL: Use it, where possible

- DIRECTNESS: Avoid tautology/circumlocution

- ECONOMY OF WORDS: Use as few words as possible

- VOICE: The unique writing style of the author


Defamiliarisation- Some things become so familiar that we don’t notice them

(habitualisation)

- Some writers believe that writing exists to recover these perceptions

- To make things unfamiliar:

- Avoid words that are associated with the subject- Propose alien alternatives

- Literature isn’t meant to be skimmed through, like art isn’t meant to be glanced at


Metaphors, Metonyms and Synechdoches- METAPHOR: Transferring characteristics of one thing to another

- i.e. ‘The back porch of my mind’

- METONYM: When something is referred to in terms of something it’s associated with

- i.e. ‘Lend me your ears’ means ‘listen to me’

- SYNECDOCHE: When a part of something is substituted for the whole

- i.e. ‘Biting the hand that feeds’


Intertext- Essentially, when one piece of text quotes another

- Can be used to great effect

- Examples:

- ‘As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...’- Coolio’s Gangstas Paradise, quoting Psalm 23

- ‘I feel so suicidal, just like Dylan’s Mr. Jones.’- The Beatles’ Yer Blues, referencing Bob Dylan’s Ballad of a Thin Man


Who owns your writing?- Well, it depends

- If you’re working for a publisher (i.e. as a journalist), your work belongs to them

- If you’re freelancing, the article belongs to you unless you sign away the copyright

- Freelancers effectively rent out their work

- Check your contract, if you have one


Watch out for libel!- Libel = a defamatory statement in a permanent form (i.e. the written word)

- Exposes the recipient to hatred, ridicule or contempt

- You don’t need to identify the person by name – if it’s obvious who you’re referring to, it’s still libelous

- You can also be accidentally libelous – compare the below:

- Mrs Brown returned to the house, where she lived with Mr. Greene- Mrs Brown returned to the house where she lived, with Mr. Greene


Change the way you write- This can be a great way to bypass writers’

block

- Different ways of writing:

- By hand- At a computer- On a mobile device- Speaking into a dictaphone- Using a typewriter

5 Marketing Tips and Tricks

Business Cards- Get some printed for your career as a writer

- Useful for when you attend events etc.

- Can be cheap (less than £10) using Vistaprint

- Include social networking links, e-mail address and phone number

- Also include buy links for your books, if available


Logos and Branding- Consider creating a logo and using it wherever possible – here’s mine!

- You, as a writer, are a brand

- What colours will you use? What kind of language?

- People should immediately recognise your work

- Achieve this through the look and feel of your social media and website updates, as well as through your writing style


Consistency- Consistency is key, across all areas – BE CONSISTENT!

- Same profile picture and header images on all social networking sites

- Same bio across all sites

- Consistency with timings, too

- Writing a weekly blog post? Post it on the same day every week


Networking- Some of our guest speakers have already talked about the importance of

this

- Get out there and make some friends

- I can’t stress enough how important it is to meet and work with other writers

- The internet, social networking and Twitter in particular make this much easier

- If you’re not networking, you’ll get left behind

- I estimate around 60% of my book sales are to other authors


Niches- Niches are your friend

- A niche: “A comfortable or suitable position in life or employment.”

- For example, Saqib Deshmukh is the guy who writes about Wycombe – nobody else can write about Wycombe like he can

- What is it that you have to offer that no-one else can?

- This will also help you to be discovered through search

QUESTIONS?

Activity

Writing Challenge:- Today, we’re live writing in the church!

- You’ll be given a starting point – absorb the atmosphere, incorporate elements of what you see around you and write something!

- Work either alone or in groups – it’s your choice!

- Here’s your starting point:

A caretaker is checking that the church is empty before he locks up for the night. He calls out, “Is anyone there?” From somewhere, there comes a reply: “No.”

EDITING WORKSHOPS

Activity

Writing Challenge: Over to Lorraine!- I have no idea what Lorraine has planned

- Let’s find out!

GUEST SPEAKER:ELAINE WILL

Elaine M Will is the Xeric Award-winning Canadian Author and Comics Artist behind the critically acclaimed

and Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission-recommended Mental Health drama Graphic Novel, Look

Straight Ahead. Elaine's current work includes the Joe Shuster Awards-nominated quirk Canadian history

Comic, Dust-Ship Glory.

BREAK:Please speak to Dane if you’d like to do a reading!

This Month’s Theme

This Month’s Theme- Childhood

- All interpretations welcome

- No particular word count – as many or as few as you need

- All genres and formats welcome!

- E-mail your work to [email protected] before the next session to be considered for the anthology

mailto:[email protected]

READINGS:Next Workshop:

3 PM – 6 PM On Saturday 12th DECEMBER

Guest Speaker:Dane Cobain/Hannah Parkinson

THANKS FOR

COMING

arts4every1 writers' workshop: 7th november 2015

Education