by Kathryn Johnson
I have taught at The Writer’s Center in
Bethesda since 2008. But it wasn’t until more than a year later that the
lessons my students were teaching me finally sank in. (I’m a slow learner.)
As instructor of a course called Writing the Popular Novel, I addressed
the usual fiction techniques: characterization, plot, point of view, dialogue,
and more. While lectures focused on the basic skills, discussions centered on topics
in which a particular group was most interested. Some students asked for more
information on pacing and creative plotting. Others seemed more concerned with deep
characterization or viewpoint issues. One student might be working on a love
story, while another on a thriller, mystery, Western, fantasy, or family saga. But
they consistently voiced two concerns: not enough writing time, and fear of failure.
It didn’t matter whether an individual
writer was retired from their career or working full time. Everyone was desperate
for practical tips that would enable them to confidently complete their writing
projects without neglecting jobs, families, and other responsibilities. And without
spending 3, 5, or even 20 years to complete a single book! It seemed to me that
they needed help in the form of an aggressive but reassuring model.
And so, for the summer of 2009, I proposed
a new course. It was to be in the form of an adult writer’s camp. We called it The Extreme Novelist. I envisioned it as
a form of tough love for writers—an 8-week, intensive course that would support
15 authors through the process of getting a fast, rough draft of their novels
written. It would be as informative as any writing craft course, while
reinforcing a daily writing habit and troubleshooting life’s inevitable intrusion
on writing time.
To make sure students understood how
serious I was about the program, and how committed I expected them to be, every
student would sign a contract. It declared their promise to write “at least 90
minutes a day, 6 days a week for the duration of the course.” In addition, there
would be “accountability time” at the outset of each weekly class, to make sure
everyone was on task, and to urge on slackers and encourage the faint-hearted.
The emphasis would be on making pages, building confidence, and getting the job
done with less trauma—and with the knowledge that revisions and polishing to
qualify their work for publication would come later.
We’ve run The Extreme Novelist course for 2-3 semesters every year since
then. The classroom is almost always full, and there’s often a waitlist. But it
wasn’t until 2014 that I took to heart the comments from authors who said they
would love to take the class but, for various reasons, couldn’t. They lived too
far away from Bethesda. Or they couldn’t afford the registration fee. Or the
Wednesday evening class times were already spoken for. Several said, “It’s a
shame you can’t package it [the course] in a book.” I thought, “Well, why not?”
After all, hadn’t I told them they could write any book they wanted to write?
Shouldn’t I follow my own advice?
This spring, that idea became a reality. The Extreme Novelist: The No-Time-to-Write
Method for Drafting Your Novel in 8 Weeks became available in The Writer’s
Center bookstore, as well as on a variety of digital platforms. It will be the
first of a series of books intended to address novel writing from a practical, 21st-century
perspective. When I tell people I couldn’t have done it without my students,
I’m dead serious. While I may have succeeded in inspiring them to persevere and
get their stories written, they have taught me how to better teach and support
them through the challenging process of writing book-length fiction. And for
that I will forever be grateful.
May all of your writing days be productive
and satisfying!
The Extreme Novelist is available in the Center's bookstore
or
Order the
title from your favorite Indie Bookseller, or find it...
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/1DAqit5
For your Nook:
http://bit.ly/1FdZJiN
As an iBook:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id987711288
For
more information on The Extreme Novelist
course, or the book, feel free to contact: Kathryn@WriteByYou.com
Please
note: If you are interested in taking the course, try to register early as
seats fill quickly. The next class begins July 8, 2015. Register here
1 comment:
According to Business Magazine, if you have difficulty writing an essay, research paper, dissertation, thesis or other assignment, it is advisable to find the assistance of an online essay writing service. Chances are you end up with bad content if you don't know the pros and cons of hiring a third-party website or blog post writing job for you. Essay writers who work for these services are usually highly educated individuals with many years of experience in academic writing.
The main problem is that academic writing is not compulsory in high school. It is not wrong for students to seek help writing paper, as they can get it for various reasons. However, when students rely on writing services for their academic tasks, they assume that this prevents students from becoming experts. Students seeking essays online
The lack of sufficient writing skills to produce an excellent work is one of the various reasons. Poor time management, poor writing skills and a lack of understanding of the task are just a few examples. For the majority of students, it is difficult to overcome challenges such as short deadlines, too many tasks, poor written skills and the inability to understand written instructions.
Post a Comment