If you want to be a writer and share your story with the world, our introspective and hands-on courses take you through the process of crafting your story from inspiration to writing the first draft.
A Unique Course For Kids and Beginners
To offer kids and first-time writers the opportunity to explore their talent for writing, writing mentor and couch Daniel Dercksen offers a free assessment that will determine the wants, needs, and what they want to write. Following the introspective questionnaire Daniel will then design a specific course that is tailormade for each scribe. Send us a mail for more info
Own the writing process
Take ownership of your story
If you have completed a draft of your story you can submit it for a polish / edit
For the cost, the full agenda, and registration information on The Write Journey,
The Write Journey
What you will learn in this course
- You will turn the narrative in your head into action.
- You will take an interactive, intimate, and introspective journey into the world of the story.
- It will empower you to take ownership of the creative journey, and creative expression.
- How to turn ideas into a success story while learning about yourself in the process.
Who is the course aimed at
- Beginners
- Experienced writers who are unsure of what they are writing
- Writers who need discipline and motivation
- Writers find the story they are writing is dull and lifeless.
Goals and Objectives
- To lay the foundation of your story
- To define and develop your characters
- To structure and plot your story
- To understand the process of writing your story
- To write the first pages of your screenplay/novel
What does the course involve?
There are 12 Units in the course, and each unit has
- Self-Tasks that you must research and complete in your own time.
- Tasks that you must submit to your coach to make sure that you are on the right track – during this process, your coach is there to help you understand the material and solve problems.
What you need to have for this course
- Access to the Internet
- The course is done online, via email, offering a one-on-one interaction between yourself and your coach
- Me-time and your imagination
- Space to create
The Write Draft
Once the foundation is set with The Write Journey, The Write Draft is an advanced course that takes writers through the process of writing the first draft or rewrite their screenplay novel / stageplay. Working closely with a script editor, itexplores the editing and refinement of the complete draft, getting it ready for the marketplace.
Who is the course aimed at
Writers who are ready to write their story.
Send us an email for the agenda and registration details
The Write Voice
What you will learn in this course:
- It will empower you to write a story that has meaning.
- It will motivate and inspire you to write your story.
- It inspires you to get in touch with your creative self
- It is ideal for anyone who needs a jump start to take a step forward in writing creatively
- It explores the writing process and deconstructs writing fiction, non-fiction, and journalism
- You will balance left-brain logic and right-brain artistic expression
Who is the course aimed at
- Writers who find it difficult to start writing, not sure what medium to write for, or what to write
- ideal for first-time writers who would like to define their writing skills, and also recommended for seasoned writers who are trapped in the web of re-writes and unfinished projects or lost in the maze of the daunting writing process.
Goals and Objectives
You will write a short story that will be evaluated and reviewed by your writing coach, Daniel Dercksen
What does the course involve?
There are 12 Units in the course, and each unit has
- Self-Tasks that you must research and complete in your own time.
- Tasks that you must submit to your coach to make sure that you are on the right track – during this process, your coach is there to help you understand the material and solve problems.
What you need to have for this course
- Access to the Internet
- The course is done online, via email, offering a one-on-one interaction between yourself and your coach
- Your imagination
Find your purpose in writing
Explore the endless possibilities you have to tell your story
Express your creative self
For the cost, the full agenda, and registration information on The Write Voice,
The Drama Of Writing A Play
What you will learn in this course:
- How to write a drama / musical for the stage
- From inspiration to developing characters and plotting, to exploring theme and dialogue, to writing the first draft and taking ownership of your creation.
Who is the course aimed at
- Writers who want to write for live theatre
- Screenwriters and novelists who want to learn how to perfect dialogue
Goals and Objectives
Daniel Dercksen will use his play The Beauty Of Incomplete Things as a template throughout the course, Beauty was crafted over a period of 15 years and was eventually staged independently by Dercksen.
What does the course involve?
There are 12 Units in the course, and each unit has
- Self-Tasks that you must research and complete in your own time.
- Tasks that you must submit to your coach to make sure that you are on the right track – during this process, your coach is there to help you understand the material and solve problems.
What you need to have for this course
- Access to the Internet
- The course is done online, via email, offering a one-on-one interaction between yourself and your coach
- Your imagination
Film Appreciation & Evaluation
What you will learn in this course:
- To help you understand the key dynamics of what film is made up of – technology, art, industry.
- To really understand what contemporary cinema is made up
- How to conceptualise your idea, develop characters, structure and plot the story, format,
Who is the course aimed at
- Geared for absolute beginners to budding cinephiles
- For professionals who need to be informed and conversant about the film industry
- For the layman who wants to know as much as he/she can about the world of film for personal enjoyment
- For those who want to venture into film journalism, film criticism of filmmaking
Goals and Objectives
- Venture into the world of filmmaking as a film journalist screenwriter, filmmaker, or work as a Script Supervisor
- Have the necessary tools of writing reviews that are meaningful and rewarding
- At the end of the course, you will write a review that will be evaluated.
What does the course involve?
There are 12 Units in the course, and each unit has
- Self-Tasks that you must research and complete in your own time.
- Tasks that you must submit to your coach to make sure that you are on the right track – during this process, your coach is there to help you understand the material and solve problems.
What you need have for this course
- Access to the Internet
- The course is done online, via email, offering a one-on-one interaction between yourself and your coach
- Your imagination
How to Read
A Film
For the cost, the full agenda, and registration information on the Film Appreciation course,
Escape to the tranquil serenity of the Karoo, where you can share some me time with your characters and find yourself in the process
Read more about our Retreat For Writers in the Karoo
Retreat for Writers
What you will learn in this retreat:
A personal journey into how to discipline the process of crafting your story, developing your idea, and characters, and plotting to create a story the world needs to experience.
Who is the retreat aimed at
- If you need to break away from the hustle and bustle to write your story
- Escape to the tranquil serenity of the Karoo, where you can share some me time with your characters and find yourself in the process.
- Ideal for writers who have completed a draft of their story and need feedback and a polish/edit
What does the retreat involve?
- The retreat accommodates whatever dates you need
- It takes place at The Writing Studio in Prince Albert in the heart of the Karoo
- You have to travel to Prince Albert and arrange for your own accommodation and meals
- We can arrange transport to Prince Albert and back to Cape Town, and recommend suitable accommodation
What you will need for this retreat
- You need to have a story you want to write