If you want to be a storyteller, it is important to explore your strengths and weaknesses as a writer.
The first step of our signature course, The Write Journey, takes you on an introspective journey to explore your strengths and weaknesses as a writer, empowering you to craft a powerful story that the world wants to watch or read. You will also explore this in our workshops.
To be a writer and become a storyteller is about developing the write attitude. This is an important contract you are signing with yourself.
Perhaps you are a master at the configuration and perfectly understand the mechanics of structure, but if you have not fully conceptualised what it is you want to write about or even fail to prioritise the rigorous toll of the writing process, you will have difficulties in completing a successful draft.
Let’s take a closer look at what it takes to be a writer:
The 7 Cs
CHANGE
You are what you write. What you write reflects who you are; your culture, humanity, history, point of view, and knowledge. What you write informs and influences your writing, your story, your theme, your plot and your characters. As a writer, you have to alter the way you see the world, change the way you think, and the way you live. You have to become schizophrenic in your constant search to create solid characters and embody alien worlds.
COURSE OF ACTION
The act of creation is an organic process, a process that evolves from the seed of inspiration to the screening of the film, staging of your play, and publication of your novel or story. You must know your place in the creative process. Know what it takes to be a writer and understand the world of the writer.
CONCEIVE
As a writer, you must continuously explore and develop new ideas that will be good for you to write. Find an idea that excites you and write with passion. Consider the criteria that breed good ideas. Make sure that your story is worth telling. Understand the conventions of the genre.
CONCEPTUALISE
Having a killer premise for an idea is not enough. You don’t have enough information. You’ve got to dramatise your premise. What is your story about? Define your premise. Articulate it. If you don’t know, who does? Expressing the idea for your story gives both the storyteller and the collaborators a focal point to develop the story and the plot. You have to master the art of dramatising your idea and writing high concepts.
CONSTRUCTION
You have to build your story. Once the what (idea) is clear, you have to build the inner life of your story, or the why (theme), the who (characters), and how the what happens (plot). You have to turn imaginary and fictional creations into real people we fall in love with or love to hate. Bring the people who live in your story to life: Make us fall desperately in love and care deeply about the people you write about. Understand the differences between story, plot and subplot. Design faultless scenes and sequences that have meaning and impact. Explore the endless possibilities of different plots and use the right plot for the right story
CREATE
It is the ability to make or otherwise bring into existence something new, whether a new solution to a problem, a new method or device, or a new art form or object. Creative writing is self-expression, and self-discovery, to gain knowledge, share knowledge or heal wounds. No matter why you want to become a writer, unlocking your creativity can unlock your power to make the world a better place. You have to become an expert at research. Create a visual narrative that is continuous, coherent, and compelling in action. Create dynamic characters. Create the world of your story. Create a professional draft.
COMMERCE
You have to eventually sell your work. In order to do this, you have to deliver a draft that is clean, lean and easy to read: You are proud of your manuscript and writing and can hand it over with confidence. Know how to sell yourself: you have to discard your writing persona and embody a business sense that will ensure your survival.
The 7 Cs are fully explored in our The Write Journey course or workshop and will give you an opportunity to introspectively evaluate your strengths and weaknesses as a writer
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