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Click on any of the subject headings here to take you to a short description of the various ready-made courses I can teach Click here for forthcoming courses Writing courses, ukulele courses ... For a list of public access courses that I am booked to teach, please check out the Forthcoming Courses page Starting to WriteConvinced that you have the ability to write, but unsure how to get started? If that sounds like you, then this course might be just the thing to give you a little momentum. We will look at where to find ideas, how to develop those ideas into something worthwhile, planning to write, what to write and when to write it, how to revise your work and where to sell what you have written. Gain the confidence to make the most of your talents in a supportive atmosphere. *********How to Write Good, Plain English Baffled by balderdash? Muddled by management-speak? Psyched out by psychobabble? As the English language is mangled into mumbo-jumbo, be part of the fight-back and learn how to write clearly, precisely and so that your readers can understand you. This is an absolute must fort any business or organisation. This course will help you develop your skills and confidence in writing plain, understandable English for a general audience. It is for:
On the Course: We will cover the following topics:
We will use a variety of teaching methods, e.g. explanation, discussion, writing exercises - you'll be encouraged to join in. Above all, we'll try and have some fun doing it. The course will be practical, down-to-earth, and friendly. You’ll be encouraged to look at the strengths in your writing and to work to these. *********Kick-Start Your Creative Writing Ideas are the life-blood of the writer. The more ideas you have, the more you can write. This course will show you different ways in which you can come up with new ideas for stories, plays and poems, time after time. In a course chock-full of examples, exercises, hints and tips, you should find yourself bursting with fresh ideas that you want to get down on paper.
********* Some of the greatest works of literature aren’t plays, poems or novels, but non-fiction. Writers like Bruce Chatwin, Paul Theroux and Colin Thubron write travel books that tell us as much about the human condition as any Booker Prize winning novelist. Reportage by George Orwell and John Steinbeck influenced social reform. Books such as Blake Morrison’s “As If” and John Hersey’s “Hiroshima” put appalling events into human terms. Science writing by Oliver Sacks and Richard Dawkins make difficult concepts available to the lay public without condescending to them. From the comedy travel writing of Jerome K Jerome to the “non-fiction novels” of Truman Capote and Norman Mailer, we’ll look at how writers achieve their effects. En route, we’ll cover many genres, including biography, autobiography, memoir, science writing, sports, politics and life-style. Then, once we’ve seen how great writers do it, we’ll have a go ourselves. This is a course that combines studying the literature of creative non-fiction and trying out some of the techniques of the genre. It is a course for those of you who are interested in good writing and would like to write. Only 10% of the books published each year in the UK are novels. Creative non-fiction is an enormous area and is set to grow even bigger. ********* Writing for Publication – How to Make Money from WritingMany of us dream of making a fortune from the power of the pen. Although there are many authors who do make a great deal of money, the reality for most is a hard slog with limited rewards. This workshop looks at the various markets – magazines, small presses, poetry, non-fiction and fiction books, and other outlets for writing and will examine practical approaches to selling your work. You may not get rich, but there’s no reason why you can’t be making a little bit of extra cash on the side. *********English AS & A Level Coursework Original writing is an important element of AS & A level English. However, the demands placed on the students are highly disparate. It is also a huge amount of hard work for the teacher, who is expected to guide students through the various stages of planning, drafting, re-writing and final stage editing, commenting on the work throughout. One way of addressing these demands is by encouraging the students to participate in the production of a magazine under the guidance of a professional writer. Magazine articles and stories aim to entertain, persuade, inform, instruct or advise – sometimes achieving more than one of these goals. By producing a one-off magazine aimed at the intelligent 16-25 year old reader, students are able to meet these particular syllabus requirements. They can also draw on their own experience of personal reading, writing about topics that are of direct and personal relevance to them. Producing a magazine also encourages individual responsibility within a team framework. Producing a Magazine is a structured project that gives students confidence in their writing. It not only helps students meet the requirements of approximately half the coursework, but also gives them an understanding of the nature of writing for a specific audience. Students will be encouraged to take the kind of approach required of the freelance writer, such as strict deadlines, high standards and an in-depth understanding of the target readership, as well as helping them improve their written skills. It also means that the English teacher is relieved of the tasks of reading and commenting on work-in-progress, thereby concentrating on summative assessment. ********* Writing Articles for Magazines Writing articles for magazines is a great way of breaking into print and can be personally and financially rewarding. This course is a practical introduction, full of help and advice and with plenty of opportunities for you to try out your own ideas. We will look at where and how to find ideas, how to write them up and where to sell your work. ********* Love travel? Love writing about the places you’ve visited, or even about where you live? This course will show you how to take your travel experiences and develop them into fully-fledged pieces of writing. We will look at what makes good travel writing, learning from examples by experts in the genre, and the potential markets for travel writing. From Tonbridge Wells to Timbuktu, Upminster to Ulan Bator, from your own back yard to the back-of-beyond, we’ll look at how to craft a piece from your own experience. You’ll have plenty of time to write during the weekend in the company of like-minded people. ********* Writing Your Own Life StoryThey say that everyone has a book in them. This practical course will help you to put down on paper your memories, reflections and ideas. We will cover such topics as jogging your memory, drafting your work and improving your writing using fiction writers techniques. If you’ve always wished your ancestors had written about their lives, now is the chance to do something for your family’s historical records for generations to come. See my book on the subject – Writing Your Own Life Story ********* Writing HumourThe British are renowned for their sense of humour. If you’re able to write humorously, you are much more likely to sell your writing. This course will look at:
********* Writing Plays for Children and Amateur GroupsOne of the most satisfying projects for a writer is to have a play staged. What better way to start than with a play aimed at schools, youth groups or the amateur stage? We will learn how to develop story-lines, plots, characters and dialogue from the kernel of an idea to the full-blown production. How to weave in tension, suspense, conflict and atmosphere. What technical tricks are available to you? What to do with your finished play. ********* Children love the spooky, the horrifying and the frightening. Gory Stories encourages children to come up with their own ideas, gives them confidence in their writing and enables them to produce good imaginative writing. Gory Stories is a writing project for pupils in years 7-9, although it can work with Upper Primary children. ********* Writing a Non-Fiction BookAlthough many people would love to write a novel, you stand a much greater chance of being published with a non-fiction book. This course will take you through all the stages – from idea to outline, from approaching a publisher with a fully-fledged proposal to sitting down and writing. There will be plenty of handouts, exercises and information plus a few anecdotes from my own experience. Check out the book Successful Non-fiction Writing on the Books page ********* Learn to Play the Ukulele in a Weekend Are you a non-musician who’s always fancied playing an instrument? Put off by the cost? Put off by how hard it all looks? Why heave around a double-bass or a drum set? Learn to play the ukulele and you’ve got your own orchestra. Playable beginners’ instruments cost around £15.00. The ukulele is cheap, portable, fun and can be used as a stepping stone to other stringed instruments, especially the guitar. As it has nylon strings, it’s easier on your fingers than most stringed instruments. Strings do not have to be replaced too frequently and, if you get the bug, a very good instrument that will last a life-time can be bought for under £200. ********* |