The Exploratory Writing Workshop!

Have you ever written a short story based on an intriguing central character who lives in an interesting world and overcomes a problem? Then, after it's written and percolated awhile, wondered . . . "And then? . . ." You just know there must be more to the story.

Hello, I'm Percy Goodfellow. I'm the instructor for The Exploratory Writing Workshop, and this workshop will help you tell the rest of the story. 

The purpose of this eight week workshop (with an Orientation on the first day of the term) is to provide a model for writing longer works.  It uses the immersion technique.  The student gets an idea and then writes a vignette of between a thousand and three thousand words.

This is how the workshop will work.  Each week the student will write about an aspect of the story they have in mind.  These mini-stories are developed like serials in a TV drama.  What they have in common is the same back story and characters.

  Each Thursday, a new lesson is posted with a learning objective.  This objective includes a prompt for the week's vignette and a check list to make sure everything is included.  This will be the same checklist the instructor will use in evaluating the submission.  On the following Thursday, at midnight, WdC time, the week's vignette will be due.  By Monday evening, the instructor's assessment for the week's assignment will be provided as feedback to the student.

  During the following seven weeks, the student will expand on the original idea of their story, as dictated by the prompts.  Each week the new assignment will build on the previous assignments adding momentum, new twists, and characters.

  At the end of week seven, the student will have six installments and a stable of characters.  In week eight, the goal will be to create the final comprehensive outline integrating the collective assignments and reaching a final decision as to a central character, and determining the final climax and conclusion of the proposed novel.

This process will give the writer a starting point for a more comprehensive work and show the building blocks for going about putting one together.  It will be a fun way to learn how to take a basic idea and expand it into something larger and more integrated.  At the completion of the workshop, the student will be ready to start writing in bite sized chunks about characters who are vivid and engaging. Having this outline allows the writer to work on a piece here and a piece there knowing that when the outline is completely fleshed out the result will be an integrated work with a beginning, middle and end.
 
         Lessons for The Exploratory Writing Workshop

Orientation:     Introduction to Workshop
Lesson 1:          Three Step Character Development Model and Favorite Author Chapter Template
Lesson 2:          Central Character, Story World, and Want, Need, or Desire
Lesson 3:          Supporting Character and uptempo of events
Lesson 4:          Supporting Character, Dramatic Premise, and Life Changing Event
Lesson 5:          Crisis #1 (Internal - the smallest) Our own worst enemy
Lesson 6:          Crisis #2 (External - the intermediate)
Lesson 7:          Crisis #3 (The final crisis.  The climax. The big blow-out)
Lesson 8:          The Comprehensive Outline

If you have any questions about the workshop, please let me know.  percy goodfellow

This workshop will take a commitment from each student.  Please be sure you are willing to take the time and effort before you make the commitment.

For more information and registration instructions please visit our catalogue

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