"An opportunity to try new things out of your comfort zone. Too good to miss."
Specialist Courses 2022
9:30-10:30 Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
Our selection of specialist courses form the backbone of the Swanwick programme, running throughout the week. These in-depth courses provide the opportunity for you to learn more about your chosen subject and develop your skills over the four sessions.
Our selection of specialist courses form the backbone of the Swanwick programme, running throughout the week. These in-depth courses provide the opportunity for you to learn more about your chosen subject and develop your skills over the four sessions.
The Craft of Scriptwriting - Neil Zoladkiewicz
Are you considering writing a play script? Do you currently have one in development? Are you a budding screenwriter or radio dramatist? Or are you hoping to be a ‘Page to Stage’ winner? Perhaps you are a novelist or short story writer who has problems with writing dialogue. This course may help!
This interactive course will explore scenes from scripts old and new and delegates will also work in groups to devise scenes and speeches. Proceeding from structuring the action of a play or screenplay, the course will then look at ways of shaping a scene, developing characters through dialogue and action and structuring speeches and monologues. It will also give ideas for focusing dialogue and different dramatic structures will be explored. The different challenges in writing a one-act and a full-length script will be considered as well as guidelines for writing for competitions. Current theatre techniques will also be outlined to examine how the actor and the director approach scripts in rehearsal. Some of these techniques may be of use in writing dialogue in novels or short stories.
This interactive course will explore scenes from scripts old and new and delegates will also work in groups to devise scenes and speeches. Proceeding from structuring the action of a play or screenplay, the course will then look at ways of shaping a scene, developing characters through dialogue and action and structuring speeches and monologues. It will also give ideas for focusing dialogue and different dramatic structures will be explored. The different challenges in writing a one-act and a full-length script will be considered as well as guidelines for writing for competitions. Current theatre techniques will also be outlined to examine how the actor and the director approach scripts in rehearsal. Some of these techniques may be of use in writing dialogue in novels or short stories.
- Session 1: Shaping the Action: Dramatic Form and Structure.
- Session 2: Shaping the Scene: Isolating the Moment.
- Session 3: Shaping the Character: Mining the Subtext.
- Session 4: Shaping Speeches and Monologues.
|
Neil Zoladkiewicz has taught Drama for over 30 years at his secondary school where he has directed over 50 productions. These including his own adaptations of Dickens, R.L. Stevenson, Mary Shelley, Victor Hugo and Mark Twain, two new Sherlock Holmes adventures and two new plays about the birth of the Cinema: ‘Mickey and the Movies’ and ‘Chaplin: The Early Years’. Many of these were also presented in Budapest and his play 'The Sea Serpent' has been translated into Hungarian and is in development at the Kolibri Theatre there. He is currently developing 'Will and Juliet', a play about Shakespeare's acting company and the first boy actor to play Juliet in 'Romeo and Juliet.'
|
|
Several of his short plays for young people have been published, including ‘Pressures’, ‘Cornelius’ and ‘Under the Bridge’.
For several years Neil also gave Drama courses for teachers with Creative Education.
Neil is also working on a novel, ‘Driftwood’ and he is a regular blogger: Meditations of Neilus Aurelius.
For several years Neil also gave Drama courses for teachers with Creative Education.
Neil is also working on a novel, ‘Driftwood’ and he is a regular blogger: Meditations of Neilus Aurelius.
Creative Non-fiction - Simon Whaley
Creative Non-Fiction is about conveying the truth using fiction-writing techniques. It’s not about making things up, but being creative with the way you convey the facts. Whether you’re a travel writer, write biography/memoir, a nature writer, food writer, write personal essays, or simply enjoy journalling, creative non-fiction can transform your writing and your reader experience.
This four-part specialist course is suitable for those new to creative non-fiction, as well as those who already enjoy writing travel, biography, memoir, nature writing, etc, and will explore how using different creative non-fiction techniques will add drama and interest to your factual writing.
Session 1: The Art of Creative Non-Fiction.
What is creative non-fiction? What is it not? This first session will clarify those questions and then explore the first key building block of creative non-fiction: writing in scenes. It’s not just short stories or novels that benefit from the structure of scenes, non-fiction needs them too. Once you’ve sorted your scenes, then you can be creative about the order in which you put them.
Session 2: Putting Words Into Other People’s Mouths
Journalists use quotes, but creative non-fiction writers use dialogue. In this session we’ll explore how it’s possible to convey the truth by putting words in other people’s mouths, without being libellous. We’ll examine the tricks used by travel writers, in particular, who use dialogue to reveal character, a sense of place, and atmosphere.
Session 3: Being or Becoming the Primary Source
Journalists go in search of primary sources, to report the facts, but creative non-fiction writers are either the primary source themselves, or they ask enough questions so they can write as if they were the primary source. This session will explore questioning techniques, and how our senses help us to convey atmosphere.
Session 4: Effective Observation.
Being the primary source means our observations need to be effective. Only then can we carefully select the right words to repaint the scene we witnessed in our readers’ imaginations. But how do we look at the world around us properly? This final session will look at ways we can improve our observations skills … which may require us to step outside briefly (weather permitting).
This four-part specialist course is suitable for those new to creative non-fiction, as well as those who already enjoy writing travel, biography, memoir, nature writing, etc, and will explore how using different creative non-fiction techniques will add drama and interest to your factual writing.
Session 1: The Art of Creative Non-Fiction.
What is creative non-fiction? What is it not? This first session will clarify those questions and then explore the first key building block of creative non-fiction: writing in scenes. It’s not just short stories or novels that benefit from the structure of scenes, non-fiction needs them too. Once you’ve sorted your scenes, then you can be creative about the order in which you put them.
Session 2: Putting Words Into Other People’s Mouths
Journalists use quotes, but creative non-fiction writers use dialogue. In this session we’ll explore how it’s possible to convey the truth by putting words in other people’s mouths, without being libellous. We’ll examine the tricks used by travel writers, in particular, who use dialogue to reveal character, a sense of place, and atmosphere.
Session 3: Being or Becoming the Primary Source
Journalists go in search of primary sources, to report the facts, but creative non-fiction writers are either the primary source themselves, or they ask enough questions so they can write as if they were the primary source. This session will explore questioning techniques, and how our senses help us to convey atmosphere.
Session 4: Effective Observation.
Being the primary source means our observations need to be effective. Only then can we carefully select the right words to repaint the scene we witnessed in our readers’ imaginations. But how do we look at the world around us properly? This final session will look at ways we can improve our observations skills … which may require us to step outside briefly (weather permitting).
|
Simon Whaley is freelance writer, bestselling author and photographer.
With over 800 articles published in magazines in the UK, USA, Australia and Canada, he’s learned how to be the Complete Article Writer. His articles have appeared in Coast, Outdoor Photography, The Simple Things, Country Walking, The Author, Discover Britain, The Countryman and Celtic Life International. He regularly contributes travel and real life pieces to The People’s Friend and, since 2014, has produced the monthly Business of Writing column in Writing Magazine. Simon regularly delivers workshops at various locations across the UK, spent ten years as a tutor for the Writers Bureau (and even wrote the non-fiction modules of their Creative Writing Course) and previously tutored at Swanwick in 2010. For more information, visit www.simonwhaley.co.uk |
The Full Monty of Love (Poetry) - Roy McFarlane
Love has been the theme of so many works, poets and authors, playwrights and artiste, all have mused over millennia over this thing called love. How do we make it fresh, seductive and engrossing, reflect our experiences with a gaze that’s universal? How do we release this emotion at times troubled and other times glorious?
Love which has influenced the gods, destroyed cities, or frustrated poets. The Greeks described six forms of love but over four days we’ll be looking at Storge familial love; Philia friendly love; Agape divine love; Eros romantic love.
From Latin poet Catullus infatuation with a woman, he called Lesbia to Phillip Larkin This Be the Verse and many more poets today, we’ll be drawing from our memories, using music, films and places; borrowing from nature to politics to shine a light on love. Also looking at a few poetic forms along the way to help us find inspiration and desire to write
Love which has influenced the gods, destroyed cities, or frustrated poets. The Greeks described six forms of love but over four days we’ll be looking at Storge familial love; Philia friendly love; Agape divine love; Eros romantic love.
From Latin poet Catullus infatuation with a woman, he called Lesbia to Phillip Larkin This Be the Verse and many more poets today, we’ll be drawing from our memories, using music, films and places; borrowing from nature to politics to shine a light on love. Also looking at a few poetic forms along the way to help us find inspiration and desire to write
|
Roy McFarlane was born in Birmingham of Jamaican parentage and spent most of his years living in Wolverhampton and the surrounding Black Country. He has held the role of Birmingham’s Poet Laureate and presently the Birmingham & Midland Institute Poet in Residence.
His debut collection was Beginning With Your Last Breath (Nine Arches Press 2016) followed by The Healing Next Time (2018), nominated for Ted Hughes award, Jhalak prize, Poetry Book Society recommendation and one of the Guardians best poetry titles of 2018. He’s also a graduate of the MA in Writing Poetry with Newcastle University and a Jerwood Bursary recipient. |
|
Short Story Writing - Ingrid Jendrzejewski
Details of Ingrid's course will appear here very soon
|
Ingrid Jendrzejewski grew up in Vincennes, Indiana, studied creative writing at the University of Evansville, then physics at the University of Cambridge. She started submitting work for publication in 2014 and has since found homes for around 100 of her pieces, been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Vestal Review’s VERA Award, and twice for Best Small Fictions, and won her first trip to Swanwick through Writing Magazine's short story competition. In 2017, she gave her first Swanwick workshop on writing for competitions. Ingrid currently lives in Cambridge where she writes, freelances, and occasionally runs writing workshops.
Email: secretary@swanwickwritersschool.org.uk |
