Creative Writing in a Nutshell

Lecture 6 begins a new section, which covers all aspects of storytelling. This lesson involves writing for the print media. Topics include advertisements, advice columns, human interest stories, and comic strips.

Lecture 7 continues the concepts covered in Lecture 6 (Print Media), expanding these ideas to the world of Broadcast Media. Central to this format is the challenging task of saying everything you want to say in 15 seconds, 30 seconds, or 60 seconds of advertising time. A formula is given for developing ads for the Broadcast Media.

Lecture 8 expands upon the “parable” concept discussed in Lecture 7, covering many (sorry, not all) aspects of the Fairy Tale. Some basic characteristics of fairy tales are outlined. Examples are given. The student is invited to write his / her own fairy tale, an exercise which you are certain to find enjoyable. May you live happily ever after!

Lecture 9 tells you how to write a play. Ideas for developing characters are given. Next, you have to decide on a conflict. Then, think about what point in the character’s life will you begin your story? Each play follows a three-act structure. Finally, this lecture ends with a discussion of Morality Plays. Granted, these are a bit outdated, but what use is writing a play if there is no “moral of the story”?

Lecture 10 expands upon the three-act structure discussed in the previous lecture, moving into a different medium – film. Here we will study various aspects of screenwriting, including technical elements such as sluglines, action, characters, and dialog. This lecture begins a new section on Film, which will be continued in the following two lectures.

Lecture 11 gives you an overall view of the timing of the three acts in a film. It shows you were to place that magnificent scene that is often used in trailers, drawing potential viewers to the theater to watch this splendid movie!

Lecture 12.  Further attention is given to the timing of a film. Can you guess what this is by reading the title of the lecture?

Lecture 13 begins a new section on Poetry. Some of the technical aspects of poetry are discussed. Many different innovative forms are given. You are invited to “step outside of yourself” and jump into the world of Poetry!

Lecture 14 focuses on one important type of poetry – the Sonnet. There are many types of Sonnet, but William Shakespeare more or less standardized it by writing in one particular rhyme scheme.

The Sestina and its variations will be the focus of Lecture 15. This is a fun exercise which will help you stretch the limits of your imagination. Sir Philip Sidney gives us inspiration in this form, but others, like Theodore Roethke and Dylan Thomas, show how this form can be adapted to modern poetry.

Lecture 16 delves into that adorable little Japanese form called Haiku. One variation, the longer Tanka, is also included.

Lecture 17 is the one and only lecture in this section. (I know, you thought “Review” was going to be a review of this course.) Writing reviews is an important part of modern life. In a world dominated by Hollywood, Amazon, and Google, we as consumers all wonder how we should spend our hard-earned cash! The thoughts and feelings of those who have gone before us blaze a very useful trail in this jungle of products, services, and potential rip-offs. How to write a review will get you started. (Please write a kind review of this course!!!)