EACH COURSE is comprised of 9 modules structured to lead the participant through an evolving complexity of craft skills and analytic techniques.

They can be digested as ‘one-off’ aperitifs, springboards for future composition or as analytic filters for major works already in progress...

All participants can take as much time as they require to finish each of the modules, with each module e-mailed to them as needed.

Each course runs concurrently, but all modules in each must be attempted sequentially in order for each participant to achieve a maximum benefit of application and style...

The sequencing of the modules are designed to lead the writer into a defined method of creation, where their individual writing process is maximised so that the first draft is reasonably assured to be the right draft...

Here are a few examples: activate your pens...

(from) Creative Writing 1.5
(from) Creative Writing 2.3
(from) Scripting 1.3
(from) Scripting 2.2
(from) Writing and Editing for Publication 1.1

(from) Creative Writing 1.5

1	•	examine an object of your choosing closely, take your impressions of it and its semiotic values then list them
2	•	devise a story-outline, working through a three-movement structure, that empresses the theme of the object in some way (it doesn't have to be literal)
3	•	define character(s) that can, through their attributes, resonate with the object in terms of their necessity for development
4	•	choose a landscape that is symbolically resonant of the theme of the object, the character imperatives and consequently the storyline
5	•	plan how to move through the narrative, what focus you intend to take at any point in it (1st, 3rd person, God, monologue, stream-of-consciousness, dialogue) and note these down on your story framework

(from) Creative Writing 2.3

1	•	100-200 words
2	•	sentences per paragraph 1-3
3	•	describe a character at a point of moral crisis, where their perception of reality threatens to make them betray their beliefs or ideals
4	•	if you wish, extend your draft of the exercise
5	•	find 1 immediately contemporary cultural icon (object or media) that projects an image of some aspect of humanity as a stereotype

(from) Scripting 1.3

1	•	Develop a theme. Choose an issue or concern about the human condition that has pertinence to you. Think about it in general, almost mythical terms. Express it in a single sentence.
2	•	Define 3 characters whose interaction can exemplify the theme. In no more than 3 paragraphs, describe how this interaction takes place, leaving it open-ended (ie. there is no resolution, only a description of their interpersonal dynamic)
3	•	In one paragraph, define a general setting (location, time, season) that resonates with both the characters and the theme.

(from) Scripting 2.2

1	•	200 words
2	•	define a story where 2 main characters have to band together to face a common threat (probably beyond their control)
3	•	define the moment when the threat seems ready to destroy them
4	•	turn this into an ‘action’ sequence
5	•	list the elements and details that occur in this sequence in hierarchical order of impact
6	•	write the scene (no dialogue, present tense)

(from) Writing and Editing for Publication 1.1

1	•	develop an imaginary concept that is applicable to the organisation you are currently working in (ie. policy/product/evaluation).
2	•	outline this concept in no more than 300 words in 3 stages
		- definition/premise
		- expansion/implication/argument
		- outcome/inference/conclusion
3	•	make a list or flow-chart of the concept's applicability to other departments or organisations in terms of your perceived evaluation of them.
4	•	re-examine your outline and alter accordingly

Phew...

But there’s no word length, there’s no pressure. No ‘pass’, ‘fail’, or ‘maybe’. Literary democracy lies in the attempt. All that’s required is a commitment to making yourself become the best writer you can possibly be, and complete as much as you can.

Hopefully, each participant can turn around and e-mail back to Write Mechanix each exercise completed within 14 days, so we can comment on it at our end efficiently...

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