Writing Outside the Box - Introduction
Scroll to the end of the blog to watch the video tutorial for this session or read on for a full transcript of the workshop.
To find the other six sessions type #WritingOutsideTheBox into the Blog’s search engine.
Introduction:
My name is Jan Carson. I’m a novelist and short story writer, based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I’ve just published my fifth book and my work has been translated into around fifteen different languages. I also write for BBC Radio 4. I enjoy reading absolutely everything I can get my hands on and going to the cinema at least twice every week. It’s fair to say I’m absolutely obsessed with story. I love writing stories, telling stories, listening to stories and helping other people write stories. Over the last twenty years I’ve facilitated hundreds of writing workshops all over the world. There’s nothing I enjoy more than watching a room full of beginner writers find their voices, engage their imaginations and create powerful new stories. I’ve worked in schools, prisons, nursing homes, universities, community centres, hospitals and many other weird and wonderful places. It doesn’t matter where the writing workshop’s located, the stories written always have the power to transport both writers and readers beyond their present circumstances to places and spaces they can only imagine.
The idea for this series of six interactive writing workshops was conceived and developed during the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020. Watching people cocoon themselves within their own homes for weeks and months reminded me of what a great resource the imagination could be. I wrote every day during Lockdown and the worlds, characters and situations I created within the walls of my small East Belfast house, helped me not only imagine the world beyond my own front door but also a future beyond present circumstances. In his book, Voyage autour de ma chambre (1794), (Journey Around My Bedroom), the French writer Xavier de Maistre also found himself confined within a very small space. His book is a humorous account of how a young official, imprisoned in his room for six weeks, came to see his room and the furniture it contained with fresh eyes, almost as if he was visiting a strange land. He commends this kind of voyage to anyone who doesn’t have the money, time or resources to visit distant places. De Maistre travels around his room, using his imagination to map his indoor adventure. He sees stories in the tiny details of his every day environment which he might otherwise have missed.
Journey Around My Bedroom was the inspiration for these short tutorial videos. I want to encourage the people using them to take a small or confined space -a living room, classroom or hospital ward- and look at this familiar room with fresh eyes, using the items and opportunities it presents as inspiration for new stories. I encourage everyone taking part in these session to do so with the same spirit of imagination, adventure and playfulness in which de Maistre approached the original journey around a room.
User’s Guide
· The course contains six interactive video tutorials. Each is approximately 15 minutes long.
· The tutorials cover six distinct types of writing project. They can be run consecutively as a comprehensive writing course or, work equally well, as stand alone workshops.
· The video tutorials are appropriate for use by individuals or can be utilised by a group of creative writers.
· The material contained is suitable for beginner writers and entirely appropriate for young adults.
· This resource can be used by individuals or small groups operating by themselves. It can also be used by staff members, teachers and arts facilitators wishing to facilitate a writing workshop.
· A transcript of each session is available for any facilitators or participants who don’t have access to the tutorial videos.
· All participants require basic writing materials -pen, paper or computer- to engage with the session. No other materials are required but hot drinks, biscuits and cake do always seem to help the creative process.
· Each session begins with an overview of the topic covered within the tutorial and includes some examples of the writing style which are suitable for reading and discussion. All the writings suggested are easily found online and available from libraries.
· Participants are then through a series of interactive writing exercises. The video can be paused to allow an appropriate amount of time in which to complete the exercises. This can be adjusted according to participants’ needs.
· Each session concludes with an example of the kind of piece which might be written during the workshop.
· If appropriate, workshops should conclude with an opportunity for the participants to share the work they’ve written during the session.
· Always remember to offer encouragement and feedback to any participants who has shared work during the workshop.
· Have fun.
Developed, written and presented by Jan Carson
Produced by Alan Meban
Funded by Arts Council NI
