A SEMINAR ON THE FINE ART OF DRAMATIC WRITING

"A Good Story,
T o l d  W e l l"

Mission Statement

Attention All Scribes!

At a time when something as rudimentary as math is being sullied with politics, ideology and dogma, when our supposed institutes of learning seem to be more focused on indoctrination and fostering a mob mentality, rather than education and the nurturance of free thinkers, I have taken it upon myself to design an exclusive creative writing seminar that is focused entirely on writing.That’s right, a creative writing seminar that focuses on creative writing.It’s bizarre that such a basic idea could be considered controversial, or thought of as some kind of radical mission statement, but alas, these are the times we live in.Nevertheless, for those of you who wish to become better writers, without the stress of a bloated tuition, or the constraint of handcuffed teachers who must swear fealty to one extreme or the other, if you yearn to be free of these noxious fumes and join a Tribe of Scribes that is committed exclusively to the craft of writing…Your breath of fresh air has arrived.I can’t guarantee you a fancy degree, some elite alumni status, or even a job, but I can guarantee that you will be a better writer when you have finished this seminar.IF THAT INTERESTS YOU,

Seminar Introduction

week 1

“A Good Story, Told Well”
A Seminar on the Fine Art of Dramatic Writing
By Colin MacKenzie Mitchell

Both a recipe and a road map, “A Good Story, Told Well” is a simple approach to creative writing that breaks the process down into two essential parts:A Good Story. Told Well.This basic foundation frees the scribe to delve deep into both “story” and “telling,” putting the most granular elements of writing under the microscope, including:• Premise
• Character
• Conflict
• Orchestration
• Audience
• Medium
• POV
• Tone
• Specificity.After recruiting a dedicated Tribe of Scribes, each seminar will be carefully led by Colin MacKenzie Mitchell, writer, director, creator and executive producer of the fantasy adventure podcast series: “The Laundronauts: A Potentially Untrue Tale Based on Actual Events”. Mitchell is an award-winning, 30 year professional writer, performer, director, teacher, producer, comic scribe and editor-in-chief in the Arts, Entertainment and Media fields, and holds an MFA in Writing and Contemporary Media from Antioch University-Santa Barbara.At any given time in the process an author must be able to answer two questions: “Is this a good story? Am I telling it as well as I can?” If the answer is ever “no” an opportunity presents itself:
1) Strengthen the Story, or
2) Strengthen the Telling of the Story.This 12 week seminar is a weekly affair broken down into 12 easy-to-absorb 60 minute zoom sessions. Each session will focus on a specific aspect of the “Good Story, Told Well” roadmap, exploring each concept through rigorous scholarship, open discussion, historical example, and simple writing exercises and prompts.All are welcome. No matter what your industry. No matter what your skill level. Storytelling is a natural human trait. We use it every day without even thinking about it, but writing a story is a craft that requires specific skills. Those skills can be acquired, honed, and implemented by anyone in any medium in any industry for any audience.To register and become a part of this exclusive Tribe of Scribes, scroll down to the bottom page.For more information about the seminar please reply to:

The first session began MONDAY Jan 30, 2023Please email us to help schedule our next event!

"A Good Story Told Well" Seminar

Weekly Breakdown

1) What makes a story GOOD?
Your story must, at the very least, be able to answer the following:Premise:What is it about?(Week 2)Character: Who is it about?(Week 3)Conflict: Why should we care?(Week 4)2) How do you tell a story WELL?
These elements must be addressed and implemented into your storytelling:Medium: Sometimes the best way to tell a story is in a medium not yet imagined by the author. Understand the qualities that make each medium unique.
Choose wisely. (Week 5)POV: Who is telling the story? And whose story is it? Answer these two questions before writing. Do not stray from that voice and that point of view. (Week 6)Tone: Decide how you/your narrator/your protagonist feels about your subject matter. Write with that attitude. Don’t compromise to make you or your characters more likable. (Week 7)Audience: Write for one person and one person alone. Know them. Never generalize. Bring the audience into your world. Interest the stranger in your obsessions. (Week 8)Specificity: Always be specific with every word and detail you write, be it description, dialogue, names, places, everything. Specificity leads to Universality. (Week 9)Orchestration: Balance the needs, desires, and skills of your protagonists and antagonists evenly. This creates the greatest conflict.
And makes us care. (Week 10)Dialogue: At some point your characters will speak, learn how to write dialogue well using “chat bandit” exercises and writing short plays and sketches. With one guiding principle: “What people DON’T say is more important than what they DO say.”(Week 11)(Week 12) Review, Summary, Discussion, and Final Thoughts
........

How to Participate in the Seminar

Student Obligations

Student Cost:
•12 weeks, 12 sessions total.
•60 minute sessions each.
•Meet remotely on zoom.
•Meet once a week.
•7-10 students per seminar.
•Can attend single sessions separately.
•A single session costs $75.
Normally $60 pre-paid.
•First session free, if you want to continue, pay in full, or three payments of $220, due before the seminar ends.Total cost: $660.(Full Value: $720)Student Preparation:
•Register and pay for the seminar.
•Read Lajos Egri’s book: “The Art of Dramatic Writing”.
•Bring a pen and writing pad to each session.
•Arrive on time for each session.
•Bring a story idea to the seminar at any stage of development.
•Be prepared to work.
•Be prepared for homework.Ways to Participate in the Seminar:
•Pay for seminar in full and attend all sessions of seminar.
•Attend first session for free, pay in full, attend rest of sessions.
•Attend first session for free, attend rest of sessions, pay for seminar in full spread over three payments, due before end of seminar.
•Attend first session for free, attend single sessions as desired and scheduled, payment due before each session.
•Attend first session for free then opt out of rest of seminar..
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Registration

"A GOOD STORY, TOLD WELL" seminar registration form:

You may also call or text (805) 910-7107

ONLINE STORE

Ways to Pay

There are three easy ways to pay online:
1) The online store above allows you use PayPal
3) You can pay from Venmo

Venmo QR code for Colin-Mitchell-61

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Writing Clip Art

Gordon Johnson's writing clip art collection available from PixaBay
Gordon Johnson's writing clip art available from PixaBay

Gordon Johnson's Pixabay Collection