Join creative writer and filmmaker, R. Lyon Bergh, as he moderates an in-depth group discussion on various literary subjects, including appearances with Special Guests and Industry Professionals!
This discussion-based class will be conducted as 1 hour weekly sessions over Zoom, for 6 weeks, and will be recorded so that sessions may be made available for later On-demand Viewing or used in future promotional postings. The topics to be discussed will be announced before the start of each term. Topics for future terms will be chosen, in part, from group suggestions.
The following group of discussions will begin Tuesday August 23rd, 2022, 8:15-9:15 pm. Topics Covered:
WEEK 1
THE STRENGTH OF OPENINGS — Where to begin a story, and how to get your audience involved from the get-go.
WEEK 2
CHOOSING POINT OF VIEW — A look at the advantages and limitations of the various POV’s from which a story can be told.
WEEK 3
THE UNRELIABLE NARRATOR — Taking advantage of the audiences assumption that the story teller is always right.
WEEK 4
SEASON AND STORY — Connecting the four seasons to a story to build characters, create mood and illuminate the theme.
WEEK 5
SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING STOLEN — Discussing the balance between unique voice and the need for the familiar while asking some of the tough questions around plagiarism and appropriation.
WEEK 6
WHY HORROR? — A conversation about the Horror Genre, its history, tropes, and themes with the purpose of answering the question: Why do we love to be scared?
The cost for the 6 week series will be only $75 (or $60 for ALUMNI or current writing students), on Tuesdays from 8:15- 9:15 pm. Our next rotation of Topics will begin Tuesday August 23rd, 2022. Sign up below to receive your Zoom invitation, and indicate the Date(s) or Topics of choice.
Previous Recorded Topics (available for purchase to view):
- Under the Scope, How much story is too much story? Fitting the size of the story to the length of the medium.
- On Research, What needs to be researched and what doesn’t. How to do research for fiction, and when accuracy matters versus when precise details are unwanted.
- Dropping Exposition, Tips and tricks for teaching the audience what it needs to know without making their eyes role.
- Basically it's about....How to talk about your story concisely in a way that gets people excited about it.
- The Value of Likability, Do your characters have to be “likable”, and what the heck does that actually even mean?
- Astrology and Character, Using the basic elements of astrology to build true to life characters.
- Writing “Good” Dialog: What makes good dialog “good”? Tips and techniques for writing what people say.
- Psychopaths and Narcissistic Personalities: Looking beyond the clichés to create true-to-life narcissistic villains and protagonist responses.
- Suspended Disbelief: How far can we bend reality? A discussion of the laws of magic and serendipity; how far can you go to make your story work.
- Save the Cat: Examining Blake Snyder’s story “genres” and how they compare to the Hero’s Journey. Is it helpful or just more noise? When it works, when it doesn’t.
- Symbols, Motifs, and Clichés: Using universal or invented devices to speak without speaking. Which ones are effective, which ones are overused, and how to keep it fresh.
