The advert that changed my mind…
The journey from idea to novel began with an unassuming advert on social media for a creative writing course. Our local adult learning hub was offering this part-time course, taught over two days a week for 12 weeks, completely free.
Currently, I’m in a place where I have the time and flexibility to attend, so I decided to sign up. After all, it was free, and I’ve been looking to get back into creative writing for a while. I was hoping it would help me get the creative side of my brain functioning better, but it has turned out to be much more than that.
The course is taught by two published authors who have created a system which can help anyone go from idea to short story in a way which helps you plan and organise as you go along.
I will admit that I was sceptical. Could I really use this system to organise my brain of chaos? It turned out the answer was absolutely yes.
After the first week, I had more ideas than I’ve had in years, and a desire to start cataloguing and developing them to see what’s viable.
After the second week, I had characters and a setting for my fantasy adventure all mapped out in the workbook we were given.
On week three, I made the decision to start this blog and write about the process of learning to plan and write a novel when my brain won’t sit still, and neither will the rest of me.
So, here it is. I’ve just finished week three, so I’ll be writing a handful of blog posts which cover my journey so far before posting in real time as I finish up this course, during which I’ll write and edit a 7000 word story, and then develop that story into a full novel.
