Dear Writers,
Songs are seeds for creativity, just like we are.
One thing I love about writing to music is music is full of emotion and music has tonal dynamics in it--just like great writing.
The process of reading your work aloud can bring about emotion in the reader or the audience.
But so can the act of writing.
I like to dance in my chair sometimes as I write, or emote to sad music, if the scene or poem I'm working on is sad.
Writing to a particular song can free up your spirit, can bring buoyancy to the work, can move you to create a scene that you otherwise wouldn't have.
Try it and see what happens.
Make a playlist to write to.
Maybe you're writing about your culture, your childhood, your family. Maybe you're writing about a particular time of life, or maybe a character needs a playlist that is particularly their own.
Make a playlist and then play it, and write to that music. Think about the rhythm of the music, write to that. Does it make you write slow and smooth on the page, or hit the keys with fast staccato beats.
I make playlists all the time to manifest good writing, to bring justice into my life, to turn around a bad mood into a good one, to protest the man, to cultivate joy, to believe in myself and not be afraid of new ideas.
Are you feeling blocked?
If so, try it and see what you come up with.
Make a playlist for your main character, for their world, or
for the healing of the world,
for liberation of all oppressed peoples.
Make a playlist
for somebody you love,
for somebody you miss,
for the joy you will feel when your finished book is in your hands.
Make a playlist for whatever you want and write.
Just like a good playlist, SF Creative Writing Institute is here for you whether you've got writing in progress that needs a polish, or the seed of an idea that needs careful cultivation.
Tomorrow, I'm opening up our summer session with our first workshop of summer, the Summer Plot Sprint. You can read more about it and the rest of our summer workshops below.
Warmly,
Alexandra
Alexandra Kostoulas,
Founder & Executive Director,
SF Creative Writing Institute
Workshops, Readings & Camps
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June 1-Sept 7 - Summer Plot Sprint
Finish a draft of your manuscript with us in this new hybrid workshop with two in-person meetings + two online meetings. We meet once a month with the goal of editing or drafting 80-100 pages of new work in four months. Online in between. First session to be held at a separate new location - email for details.
Instructor: Alexandra Kostoulas Hybrid Workshop. $495
Learn More
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June 14-Sept 13 - Summer Plot Sprint
Finish a draft of your manuscript with us in this online workshop for people outside of Bay Area with four online meetings. We meet once a month with the goal of editing or drafting 80-100 pages of new work in four months. Online in between. - 2 spots left
Instructor: Alexandra Kostoulas Hybrid Workshop. $495
Learn More
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July 20-August 31 - Summer Plot Sprint
This is a perfect workshop for a beginner or an experienced writer looking to find or rediscover their voice.
In this 7-week workshop, we will focus on writing from the Deep Voice and the framework invented by Jack Grapes on how to cultivate your own unique voice in your writing.
Instructor: Alexandra Kostoulas Online Workshop. $450. Saturday 9:30AM PST
Learn More
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August 12-16 Teen Creative Writing Summer Camp
For all the teenagers in your life. Write new poems and stories. Meet friends. Produce a chapbook of poems, and stories by the end. Last week of summer before SFUSD begins. In-Person Summer Camp for teens. M-F 12-5pm. Harvey Milk Center. $450. Early Bird Discount - $400 w/ code Save50. -4 spots left.
Instructor: Alexandra Kostoulas
Learn More.
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Sept 7-Oct 12 Art of the Chapbook Online
This workshop will focus on preparing manuscripts to become chapbooks, from poetry to flash prose to micro-essay collections, or any hybrid thereof. Several writers have published their chapbooks after taking this class!
Instructor: Paul Corman-Roberts
Online Workshop. $425. Saturday 11:00AM PST
Learn More.
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PS. Keep writing!
If you come up with any particular playlist, please send me the songs, and the work you came up with!
