Joined Story Teller Academy this morning...seems good
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@Kevin-Longueil I am interested in writing! I've done some classes from Masterclass last year, I have wrote down a few ideas and then forgot about it...
Now, seeing your post I want to try it again. I might join for a month or so once i finish all the classes that i bought on Domestica...
I got excited about discounts in January and bought few too many. Now I am stack with classes with subtitles cause they are mostly in Spanish!
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@Kevin-Longueil I am started to be interested in writing, or perhaps more accurately, in the interplay between images and writing. I have been listening to videos by Peter Brown and Jon Klassen lately, and reading Understanding Comics (which isn't just about comics).
I always thought I'd try writing once I reached a professional level in illustration. I still need to do a lot of work on illustration, but now I'm realizing that one might become a better illustrator by studying writing as well. After all, we're storytellers.
@aska I have a Domestika course as well, the one by Adolfo Serra. I just like watching whatever he comes up with, because it's so creative! Just let the Spanish wash over you as you read the subtitles and you may find yourself learning some of that as well!
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I have been writing both with words and images during the last couple of month. Right now I am looking for a community for writers, similar to the svslearn for forum for illustrators. @Kevin-Longueil let us know how their forum works once you have tried it out
So far what has helped me the most to understand writing as an art form was a book I found on my own bookshelf (My husband had it for years): Steering Craft by Ursula Le Guin. She ran many writing workshops in the 90s, and the book was basically her writing down the instructions and techniques she used in her workshops. She explained some of the basically concepts and each concept comes with excises as well. I had not done all the excises yet, but this is the book about writing that made sense to me. I read Writing Children's book by Ann Paul last year, it was too specific to writing picture books for me. I actually found Le guin's book more engaging and helpful for me for some reasons. I think maybe I need to develop the foundation of writing skill before diving into a specific genre?
https://www.amazon.com/Steering-Craft-Twenty-First-Century-Guide-Sailing/dp/0544611616 -
@xin-li La Guin's book is great! I have it too... I actually missed a lecture of La Guin's at the college where i teach in 2014 - i had a class to teach and also, i lived in the same town as she did so i thought i would always have the opportunity to hear her speak... I think Mirka mentioned the community at storyteller academy being SVS'ish in her post.. I probably will not look into it for quite a while... Something i read years ago (Marie louis Von Franz? or maybe Carl Jung) seems very true for me.. that creative inspiration is like a full balloon and that talking about the contents of the balloon releases the pressure just as well as doing the creative thing that is in the balloon. So i am hesitant to talk about ideas too early for fear that i will lose steam or "creative pressure"...that probably sounds pretty weird...but i think it is true for me. I'll check out Ann's book that you mention( just in case)... And thank you for the La Guin recommendation
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@aska I had never looked at Domestika! They have a lot of classes that look interesting..and for only 9.99! I have done many of the master classes on writing too... was surprised that i really enjoyed R.L. Stine's (probably because i have developed an aversion to horror) but he was funny and i loved his "just shut up and write" attitude.
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@LauraA " I always thought I'd try writing once I reached a professional level in illustration." You are Undoubtedly there!
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Thanks for the book recommendation @xin-li, saved to my ever-expanding wish list!
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Hi @Kevin-Longueil, I’m interested in hearing your feedback of the writing course. Looks like they have closed enrollment and only allowing individual course purchases, which is way over my budget...
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@Kevin-Longueil Thank you! You are kind. Maybe I mean once I've been hired to illustrate something, and furthermore, can do so quickly enough to also have a time set aside to think about what I'd write? (And maybe even do the dishes now and then!
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@Kevin-Longueil Oh. My. For years, one of my biggest dream was to meet Le Guin in person somehow. But I have never been to the part of the world she lived sadly. I have a very strong relationship with her YA novels. Earthsea was the first book I have ever read in English. Some of her books really contributes to shaping my world views.
I completely agree with you regarding the creative pressure. I did not tell my critique group much about the stories I am writing, until one of them is in full dummy format, and I need test readers. I think it is almost necessary to sit with the idea, struggle with it, and see what comes out before asking for feedback.
Last year, when I started writing picture book stories for the first time, I would come up with a story idea, wrote a summary, and sent around to ask peers for feedback. Then I realised it was hard to get any constructive feedback when the story was just a summary of idea. I also find hard to give feedback to other artists's idea in that way. After some trials and failing to complete stories, I decided to struggle with one story, and it worked. During the last 2 months, I really struggled with this one story, and got it to a picture book dummy. The mini accomplishment made I start to get a bit of confidence that maybe, maybe it is something I can actually do. SO yes, holding on ideas and struggle with them is the way to go.
The reason I am looking for a writer community was not to discuss about story ideas, but more of getting feedback when I have done writing excises. More craft focused, less idea focused, if that makes sense. Think about Lee's introduction to digital painting - it is all about craft, not idea.
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I have watched Alfredo Cáceres Illustrated Stories - very cool artist!
I am also doing a mind blowing course about color theory with Jean Fraisse.The only problem is , that its hard to focus on what they show and read subtitles at the same time....
But the courses are well structured and very interesting.
On Masterclass I was watching a course by the famous writer - Neil Gaiman. I was mesmerised through the whole course. So interesting!
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@aska The Niel Gaiman class was great!
