The write journey for screenwriters

If you're a storyteller with a vivid imagination whose ideas are larger than life, The Write Journey workshop for screenwriters and storytellers is guaranteed to turn words into action!

This pro-active and interactive four-Saturday morning workshop is presented by writer-director Daniel Dercksen, who has been a film and theatre journalist for 30 years, and whose latest play The Beauty of Incomplete Things enjoyed a successful three-week run at the Joburg Theatre in July. Dercksen created the independent training initiative The Writing Studio in 1998 that celebrates creative freedom in South Africa and has since been presenting workshops throughout South Africa, including a masterclass for screenwriters at the Sithengi Film and TV Market's Talent Campus, the 2012 International Kunjanimation Animation Festival, and most recently for animators at Black Ginger TV, and a workshop at the Joburg Theatre.

The Write Journey looks at mastering the art of plotting your story, defining and developing your premise, concept, theme and characters and taking ownership of the writing process. The motivational and inspirational workshop explores the art of visual narrative and the fundamentals of successful storytelling. Within four sessions budding screenwriters will understand the principles of writing for a visual medium and what it takes to be screenwriter in South Africa. Although the workshop focuses on the art of visual narrative and uses film as a medium, the workshop is ideal for novelists, playwrights, journalist and writers who would like to master the art of adapting stories into a visual medium. The workshop is ideal for anyone with an idea for a story. If there is something or someone you want to write about this is your opportunity to turn thoughts into words. Ideas are transformed into concepts that will be reworked into visual narrative filled with action, description and vibrant characters.

This outcome-based workshop examines the principles of writing for film (including documentaries), television, theatre and fiction and explores the writing process, developing characters and mastering the art of structure. It is a basic workshop that explores the art of storytelling and the craft of writing a universal story that reflects the uniqueness, history and culture of South Africa and Africa. It's about writers connecting with the process of writing productively in their comfort zones and producing South African stories the world wants to experience. The duality of the interactive workshop nurtures creativity: it allows the writer to write instinctively and take an introspective journey into story; it also stimulates writers to write stories connected to their unique cultures, communities, history and experience that reflect the universal human condition.

Following the workshop, the writers will be guided through the process of developing their screenplays through The Write Agency and get their drafts shaped for the international film, television and publishing markets.

The Write Journey workshop takes place in Cape Town on Saturday, September 6 and 13, and October 4 and 11 from 10am until 1pm. The workshop is also presented via correspondence for those who cannot commit to the dates, or living outside Cape Town.

For more information and the agenda, email az.oc.oidutsgnitirw@ofni or visit the website: www.writingstudio.co.za

Date: 06 September 2014 to 11 October 2014
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Venue: The Writing Studio, Somerset Road, Green Point, Cape Town
Cost: R950 for all four Saturday mornings