WORKSHOP NEWS

WRITING BREAKTHROUGH DAY IN NEWCASTLE, JULY 14

The Seven Stories Writers and Artists Group (SSWAG) was holding a day event in Newcastle, U.K., with Jurgen Wolff on Saturday 14 July, to develop new writing techniques for aspiring writers.

The day included learning innovative right-brain techniques to help create vibrant characters, come up with exciting and solid plots, and write dialogue that really sings.

As Jurgen pointed out: “All of these methods help to discover your character and your stories organically. It’s a lot easier and more natural than trying to force creativity.”

There was also the opportunity to gain practical knowledge learning how to sell more of what you write, including practical tips for pitching ideas and for writing powerful query letters. Jurgen also revealed techniques he calls “guerrilla warfare for the writer”—innovative ways that you and your work can stand out in today’s crowded marketplace.

All of the techniques developed could be put into effect immediately with just about any kind of writing: short stories, articles, novels, non-fiction books, screenplays and plays.

CINEMA EXTREME

Jurgen Wolff presented three creativity workshops for the 'Cinema Extreme' Program, to help film-makers who have already made at least one short film to develop further projects.

The first workshop was in Newcastle on February 14, the second in Nottingham on Feb. 21, and the third in London on Feb. 28. The program was supported by the UK Media Desk, the British Film Institute, and others.

Jurgen will soon be putting up some of his material from this workshop on the site and also on his blog, www.timetowrite.blogs.com.

PITCHING-WORKSHOP IN SLOVENIA

Jurgen Wolff led a pitching workshop in Slovenia from 2. to 5. February, in a program sponsored by the Media Desk. He introduced 30 local writers to the art of presenting their ideas concisely and with energy, and also participated in a panel, press conference, and awards ceremony.

WORKSHOP ON "STIMULATING CREATIVITY"

Jurgen Wolff challenged teachers to create a film plot in fifteen minutes at a unique session at BETT, the Educational Technology Show held at Olympia, (London) January 10-13. His session took place at 1pm on Friday, January 12 and was sponsored by Indigo Software.

"The theme of the session was stimulating creativity," Jurgen says, "and the best way to do that is to actually get everybody coming up with ideas at a super-fast pace. I chose a headline at random from that day's newspaper as a starting point, the teachers decided whether they wanted to create a comedy or a drama, and that was their starting point."

The teachers also got a hand-out that allows them to do this kind of creativity exercise with their students. "Students of all ages love movies," Jurgen says, "so learning coming up with a plot is a great way for them to learn how to generate ideas fast and a way to wake up their interest in writing.”

WEBSITE NEWS

THE POWER TRANCES

We’ve added a new feature to the website that can help you be more creative and productive almost instantly. You can now download Power Trances (in english or german) that let you relax deeply, transform your destructive or disruptive inner critic into a constructive inner guide, and use a time-travelling interview to plan any major project.

You can put these guided visualizations on your iPod or other MP3 player or listen to them on your computer, and in minutes you’ll be starting to reprogram your subconscious mind. (Naturally, you shouldn’t listen to them while driving or doing anything that requires you full conscious concentration.)

If you go to the Power Trances page, you’ll be able to listen free to the entire introduction that explains exactly how these trances work for you. Then you can decide whether to download just one trance or save money by downloading them all, and what you want to achieve first. I am so confident in the power of these visualisations that I back them with an unconditional money-back guarantee, so you risk nothing — but you stand to gain greater creativity and productivity just by listening.

NEW BOOK IN THE WORKS

I now have a publication date for my next book, "Your Writing Coach," to be published by Nicholas Brealey in the UK and US in April of next year. It will take writers all the way from the initial idea for a novel or non-fiction book, to the tips and techniques of structure and characterization, to getting an agent, working with a publisher, and then helping to make your book a success. It will have a chapter on writing for the new media, and an exciting and innovative tie-in with a new web site. Of course I'll be offering subscribers to my Brainstorm e-bulletin a special deal, so if you haven't signed up yet, this would be a great time to do so.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS TO THE JUMPSTART CONFERENCE

I recently gave a keynote address to the gathering of world-wide creatives from international TV company Fremantle on November 13 in Prague. It was a terrific chance to meet writers, directors, producers, and other creative people who are in charge of innovative programming all around the world. As usual with this type of event, I learned at least as much as I taught, and I will be sharing some new ideas with you in the next e-bulletins and also on my blog: www.timetowrite.blogs.com.

IT'S NOW EASIER TO SIGN UP FOR BLOG NOTICES

If you look below my photo on my blog, you'll see a little window in which you can write your email address. You will then be sent new posts via your email - saves you having to go to the blog site. Give it a try!

AUDIO MADE EASY

We've had a lot of people asking how we create the audio portion of this site. For the actual recording, I use a USB microphone (SAMSON CO1U condensor) and a great free program called "Audacity" (if you Google it, you'll find the download site). That program exports the file in one step to MP3 format.
Then Chris uses a program called "Sonic Memo" that makes it easy to place the audio file onto the website. We've been so impressed with this program that we've affiliated with "Sonic Memo".
To find out more about what it does and how to get it, click here.

"HOW NOT TO PITCH" CARTOON IS ONLINE

We've put my 90-second cartoon, "How Not to Pitch" online now. You can see it by going to the cartoons page or just click here.

JURGEN'S BLOG IS ONLINE

If you want more tips, techniques, and thoughts on writing and related topics, check out my newish blog, at http://www.timetowrite.blogs.com. Postings include a new idea for protecting your work, success tips from the experiences of other writers, and new ways to improve your writing.

EBOOK NEWS

FIRST EBOOK AVAILABLE

Our first e-book, TIME MANAGEMENT FOR WRITERS, is now available from this site. Concise, practical, and specifically written for right-brain people, it is full of tips and techniques that will free up your time so that you have more chances to do your writing.

Until now, this information was available only to people who signed up for our London workshop, but now you can start benefitting from it immediately for the price of only £15 (or the equivalent in your currency).

Click here to find out more.

BOOK NEWS

DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT

The newest edition of “Do something different” came out in May 2005 from Virgin Books, the Spanish and Chinese editions are out, and the Korean, Bulgarian, and Turkish editions are on the way. The book shows you one hundred ways that people have creatively and inexpensively marketed themselves and their products or services. If you need to make people aware of what you offer, this book will give you a great set of tools for doing so. It also includes interviews with two top marketing experts, and the 14 principles of marketing. If you’ve been wondering how to get the word out about yourself and your products or services, this is the book to check out.

I’m in discussions with a major publisher about a book that will serve as your writing coach right through the entire process from inspiration to publication. When the deal is formalized, you’ll be the first to hear—and you’ll be getting previews and samples on this site.


"DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT" GOES TO CHINA

My book on how to market yourself creatively and inexpensively has just come out in China. This edition joins the Spanish, Turkish, Korean, and Bulgarian versions, and we've just had word of an offer from Brazil. Of course you can also get it in English, from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk - just go to the 'stuff to buy' page and click on your choice.