Hello Creative Types
Welcome to the April newsletter for Ink Inc. I hope you find it useful. There's some writing tips and quick exercises help you avoid writer's block, and connect with your unique style and writer's voice. There is news of up and coming events and guest speakers and finally, a few links to interesting sites.
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Writing Inspiration
This month, as British summertime arrives, and we have more light and there is an opening out, I am starting with a quote from Natalie Goldberg, a novelist, who practised Zen Buddhism for many years and has written several books on writing, including Writing down the Bones, and Wild Mind.
“Our job as writers is not to diddle around our whole lives in the dot, but to take one big step out of it and sink into the big sky and write from there. Let everything run through us and grab as much as we can of it with a pen and paper. Let yourself live in what is already rightfully yours – your own wild mind”
As it is time for getting out and about, try this travel related writing exercise:
For ten minutes: Write about towns and cities you have passed through and places you have stayed for a week or less.
The main thing is that you dive in, you don’t take your pen from the page, go for the jugular, keep writing, lose control, and be specific. Stop after ten minutes.
If you get into this do more ten minuters: write about a car trip. Write about Trains. Write about a hotel you stayed in. Don't think. Write.
Think of ten other travel related topics. Go for it.
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What's coming up: 1. Screenwriting
Jurgen Wolff, screenwriter and writing coach, an expert on creativity and an NLP master, is coming to talk to InkInc’s screenwriting group The Projection Room on 27th April. If you want to come, please email me at Inkinc and I will arrange for you to have place. Limited places available. First ten people to contact me can have the seats. www.yourwritingcoach.com
The Projection Room, in association with www.lighthouse.org.uk , is in its last phase, and ten of the writers have handed in first draft features, having developed these through outline and treatment over the last six months. Quirky Love stories, teenage road movies, stylish gangster flicks, adaptations, psychological thrillers, comedies and more. For more details about the films, email me.
Crewgle.com is a U.K. based website geared to the film-making community. It lists festivals, screenings, crew profiles and feedback, a noticeboard, jobs, blogs, videos, artwork and more, and membership is free. Check it out at: www.crewgle.com.
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Primary School Film Academy
After running a day of screenwriting at the Pines Primary School in Bracknell, Ink Inc is returning in June to run an eight day film making academy, during which eight year 5 students will be writing and making their own short films. Watch this space in a few months time to view for the finished films.
Check out www.bfi.org/education It has a good school based site with lots of ideas and examples of film work. www.firstlightonline.co.uk First light movies run awards and schemes for schools to make movies.
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What's coming up 3: Journalism
I will be reviewing events during the Brighton Festival in May for Fringe Review
www.fringereview.wordpress.com
Ten great guest journalists have given guest talks tomy journalism students at Brighton University.
These include: Argus Crime Reporter Ben Parsons on working for local papers, BBCWorld TV reporter and producer Angela Garvey on Interviewing, Thomas H Green, Music Journalist, Jamie Elliott, Investigative Journalist, and Caroline Bell on radio Journalism, and Simon Ellery, head of media relations at Brighton and Hove Council on media relations. You can see some of their work on http://www. journalisted.com
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What's coming up 4: Retreats.
Finally, INK INC is travelling abroad. We are running a writers' retreat at a beautiful farmhouse in ancient woodland, just an hour from Nice from 25-29th May this year. There are plans afoot for more affordable retreats in lovely places later in the year. For more information on INK INC retreats, visit www.ink-inc.co.uk
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and finally.......
Let me know what you want out of your inkinc newsletter...... and Happy Easter !!
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