Reviving rant exercise

Summer term -- revving up? Or running out of steam? Or some of each? Here's some fuel and some news.

NEWS first: on my Paxton Publishing website I used to post a termly freebie extract exercise from Creative Writing the Matrix (or Quick Matrix in ebook). But that site has now morphed into a more pukka independent author-publisher website. It features the two Matrix books and the 9th May 2016 publication of The Extraordinary Dr Epstein paperback. click here to have a look. It's pretty, with photos of the Chiswick House and Gardens famous camellias and magical glass house. Gardener par excellence Joseph Paxton is my inspiration.

So... I will now put the termly freebie exercise extracts here on this blogsite. Starting with...

THE RANT

This is a short, energy-filled exercise that requires absolutely no preparation on your part. Have students list five pet peeves, things that really bug them, like people who litter, marketing phone calls etc. Or tell them to list household chores you loathe. Then direct students to choose one, and let rip in a rant, pen on paper (much more freeing than fingers on keyboard). Encourage them to be as wild and exaggerated as they like. If you wish, start them off: I can't stand people who... OR I really hate it when...  

What's the point? This is great fun for letting off steam. And when read out, good for laughter in class. There's a lot of power in the negative. The extremes could also be the basis for a neurotic, eccentric or weird character.

The Rant is exercise 36 in paperback and 38 in ebook; PS you can see lots more on Amazon's Look Inside feature here. The print book, with 116 exercises and lectures, is available only in the UK. The ebook, worldwide. Besides that, there are loads of exercises not in either book here in this blogsite. Just scroll down to the blog archive and call up Exercises on the Labels list. Have a good end-of-year and a happy creative summer. See you in September -- early enough for prepping.

Author enrichment

How to rev up your creative writing students, and yourself, midway through the year? Curriculum enrichment. As a writer who teaches creative writing (yes? that's you?) or a teacher of creative writing who loves writing, surely you go to literature and writing festivals. Locally -- there are so many these days -- or the bigger ones (Hay, Chichester, Brighton etc). And among your friends and former students you know authors, too...? From these sources, invite an author or several to come to your college or wherever it is you teach to talk about their writing and publishing experiences. Many authors will happily do this for no fee (so long as they can sell their books at the mini-event), or possibly for expenses. Many will be thrilled to be asked!

Like me. Along with three other authors, all of us former tutors or students at this local college, we are giving an evening's panel discussion on How to Publish Your Book I no longer teach there, but I still love the place. And hope that we provide 'yes, you can' inspiration for current and future aspiring writers.

Clockwise from top left: Diane Chandler (The Road to Donetsk), Jacqui Lofthouse (The Modigliani Girl), Susan Lee Kerr (The Extraordinary Dr Epstein) and Stephanie Zia (Self-Publishing EBooks and Blackbird Digital Books publisher)

Published!

Just in time to uplift you through the first weeks of the new teaching year: the ebook version of Creative Writing: the Matrix, called the Quick Matrix, is now available via all the usual ebook outlets. What's more the paperback was available only for UK distribution, but ebook's selected exercises & ideas for creative writing teachers is worldwide.

On your kindle or ibook or whatever, the 104 exercises and mini-lectures are of course linked right from the table of contents, so it's easy-peasy to come up with content and planning for your classful of eager writers. Enjoy! And please do feedback, review and spread the word.

Have I mentioned yet that I've started a new blogsite in my name on the writing and creative life? Drop in for juice outside your teaching gig. Meanwhile, elsewhere on this site, do scroll down and look at the labels list of previous postings for other teaching support. Class planning, first class and exercises probably most useful to you at this time of year.

Quick Matrix: Advance Cover Peek

Hot off the cyber-waves, here's the cover of the NEW ebook, coming soon through all the usual ereader sources. As it says on the tin, Creative Writing: the Quick Matrix is exercises and ideas selected from the original print paperback. Watch this space for release date.

Meanwhile, scroll down to the archives to find yet more, on the spot, exercises that are not in either Matrix book. Collected and invented as I went along. Class planning is a good category for this time of year, of course!

Creative writing exercises galore

Published! The Extraordinary Dr Epstein -- check it out here -- but meanwhile, on with the teaching show. Two good newses: Creative Writing: the Matrix, that is this paperback, is now in its 3rd printing!

And it is soon to have an ebook variation:  Creative Writing: the Quick Matrix, Selected Exercises for Creative Writing Teachers. Scout's honour, if you already own the paperback no need to opt for the digital version. That's because I'm culling the print to provide a whizz-bang selection of the goodies so that MORE writer-teachers can access the book at LESS cost. So watch this space for announcement of its publication.

Meanwhile, there are over 112 entries in this teaching creative writing blog's archive. Just go to the list of Labels below. Some of the most useful: Creative Process, Critic Within, Exercises (24 entries), First Class, Lesson Planning (6 entries) etcetera

"geographic, spiritual and psychological... compelling, surprising and carefully researched"

...that's a bit of praise for The Extraordinary Dr Epstein. Hope it tempts you!

Creative juice

There are over 112 entries in this teaching creative writing blog and meanwhile I am deep in the formatting throes of The Extraordinary Dr Epstein -- to be published in 2015. It's the story of my great-grandfather's life -- his many lives, as he reinvented himself so many times: Russian, American, doctor, pastor, Jew, Christian, poet, sailor, scholar, farmer, founder of a university... check him (and me) out here.

I'm also learning the ins and outs of self-publishing, but this term YOU are teaching creative writing. Besides my Creative Writing: the Matrix book -- nearly out of print! -- there are loads of exercises and ideas for your class planning in this blog's archive.

Here's my shortcut to the best of the best for you and your students in the long list of Labels below: CREATIVE PROCESS, CRITIC WITHIN, DIFFICULT STUDENTS, ENDINGS, EXERCISES (24 entries!), FIRST CLASS, LESSON PLANNING (6 entries), START OF TERM, WORKSHOPPING etc etc.

Let the creativity flow!

Rev up to countdown

Half-term's almost over, one last run to go before it's all over for the year. You just have time to inspire your class to pull together work (or write new work) and publish a class booklet.

In fact, these days, you are probably remiss if you don't get your students exploring self-publication. Whether it is Smashwords, Lulu, Amazon, Kindle or whatever, anyone can e-publish these days. But will it be good? Get students, or perhaps small groups within the class (nothing like the competitive spirit) to decide on theme, content, length, format (just e? Print on Demand?)... or you set the theme/themes for them.

Even just asking students to browse the web and report (with print outs or screen show-n-tell) on poetry, flash fiction, fiction, memoir or whatever is a good practical exercise. If they don't rise to producing their own group collection at least this might inspire individuals eventually to go it alone.

Some other end-of-year ideas to be found under the label called that (see labels list at bottom). Strangely enough I like having a session on creating titles this time of year. Must be something about in our end is our beginning...