There is a common expression: everything that has ever happened should become a book. From time immemorial, people have written down their history - fictional and real, using literary language and describing only dry facts. And the more accessible writing became, the more widely it was used, gaining, century after century, more and more freedom and creative expression.
The word “blog” won’t surprise anyone these days. Everyone seems to be leading them. Some people write often, others less often, but social networks one way or another organize posts, design them and structure them into one whole, be it your personal page or thematic posts in communities. Simply put, if you have a barely active page on a social network, then you can rightfully be considered a writer. But which one?
This is where the most interesting thing lies. Given the fact that many, if not all, write, very few people really know how to write. A whoppingly small number of frequently writing authors think about improving their craft. Not just to write more competently or more interestingly, but to create texts like a professional writer, with full awareness of the meaning of using a great and powerful word. Therefore, we strongly advise those who write regularly to become a real pro. This will not only expand and improve the author’s presentation, but will also little by little raise the general level of writing culture. And this will already be an impressive milestone in new history.
Creative Writing School
Briefly about: l literary workshops Creative Writing School were founded by writer Maya Kucherskaya and philologist Natalya Osipova. The concept of the school is based on creative writing programs used in American and European universities. All workshop developments are unique and created specifically for Creative Writing School.
Courses:“Human gloss: how to write columns for women’s magazines”, “Storytelling: how to write entertainingly?”, “How to write witty? Search for wit: from poetic epigrams to book reviews”, etc.
Duration: from 10 weeks to one-day intensive.
Price: from 4000 rub.
School of editors in the design bureau of Artyom Gorbunov
Briefly about: w Kola puts preparation on stream and gives a ticket to the profession to domestic editors with clear life guidelines. The school's partners provide jobs for the best students. Review and selection of interns takes place during the defense of the final work.
Program: text and editing, typography and layout, interface and information, negotiations and relationships, design and law, management and results.
Duration: y The curriculum consists of three levels and lasts one academic year.
Price: 40,000 rubles / level.
Courses “Punctum”
Briefly about:"P Unctum” is a small free cultural center where various events take place every day: lectures, screenings, seminars, concerts, exhibitions. The main direction is humanitarian knowledge: philosophy, art, culture, languages, music, cinema, as well as workshops where you can learn specific skills: drawing, creating beautiful texts, speaking dead languages, playing the guitar, etc.
Courses:“Workshop of artistic expression: create a hero”, Olga Gavrilina’s express course “Workshop of text: from concept to implementation”, “Landscape with an iron or creative screenwriting as it is.”
Duration: from 1 lesson.
Price: from 2500 rub. class.
Writing-school
Briefly about: " Writing-School.ru School of Writing is aimed at both beginners and established authors - prose writers, poets, screenwriters, playwrights, etc. Currently, the school is under development, but educational materials are already available for study. It is planned to publish both the school’s original courses and courses from other specialists.
Courses: James Patterson: “Lessons in Writing,” “I Want to Become a Writer: A Start,” “Conscious Writing.”
Duration: Courses are conducted online, materials are available on the website.
Price: from 1250 rub. well.
Online courses at Free Publicity School
Briefly about: Free Publicity School conducts online courses and trainings that help realize the inner need of a person - the need to express oneself to the world. Since 2014, we have conducted more than 20 courses, the graduates of which are published in such publications as Forbes, Psychologies, Lifehacker, “Life is Interesting!”, “Happy Parents” and many others.
Courses:“Conscious Writing Course”, “Strong Text”, “I Write a Book Every Day”, “Personal Brand”, etc.
Duration: 10 days.
Price: from 10,000 rub.
Courses at the International Union of Writers
Briefly about: The International Union of Writers (International Union of Writers, Poets, Playwrights and Journalists) is the world's largest organization of professional writers. The union was founded in 1954. Until recently, the organization's headquarters were located in Paris, but currently the main division is located in Moscow.
Program: literary seminars; lectures on the theory of creating a literary work;
introduction to the history of mass literature; the basics of producing a writer (negotiations with the publisher, subtleties and pitfalls when concluding a contract); Copyright; meetings and master classes with invited writers, journalists, representatives of publishing houses, literary critics who review prose in major media.
Duration: 3 months.
Price: Full-time – 71,100 rubles, distance learning – 60,000 rubles. per semester.
Enrollment for the next session of the School will be announced soon. Stay tuned.
You can submit your application for the next session now.Click on the button.
What is School "Good text" ?
Lectures and seminars at the School are given only by actively working writers, poets, translators, screenwriters, journalists, philologists, and cultural experts.
The School's method is to create for the student an environment that is maximally conducive to the development of a sense of text, a special writer's vision and hearing. The main thing that a student should receive from the School is a new writing experience, a new understanding of himself as an author and a new idea of creativity.
“If you decide to become a writer, then you must have the determination to do everything first.Nobody will help you."
- Boris Akunin
Submit your application along with your introductory text ☛
How are the lectures going??
Lectures are held on weekends from 11.00 to 17.00. Students listen to 3-4 lectures per day with breaks for coffee breaks and lunch. You can view lectures from previous sessions in the section.
And the seminars?
Seminars are held on weekdays in the evenings from 19.00 to 22.00. Students complete homework for one month before the start of the academic session. Texts written according to teachers’ instructions are analyzed at seminars.
"Writing is like collecting. Your notebooks should be filled with spied details."
- Maria Golovanivskaya
Where are the classes held??
We always choose venues for lectures and seminars in the center of Moscow and within walking distance from the metro. For example, previous sessions took place in Yandex and in Nadya Brykina's gallery. We inform students about the location of classes a couple of weeks before the start of the session.
How to become a student of the School?
Admission to full-time studies is based on the results of a creative competition. Poetry, prose, non-fiction (up to 5 thousand characters), as well as a free-form application for admission are required send by mail. In response, you will receive a letter with more detailed information about training formats and costs.
Training is possible in two formats:
“Full training” - lectures, seminars and homework.
"Listener" - only lectures.
For those who have chosen the “Listener” format, it is enough to send an application without an introductory text .
Conversation between Maria Golovanivskaya and Dmitry Vodennikov
and Alena Doletskaya: can a post on Facebook be literature?
Elena Pasternak about the phenomenon of Chekhov's plays:
"In Chekhov, the Russian man looks like a monitor lizard."
"There should be something in your texts that you would be ashamed to show to your mom.".
- Dmitry Vodennikov
“A talented person is such a great human sensitivity.”
- Evgenia Dolginova
What's outside the School?
In between sessions, we often get together to read our texts, drink tea together and just see each other. And sometimes we organize real thematic readings: students read their poems and short stories in the house-museum of B.L. Pasternak, with scenes Gorky Park, in the Nadya Brykina gallery, and for the last time readings took place directly on the country lawn with Alena Doletskaya.
Many students of the School are published in literary magazines, electronic publications, various collections, and some are already preparing their own books.
"Well, you're not good at literature. But you get cutlets. And what? People read for five minutes before going to bed, and eat cutlets three times a day."
- Victoria Tokareva
Learning is light! Submit your application along with your introductory text ☛
The project, which appeared in 2016, was founded by Tatyana Tolstaya and Maria Golovanivskaya. Later, Tatyana Nikitichna left school, but the “Good Text” did not end there - many famous authors joined it, including Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, Vera Pavlova, Sergei Shargunov and many others. Unlike most projects dedicated to writing skills, there is no attempt to “improve” the quality of students’ texts with the help of some purely applied knowledge. Good Text takes a different route, trying to create a unique creative environment for students in which to grow. As a matter of fact, this is what the entire project is designed for, when a novice author can freely communicate with recognized masters of their craft.
An excellent course for those who want to understand the nature of literary text, as well as gain very specific writing skills that can be applied in life. Courses at Garage are taught by poet and prose writer Leonid Kostyukov - during the classes, even a novice author will be able to figure out what skills he needs to develop for success in the future, as well as what his strengths and weaknesses are. The emphasis here is primarily on theory, so it should appeal to anyone who likes a solid approach to things.
"Netology"
Creative Writing School
The school was founded in 2015 by writer Maya Kucherskaya and philologist Natalya Osipova. Many famous literary figures, including Dmitry Bykov, Elena Kholmogorova and Marina Stepnova, were participants in the project at different times. CWS tries to give students not only the opportunity to communicate with outstanding writers: the school’s concept is based on programs (creative writing) used in American and European universities. They don’t promise to make you Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, but they will definitely help you understand how to write good texts. And this is not so little.
Literary club "Russian Pioneer"
Many people know about the “pioneer readings,” but not so many people know that there is also a literary club at the magazine. Approximately once a year, writing courses are held under the guidance of Alexander Kabakov, winner of the “Big Book” and the Apollo Grigoriev Grand Prize. During classes at the club, they try to teach one of the main skills for any writer - the ability to step back from the created text and edit it correctly. Naturally, you can’t do without practical training, so you won’t be able to just be a listener. Famous writers also come to visit students, for example, Guzel Yakhina and Pavel Basinsky.
"Caviar"
Copywriters, of course, are not writers, although one does not interfere with the other - Frederic Beigbeder is a good confirmation of this. The famous Ikra school still trains very good specialists, inviting leading creative experts from various agencies as teachers. Intensive copywriting classes will teach you how to write (and shorten) texts that your target audience will respond to, and help you create a portfolio to start your own successful career. The only negative is that “Caviar” is famous for its rather high cost of courses, so you may have to save up a little money for training.
“We will show where in our literary universe is north, where is southeast, how to catch a fair wind, and how to swim against the current”
Text: Alexander Dragan
Photo: Sergey Kuznetsov/RIA, ria.ru
There is a boom in creative workshops, schools, and courses in Moscow. Enthusiasts talk about the “creative economy.” Pragmatists claim that people who are accustomed to spending the summer months in India or Spain can no longer afford it, and are investing in self-education. Be that as it may, a literary school-agency has already begun work at Winzavod, and in July in the Moscow library named after. Turgenev will host classes at the new school of literary excellence - Creative Writing School, or Creative Writing School. The two-week training will include four workshops: in literary prose (led by Maya Kucherskaya), in screenwriting (led by Marina Stepnova), in literary translation (led by Viktor Sonkin and Alexandra Borisenko) and in the art of biography (led by Alexey Vdovin and Irina Lukyanova ). There will also be lectures for all students of the school: Dmitry Bykov, Avdotya Smirnova, Alexey Varlamov and others will talk about the basics of literary and screenwriting skills.
According to the founders of the school, this is the first adaptation in Russia of the Western discipline Creative Writing (“creative writing”). Project Manager - Maya Kucherskaya- writer, critic, laureate of the Bunin Prize, winner of the reader's choice prize of the Big Book Award. GodLiterature.RF asked Maya about the School and its program, about creative writing and why to become a writer today.
How and when did you get the idea to open a Writing School?
Maya Kucherskaya: It all started with the city of Kirov. Philologist and businesswoman Natasha Osipova invited me to her hometown to chat with readers and just nice people. It was a fantastic trip - a waterfall of meetings, conversations, including existential ones, a visit to the Rembrandt Museum, and there is one in Kirov, and then the studio of the artist Lena Avinova. But in a separate line - a conversation with Natasha, in her cozy home, over a glass of wine, with snowflakes scratching on the window - all this happened in early November last year. Among other things, I shared with Natasha my old dream - to open a school of literary excellence. Soon the degree of communication reached such a height that I invited Natasha to open this school together. Immediately. Natasha, I am still amazed at her fearlessness, agreed. And off we went, in three months we moved a mountain. By the way, not without the help of the same Kirov artist Lena, who drew us the website, the logo, and the posters.
What is creative writing that you are going to teach?
Maya Kucherskaya: I prefer the translation "creative writing". This is the art of writing fiction and non-fiction, and it is so obvious that I think you want to ask something else: “What is new in what you offer?” Literary skills courses are nothing new. New is the philosophy of this discipline. The model that Russian culture loves is something like this: a poet, a writer, a prophet, he listens to the harp of Seraphim, and then burns the hearts of people with the sounds he hears. He is a mediator. Is it possible to learn this - to listen to the harp, to burn hearts? Don't be ridiculous! This is a gift, a gift from God. And there is nothing to argue about here, gift. We enter after that, everything begins later. It is impossible to breathe a gift into someone who is not given it. But those who are given, especially if given in limited quantities, are in dire need of professional skills. In polishing, cutting or, switching to another language - in regular training. There is nothing easier than burying your own talent in the ground, including self-confidence, the conviction that “I have nothing to learn.”
Are there any universal recipes in creativity, and also in literature?
Maya Kucherskaya: Universal - no, I don’t think so. For every recipe there is an anti-recipe, for example, there is such a common saying “write only about what you know” - but sometimes what you don’t know turns out to be much more interesting, because you are freer. The burden of knowledge in creativity is sometimes burdensome. American Mary Elizabeth Dodge, as you know, has never been to Holland, but it was about this country, its spirit, and atmosphere that she wrote the book “Silver Skates.”
The duration of classes at the School is only two weeks. Is it possible to teach creative writing techniques in such a short time?
Maya Kucherskaya: You can talk about their existence. You can have time to get your bearings. There is a compass hidden in the logo of our school, we will show where in our literary universe is north, where is southeast, how to catch a fair wind, and how to swim against the current and not drown, on the contrary, to discover new continents, and not some well-known one India.
Your program is stated to be voluminous and rich. Tell us in more detail how everything will go?
Maya Kucherskaya: Three times a week, School participants will communicate with their master. Each of our workshops is based on creative tasks, there will be many of them, they will definitely be discussed in class. That is, our School is predominantly applied. That’s why our classes are called “workshops” - they work with materials, with word clay, and make cups and bowls of all kinds. The workshops are also because they will be led by real masters of their craft, writer Marina Stepnova - one. Writer Irina Lukyanova - two. Translators and educators - Viktor Sonkin and Alexandra Borisenko - three. A young scientist, the author of many, in my opinion, truly inspired works on philology - Alexey Vdovin - four. There will be lectures twice a week - by Dmitry Bykov, Dunya Smirnova, Alexey Varlamov. We are still negotiating with someone else. Lectures will become an outlet for everyone, and a place of common meeting, when both students and their teachers gather together in one classroom.
Judging by the program of your course, you will consider mainly technical issues: plot, conflict, characters, style. But what about the eternally relevant “how to write when you can’t write”? Or how to organize your time and workspace... Will you touch on these topics?
Maya Kucherskaya: I think the listeners will figure out time and space without us, it’s like recommending to a person the color of the wallpaper in his room. Doomed deal! To the question “how to write when you can’t write” I have a clear answer. Do not write under any circumstances. Humanity will survive. If you can’t write, it means that at the moment you have nothing to say to the world. No need! On the other hand, “not writing” is unprofessional; a real professional can write in any condition, in any weather conditions, and not at the behest of the heart, but by order. Everything seems to be so. But still, the custom texts of even the best authors often bear the stamp of compulsion. Olga Slavnikova, one of our most talented authors, several years ago wrote railway stories to order, for a whole year, one story per month. It turned out to be twelve, and all excellent. But among them there are only two masterpieces.
How do you register for courses? Are there many applicants for free places?
Maya Kucherskaya: So far we have only accepted applications for free places. There were an incredible number of applicants! Our slogan is “Do you want to become a writer? Try". It turned out that everyone wants to become a writer. Everyone wants to try. We received hundreds of applications, a bunch of competition entries.
What can you say about the level of introductory work?
Maya Kucherskaya: Very colorful. And so interesting! I have already come across several talented works, although I have only read a small part. But here’s what I’ve already noticed. Of course, I read prose works. And those who chose the first option of the task wrote micro-studies on three topics - they usually write more lyrically, more emotionally, and have a thinner pen than those who chose to write the beginnings of novels of different genres. But the latter look more professional, skillful; these are designers, text architects, but not jewelers. I want to say that the very choice of task, especially the level of execution, reveals what type the writer belongs to. A lyricist is a prose writer, a storyteller, a writer of thrillers or psychological prose.
Who are your future students? What kind of people enroll in the School?
Maya Kucherskaya: Don't know! I only know their ages and names. There are noticeably more young people, from 20 to 30, although I don’t have final numbers yet. But who they are, I myself would like to know. For now I can only guess. It would seem to me that our School should be of interest to those who have already completed or almost completed their bachelor’s degree and want to engage in creativity. Or who sits in an office, squeezed on all sides by Excel spreadsheets, and dreams of breaking out of these alien cells and numbers to create their own world.
When creating the courses, did you rely solely on your own experience or did you use European and American developments?
Maya Kucherskaya: Of course they did. There are no Russian systematic textbooks on writing yet, or I haven’t found them. Although I was looking! There are so many English speakers that you need to filter them.
Book publishing is going through hard times. Circulations are falling, piracy is rampant, and the percentage of the reading population is decreasing. People lose the ability to focus on large texts. So why become a writer today?
Maya Kucherskaya: We need to ask those who knock on our door about this. There is little hope for understanding, especially for the general reader. And writing books is not the most profitable activity, no! But... not for self-interest, not for battles, we were born for inspiration... Yes, people understand: it’s a joy to write, compose texts, and to do it well. You disenchant something or someone when you write. Here he wrote how a yellow flower broke through the gray, dirty soil, unwashed after the winter - and cast a spell on this flower. Who else can do this except a writer? Well, or an artist.
How did it happen that in the West, literary excellence has become part of university education, but we don’t even have such a discipline?
Yes, because we don’t have such a declared value that writing well is good. That no science is possible without creativity, and a real scientist is no less a creator than an artist. An artist is also a researcher of reality, and a researcher is an artist, a creator of an image of the world in his own language. By and large, there is no difference!
At the same time, literary courses in Russia are a more than popular phenomenon. In Moscow alone I counted nine courses. And this is without the School of Literary Translation, which was launched by Viktor Golyshev and Vladimir Babkov in early March. And without all kinds of journalism courses and schools. What do you think is the reason for this surge of interest?
Maya Kucherskaya: Yes, but only one and a half of these courses actually work. I also studied the issue. And this is still not very similar to our School with several workshops, with outstanding teachers and lecturers. People’s interest is understandable; despite the cooling of mass readers’ love for literature, we remain a very literary country. The laurels of Pushkin and Dostoevsky haunt us, and everyone who studied Russian literature at school was infected by it, in my opinion. Without remembering that creativity is the path to inner freedom, it is also a good life task.
What advice can you give to writers who don't have the opportunity to take your courses but would like to hone their craft?
Maya Kucherskaya: Read! There are more contemporaries, but also classics. Train. Find people like you and discuss your work among like-minded people. Without conversations, literature does not exist. Any uncut nugget will still remain bright, unusual, but savage. We need civilization - that is, a literary outlook and our own literary circle. Well, or at least a circle. Our School is an attempt to create it.
In 2010, I opened a private distance learning school for writing and poetry for aspiring authors. A beginning writer does not mean young at all. Millions of adults who are far from professional literature want to write a book. According to the website http://publishingperspectives.com, about 200 million Americans would like to publish their own book - almost two-thirds of the US population! In Russia, people are not so arrogant, but here too there are more and more people who want to publish. And good! Why suffer? Learn to write - and write for your health! Yes, maybe you are not Pushkin, not Gogol, not Tolstoy or Dostoevsky, but you are a Russian or Russian-language writer and poet. Writers from many countries around the world already envy you, because you are sanctified by the great names of the classics of Russian literature. Retired generals and colonels, directors of factories and institutes, realtors and deputies, administrators and politicians, prosecutors and judges, pleasant ladies and ladies pleasant in all respects, respectable housewives and Russian-speaking immigrants are nurturing in the recesses of their souls potentially interesting to the public truly unprecedented subjects, for years they are nervous and tormented, lose their health and quarrel with loved ones, not knowing how to correctly present and present the fruits of their thoughts about life or their fantasies to the still reading Russian people.
It is precisely these accomplished, busy people who have no time to scour the Internet for months and years and climb the bookshelves of libraries, looking for and expensively buying scattered materials on writing, that the Likhachev School of Writing and Poetic Skills quickly turns first into strong aspiring authors, and then into writers and poets - due to targeted university level of individual training and mentoring.
Students at the Likhachev School of Writing and Poetry will take a choice of four courses: one theoretical, three practical.
1 course. "Fundamentals of Literary Studies."
2nd course. "Writing Skills"
The patient and friendly teachers of the Likhachev School of Writing and Poetry are ready for this: “Beginners are our profile,” we say, paraphrasing the doctor from “Prisoner of the Caucasus.” Indeed, for many capable and even talented, but not yet skilled, beginning authors, binge writing becomes a real disease - with complications in society, in the family and, most importantly, with oneself. We will try to put such “binges” on strong writing legs or simply help a novice author write at least one book. No matter what they say about the modern writing workshop, there are not enough good writers in the country! We sincerely rejoice when we see how a student’s skill grows. If six months or a year of study does not lead to anything useful, we don’t take money, but honestly advise the author to give up writing - not everyone can become the author of even one book, or we simply suggest hiring an experienced editor or writer to thoroughly correct the manuscript or rewrite it. wrote again.
At the Likhachev School of Writing and Poetry, approximately a third of the students are Russian-speaking immigrants from the countries of the former USSR. Yes, adults from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and other republics, once abroad, write books (not necessarily fiction) in Russian, and close communication with experts in Russian classical and modern literature and poetry from the Likhachev School of Writing and Poetry , allows them not to spoil their pure literary Russian language.
In a good way, the first and second courses are compulsory - most students only complete them. But there are exceptions: if, for example, you retired and want only one thing - to write memoirs about your life, family and work, publish them at your own expense in a circulation of 100-200 copies and give them to friends, acquaintances and beloved bosses, then you will not It is mandatory to take the theoretical course “Fundamentals of Literary Studies.” This also applies to those listeners who, in addition to satisfying their writing ambitions, by giving away books to their clients and customers in their main profession, want to significantly increase the number of the latter. And this can be done: donating your own book, published as a gift, to clients, partners and superiors is a proven way to significantly increase the personal income of the author in his main profession. We have many realtors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, bankers, judges, athletes, administrators, military men, teachers - they study not only to satisfy their vanity as a writer, but also in order to advance in their main profession.
But if you dream of one day waking up with a laurel wreath from a famous writer on your not-yet-gray and not-quite-bald head, you need both courses of study and at least 6 months of mentoring. The technology for mastering the craft of writing and achieving success has been worked out, especially in the West, but a busy person in Russia cannot master it on his own, without a mentor, in ten or twenty years. Instead of losing decades and health, it is much more profitable to pay and study for six months or a year. For some reason, Russian-speaking immigrants now living in China, the USA, Europe, the Near and Middle East understand this thesis better than Russians, and that is why they strive to come to our School.
The Likhachev School of Writing and Poetic Arts has sections: novel, memoir, children's book, popular science book, science fiction and fantasy, drama, detective and thriller, romance and romance novel, “women's prose”, poetry.
Training programs are being prepared in sections for film scripts, television film scripts and television series.
More prepared and self-confident authors who have a completed manuscript or require development can contact our editors at the Literary Editor website http://litredactor.wordpress.com/ mail: [email protected]
Come, it will be interesting and useful!
2. List of training courses
First course. "Fundamentals of Literary Studies"
A theoretical course based on the literary studies course taught at Russian universities. This basic course is supplemented with topics from American and English universities. The course lasts 2 months: 4 topics per week. At the request of the student, the period of study can be reduced to 1 month.
List of topics for the course “Fundamentals of Literary Studies” (32 lessons)
- Dictionary of literary terms
- Fiction
- Fiction as an art form
- Literary work
- Gender and genre in literature
- The subject world of the work
- Time and space in the work. Chronotope
- Character, character, hero
- Plot and plot
- Motive
- Psychologism
- Polyphony
- Portrait
- Scenery
- Detail
- Narration. Narrator, storyteller
- Lyrical subject
- Composition
- Narration as a compositional speech form
- Description
- Reasoning
- Other compositional speech forms (paragraph, monologue, dialogue, polylogue, someone else’s speech, improperly direct speech)
- Verbal image. Figurative structure of the text
- Point of view
- Ways to express the author's position in a literary text
- Style
- Language of a literary work
- Artistic speech
- Monologue. Dialogue. Polylogue
- Remake in modern literature
- Theory of literature. Course of lectures at Yale University, USA
Second course. "Writing Craft"
The main and largest course. For his sake, they go to study at the Likhachev School of Writing.
The course is divided into two parts: general and genre. The course is designed for 3 months: 3-4 topics per week. At the request of the student, the training period can be reduced to 2 months (5-6 topics per week).
List of topics for the general course “Writing” (47 lessons)
1.1. I am a writer
1.2. Uncertainty, writer's fear
1.3. Writer Motivation
1.5. Organization of writing work
Topic 2. Choosing a topic and genre
2.1. What to write about? Choosing a theme
2.2. Reader question: “What are you writing?”
2.3. List of literary genres
2.4. Selecting a genre. Are you a specialist or a generalist?
2.5. Choosing a genre using the example of the theme “Cats” or “Cat Genre”
2.6. The Importance of Genre in the Book Business
2.7. Why is it better to write in more than one genre?
2.8. How to write in a mixed genre?
2.9. D. Bykov. "Past the genre"
2.10. Lotman Y. “The Queen of Spades” and the theme of cards and card games in Russian literature of the early 19th century
Topic 3. The idea and sources of a literary work
3.1. The idea of a literary work: definition
3.2. The emergence of the idea of a literary work
3.3. Where and how to find an idea and material for a literary work
3.4. Testing the idea of a literary work
3.5. Idea and trend in a literary work
3.6. Criteria for a Literary Work Idea
Topic 4. “The Million Dollar Story”
Master class for screenwriters and writers. Robert McKee (RobertMcKee).
Translation from English, Moscow, 2008
Topic 5. Literary history
5.1. History in a literary work of plot
5.2. Questions in literary history
5.3. How to enter the world of literary history
5.4. Abandoned literary stories
5.5. How to Push Your Literary Story
Topic 6. The concept of a literary work
6.1. What is the intent of a literary work?
6.2. Nurturing the idea of a work (using the example of Dostoevsky’s novel “The Idiot”)
6.3. The concept and genre originality of Gogol’s novel “Dead Souls”
6.4. Yu. Lotman. Pushkin and “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin”. On the history of the concept and composition of “Dead Souls”
6.5. Steps to transform an idea into a plot and the initial plan of a work
Topic 7. How to build a literary story. Part 1
7.1. Building a literary story is like building a house.
7.2. Why you need to stick to one literary story
Topic 8. How to build a literary story. Part 2.
For exampleanalysis of the trilogy novel (and film) “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins (« The Hunger Games."Suzanne Collins)
8.3. Analysis of Chapter 1 of The Hunger Games by writer Mooderino
8.4. Waiting for the release of the movie "The Hunger Games"
Topic 8A. "The Hunger Games". Suzanne Collins. Text of the novel
Topic 9. The structure of literary history. Part 1. Layering of the work
9.1. Three-act structure of a literary story using a mousetrap as an example
9.2. The structure of the novel when revised
9.3. Elements of the structure of literary history. Five rules for floor construction of a work
9.4. The structure of literary history. Layering is the key to creating works of art. Book by William Bernhardt, 2013, USA
Topic 10. The structure of literary history. Part 2. Structure and architecture of a dramatic action-packed work
10.1. Choosing the type of creative process when constructing a literary work
10.2. The structure and architecture of literary history (based on materials by L. Brooks)
- 2.1. Brooks's introduction to the series "The Structure of Literary History"
10.2.2. Introduction to the Four-Act Literary History
10.2.3. Milestones on the Road to Telling a Four-Act Literary Story
10.2.4. Five missions to set the parameters of the first part of the literary story
10.2.5. The Most Important Moment in Literary History: The First Plot Point
10.2.6. The second part of literary history
10.2.7. Midpoint Milestone Wrap Around Head
10.2.8. The third part of literary history is reflection
10.2.9. Second plot point in literary history
10.2.10. The fourth part of literary history - pinching
10.2.11. The fourth part of literary history - the final act
"The Inner Life of a Novel: Deconstructing the Novel Deadly Faux." A writer's guide to writing a novel, and the literary story-telling behind those creative decisions. E-book by Larry Brooks, USA, 2014
Topic 10B. From idea to publication of a novel: an American example with Russian comments
American writer and literary mentor K.M. Weiland talks in detail about the process of writing the novel “Dreamlander” in her blog. Weiland's story translated by S.S. Likhacheva
Topic 11. Plot. Part 1. Literary plot template
11.1. What is the difference between literary history and plot of a work?
11.2. How many literary plots are there?
11.3. Classifications of plots according to Borges and other authors
Topic 12. Plot. Part 2. Dramatic stories by J. Polti
12.1. List of dramatic subjects by J. Polti
12.2. Description of dramatic plots
Topic 13. How to build a literary plot. Part 1. Plot elements and classifications
13.1. Classic plot structure. Linear plot elements
13.2. Motive, structure in a literary plot
13.3. The plot from the point of view of narratology
13.4. Classification of literary plots
13.5. Three-level plot building in a literary work
Topic 14. How to build a literary plot. Part 2. Plot, plot, composition in Russian classical literature
14.1. General issues of plot and plot structure of a work
14.1.2. Chronotope and artistic space. Time cycle
14.1.3. Composition, architectonics
14.1.4. Beginning-middle-end of the story
14.2. Dostoevsky
14.3. Gogol
14.4. Tolstoy
14.5. Chekhov
14.6. Bunin
14.7. Pushkin
Topic 15. How to build a literary plot. Part 3. Types and techniques of plot structure
15.1. Types of plots: linear, concentric, multilinear
15.2. Plot devices
15.2.1. DeusExMachina (God from the Machine)
15.2.2. MacGuffin
15.2.3. Flashback
15.2.4. Flashforward
15.2.5. Shoulder angel
15.2.6. Deathtrap
15.2.7. Redherring (Distraction)
15.3. Plot outline
15.4. Summary of S. Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot" as an example of a MacGuffin
15.5. A summary of A. Vampilov’s play “Duck Hunt” as an example of a MacGuffin
Topic 16. How to build a literary plot. Part 4. Plot space and plot time in a work of fiction
16.1. Artistic time, artistic space and event in a literary work: general issues
16.2. Yu. Lotman. “The plot space of the Russian novel of the 19th century”
16.3. Space and time in the cycle of short stories and short stories by I.A. Bunin "Dark Alleys"
16.4. Yu. Lotman. "Artistic space in Gogol's prose"
16.5. Analysis of artistic time using the example of a story V.P. Astafieva"Falling Leaf"
Topic 17. How to build a literary plot. Part 5. Materials from foreign literary mentors
(For independent work. Machine translation of articles. 498 pages of text)
Topic 18. Planning a literary work
18.1. Writer-planner and writer-intuitive
18.2. Template writer and original writer in relation to planning a work
18.3. Floor planning of the novel: general issues
18.3.1. Chapter level planning
18.3.2. Episode level planning
18.3.3. Scene level planning
18.4. Planning using the example of the fantasy novel “The Seventh Cradle”
18.4.1. The text of the first two chapters of the novel “The Seventh Cradle”
18.4.2. Chapter 1 Floor Plans
18.4.3. Chapter 2 Floor Plans
Topic 19. Narration. Part 1. Point of view. Forms and methods of storytelling
19.1. General storytelling issues. Point of view
19.1.1. Narration, narrator, storyteller
19.1.2. Point of view. Author's choice of point of view
19.2. Forms of narrative organization
19.3. Narration methods in 1st, 2nd and 3rd person
19.4. First Person Narration: Advantages and Disadvantages
- 4.1. The benefits of first person narration
19.4.2. Disadvantages of First Person Narration
19.4.3. Mistakes When Using First Person Narration
19.5. Third person narration
19.5.1. Benefits of Third Person Narration
19.5.2. Disadvantages of Third Person Narration
Topic 20. Narration. Part 2. Forms and methods of storytelling. Combination of narrative techniques
20.1. Is it possible to mix first and third persons
20.2. Omniscient Narrator
20.3. Limited Narrator
20.4. Selective Narrator
20.5. The Objective Narrator, or the "Eye of the Camera"
Topic 21. Narration. Part 3. How the classics tell and tell stories
20.1. Dostoevsky
20.1.1. Article by Eric Egeberg (Toronto, Canada) “Hero and narrator in Dostoevsky’s novel “The Adolescent””
20.2. Chekhov
20.3. Lermontov
20.4. Nabokov
20.5. Gogol
20.6 Tolstoy
20.7. Narration in the “new (French) novel”, M. Butor
20.8. Other writers
Topic 22. Style. Part 1. Writing style, language, word
22.1. Concept of artistic style and artistic method
22.2. Types of styles
22.3. Stylistic devices
22.4. First phrase
22.7. Language and style using the example of Bulgakov
Topic 23. Style. Part 2. Stylistic features of the works of literary classics
23.1. Stylistic features of Bunin’s “Dark Alleys”
23.2. P.M. Bicilli. “The work of Chekhov. Experience of stylistic analysis"
23.3. “Features of conveying Dostoevsky’s individual author’s style in English translations (based on the novel “Crime and Punishment”)
Topic 24. Style. Part 3. Stylistic mistakes
24.1. Common issues of stylistic errors
24.2. Speech errors
24.2.1. Misunderstanding the meaning of a word
24.2.2. Lexical inconsistency
24.2.3. Incorrect use of synonyms
24.2.4. Incorrect use of homonyms
24.2.5. Incorrect use of ambiguous words
24.2.6. Speech failure
24.2.7. Speech redundancy
24.2.8. Incorrect use of new words (neologisms)
24.2.9. Incorrect use of obsolete words (archaisms) and historicisms
24.2.10. Incorrect use of words of foreign origin
24.2.11. Using jargon
24.2.12. Abuse of professional jargon
24.2.13. Abuse of dialectisms
24.2.14. Incorrect use of colloquial and colloquial words
24.2.15. Incorrect use of phraseological units
24.2.16. Clichés, speech cliches, language standards
24.2.17. Stationery
24.2.19. Poor imagery, pretentious speech
24.2.20. Speech problems
24.2.21. Overuse of the verb "to be"
24.2.22. Pronoun excess
24.2.23. Absurdism, alogisms, ambiguities, reniks
24.2.24. Abuse of the passive voice
24.2.25. Abuse of adverbs
24.2.26. Overuse of adjectives
24.3. Factual errors
24.4. Logical errors
24.5. Syntax errors
24.5.1.Errors in the structure of phrases
24.5.2. Errors in the structure and meaning of sentences
24.5.3. Errors in a simple two-part sentence
24.5.4. Errors in one-part sentences
24.5.5. Errors in sentences with homogeneous members
24.5.6. Errors in sentences with introductory words and introductory constructions
24.5.7. Errors in sentences with isolated members
24.5.8. Errors in the transmission of direct and indirect indirect speech
24.5.9. Errors in complex sentences
24.5.10. Errors in a non-union complex sentence
24.5.11. Errors in a complex sentence with different types of connection
24.6. Grammatical errors
Lesson 25. Character. Part 1. Typification of heroes. Archetype
15.1. The concept of character and type. Archetype
15.2. Character typing process
15.3. Character types
15.4. Techniques for creating a type, an image of a hero
15.5. From the article V.G. Belinsky“About the Russian story and the stories of Mr. Gogol”
15.6. Examples of character typification in literary works
Lesson 26. Character. Part 2. Nomination rows
26.1. The concept of a character's nomination series
26.2. Nomination of a character in the works of Dostoevsky
26.3. Nomination of a character in Pushkin's prose works
26.3.1. Types of person names
26.3.1.1. Classification of person names in Pushkin’s language
26.3.1.3. Features of naming a person in direct speech
26.3.1.4. Character's self-name
26.3.1.5. The role of address in a literary text
26.3.2. Ways to nominate a person
26.3.2.1. Semantic derivation (Metaphor. Defamiliarization)
26.3.2.2. Morphemic derivation
26.3.2.3. Proper name
26.3.2.4. Borrowing
26.3.3. Nomination row of a person
26.3.3.1. Types of nomination series of persons in Pushkin's prose
26.3.3.2. Nominative row of persons in fiction
Lesson 27. Character. Part 3. Dossier. Character Planning
27.1. Character dossier
27.2. Character Planning
Topic 28. Character. Part 4. Character image. Image system
28.1. Prototype, prototype
28.2. "Chekhov's detail" in the image of the character. Character "tags"
28.3. character `s name
28.4. Forms of addressing a character
28.5. Background information about the character. Prehistory and epilogue
28.6. Appearance. Portrait of a hero
28.7. Character costume and nudity
28.8. Body, character metamorphoses
28.9. Character Defects and Ailments
28.10. Character behavior and gestures. Etiquette
28.11. Image system
Topic 29. Character. Part 5. Creation of character images by classics of literature
29.1. Dostoevsky
29.1.1. External portrait of the hero
29.1.2. Gesture and facial expressions of Dostoevsky's heroes
29.1.3. Character images
29.1.3.1. Images of characters in the novel “Crime and Punishment”
29.1.3.2. Images of characters in the novel “Demons”
29.1.3.3. Images of characters in the novel “The Brothers Karamazov”
29.1.3.4. Images of characters in the novel “The Idiot”
29.1.4. Article by D.I. Pisarev “The Struggle for Life”
29.1.5. Article by P. Weil “The Last Judgment”
29.1.6. Dividing the characters of the novel “The Idiot” into groups in relation to faith
29.1.7. Artistic motivation for the behavior of the characters in the novel “The Brothers Karamazov”
29.2. Tolstoy
29.3. Goncharov. Antipodean heroes
Topic 29A. The skill of creating a character's image. Part 1. Materials from foreign literary mentors
(For independent work. Machine translation of articles. 236 pages of text)
Topic 29B. The skill of creating a character's image. Part 2. Materials from foreign literary mentors
(For independent work. Machine translation of articles. 175 pages of text)
Topic 29B. Thesaurus of character emotions. Materials from foreign literary mentors
(For independent work. Machine translation of articles. 135 pages of text)
Topic 29G. Thesaurus of character skills and talents. Materials from foreign literary mentors
(For independent work. Machine translation of articles. 25 pages of text)
Topic 30. How Dostoevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov” was made
30.1. Oppositions in the novel
30.2. System of images. Character system
30.3. Development of action
30.4. Story system
Topic 31. How to write dialogue. Character speech
31.1. Dialogue and conversation: what's the difference?
31.2. How to write dialogue correctly
31.3. What properties should a well-written dialogue have?
31.4. How to create expressive literary speech
Topic 31A. Mastery of dialogue. Materials from foreign literary mentors
(For independent work. Machine translation of articles. 244 pages of text)
Topic 32. How to write a story, novella, work of “small form”
32.1. General provisions
32.2. Story idea
32.3. Selection of material for the story
32.4. Story composition
32.5. The beginning of the story
32.6. Story style
32.7. Detail in the story
32.8. Aesthetic concept of the story
3. Application for training
Please submit your application for training at the Likhachev School of Creative Writing in the form of a letter to the School’s email address: [email protected]
Sample application letter for training:
“I, my name, want to take the 1st year (1st and 2nd courses) of training at the School of Creative Writing. Please provide the payment amount and bank details."
If you, like many busy people, ask to shorten the duration of your studies, indicate this in the letter. Most students want to reduce their time in order to quickly engage in personal creativity using the original template (or algorithm for creating a new literary work) proposed at the Likhachev School of Creative Writing. It happened more than once that we sent the student all the topics of the 1st and 2nd courses (32 + 47 = 79 files with lessons) at once. This was done by those who wanted to use the materials of the 1st and 2nd courses as a ready-made library of literary skills, who did not intend to do homework (they take too much time) or went on a long vacation - a convenient time to study the courses. Or those who wanted to immediately start working on a template for their new major work.
4. Cost of training courses, cost of mentoring
1 course. "Fundamentals of Literary Studies"
10,000 rubles for Russians, for foreigners and Russian immigrants - 200 US dollars
2 Course. "Writing Craft"
20,000 rubles for Russians, for foreigners and Russian immigrants - 400 US dollars
Mentoring means, first of all, the individual work of a literary mentor as a developing editor on the manuscripts of a beginning writer’s works. A developmental editor helps the author choose a genre and target reader (depending on the type of writing talent and interests of the student), decide on the theme and idea of the work, develop a literary story, build a plot and twist the plot, draw up a chapter-by-episode plan for the work, avoid failures and distortions in composition (compositions in works of modern literature are simply a disaster), decide on the type of narrator, hone the style, dialogues, etc. In the course of working with a mentor, an aspiring writer, as a rule, for the first time becomes familiar with the writing and editing environment, which makes him more confident and subsequently helps to communicate correctly with publishing editors.
Mentoring- a troublesome, nervous, sometimes painful matter, so it has happened more than once that, having appreciated the creative capabilities of another novice writer, all our development editors simply refused to mentor him, considering it a useless task. So the desire and financial ability of an aspiring writer to pay for mentoring is only half the battle. Why are there so few editors willing to guide the work of a novice author? The editor-mentor has to completely immerse himself in the author’s creative process, guide him, thoroughly know the material, give hints, inevitably share his own creative work, select related materials, inspire (especially the lazy and disorganized, which are a dime a dozen among beginners), encourage, praise, scold, wipe away tears and even, at times, act as a kind of personal psychologist. Regarding the creativity of a beginning writer, the practical return from mentoring is many times higher than from training. The author literally feels his own creative growth every month and sees the progress of his work in the right direction, approved by the editor.
Separate from studies, mentoring for 6 months costs 48,000 rubles (8,000 rubles per month). For foreigners and Russian immigrants - 800 US dollars. During this time, you can write a short novel or thriller, or at least make very good progress: make a chapter-by-chapter, episode-by-episode, or even scene-by-scene outline of the novel, and this is 75% of the work of writing a work.
For comparison. Literary mentoring on the manuscript of a beginning author in the USA costs about 10 times more than here. Mentor Larry Brooks for 6 weeks(not 6 months, like ours!) mentoring on a manuscript of 75–90 thousand words takes 1950 dollars(data as of May 22, 2018). If the manuscript is larger, then the price of the development editor’s work rises proportionally. (http://storyfix.com/story-coaching-services). I quote:
The Full Manuscript read/review – $1950 for manuscripts of 75K to 90K words; prorated for shorter or longer manuscripts (contact me for quote, which will pro-rate the base rate).
- Includes 50 pages of line-level copy editing (to clarify any trends or issues that need addressing within the entire manuscript; this is not a copy-editing service, per se).
- Feedback/commentary imparted directly onto the manuscript pages themselves (in red type).
- A summary Coaching Document that includes peripheral issues such as alternative creative strategies and other relevant issues, including market-specific input. (This is a fixed-cost element of the deliverable service, and thus supports the fixed price for 75K word projects vs 90K word projects… both involve the same level of analysis and feedback.)
- A reasonable back-and-forth exchange to clarify the feedback and explore your response to it.
- Delivery window six-weeks from receipt of manuscript(if I need more, based on backlog, we can discuss a reasonable timeline).
- If a specific learning topic is shown to be in need of focus, I will provide you with one or more of my books (ebook version), depending on which title deals with the necessary tutoring.
- You have the option of completing a Premise Questionnaire and receiving that feedback before submitting the full manuscript. This may allow you the opportunity to revise the story before submission, based on feedback received.
5. Procedure for paying for training courses
Upon receipt of your application letter for training, you will immediately be informed of the payment amount and bank details. Pay - to a savings book or bank card of S.S. Likhachev in the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation.
If you wish to enter into an official training agreement, all the above prices increase by the amount of taxes and additional expenses (for an accountant, lawyer, etc.), that is, by approximately 50%. The party to the agreement for the provision of training services at the Likhachev School of Writing will be LLC “Law Company “Likhachev””, owned by S.S. Likhachev.
Phased (monthly) payment is possible, in 2-3-4 payments. In any case, the payment procedure can be agreed upon. The monthly payment procedure, of course, irritates the School’s instructors, but we remember that we live in a poor country.
For foreigners — payment in dollars and euros by special agreement. Payments are higher than for Russians.
The interests of the School are represented by Likhachev Law Company LLC. The company has a foreign currency bank account. Individuals can pay for training via Western Union, and legal entities pay to the bank account of the Likhachev Law Company. In the latter case, a contract is concluded. If a student has the opportunity to receive a subsidy for training at the School from an employer or sponsor, we can offer him to pay for training via Western Union, and we will provide (send by mail) a certificate from the Law Company that the student has paid for training, and with this certificate he will be able to receive from his employer or sponsor reimbursement of costs.
6. Benefits for students
The Likhachev School of Creative Writing employs a strong group of “old-school” literary editors and proofreaders. Our editors are both “developing” and “stylists”.
Students of the Likhachev School of Creative Writing who have completed the first two courses receive a 10-20 percent discount on stylistic editing and proofreading of their works. The application of a 10, 15, or 20 percent discount depends on the stylistic and grammatical quality of the manuscript. If a manuscript has 30-50 errors on one page (this is not uncommon), then, of course, students should not count on discounts of more than 10 percent. Once we received such a stylistically and grammatically “clean” novel manuscript for editing that we applied a 50% discount. But this happened only once in the almost 4 years of the existence of our School of Writing.
7. You can receive all training materials at once
Particularly busy with work and family, students of the Likhachev School of Writing, who have no time to do homework, have more than once asked to send materials for the 1st and 2nd courses of study at once - today this is 79 lessons (= 79 files). Since in this case the instructor of the Likhachev School of Writing is freed from weekly work, we found it possible to make a serious discount: the 1st and 2nd courses combined in one package will cost 20,000 rubles. An aspiring writer will always have at hand compact, professionally made reference material, replacing hundreds of textbooks, dictionaries and reference books. There will be no need to spend years climbing websites, collecting scattered, often unprofessionally prepared materials, prone to millions of errors.
Those who purchase the combined course of study are entitled to all discounts on stylistic editing and proofreading of manuscripts accepted at the Likhachev School of Creative Writing.
Friends! The Likhachev School of Creative Writing employs very friendly and experienced people. In our time we have seen all sorts of aspiring writers: geniuses and crazy ones; literary hooligans and graphomaniacs; modest, very capable, but unsure of their talents; “strong middle peasants” and random people in literature; born creators, but unable to open up because they stew in their own juices, are embarrassed to show their manuscripts to the editor; very capable of literary work, real talents, but suffering from a lack of willpower and efficiency; those who only need a little help, and then they’ll climb on their own... It’s hard to surprise us with anything. With everyone who applies to the School, we will either find a common language and begin to cooperate fruitfully, or we will part without ceremony. We will not waste time on a mediocre or inadequate student: there is nothing more valuable than time.
