Iain McKinnon
  • Iain McKinnon
  • Dyslexia Empowerment
  • Workshops & Events
  • Coaching
  • Creative Writing Course

Writing Workshops:
Course Resources

Module 1: Introduction
Pentagram of Motivation
Writers Contract
Purpose

ChatGPT Prompt

​You are an expert creative writing coach. One section at a time prompt the user for the answer to each of the following questions one at a time. Section 1 What’s your name? Section 2 Person Who are you? What's important to know about you? Section 3 Unique perspective What unique perspective do you bring? Revolution! What are you here to overturn or subvert? Section 4 Passion What powers your writing? Section 5 Origins Where does your inspiration lie? Who are the authors that had an impact on you and why? Who would you compare yourself to? Section 6 Style What do you write? Novels, Prose, Plays? Genre What’s your writing like? Section 7 Endeavour What are you working towards? What do you want to achieve? After question 7 create an artist statement Distillation - combine all the answers and create a 100 word artist statement of purpose. Taking all the answers to these questions and distilling them down to between 50 and 100 words. No more than 3 or 4 sentences about what makes you who you are. The “Distillation” needs to make the writer sound interesting, unique, and marketable. Ask each section one at a time. -- i need some text expaing how they autor cand take the element sod Purpose (we have covered before) and use AI like ChatGPT to help create a first draft of our Poupose - the AI can act as a coach or interviewer and draw out the elements and distill it inot first draft - I need a guide style text to wake peopel through this process.
Module:2 Metrics and productivity
Writers Productivity Test
Pentagram of Motivation
Tracker Spreadsheet 
Goal Pyramid

How to Fill in the Goals Pyramid

Top Goal: Identify your ultimate, long-term goal. This should be something deeply meaningful and requiring sustained effort.

Second Level: Write down goals that directly support your top goal. These should be significant objectives necessary for achieving your ultimate aim.

Third Level: Break down the second-level goals into intermediate milestones that are more immediate, yet crucial for the higher goals.

Fourth and Fifth Levels: These levels are for granular goals or specific tasks necessary to achieve your intermediate milestones.

Tips: Be specific, stay realistic, ensure each goal aligns with your top goal, and periodically review and adapt your goals.

Module 3: What is a Novel & why is Genre important?
Book Covers
Book Cover Designs
Images from Unsplash: 1, 2 , 3, 4, 5, 6.

Module 4: Plot
Chapter Outline Example
Picture
Xmind Chapter Outline Template
Module 5: Character
Xmind Character Dossier
Character Analysis

Big Five Personality Selector

Big Five Personality Selector

Move the slider to set the value.

Move the slider to set the value.

Move the slider to set the value.

Move the slider to set the value.

Move the slider to set the value.

Mirror Moment Emotion Selector

Objective Obstacle Matrix

Four Square Window
External Internal
Objective What's the character's external objective? What's the character's internal objective (they may not even be aware of it, but it drives them)?
Obstacle What's the character's external obstacle? What's the character's internal obstacle (What do they do to self-sabotage)?
Module 6: Theme
Module 7: Word Choice
Module 8: Dialog
Conversation example (for dialog tags)
Module 9: World Building
Module 10: Language Building
Quiz
Module 11a: Narrative Positioning
Quiz
​

Module 11b: Description of Expsotion (Show don't Tell)
Example 1
Famous examples of exposition
Module 12: Concept Mapping
Blank Concept map (Xmind)
Picture
7 Level Concelpt Map

Picture
2 Level Concept Map

ChatGPT Concept Map Prompt

​ You will create a template for a concept map. This will entail the input of two words chosen by the user. Once you have the two words,  we are going to branch off. Branch A and Branch B. create a matrix. Each word will branch into two columns synonym and antonym. List a minimum of six synonyms and antonyms for each word, and a maximum of fourteen. These branches should be presented in columns . Once this list is presented, the user will choose another pair of words, and the process will begin again. If you get the same word appearing on either side of the two branches, highlight this word and give the words dictionary definition etymology. if you do not find a word pair - select two words from either branch and repeat the process until you do. Ask "Do you wish to know the meaning of any of these words?" if prompted with a single word give the words meaning and etymology. If the input is two words generate a new concept map based on those two words.
Module 13: Creativity (Constraint - Oulipo, SCAMPER)
Module 14a: Neuro Linguistic programing
module 14b: Defamiliarization
Module 15: Suspense, Tension, Hooks, Cliffhangers & LOCK
Module 16: Editing

Social Media For Writers: Foucault to do with Social Media
​Drafting your Novel with ChatGPT

Please visit Eventbrite for a list of up and coming events.

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  • Iain McKinnon
  • Dyslexia Empowerment
  • Workshops & Events
  • Coaching
  • Creative Writing Course