Iain McKinnon is a successful author with a masters degree in creative writing and 5 novels in print. Written off as stupid and lazy at school it wasn't until he was 33 that he was identified as being dyslexic.
In conjunction with Dyslexia Scotland, Iain is running a Creative Writing workshop for fellow dyslexics.
The course will be held starting January 2021.
This is a free course open to aspiring authors with dyslexia from the ages of 16 upwards.
The course will be held starting January 2021.
This is a free course open to aspiring authors with dyslexia from the ages of 16 upwards.
Iain McKinnon, soon to be running Creative Writing Workshops for Dyslexia Scotland.
Spaces will be limited.
Workshops will take place fortnightly on Saturday mornings 11am - 12pm via zoom.
- Saturday 9 January
- Saturday 16 January
- Saturday 23 January
- Saturday 30 January
- Saturday 6 February
- Saturday 13 February
The course content will cover:
Harnessing Dyslexia - The advantages that dyslexia gives an author and tips for negating its downsides.
The Novel - What is a novel, genre & history.
Purpose - What drives an author.
Creativity - How to harness and explore creative ideas.
Dialogue - Considerations for creating compelling dialogue.
World Building - Creating, adding depth and working out 3rd order effects and how these impact on your characters and story.
The Anatomy of a Novel - Chapters, scenes, paragraphs and sentences: Structure and forethought.
Concept Development - Using mind mapping to explore concepts and build depth.
Concept Mapping - Finding the root of the story, building a lexicographical pallet for a story.
Narrative Focus - 1st and 3rd person views, constrictions and deployment.
Writing Hygiene - How to get the most out of your time.
Authorship - What exactly is an author and why is it important to define yourself as one.
Linguistics - Building a dictionary and accent for your writing project.
Story Structure - Narrative, plot vs story, the 3/5 act structure.
Character development - Building believable characters, motivation and change.
Critical Self-Analysis - What works and what doesn't with your writing, Prewriting and questioning your concepts.
Defamiliarisation - Schlovsky and the art of perceptional shifts.
Oulipo - Maddening constraints that improve your writing.
Drafting and Editing - Reworking your writing to best effect.
Research - Write about what you know or find out about what you don't know.
Support and Feedback - How to find the right help and how to deploy feedback.
