Week 9 of my creative writing course
This year has held plenty of endings for me. They haven’t been easy – as a Taurean, change is not up there on my list of things I enjoy – but they have all led to something new and exciting. The Random House/GetSmarter creative writing course was an example of a ‘something new’. It arrived after a time of heartbreak and was just what I needed to refocus my attention. It gave me something constructive to do with my energy. Now, as it nears its own end this week, I don’t want to let it go. It’s been brilliant – logging on to the GetSmarter website every day and checking in with fellow students, receiving valuable feedback on my assignments from students and the course conveners, Ron and Claire. But there is something new here too: I am 13 000 words into my novel and on track to reaching my 30 000-word end-of-year deadline. Inspiration is renewed. Now all I need is a beach holiday with endless days to pen the remaining 50 000 words!
This week’s module has, fittingly, been all about good endings. There are several types of endings you must avoid when rounding up your novel, including the ‘dream’ ending (is there anything worse?). And you should be thinking about the ending from the very beginning lest you ramble on and on without offering the reader any satisfying closure.
Read my final blog about the course next Monday and look out for news on an exciting, upcoming course to be hosted by Mike Nicol.
For more information on the Random House Struik/GetSmarter creative writing course, go to www.getsmarter.co.za/creative-writing
Picture source: http://vi.sualize.us/tag/typewriter/
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