Michael J. Ellis

Mind4Joy Creative Writing Lectures

for Professional and Amateur Writers.

By Michael J. Ellis

Having a great idea for a novel, film or a play is a wonderful thing. At that moment the possibilities seem limitless. Your enthusiasm is boundless. But then to squander an idea can be a frustrating waste. How then can a writer fully realize his or her ideas? How do you transform a sketchy notion into a fully formed script or novel?

It is always dangerous to claim a formula for good writing. Seminal writing seems to circumvent and negate rules. Yet there are consistent themes and elements that are worthy of further exploration.

The Mind4Joy lecture argues the dramatic and psychological necessity for a story to have a subtext. What is a subtext? A subtext is a secondary idea that runs parallel to your main story. It is in the form of a question. The question is simple and unseen but it is the sort that all human beings contemplate at some time in their life. This question is subtly answered in the course of your three-act text. This becomes the movement and actions of your story. It moves the reader or viewer at an unconscious level. But most of all it provides a psychologically satisfying journey for writer and reader. It also helps the writer answer basic questions such as, what should happen next? The lecture gives clear examples showing how to turn the abstract into the concrete. The lecture then considers the symbiotic relationship between subtext, image systems, structure, characterization and zeitgeist.

The Mind4Joy creative writing lecture is delivered by a professional writer and qualified lecturer. The lectures references theories of Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, William Goldman and Robert McKee.