Welcome
Pen & Paper
Once upon a time, there was a composer of words. He struggled to find his sound. His notes were not yielding the prose on the page that he’d imagined. So he turned to Pen and Paper…and lived happily ever after.
Are you a composer of words? Learn to craft compositions that sing.
Learn the craft of writing fiction at Pen & Paper.
Music is the Metaphor
Music is the metaphor here at Pen & Paper. Just as writers use metaphors to reach their audience, I use metaphors to teach mine.
Why music?
At one time, I lived in the world of music and musicians. You can read more about this in the About section. For many years, I dreamt of being a performer and composer of music. It turns out that I am much more adept at composing words.
Over time, I have come to realize that these two seemingly disaprate worlds are really quite similar. It pleases me to think of myself as a composer...of words. If this thought intrigues you, then I would like to assist you on your journey to becoming a composer of words too.
First and foremost, you nedd to know what I write. And to that end, I would have you listen to two pieces of music. Each one represents a literary style. You will hear a clear difference between the two.
And so, for the purpose of instruction, a question is in order.
Do you want to write this... (Note: This is your first assignment. I want you to listen to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. Pay close attention to the first three minutes of the concerto as I will reference the opening measures of the music within the course materials. Remember...there are no accidents in crime, writing, or teaching. There is a reason I chose this concerto and this particular recording of the concerto. It is only about 35 minutes long... and it is amazing. So listen and enjoy. If you are pressed for time, then at least listen to the first three minutes.)
Or this? (Note: I only want you to listen to a few measures of Schoenberg - just enough to get the gist of his music.)
There is a stark contrast between the two YouTube videos. One video contains the music of Tchaikovsky and the other contains the music of Schoenberg.
Which do you prefer?
For the purposes of this course, Tchaikovsky represents good storytelling (commercial fiction) and Schoenberg represents literary fiction. What is the difference between commercial fiction and literary fiction? You can ask what is the difference between the two styles of music and you will have your answer.
Both Tchaikovsky and commercial fiction are read and enjoyed by a wide audience, while Schoenberg and literary fiction are read and enjoyed by very few.
This course is designed to help writers understand the craft of writing commercial fiction - stories that appeal to a broad audience.
There are certain books, symphonies, and paintings that are considered greats. What is it that makes them great? Within each of these disciplines - writing, music, and painting - an artist must have an understanding of the components necessary to create something worthy of enjoyment by a wide audience.
Who should take this course?
You should take this course if you are interested in learning the craft of writing commercial fiction. What do I mean by "commercial fiction"? Simply put, commercial fiction is good storytelling. That is all.
It tells a story that people will want to read...and enjoy.
This is not a course in writing literary fiction. Literary fiction might win awards and be featured in literary journals, but not many people really read - or enjoy - the stuff. It is the stuff, and puff, and fluff of academics.
You should take this course if you have a fundamental grasp of the mechanics of writing. This is not a course in grammar, punctuation, or spelling.
How Do I Know if this Course Right for Me?
Read my writing. If you like what I write and how I write, then this course is a good fit for you. Also, you should take this course if you want to read a good book. In order to understand what makes for good fiction, you will need to read good fiction.
Why should I take this course?
Hopefully, you are not taking this course with the hope of writing a blockbuster bestseller that sells millions of copies and lands a movie deal which allows you to retire to a villa in the south of France. If that's the case, then go buy a lottery ticket. It will take less time, be less expensive, and yield the same results. This is not a course in how to write a bestseller. Making such claims is a marketing ploy. I make no such claims. What is more, having a bestseller has more to do with marketing than writing. There are many bestsellers that aren't worth the paper that they are printed on.
You should take this course if you wish to learn the craft of writing. As a craft, it must be practiced. The more you practice the craft of writing, the better you will become. In this course, I will show you how I practice the craft of writing.
What are the other "whys"?
Words have power. Tremendous power.
Words give us the ability to express our love.
"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night"
from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
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Words give us the courage to fight.
“We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing-grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!”
from Winston Churchill's speech to the House of Commons on June 4, 1940.
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Words have the power to create change.
"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."
from Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech
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Words have the power to honor the dead.
"But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate - we can not consecrate - we can not hallow - this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract."
from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
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Words have the power to set us free.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
from The Declaration of Independence
We write because we are human and we feel. We write to express these feelings and emotions. We write to teach. We write to connect.
Words have power.
Your words. They should mean something too.
How much does the course cost?
Cost: $50.00
This one-time fee gives you lifetime access to the course (and subsequent updates to the course for as long as the course remains online).
Why pay thousands of dollars (or even hundreds of dollars) on a writing course?
What does it mean to be a writer?
A writer is someone who gets words on the page. It's that simple. I am not suggesting that these words are worth reading, but you have to understand that writing - first and foremost - is about words on the page. If you are dithering about how to construct the perfect sentence or fiddling with finding le mot juste, then you aren't writing. At least not much. And the less you write, the less people will read what you have written.
The activities and instruction provided in Pen & Paper are designed to help you more easily get words on the page.
What is the goal of this course? *This is important.
My goal in creating this course is to teach you how to view words on the page through the same lens that I do.
Three Ways to Learn
There are two ways to learn the craft of writing fiction here at Pen & Paper.
Your choices are as follows:
- Register for the course Pen & Paper ($50)
- Take a private lesson in writing - see Lessons ($100)
- Études de Plume (free)
Lessons
Do you want personalized instruction in the craft of writing fiction?
Lessons are the equivalent of private music lessons - only we are dealing with words, paragraphs, and pages instead of notes, clefs, and musical phrases.
To find out more about Lessons, click on the link below.
