About

Things are not okay for Brian as he tries to navigate the perils of life on the inside.  He learns that there is only one person that he can count on - himself.  And it's his time to do.

Music is an oft-used metaphor here at Pen & Paper.  It is also the framework for how I think about the teaching and learning the craft of writing fiction.

If you asked me today to go sit in a room, all by myself, and write a story – for hours and hours – then my eyes would light up with anticipation.

Why?

Because that sounds like fun to me.  It doesn't sound like work…or worse.

Attend, while I tell a tale.

For most of my formative years I was heavily involved in music. At first, I just loved to listen to music – mostly classical. Then, as I grew up, I learned that I could make music - both as a musician and a composer.

My dream/goal/desire was to be a professional musician. I practiced daily, took private lessons, and was a part of several orchestras in and outside of high school. I was exposed to great musicians, great music, and great music teachers.  These experiences stoked the flames.  My passion for music, already hot, grew hotter still when I was able to play alongside professionals.  This was going to be my life.

There was a grand narrative that I had written in my mind.  I would go to the university and then triumphantly emerge from my undergraduate studies with a degree in music performance.

In order to gain entrance to the university's music program, I had to do an audition. It did not go well.  I flubbed it – a case of the nerves.  Indeed, there was a lot riding on this audition – all of my dreams/goals/desires.  It was a blow to my ego but I was undeterred.  I enrolled in all of the music classes that I would have otherwise taken had and I been accepted into the program. I even took a class in music composition - if I couldn't make the music, then I would write it.  The revised plan was to study music, practice, and audition again after the first semester.  It was not unusual to audition more than once before being accepted.  It was one of the top programs in the nation.

Over the course of the school year, a realization dawned on me.

“I’m not like these people.  At all.  I don't think like them.  I do not experience the world like them.  They are musicians.  I am not.”

Certainly, I could read music, discuss music theory, and perform music.  I could do all of these things, but I did not think musically.  There were no melodies or harmonies running through my head.  I had no ear for music - not in the way that a true musician does.  It was impossible for me to hear something in my mind and then make that unheard sound a reality.

There was a second audition.  A second failure.  And a hard dose of reality.

There was a huge leap from being one of the top musicians in a large high school to playing at the collegiate level.  A more professional level.

And I was not there.

What was more, I hated sitting in a practice room for hours on end.  Not only was I supposed to practice my own instrument, but I had to learn the piano as well.  Certainly, in high school I had practiced regularly – daily, but only for about an hour or so. These people - these musicians – practiced for hours on end. Every single day.  Sitting alone in a cramped practice room with not one, but two, instruments, was awful.

So what happened to that grand narrative that I had written in my mind?

It had to be scrapped and rewritten…from scratch.  Not an easy task.  But it was, and is, my work.  And I revel in it.  It is worth noting, that throughout this site and the courses offered herein, I will ask you to reflect upon your own thoughts about yourself as a writer.  This is your work.

So how did I rewrite this narrative?  I learned, over time, (and with help) that I am a storyteller.  I always have been.

And I learned that music was the background to the narratives that had always been running through my head.  We all know that a movie without climactic music swelling at the perfect point is less of a movie.  But this music is in the background.  It enhances the story, but it is not the story.  For me, music was the undercurrent to the stories in my head. I t had always been thus, but I did not know it then.  I do know it now.

Okay, so what?  What does this have to do with writing?

I like sitting in a room all by myself with pen and paper.  Writing.  For hours on end.  Do you?  If you do, then press onward.  If not, then please spend the time to figure out what you could and would do for hours on end.  Writing - and this course - may not be for you, if you don't like the thought of spending time getting words on the page.

Understand that being a composer of music is very similar to being a composer of words.  Both are creative acts.

There are certain books and symphonies that are considered greats.  What is it that makes them great?  Within each of these disciplines - music and writing - an artist must have both skill and experience in order to make something praiseworthy.  Skill and experience make for good craftsmanship. And both types of composers need to practice their craft.

And that takes time and practice.

Can you sit for hours and hours...writing?  And do you like telling stories?  If so, then Pen & Paper may be for you.

__________

So what about the more?  The framework?  How do I think about the teaching and learning the craft of writing fiction?

I think it is best approached in the same manner that Mozart and Beethoven learned to compose music.  They were taught the basics of music theory and then took lessons from teachers.  There was no formal university education - it was more of an apprenticeship.  That is how I designed Pen & Paper.  Think of the course components as the "music theory" and the lessons offered herein as putting the theory into practice.

Many online writing courses combine both instruction with a review of student writing.  I have separated the two...for a reason.  To save you money and potential frustration.  Remember, writing is a creative act and nothing stifles creativity more than pressure.  If you feel constrained to write something for this course, then you might feel pressure and subsequently have difficulty getting words on the page.  You don't have to write a single word when you register for the course.  It is entirely up to you how you want to engage in the course materials.  Obviously, I would like you to write and work on your own writing, but there is no obligation to do so.  You are free to pursue your writing as you see fit.  When you are ready to have me look at your writing, then you can take a lesson.  On your time.

• Awarded “Top Business Coach” by the Global Coaching Awards in 2023.
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