#WRITENOW at Storywriting School!

Wazzup Pilipinas!

We all know that literature has made numerous contributions to our world, from the prehistoric ages to the greatest events in history up until the end of time. It has served many roles, including being the threshold of reform in societies, documentation of the greatest events in history and even as simple and entertaining as telling the villagers a great story over the campfire. Literature has lived on and will continue living on because nature has blessed us people with this innate capacity to be storytellers. 

From our unique and vibrant experiences came word-of-mouth explorations to letters of travelers and biographies of the renowned, to the contemporary comic books and novels of all genres, humans have grown to be such skilled storytellers, proven by the masterpieces and classic tales that strike our minds and hearts up to this day. 

Thus, we have been all the more motivated to refine this craft called storytelling. Ergo, platforms like Storywriting School aim to allow storytellers of all ages to unleash their creativity and train aspiring writers whether it be through short stories, sci-fi, fantasy, crime fiction, and the like without the financial limitations.

And so, at Fully Booked Greenbelt 5, Storywriting School's program #WRITENOW, with Palanca award-winning playwright and author Joachim Emilio "Joem" Antonio, is offering seminars all geared towards storytellers.  

Last May 5, 2018 11am-6pm, at Greenbelt 5, Makati, we attended How to Write Sci-Fi/Fantasy where Dr. Joem Antonio talked about everything from pre-writing, outlining, characterization, actual writing and post-writing. 

At the start of the seminar, we were given these note cards and name tags. Three tables were full of eager participants who all shared their expectations regarding the topics of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy seminar. We were also free to ask if we had any clarifications or inquiries. 

Students ranged from children to grown writers, all willing to learn about how to give structure to our ideas and gain tips on worldbuilding, what to keep in mind and actually writing our stories. Dr. Joem Antonio also emphasized on the powers of questioning and avoiding the so-called writer's block by simply writing things down whenever we have the luxury of doing so. After Dr. Joem had shared some lessons about Sci-Fi/Fantasy writing, we had a lot of exercises to put the writing lessons into application. 

We also talked about topics like being naturally good at making connections and being innate storytellers through our own experiences and observations. 

Not only is the instructor an award-winning and determined writer and playwright but also a jovial and approachable instructor when it comes to writing, especially after the end of the workshop when some participants were more comfortable to share their own inquiries regarding Sci-fi/Fantasy storywriting. 

A week later - Last Saturday, May 12, 2018, still at 11am-6pm, we writers got to learn about crafting our own Crime Fiction stories. The class was surprisingly comfy yet effective and entertaining. Once again with Dr. Joem as our instructor, we discussed and shared our insights about characterization and setting, how all the characters play a crucial role when it comes to structuralizing their own to-do-lists in their outlines in order to construct the story's overall plot. 

Seeing some unfamiliar faces, I arrived to see these new crime-fiction related terms - all pivotal to the creation of intriguing ideas and story prompts in a matter of minutes. The participants were soon geared for an exercise in composing their own unique story prompts as well. 

Dr. Joem Antonio had also revealed that he is a professor of Literature and Theatre Arts at University of Asia and the Pacific and teaches fiction writing at Storywriting School. He's also the main proponent of Compact Shakespeare, a series dedicated to making abridged versions of our favorite Shakespeare classics. 

So far, I can describe these Saturday #WRITENOW workshops as interesting, effective and hands-on exercises that will truly develop one's writing abilities through helping them put these lessons into practice not long after learning them. They are fun, challenging and fit for a wide scope of writers, may they be youngsters or hobbyists or professional writers who want to refine their storytelling abilities. 

Through each of these captivating 6-hour crash courses, writers young and old got to unleash their skills in both imagining and fleshing out the elements of crime fiction. Complete with techniques, examples, and good ol' friendly writing advice, this was an effective and amazing class for aspiring writers.

For more information about the instructor, visit: http://www.joemantonio.com/home

Stay tuned for topics like Children's Stories, Storytelling and Narration. 

To enroll in the program, visit https://www.storywritingschool.com/courses/enroll

Hannah Krystelle Q. Del Rosario

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