News Marian Keyes - FREE weekly 4-part course on novel writing on Instagram

[Jonny]

Irish writer, Marian Keyes, is currently holding a writing a novel course over 4 weeks live on Instagram (Monday evenings). She has broadcast episodes 1 & 2 already, but they are available to watch. Here's the link to the first one. (1.5 minutes or so is just her checking video & audio feed is working)

Marian Keyes - Novel Writing Course - FREE

I have only watched the opening five minutes of both so far, and they are a no frills straight-to-camera approach, delivered in her inimitable, friendly, down to earth conversational style.

I love her writing (have read 5 of her novels) and I think this may well be worth a look.

There's nothing to lose and possibly a lot to gain.

OK Quick review of Ep 1. (now watched)

Just Marian talking to phone or laptop camera for 50 mins - no edits at all.

• A lot of stuff we all are likely to know already to begin with. Takes 5-10 mins or so to hit a rhythm and flow.
• Totally devoid of even a hint of pretentiousness - from the hip 100% honesty (heartening and very amusing at times)
• Some really good info in there too. It's as if she's talking directly to us individually.
• For free it's a great watch and with the 3 subsequent episodes sounding a little more structured.
• Nice way to spend 50 mins - she's all for writing groups. Her view of them and how they should function as support mechanisms is very Litopian - even down to Huddles or their equivalents.
• She's done no creative writing courses ever, she's entirely self-taught and has 'learnt on the job' but underestimate her advice at your peril. She's sold over 35 million books
• As Cage says below these are also now being posted YouTube.

Here

 

[CageSage]

It's also on YouTube

 

[Jonny]

I think she’s live castiing them on Instagram then posting the video on YT too. I saw it in an article in one of the Irish papers.

 

[Hannah F]

Enjoyed that. Thanks for the link. My take home quote: "Be true to what you want to create".

 

[Jonny]

I love her honesty and brutal down to earthness.

Especially her reply to the question: “Do you use the three act structure?”

 

[RK Wallis]

I love how she said the first thing they do in writing groups is praise each other, and try to not crush a fledgling writer.

 

[Jonny]

My key takeaway is there are no rules when writing a novel (OK, obvs grammar, spelling and POV conventions etc.) But structure and voice are totally down to us, and how we write it should be the way we want to write it.

She doesn't guarantee a bestseller using this approach. It will either work or won't but in the process we are always learning.

 

[Steve C]

I like the down to earth honesty she gives out. Having said that, in answer to most questions she tends to say: 'I don't know. Just do your own thing.' Mind you that in itself is great advice. Much of which she knows intuitively I have had to learn from books which is probably why she is so successful. I really enjoyed the first two sessions and will watch the rest when they emerge.

 

[Jonny]

Episode 3 is here on YT YouTube

And here on Instagram

 

[Jonny]

Episode 4 now available (last one)

Instagram Here

YouTube Here