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"Provides the tools for the way in, to understanding the complex architecture of screenwriting."
Victoria Wisdom, Literary Agent more... |
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A Women Writers' Retreat with Dara Marks & Deb Norton3 sessions coming this year:
Check back soon for more information!An intensive creativity workshop for writers and artists Engaging the Feminine Heroic is designed to help women writers and artists gain greater access to their own internal creative vision in order to write stronger and more compelling stories. This course uses mythic epics as a means of entering more deeply into communication with the feminine mysteries surrounding our shared experiences of maidenhood, marriage, childbirth, menopause, crone wisdom and dying. The feminine heroic may be difficult to recognize (even for women) because most of the popular stories in our culture are grounded in the masculine heroic journey. Whereas the essential goal of the hero's journey is to discover, defend, declare and establish our Self in the world, the great achievement of the feminine quest is communion, connection and relatedness to the Other. Therefore, it isn't grit or physical prowess that gives the feminine her heroic stature, it is her ability to descend into dark, forbidding places that lie within each of us to retrieve our essence, which is interrelatedness and love. The story of our humanity is encoded in all epic mythologies. They reveal how we grow and evolve, how we face life's conflicts and obstacles, and how we must endure death experiences in order to create new life. In this course we de-code myth as a means of gaining valuable insight and perspective on the archetypal human dramas that we all inescapably reenact. Archetypes are universal patterns of human behavior that we all consciously or unconsciously recognize. There is enormous power when a story taps into archetypal characters or situations because they enable the audience to identify with the story on the deepest possible level.
Gaining access to the feminine heroic is a heroic journey in itself. This course takes writers on a guided
initiation into the feminine realm where you will:
Course Elements
Lecture – Each section of the workshop begins with a talk, exploring various aspects
of feminine epic mythologies and their archetypal relevance in our personal
experiences and life journeys.
Discussion – One of the predominant themes of this course is the universality of our human experiences. Therefore, sharing these experiences is essential to helping us expand our ability to see ourselves in each other and each other in ourselves. Writing only takes on depth and meaning when it penetrates these boundaries of interconnectedness. Exercises – We will explore the stages of the feminine heroic journey through timed writing, ritual and play. Our exercises are designed to bypass the critical voices that obstruct creative flow. Writing – Personal writing is encouraged during non-workshop hours. There will be small "homework" assignments, but participants will find that the work in class will stimulate journal writing, spontaneous poetry, work on a personal project, and other forms of creative expression. For more information: Dara Marks Tel: 805-640-1307 dara@daramarks.com |
