Tag Archives: writing

Great creative writing testimonial!

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quote1-w“I loved the course. Niall was amazing as were the other participants and I revived my thirst for writing. I went into the course with an idea I had started writing about. It was due to our “non-compulsory” homework for the course that a TV show proposal I wrote ended up getting commissioned for a pilot by a TV station. Everyone had different interests in the course, which is what made it so much fun and it was really laid back. Couldn’t recommend it more to get your creative juices flowing. I did it for the craic and it delivered big time.”

Wow! Act The Maggot is thrilled to deliver this latest testimonial from one very happy maggot. We are delighted with her success. Can’t wait to see it on telly. See what you can do if you knuckle down and focus in just six short weeks? The next beginners screenwriting course begins on Tuesday, April 25th and the next beginners creative writing course will begin on Tuesday, June 6th. Both classes take place in Dublin city centre. Email us to book your spot.

Last few spots available on Beginners Acting – more new courses kick off after Easter

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wholetmeadult!There are just three more places left on the March 23 course in Beginners Acting. If you want to sign up email us at actthemaggot@gmail.com to secure your place. After Easter, there will be Beginners Drawing and Beginners Screenwriting, more Beginners Acting (May 11) and a new Beginners Creative Writing course. All courses cost €180 and take place in Temple Bar. Hurry. They do book up!

Where to see great Short Films?

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fadeinThe way to view film and video content has changed so dramatically in recent years. Apart from catching the latest shorts at the Dublin Film Festival, it is difficult to find examples of good short films that are being made today. There are heaps of Facebook groups you can join. This website is a favourite – an amazing short films website hosting all the major film festival winners in the short film category. Happy viewing. Elsewhere, here is a cool site showing some quirky and interesting shorts films made in Ireland.If you are planning on writing your first short screenplay, it is important to study some of your favourites. Choose ones in the genre you wish to write in and study their dialogue, story arcs and the timings. You can also consider joining us at Act The Maggot in Temple Bar for our Beginner’s Screenwriting class. Working with a group helps get the juices flowing and the cross-pollination of ideas can get you really into your own story.

Wednesday Poem

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ADVICE TO WRITERS

Even if it keeps you up all night,
wash down the walls and scrub the floor
of your study before composing a syllable.

Clean the place as if the Pope were on his way.
Spotlessness is the niece of inspiration.

The more you clean, the more brilliant
your writing will be, so do not hesitate to take
to the open fields to scour the undersides
of rocks or swab in the dark forest
upper branches, nests full of eggs.

When you find your way back home
and stow the sponges and brushes under the sink,
you will behold in the light of dawn
the immaculate altar of your desk,
a clean surface in the middle of a clean world.

From a small vase, sparkling blue, lift
a yellow pencil, the sharpest of the bouquet,
and cover the pages with tiny sentences
like long rows of devoted ants
that followed you in from the woods.

Billy Collins

Wanna write for the movies?

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robertmckeeAct The Maggot is thrilled to announce a new departure in our creative writing department. We are offering a brand new six-week course in Screenwriting at the end of April. This course is designed for the film and TV buffs among you. It is specifically aimed at those of you who have never tried it before. Here’s a thing. Imagine how alarming it might be if you did the maths on how many hours you actually spend watching feature films, short films, sketch comedy and episodes of TV shows per week. Content is everywhere now. We cannot avoid it. All is not lost, though. Let’s throw our oars in and make our own content. Let’s put those hours to good use and get creative. Imagine how much you have already learned about character and plot without really thinking about it. Yup. It’s time to tell the stories that you want to see up there on the screen.

Hennessy New Writing Awards

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This should be of interest to beginner writers out there and provide some inspiration and future reading lists. Here is a link to a short article featuring the nominees for this year’s Hennessy 2016 Literary Awards. There is a nice blurb about each writer in their category and the focus in on beginnings, how their story was inspired, what was it’s organic starting point. Interesting stuff. Best of luck to Niall McArdle and Nathalie Ryan. If you are keen to find a good writing group in Dublin, why not try our next course starting May 10th, 2016.