L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Online Workshop
- My Wins, and Advise
One ordinary morning as I advanced out of my bed to meet the new day, I grabbed my phone - a device that act as my assistant in handling my communications with the world, and some computer-capable work. I carefully scrutinized the few email and other messages I usually receive. I dealt with the most pressing of these messages with my usual get-it-done-now-before-it-becomes-a-burden attitude. Oh, yeah, I know I did this more often than not, but never always, as I tried as much as its feasible to be 'human' like others. You know its ‘human to err’? I don’t buy this, but I play along once in a while.
Later that day, I returned to and opened that singular email message I had reserved for the most leisurely of my day. It’s an invitation to participate in the once winners-only L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Online Workshop . What?! Here’s one great thing the COVID-19 pandemic brought about! Wow! I ran swiftly through the smart, sharp, and friendly message, and clicked on the workshop registration link, and lo! a not-so-minor adventure lurked in wait for me.
What is writing? My way: a guy gets an idea, grabs a pen or phone or computer, flips open the paper, or Word processor on the phone or computer, and write! right? Yes, I’d been so conditioned by my owsn self-crafted injunction. This had been my go-to-method when it comes to writing. What is there to teach anyone? I believed there’s nothing except you want to copy other people's - successful, even - writing styles and formulas. Well, I didn't, and don’t, still. I want to be and remain 'Me', unique, fresh, even dangerously different, whatever you may define as dangerous. And that’s the advice I’ve been offering to anyone who asked me: write!
And so, that evening, I started on the L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Online Workshop . Did my viewpoint change? for the better? and smatter, and broader? Oh, YES! I learned quite a few things; very few, probably four lessons, of tremendous impact.
The first and most fascinating to me is contained in the L. Ron Hubbard's essay entitled, "The Manuscript Factory". In this essay, Mr. Hubbard specified the elements and steps for any writer to follow to be a successful and highly remunerating professional. One could walk the path of (and many great writers had taken to that path) becoming famous, respected and the likes. But, do you want to be highly remunerated for your creations, you know, make good living off of your work? That's a different game, right? I have been writing for a living, from 1995. I write some of the best and most effective business plans, feasibility studies, business cases, et al., as a Business Consultant. Well, I am yet to make a dollar, nay a kobo, from my non-business writings. Well, my mind flipped open with astonishment to this singular oddity.
The second lesson was gleamed from the essays on Art, with the titles "The Fundamentals of Art", and "Art, More About" again by L. Ron Hubbard. I had some understanding of the key tenets of the essays being conversant with L. Ron Hubbard works. I had read quite a bit of his fiction works from the early 1990s, including Battlefield Earth, Fear, and the 10-volume Mission Earth, among others. And, when L. Ron Hubbard writes, you not only relish the story, but also become instructed in the working intricacies of some spheres of life. But, the details of the essays changed my viewpoint regarding "Art", especially with regards to my own writing. I know, and some people have told me, that I was 'good' with words - written and spoken. But could I advance this 'good' to the glorious, stunning level of Art? The tenets in the essays were rendered to illuminate without any parable, confusion, or scholarliness. I daresay if you desire to make a real artwork of your writing, you need to study this Course.
Number three of the lessons learned happened to be something one could consider irrelevant, and most people would. If you listen carefully to people, you might have noticed that some try to stress the 'G' in the suffix 'ing' in their words. For instance, "goinG", "bettinG" and so on. Before taking this course, even though I knew this ending letter ‘G’ should be silent like in many languages, because most people don't stress it. But I had no idea why? Well, Mr. Orson Scott Card, a member of the panel of resource persons, laid bare the etymology of the Old English behind this. Did you know that 'going' was originally, in Old English pronounced, 'goand', and the 'd' is silent just as we say "an'" for "and"? Oh, dear, that's a smooth cat out of a craggy bag, yah! I advise that you get on to this online course to get the full gist. For me, I know why I had been irritated whenever I hear anyone belabor those simple words with the innocent i n g.
Well the last and evidently the most that will become obvious in my subsequent writing is the structure of a story. Yes, I had a good command of story structure, and could handle one from beginning to the end as I have written (but unpublished several novel length and short story stories; exceeding six hundred thousand words in total). At the end of the highly practical L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Online Workshop, I got delivered of one full novel and two solid story ideas, and finished a Short Story (the practical exercises are structured to lead you to produce at least a short story).
Okay. Finally, I can argue that if you want to 1) craft great artwork with your writings, and 2) be highly remunerated and successful, you should be able to combine the formulas that were provided on this course in your writing. It's just a must.
Did I say the Course is free of charge? And that it is a wholesome and rich content online workshop? And that there's no moment of apathy or boredom?
Did I say you're awarded with a certificate at completion?
Did I say your writing will never be the same again after this invaluable workshop offered for free to everyone by the L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future ?
Oh, I just did.
Well, Write! be successful, be highly remunerated, and bring joy to people’s lives, and assist in making our lives, as humanity, richer and better with the quality of your creations because we, artists, are "the creators of tomorrow".
Babatunde Odutola
Certified Writer of the
L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Online Workshop
Comments 1
That’s so cool. Great job!