Writing from the Imaginative Storm

The only pen I pushed as a youngster was filled with India ink. The paper was thick, had a smooth texture and held the lines sharply. Drawing was my passion — faces, people and abstract designs. I had no idea then that the same creative talent it took to produce a visual image using artistic media is the same as it takes to produce a mental image using the written word.

This early love for art and design later translated into a profession that was based on imagery coupled with clever “copy.” We called it “advertising,” “marketing” and “publicity.” It sold goods and services to willing customers as well as paid the bills.

Then I moved to France. Suddenly, my past-life profession didn’t translate very well into a successful career in this new and different world. I found myself digging deep into the reserves of an old talent pool to recreate and morph into something saleable to an employer, a client or an audience. That’s when I discovered a passion for a different kind of pen — the kind that strings words together and weaves them into complex thought, mental imagery and influential opinion.

Now, I live for it, like an addict for the drug — this need for expression using alpha-beta symbols. Every day I approach the keyboard with a passion to create, stir emotions, elicit response, offer a wider point of view.

This could be within you, too. Maybe just buried. Or maybe you already know the glimmer is there, but don’t yet have the foundation to build your house of words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, chapters and volumes.

Now, here’s your chance.

On Saturday, December 2nd, James Navé, a “fixture” on the Poetry Slam circuit and co-founder of “Poetry Alive!” comes to Paris to share with you how to “write from the imaginative storm.”

For three solid hours, you will have the opportunity to join with James in a creative writing workshop that crackles with passion, fun, and spontaneity.

Sponsored by Parler Paris, during this collaborative afternoon, you’ll spend the first half exploring the creative process by way of movement and improvisational word play. In the second half, you’ll craft your discoveries of memories, ideas, concert images, and surprising word combinations into meaningful rough drafts worthy of polishing into stories and poems. Many of you will have the chance to read your drafts out loud to great applause!

Space is limited to 30, so it’s on a first come, first serve basis. The cost is only 30 euros at the door (cash, no checks please, and plan on ordering at least one drink), so that means you should reserve early to ensure you place. And don’t forget to bring pen and paper!

Here it is again, in a nutshell:

WRITING FROM THE IMAGINATIVE STORM
Facilitated by poet, James Navé
Sponsored by Parler Paris and Adrian Leeds
Saturday, December 2, 2006, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Upstairs at La Pierre du Marais
96, rue des Archives at the corner of rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris
Métro Lines 9, 3 et 11, stations Temple, République or Arts et Métiers

To reserve your place in advance or for more information, email James Navé at [email protected]

I’ll be there, taking the workshop along with you…so hope to see you there!

A la prochaine…

P.S. If you’re serious about improving your writing skills, then don’t miss this opportunity…it may never happen again. Click here now to reserve your place: [email protected]