*FREE EVENT*: Introduction to the Enneagram-Story Bridge™

Venue: The Writers Junction

Location: 1001 Colorado Blvd., Santa Monica, CA

When: Sun July 22, 2012

How Much: FREE

Time: 11a.m.–1:00PM

Who should attend: Screenwriters, Novelists

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A FREE STORYGEEKS LECTURE

An Introduction to the Enneagram-Story Bridge™:

How to Use the Enneagram System 

for Rapid Story Development

Click to Register: REGISTER ME! (LIMITED SEATING)

At a Glance

• Ninety minute introductory lecture on how to use the Enneagram system to discover and develop the right, true and natural structure of any story.
• Covers the fundamentals of the Enneagram system, its history, applications, and relevance for storytellers.
• Discusses the fundamentals of story structure principles and how the Enneagram is fundamental to the creative writing process.
• Introduces the Enneagram-Story Bridge™ and the essentials of Rapid Story Development™.
• Appropriate for screenwriters, novelists, and creative nonfiction authors.

Storytelling is not dependent on any form; a story can be painted, danced, written, staged, or mimed. But, all stories are dependent upon having a structure. Every story has one, every story must have one. This presentation describes a new and powerful story development methodology that can guide participants through the intricate process of developing any story idea into its right, true and natural structure. The key to success lies in understanding the dynamic and intimate relationship between story structure principles and the Enneagram system. 

The Enneagram is the most powerful system available today that describes the nine-core personality drives underlying all human behavior.  Each of the nine personality drives is rooted in thoughts, feelings and actions that largely determine how we interact with the world, for good or ill. Everyone has an Enneagram—including fictional characters and stories themselves! Story structure and the Enneagram are two, must-have tools every writer needs in their writing toolbox.  This introductory lecture reveals how any story’s structure is related to, and determined by, the Enneagrams of the characters that populate any story.  Every story knows how it should best be told. If you can cross the Enneagram-Story Bridge™, this lecture can each you how to listen to your story so that you can be a master at telling any story.

If you are ready to learn real tools that will lead to productive and profitable story development, then this lecture is for you.  Sign up today!

 

What past students have said about Jeff Lyons’s workshops:

Jeff Lyons's mind-blowingly brilliant combo of the Enneagram and innovative story structure shakes things up and virtually reinvents the storytelling wheel. I'm hooked!

~Caroline Leavitt: New York Times Bestselling Author of Pictures of You, Award-winning UCLA Novel Writing instructor, Book Critic

Jeff’s method for developing story is deceptively simple yet wildly effective.  Following his steps at the beginning of my writing process has saved me hours of painful rewriting down the line.  Highly recommended for screenwriters and novelists alike!

~Teresa Huang: Staff Writer NBC’s Knight Rider (2010)

Jeff Lyons's unique insights on the Enneagram and its impact on story structure is at once comprehensible and enlightening. Since making use of it, my characters have sprung to authentic life. All writers should give this a try.

~Masha Hamilton: Award-winning Author 31 Hours, The Camel Bookmobile; Journalist

Writers Have Little to Be Happy about with 2012 WGAw Earnings Report

The annual WGAw earnings report for 2012 (reporting 2011 earnings) came out today, and there isn't a whole lot of good news.  In fact, mostly the numbers are down compared to 2010, and the worst in six years of reporting.

This summary from David Lieberman, Deadline:

"The number of writers reporting earnings fell 2.3% to 4,338 — the lowest level in at least six years. The biggest category, television, was up a slight 0.4% to 3,320. That was more than outweighed by the 8.1% drop in screen writers to 1,562. Meanwhile, writers’ total reported earnings dropped 5.9% to $911.7M, the lowest level since the 2008 recession, although the WGA says the numbers could improve as late reports come in. Television writers generated $559.2M, -1.2% from the all-time high set in 2010. But screen writers saw $349.1M, -12.6%. 'While late reports will offset this decline somewhat, the last two years have resulted in 15% fewer writers employed in screen, earning 20% less in the aggregate,' the WGA says. The picture’s mixed for the residuals that the union collected. TV was up 14.0% to $183.1M helped by reuse of programs in foreign territories and an increase in the number of shows made for cable. But theatrical films fell 9.8% to $128.5M — largely due to a 23.9% drop in home video to nearly $30M ... "
(Deadline, David Leiberman July 2, 2012)

Here are some grids to illustrate the sadness:

 


Bottom line, this only underscores what I've been saying about the importance for screenwriters to diversify and move into other areas of writing, especially online and self-publishing e-books (see my earlier post: So...You Want to Be a Screenwriter—Snap Out of It!).  If you want a life as a working writer, and one that finds real satisfaction and appreciation from readers (real readers, not Hollywood gatekeeper-readers)—then, diversify baby.

Now, go be a brilliant e-book writer!