Writing Seminar by Markus Vattulainen

After waiting eagerly for Saturday to come, I was excited to attend the seminar by Markus V, a would-be author from Finland. Markus posted the details of the seminar and invited participants to join him for a whole year in learning the craft of writing. A session would be held for three hours every Saturday morning to discuss not only the personal approaches to writing, especially fiction, but also to learn and analyze the time-honored techniques employed by published authors. I was hoping to be able to be part of a group of aspiring writers for a long time. Markus's offer came like a soothing balm to my aching heart.
The first session was introductory and began with three men and three women apart from Markus who headed the session and drove it skillfully forward with the tools of the trade, beginning with a short introduction on the purpose of the seminar and ending the session with a film clip. Markus has a pleasing personality with a jovial face and a friendly demeanor. He greeted all of us with warmth and introduced us gently to the writing process. Everyone participated in the discussions that followed. The session held promise for more interesting and useful interactions in the future.
Markus made it clear at the very outset that he had made a choice between writing and not writing. The decision must necessarily be irreversible, leaving no scope for dilly-dallying. He decided to write, quit his job and settled down to writing full time. It was clear I am sure to everyone who did not take as seriously to writing as he did that it ws important to decide NOW, which is what Markus told us to do before going ahead with the seminar. It remains to be seen how many will go through with it and with how much hard work and enthusiasm.
The first session began with the screening of The Lion King, pausing the flow often to make a point or deliberate on some aspects of story-telling. Markus is articulate, clear in exposition and often invited the opinions of his eager listeners before offering his own. He gave an assignment which involved analyzing a scene from the film and posting answers to queries he posed in a hand-out. He expected everyone to join the forum on the seminar's website and participate in the discussions. The days of enjoyment are over, Markus announced; it is time to be analytical whenever we watch a movie or read a story.