Specialization in experience-based writing

Influences | Daniel Saldaña

I will give you a brief tour of some of the books and films, related to this course, that have marked me the most.

Influences | Aniko Villalba

Our referents model our work and the way of approaching it. Now I am going to tell you which artists and authors inspire me and what I borrowed from each one for my travel notebooks.

Influences | Maria Jose Caro

Now I want to talk to you about the books and movies that influenced me to encourage me to write. Our references shape our style and our trajectory!

Discussions around autobiographical writing

Module 2

Your memories hold unique stories waiting to be told. With César Tejeda, narrator, editor, and screenwriter, you’ll discover how to explore your memory to reconstruct passages of your life and give them literary form. Through narrative techniques and evocation exercises, you’ll learn to transform the intimate into stories capable of resonating with any reader.

11 lessons (1h 33m)

Although it seems strange, autobiographical writing provokes discussions among those of us who dedicate ourselves to the profession of writing. I'm going to tell you what they are so that you know their origins and take your own conclusions.

I start from a premise: if time is not the best element we have to organize our autobiographical stories, what can we use to channel them?

Center of gravity

Autobiographical genres

Next, I am going to briefly expose a typology of autobiographical genres. This has no academic purpose, I did it with the simple objective of organizing the conversation, hoping that it will be useful to you in some way.

This is a theoretical lesson where I will talk about the tools that serve to recreate the passage of time and keep the attention of our readers.

Narrative tools

Dramatic tools

In my life as an editor, I have come across autobiographical projects a few times that do not use dramatic tools. These help us to create expectations and dramatic tension, two elements that are essential to capture the attention of viewers.

Betrayals of memory

Be aware that memory is a whimsical tool, but that its whims, far from hindering autobiographical writing, can serve and inspire.

Documentary writings and intertextual writings

In this lesson you will learn how to use objects to document reality and you will also learn that your texts can coexist directly with others.

Now I will show you how to plan open structures that allow you to improve your creative processes.

Open structures

Tips for carrying out the writing

I will give you some examples of how I carry out my writing processes, with the intention that you incorporate them into your own processes and develop yours.

From the short story to the autobiographical novel

In this lesson I will talk about how the tools you have acquired in life, beyond writing, can serve you when you want to undertake bigger projects.

And after writing, what do I do with my work?

Once you've started writing fit, what are the next steps to pursue your career?

Module 3

The little things in life can hide great stories. With Aloma Rodríguez, you’ll discover how the everyday—a memory, a conversation, a fleeting detail—can become the starting point of a story. Through observation and writing, you’ll learn to transform your personal experience into a short narrative with a voice of its own.

11 lessons (1h 37m)

Introduction to Writing

To start, I will expose some basic notions about the story as a narrative genre and I will read some of my favorite stories to find inspiration or models.

Writing is above all a physical activity. In this lesson we will explore the material and physical side of writing.

Routine and Rituals

Writing Exercises

Before you start writing your story, I propose some exercises to wake you up and encourage you to write. We have a fundamental tool: observation, because writing is also a certain way of looking.

How to Define a Topic and Start a Draft

After warming up, we can start our project. In this lesson I will give you some tips to define the theme of your story and give it its first form.

The First Draft

It's time to turn on the computer, open the notebook and start! In this lesson I will tell you the theme that I have chosen for my story and I will show you my notes, my mental structure that I will now transform into text.

Editing and Reading Aloud

Writing is the grateful part of the work, the hard part comes now: the correction. To do this, we first let the text rest until we can read it as if it were not ours; we correct it and, before finishing it, we read it aloud.

Things exist when they have a name, so now is the time to choose the title. Sometimes the title can be something that is said in the text, it can give an idea about what is going to be told or about the tone.

The Choice of Title

The End of the Story

The end is what marks the sensation that the story leaves in the reader. It is advisable to review the initial idea of the outcome and think about different options.

And Now What Do I Do With My Story?

Taking as an example the story that I have written in this course, I will show you the possibilities that a text has to transform and become a story or perhaps something bigger.

From Text to Book

A story can be a foundation stone, the beginning of a book, or at least a writing routine. In this lesson I will explain how to carry out that transformation.

Finally, I am going to give you some tips to find a publisher and publish your book. For this there are several options: magazines that publish stories, story contests or publishers looking for an author.

Final Tips

Module 4

Your most personal experiences can become stories full of meaning. With Daniel Saldaña París, you’ll discover how to use diary writing as a starting point to shape nonfiction texts. You’ll learn to articulate ideas, reflections, and observations, transforming the intimate into original narratives that connect with others through authenticity.

11 lessons (1h 30m)

Diaries, Essays and Stories

In this lesson you will see a bit of what we talk about when we talk about literary genres, and I will share my ideas about the difference between a private writing and a writing to share.

Write Everyday Life

One of the most fascinating aspects of the personal journal has to do with the way you approach daily life. In this lesson I will talk about the importance of learning to write about everyday life and I will leave you an exercise about it.

Write the Exceptional

In contrast to the previous lesson, here I will share some thoughts on writing the extraordinary, which may also have a place in your text.

The Narrative Voice

One of the big decisions before writing a story is to know from what perspective to tell the story. In this lesson you will learn to recognize and use some of the main narrative personas.

Beginnings and Endings

I will give you a general introduction to the narrative structure and you will learn how to use visual schemes to shape your story.

13m

Play With the Score

In this lesson I will talk about the many possibilities of prose, so that you learn to find your own breath in what you write.

Work by Chunks

You will learn to structure a story in a fragmentary way, which will allow you greater freedom and will give you some ideas on how to get out of a creative block.

The Investigation

In this last lesson of the unit I will explain to you about the importance of research and archival work, and how they can help you rethink and enrich your final project.

Writing Tips

We will return to the idea of the personal journal and the importance of taking notes, making lists and recording your entire creative process.

Edit Your Own Text

In this lesson I will explain how to work your own text to make it look its best before looking for publishing options.

Publishing Is Sharing

Finally, I will share with you a series of recommendations and things you can do if you are interested in finding a publication space for your personal stories and essays.

Module 5

A travel journal can become an intimate map of what you see and feel. With Aniko Villalba, you’ll discover how to transform each page into a creative space where writing, observation, and scrapbooking intertwine. This course is an invitation to document your experiences in a unique way, creating memories that will last over time.

13 lessons (2h 34m)

Let's define "travel"

In this lesson we will give a broader meaning to the verb "travel" and we will see that it is not necessary to go to the other side of the world (or be an artist) to complete a travel notebook.

The magic of journaling: the notebook as a treasure chest

Now let's reflect. We will see why it is valuable that you take the time to document your trips and how the philosophy of slow travel can help you.

The materials

The notebook will be our most faithful companion on our trips. In this lesson I will explain how to choose a travel notebook adapted to your needs, what materials you can use to fill it out and where you can find them.

Tips for not abandoning your notebook

I know that staying consistent while traveling can be difficult. Therefore, in this lesson I will give you some recommendations so that you do not abandon your notebook in the middle of the trip.

Previous exercises: ideas to fill your notebook before leaving home 1

In this lesson I will give you some ideas so that you can start filling your notebook before you even leave your house. Remember, each trip and each person are different; I will propose exercises, but fill your notebook with your own style.

Previous exercises: ideas to fill your notebook before leaving home 2

We continue to see ideas to carry out before the trip. We start by creating lists of what we would like to do and see on the future trip.

In transit: ideas to record your days and your emotions 1

Now I will propose writing, observation, introspection and collecting exercises so that you fill your notebook while you travel.

15m

In transit: ideas to record your days and your emotions 2

We continue to see other exercises and formats to complete your notebook during the trip.

15m

In transit: ideas for documenting movement, the here and now, and the unexpected 1

Continue our way. In this lesson I will continue to give you creative ideas and exercises to fill your notebook while traveling. It's amazing to see how our notebook is taking shape!

In transit: ideas for documenting movement, the here and now, and the unexpected 2

Finally, I am going to talk to you about some last exercises and formats that you can use in your notebook while you know amazing places.

15m

The return: ideas to finish your post-trip notebook 1

You've come home and you take the notebook out of the backpack... And now what? In this lesson I am going to give you ideas so that you can continue completing your notebook, even when you are back at home.

The return: ideas to finish your post-trip notebook 2

We continue to see some ideas to carry out in your notebook and that this becomes a souvenir of the trip from which you have just returned.

What to do with notebooks

Finally, we are going to see what you can do with your travel notebook once you have finished completing it. There are several options, I explain them to you in this lesson.

Module 6

Memories hold multiple versions of our own story, and within them may lie the seed of an unforgettable tale. With María José Caro, you’ll explore how to transform personal anecdotes into works of fiction, finding in memory a creative engine. This course invites you to discover childhood, life experiences, and emotions as inexhaustible sources of literary inspiration.

14 lessons (1h 40m)

From the anecdote to the story

Any experience has the potential to become a story. In this lesson I will teach you to identify those stories that live in your memory and that have the greatest potential.

The childhood of a writer

Now I will introduce you to some authors who have made fiction from their own childhood. You will recognize aspects that can serve as an example in your own project.

Look for the wound

Finally, I am going to give you strategies that allow you to reconnect with the past and put on your childhood glasses. Go back to relive, imagine and, finally, put that experience on paper.

Structure and point of view

In this lesson we will delve into the types of storytellers that exist, the structure of the story and what is the most appropriate tone to tell your story according to what you want to convey.