Creative Writing: Writing Your First Novel: Next Level

Each session will introduce and discus a different set of key ideas: -

· Freud and his ideas about the Unconscious. How its nature is revealed through dreams and slips of the tongue. How we project ourselves from this unconscious through defence mechanisms such as denial and repression.

· Freud’s theory of Personality; how our early childhood experiences make us the men or women we are today. The effects of too much or too little time on the breast, the trauma of potty training and other long forgotten traumatic memories.

· Introducing Jung, his ideas on Introverts and Extraverts and his falling out with Freud. Jung’s types of personality, the role of the shadow, archetypes and the collective Unconscious

· Carl Jung on the integration of our unconscious and conscious selves. Plus his ideas on alchemy, art, madness, Hitler and flying saucers!

· Alfred Adler on the Inferiority Complex and the role of power. How Adler fell out with both Freud and Jung.

· Karen Horney and the feminist challenge. An early feminist response to Freud’s ideas and the first to talk about self-actualisation.

· Erik Erikson and the Identity Crises and how happiness depends on the way we negotiate conflict.

· Wilhelm Reich and the importance of the Orgasm and how to concentrate life energy to make it rain.

· Viktor Frankl on humanities search for meaning, in the face of desolation.

· Eric Fromm and the fear of freedom, love, freedom and the liberating potential of Psychology.

No previous knowledge of these topics is assumed or required. No required reading or homework but loads of optional online activities and follow up materials for those want more.

Expect controversy, lively discussion, some outrageous ideas and a touch of humour.