Writers' events

N/A, 04-Feb-2010 to 20-May-2010
Online

Want to write short stories but can’t make it to a course or workshop? Need individual feedback on your work without leaving the house? Join widely published writer and teacher Julie Chevalier for an online, interactive short story writing course.

This is a lab where you can experiment.  Every three weeks you will receive an exercise and excerpts from short stories (by writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Alice Munro, Pam Houston and Tina Lupton) and related materials by e-mail. Explore the materials, write a portion of your short story in response to the exercises, and e-mail three pages to the tutor.  Then you receive the next materials, and the tutor’s constructive comments. At the conclusion the tutor will provide comments on your 3,000 word short story.

Full price is $450. Click for bookings.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

1pm - 4pm, 06-Feb-2010 to 17-Apr-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

In 2010, the NSW Writers’ Centre will be the venue for a year-long, 30-session intensive course and play workshop that takes you from start to finish, conducted by one of Australia’s most experienced teachers of writing, multi-award winning playwright Timothy Daly.

The Saturday Playwrights’ Course is suitable both for beginners and more experienced writers wishing to use the weekly deadlines as a structure by which to finish a full-length play.

How the Course Works:
This course has been designed to be the most comprehensive and content-rich in the country. It combines an in-depth analytical approach to writing with a hands-on, intuitive, practical method of working. During the year long course, you will write a full-length play, guided every step of the way.

Each week you will receive extensive notes, along with creative writing exercises which Timothy Daly has devised over his many years of teaching. The first half of each session is devoted to the learning of new writing concepts, and the second half will involve reading, workshopping and analysis of your developing plays and creative exercises. The emphasis is on learning the techniques of theatre writing by seeing the results of your work acted out in front of you every week.

This course will run in three 10-week phases spread over 2010. You can join for a phase or two only, or commit to the entire course. Phase one begins Saturday 6 February and runs until Saturday 17 April, 1pm - 4pm. Full price $850. Discount of 30% for NSW Writers' Centre members. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

6 - 9 pm every Tuesday, 02-Mar-2010 to 08-Jun-2010
University of Technology, Sydney

Teeline Shorthand with Terree Gower - limited to 25 participants
Teeline Shorthand is a a valuable skill for journalists, students, editors, personal assistants or anyone needing to learn speedwriting techniques.  On completion, speeds of around 40 to 60 words per minute can be achieved. Certificates are issued under the Australian Standard.

Tel: (02) 9514 2488
Email: acij@uts.edu.au
View the website for more details

7pm, 05-Mar-2010 to 12-Mar-2010
Melbourne Town Hall
120 Swanston Street
Melbourne, Vic, 3000

Richard Dawkins is the world's pre-eminent science writer, an evolutionary biologist and an outspoken atheist. Join 'Darwin's pitbull' for this premier event, as he takes on the creationists and all those who question evolution through natural selection.

Dawkins will be discussing his latest work The Greatest Show on Earth on Friday 5 March at 7pm at the Melbourne Town Hall, presented by the Melbourne Writers Festival and introduced by Robyn Williams (from Radio National's Science Show), who will also moderate the session.

In The Greatest Show on Earth, Dawkins provides evidence that boldly and comprehensively responds to those who question evolution while sharing his palpable love of the natural world and the essential role that science plays in its interpretation.

The Wall Street Journal said Dawkins 'passion is supported by an awe-inspiring literary craftsmanship'. The New York Times Book Review has hailed him as a writer who 'understands the issues so clearly that he forces his reader to understand them too'. Indeed, Dawkins was named as one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2007. His books include: The Ancestor's Tale; The Selfish Gene; The Blind Watchmaker; Climbing Mount Improbable; Unweaving the Rainbow; A Devil's Chaplain; the international bestseller, The God Delusion.

Tel: Visit website for more details
View the website for more details

9.30am - 5pm, 13-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

“Writing the Past” is the name of the 2010 History Festival and it’s a deceptively simple one. It is certainly a good definition of the broad genre of history writing, but we could hear this title in another way. Perhaps as “Righting the Past”.

All writers can be said to be making the world right. Telling a story their way, making their world, introducing characters and a situation and then making it “turn out right”. Even a sad ending can be the right one, for that story, for that writer and her readers. Perhaps all writers are therefore, in their individual ways, creating the “right” story.

This year's festival will include appearances from James Bradley, Cathie Craigie, Meenakshi Bharat, Gabrielle Carey, Catherine Jinks, Ann Curthoys, Delia Falconer, Tom Gilling, Robert Gray, Paula Hamilton and many more.

Full price for tickets is $75. Discounts available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for full program and bookings.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: info@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

9.00am to late, 17-Mar-2010 to 19-Mar-2010

Somerset College
Somerset Drive
Mudgeeraba
Gold Coast
Queensland

Over the years, the Somerset Writers' Festival has grown into one of Australia’s most enduring and innovative literary festivals. It forms part of the week-long 'Somerset Celebration of Literature', which also incorporates the Somerset National Novella Writing Competition, the Somerset International Conference for Librarians and Teachers.

The 2010 Somerset Writers' Festival offers a fascinating blend of authors and illustrators. In addition to the author sessions, workshops, and seminars, special functions include the Festival Cocktail Party, Literary Lunch and Literary Dinner.

Somerset College extends an invitation to all adults and children to attend the exciting Somerset Writers' Festival this March.

Tel: 07 5530 3777
Email: events@somerset.qld.edu.au
View the website for more details

6 - 9 pm every Wednesday, 17-Mar-2010 to 21-Apr-2010
University of Technology, Sydney

Travel Writing with Erin O’Dwyer - limited to 12 participants
This course reflects on the art of feature writing within the travel context. We look at the best travel writers and consider classic examples in newspapers, magazines and online forums. You will learn the essential challenge of travel writing: how to produce a fast-paced colourful story that is packed with tips, tricks and accurate information.
17, 24, 31 March, 7, 14, 21 April – six Wednesday evenings – 6 to 9pm
The full fee is $900, Concession $685 (if you are studying or working part-time you are eligible for the concession rate)

Tel: (02) 9514 2488
Email: acij@uts.edu.au
View the website for more details

6 - 9 pm each Thursday, 18-Mar-2010 to 25-Mar-2010
University of Technology, Sydney

Freelance Writing with Erin O’Dwyer - limited to 12 participants
In troubled times, for newspapers, talented freelance journalists are hot property. As advertising revenues plummet and job losses increase, do you have what it takes to produce a steady stream of stories that editors absolutely have to buy?  In this course you will learn how to spot stories across a range of genres – from sport, travel to fashion – and how to target the best outlet for your story. You will also learn the secrets of pitching ideas and securing the commission and lots more.
Prerequisites:  Basic knowledge of news reporting and feature writing.
18, 25 March, 1, 8 April – four Thursday evenings – 6 to 9pm
The full fee is $600, Concession $455 (if you are studying or working part-time you are eligible for the concession rate)

Tel: (02) 9514 2488
Email: acij@uts.edu.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 20-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre

Ever wondered how much work goes into the making of a newspaper? Why some ‘stories’ stay in the mind and some are consigned to the rubbish dump of memory from which nothing can be retrieved?

The few sheets of loose paper that present themselves for your daily attention are generally taken so for granted that scant thought is spared to the effort that goes into getting it just right. Through this workshop, we shall try to train aspiring journalists to zero in on the right ingredients for an effective ‘telling’.

The news story presents itself daily in various hues: as the headline catcher, as the juicy Page 3 report, as the middle page with its thoughtful editorial and the personalised ‘middles’, as the travel report or the sports cover of the latest match. In this workshop we shall look at samples of the various kinds of articles that go into making the complete paper and understand and learn the different ways of approaching and handling them.

This workshop will engage the participants in the construction of various kinds of news stories. It will, subsequently, also require them to learn the importance of editing through the process of peer reviewing.

This workshop will run on Saturday 20 March, 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% is available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 21-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre

The international market for romance is huge, and it’s hungry for new voices and fresh, exciting stories. This is why romance writers who are published with large, international publishers can make a living from their writing. The romance market is also expanding in its range and variety, encompassing aspects of fantasy, paranormal, crime, suspense and other genres, and reaching a wider audience. Yet in Australia, the assumption persists that romance is a simple genre for simple readers and something that ‘real writers’ don’t write.

Anne Gracie is an internationally published, best-selling and award-winning author. Discover with her the opportunities for Australian writers in the international market, and learn the crucial features of gripping, well-written, internationally marketable romantic fiction.

This course will run on Sunday 21 March from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 21-Mar-2010 to 28-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre

Want to write theatre? Need a kick-start to get your short play underway? Join internationally produced and award-winning playwright Verity Laughton to learn the essentials of theatre writing and write a thirty minute play.

Using a series of structured exercises to generate material, students will be guided through the process of writing and developing the draft of a short play. Students will be encouraged to integrate the elements of writing for the stage – character, dialogue, dramatic action, scenes, reversals, rituals and use of image and symbol – within their own newly created work. The first day of the workshop is largely about the writing task itself; the second day focuses on feedback and editing of the resulting work.

Students should expect to end up with a short (up to thirty minutes) piece of dramatic writing and an understanding of the technical requirements of writing for the stage.

This course will run over two Sundays 21 and 28 March from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $270. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 27-Mar-2010 to 28-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre

Have you got a story to tell? Are you working on a memoir? Enter the world of writing lived experience with renowned, best-selling writer, mentor and memoir specialist Patti Miller.

In this two day intensive, we’ll look at accessing memory, the creativity of writing the self and the pleasures and dangers of autobiography. Learn how to bring your writing alive with lively detail and texture. Explore finding a writing voice. Look at various ways of structuring life stories.

We’ll read and discuss extracts from autobiographies, as well as experiment with writing possibilities through a series of exercises. Students will benefit from Patti’s knowledge and insight with individual attention in an encouraging and supportive environment. Suitable for beginners as well as more experienced writers.

This course will run over Saturday and Sunday 27 and 28 March, from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $270. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 28-Mar-2010
NSW Writers' Centre

Fancy yourself a detective? Challenge your readers with insoluble crimes. Bamboozle them with red herrings. Drop clues, follow suspects, create a startling denouement, all with multi-published Australian crime writer and UTS lecturer Jean Bedford.

A one-day workshop on the principles and practice of writing crime fiction. We will discuss the history and context of crime fiction and the structural, thematic and stylistic characteristics of the genre. Participants will produce several short pieces that can  be put together to make a crime story and these will be workshopped during the afternoon.

This course will run on Sunday 28 March from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Contact us for event time, 30-Mar-2010
Menzies Hotel
Sydney (TBC)

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (NSW Branch)
Presents
A Triple A Event
Anticipate! Appreciate! Applaud!
The 2010 Shortlist
30 March, 2010
The Notable Booklist and the Shortlist for the Book of the Year Awards will be announced in Brisbane on March 30. The CBCA (NSW Branch) is holding a one day seminar in Sydney to celebrate this event.
 
Be among the first to hear the news! 
 
Anticipate!       the shortlist with our four panelists’ personal choices
Appreciate!     the wonderful array of Australian children’s literature
Applaud!         the authors and illustrators whose books have been chosen for the 2010 Notable Booklist and the Shortlist.
 
The day will include the announcements of both the Notable and Shortlist Booklist for the Book Of the Year Awards, guest speakers and a panel of experts, and workshops relevant to all working in Children's Literature.

Tel: Email for more details
Email: cbcansw@bigpond.com
View the website for more details for more details

6.30pm - 9.30pm, 07-Apr-2010 to 26-May-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Storytelling for the screen has its own rules, conventions and craft skills. This practical course teaches elements of screenwriting craft while developing students’ work.

Come with an idea, an outline or even a draft and put class teaching into effect while improving your story on the spot. We will discuss which ideas best suit film and/or television and how to express those ideas dramatically. We will explore character and the critical role it plays in drama: how to identify a protagonist; making passive characters active; defining character objectives; creating a character arc and investigate the ways character informs plot.

The course will cover film and television structure and explain the rules of cinema and television, why they exist and when you can break them. We’ll learn the vocabulary of structure: turning points, scenes, sequences, acts, exposition, complication, climax, resolution, subplots, commercial breaks, A, B & C stories, and how they work.

The course introduces short documents – synopsis, treatment, bible, scene breakdown and how to use them effectively when writing and rewriting and will involve practical exercises. Using your ideas we will create story templates, identify the dramatic question and how it powers narrative in drama. Using examples, we will examine genre, formula and cliché. The final night of the course will be practical discussion on where to go next with your new and improved script.

This course will run over eight Wednesday evenings from 7 April to 26 May, from 6.30pm - 9.30pm. Full price is $680. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 1pm, 10-Apr-2010 to 17-Apr-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Do you have the urge to tell strangers about your day? Do feel your opinion is worth reading? Do you want to share your writing with the online community? Then join award-winning author and professional blogger William Kostakis for a hands-on introduction to the world of blogging.

Blogs – to some, a gateway to the world; to others, a funny sounding word. Short for web log, a blog is an online journal that allows you to share your writing – be it creative, journalistic, or a personal account of your day-to-day life.  Writing for blogs requires a specific skills set.  The best blogs aren’t just thoughts on a webpage, they have style, they have flair, they have a clear voice – William will help you find and express your voice.

A beginner-intermediate course, this workshop will translate the jargon (‘Web 2.0’ anybody?) into English you can understand, and demonstrate just how easy it is to set up and maintain a blog. But it isn’t just theoretical – William will guide you through practical exercises in constructing posts that will attract and engage an audience.  Learn about the alternative blogging tools available online, search engine optimisation, how to build an audience and how to write for the Web.

But the learning doesn’t stop in the classroom. In the week between classes, William will be continuing the lessons – online. There are some things that cannot be taught in a classroom, and working at home, on your own blog, at your own pace, you will be given time to try your hand at being a blogger, building your network, and attracting an audience.

This course will run over two Saturday mornings from 10 to 17 April, 10am - 1pm. Full price is $170. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

1.30pm - 4.30pm, 10-Apr-2010 to 29-May-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

So you’ve got a manuscript, or you’re on your way to having one. You’re thinking about trying for publication but you’re just not sure if it’s ready. Is your story well-structured and engaging? Are your characters all that they can be? Does your manuscript have what it takes to wow a publisher?

Catherine Hammond is an industry-renowned editor and mentor who has worked with such publishers as Pan Macmillan, Allen & Unwin, HarperCollins and Random House. Join her for an eight week editing intensive to polish your writing until it shines and bring your manuscript to publication standard.

In non-confronting sessions, Catherine will look at both the manuscript itself and the demands of the publishing industry today. Catherine’s ability to detect flaws and offer remedies is legendary in Australian publishing. Course structure will be designed to suit the student needs as Catherine assesses where individual manuscripts have room for improvement. This course will only be run once in 2010 so don’t miss out!

This course will run over eight Saturday afternoons from 10 April to 29 May, 1.30pm - 4.30pm. Full price is $680. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

9.30 am - 4.30 pm, 15-Apr-2010 to 16-Apr-2010
University of Technology, Sydney

WRITING FOR THE WEB WITH MARCUS O'DONNELL -limited to 12 participants
This course is aimed at people who write material for publishing on Internet sites or those needing to convert printed publications to web publications.  It includes detailed workshops on planning a website, writing styles for the web, how to target an audience, understanding digital media, using images, converting print publications to web publications and some fundamentals of design for presenting written content.
15 & 16 April – 9.30am to 4.30pm Thursday and Friday
Course fee $850 or $650 concession  (if you are studying or working part-time you are eligible for the concession rate)                                  
The course lecturer, Marcus O’Donnell has over 12 years experience working as a journalist and editor. Marcus previously lectured in journalism at UTS and currently lectures at the University of Wollongong.  He has a special interest in writing for the web and has worked with designers, technicians and writers for large and small web sites.

Tel: (02) 9514 2488
Email: acij@uts.edu.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 18-Apr-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Historians are storytellers. They take a pile of raw data, old newspapers, shipping lists, or ephemera like theatre programs and ticket stubs, and they turn it into a tale. This workshop will investigate Australian history (although we will look at other international avenues as well) and is suitable for anybody who is interested in researching and writing historical fiction, from the beginner to the experienced writer, whether you’re interested in local history, family history, the history of people, places, or things. Chris will discuss what makes historical fiction and also show you how to get started in your research –what to do, where to look and what to look for. He will show you how to organise and shape your material, and develop a story from your research. He will teach you how to flesh out those telling historical details, and make your history come to life. No prior experience required although participants can bring material for discussion.

This course will run on Saturday 18 April from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

9.30 am - 4.30 pm, 21-Apr-2010 to 23-Apr-2010
University of Technology, Sydney

WRITING FOR PUBLICATION WITH JENNA PRICE - limited to 12 participants
This course will enhance participants' writing skills and give theinformation needed to write clearly,simply and effectively. The course coversgrammar, defining news, structure and planning, identifying a target audience,headline writing, interviewing techniques, media releases andeffective ways tocommunicate through the media.People who write newsletters, journals, journalarticles, reports and media releases will benefitfrom attending. It’s also useful for people interested in improving basic writingstyles and skills.
21, 22, 23 April – 9.30am to 4.30pm over three days

Course fee $1,050 or $800 concession  (if you are studying or working part-time you are eligible for the concession rate)   

Tel: (02) 9514 2488
Email: acij@uts.edu.au
View the website for more details

10am - 1pm, 24-Apr-2010 to 12-Jun-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

You’ve got a drawer full of manuscripts – a novella, short stories, the first draft of a novel – or a notebook full of ideas, observations and themes, but you just can’t seem to finish anything. You’ve learnt and practiced some writing skills, but there are many techniques and styles you’d like to experiment with. You’ve got the flesh and bones of your work down, but how do you find the spirit, the resonating soul of your story?

If you recognise some, or all of these problems, Fiction Writing Essentials can help you resolve them. Each week we will explore a particular technique or aspect of fiction writing, looking at examples from contemporary and classic literature, and experimenting with some exercises designed to stimulate your creative mind and fine-tune your technique. Students will workshop their works in progress or finished pieces.

This course will run over eight Saturday mornings from 24 April to 12 June, 10am - 1pm. Full price is $680. Discounts of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 24-Apr-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Are you into writing? Do you make up stories in your head or on the page? Want to take it further? Then join the internationally published, prize-winning author of Looking for Alibrandi, Melina Marchetta, for a day of creative writing that will take your words further.

Through a combination of theory, examples and practical exercises, Melina will explore with students the creation of tension and atmosphere, descriptive scenes and fast-paced narrative, enhancing action, characterisation, point of view, narrative  tense, writing strong dialogue and more, using techniques she has developed over years of writing. Students will complete up to four brief writing pieces throughout the day and come away with new techniques and skills for their craft along with the seeds of new stories.

This workshop is appropriate for 16-18 year olds. HSC Extension 2 English students welcome to attend.

This course will run on Saturday 24 April from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 40% available for concession members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

N/A, 29-Apr-2010 to 09-Sep-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Want to write poetry but can’t make it to a course or workshop? Need individual feedback on your work without leaving the house? Join widely published poet and teacher Julie Chevalier for an online, interactive poetry writing course.

You will write six poems using exercises and related materials sent by e-mail.  Each poem receives written comments. This is a lab where you can experiment.  Approximately every three weeks you will receive a poetry exercise, poems, commentary and related materials.  Take a couple of weeks to explore the materials, write and rewrite a short poem, and e-mail it to the tutor.  You will then receive the next exercise and materials along with the tutor’s constructive comments on your poem.  

This course is suitable for someone who is interested in writing contemporary poetry and has reliable email.  It fills the gap between working through exercises in a book (although books are recommended) and working with a mentor.  It enables people who are unable to access courses and workshops because of isolation, time or distance to receive personal feedback to improve their poems.  Students are offered the opportunity to contact each other.  HSC students are welcome.  

The course begins when materials are e-mailed on 29 April. Further materials are e-mailed on 20 May, 10 June, 1 July, 21 July and 12 August.  The last poem is sent to the tutor by 2 September.  The course ends when the tutor’s last comments have been received, by 9 September.

Full price is $450. Click for bookings.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 01-May-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Have you always wanted to write for kids? Do you have that winning kids' book but aren't sure how to make it just right or where to go next? Join Deborah Abela on an enjoyable exploration into the world of writing for children.

Through a series of writing activities, Deborah will look at the fundamental aspects of writing for kids and engaging the child audience. She will talk about how the kids' book world works and how to make your work stand out. Having spent sixteen years writing for kids, in both TV and books, Deborah loves what she does and is keen to share her experiences of and insights into this specialised and rewarding profession.

This course will run on Saturday 1 May from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for membership and bookings.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 02-May-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

You have a creative idea for a book or film or magazine article – but find it never quite gets off the ground. You come up with ideas for projects, only to find our notes or partial drafts lying in a drawer years later. Does this sound familiar? Then this practical planning course is for you.

The idea may be a winner but if you don’t turn it into a finished product, it’s not very satisfying. In this course you will develop a compelling vision for your finished work, identify the action steps between your current reality and your new vision – and learn how to keep the momentum going.  You’ll look at how to organise yourself to make it easier to succeed than to fail. You will be introduced to five different planning tools so you can select the one that best fits your personality and your project…and there will be a chance to have hands-on planning practice during the day.

This course, lead by Joanna Maxwell, will run on Sunday 2 May from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 08-May-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

While it reads like money for jam, exotic locations and luxury hotels, travel writing is no holiday! Award-wining journalist and author, Claire Scobie, will teach aspiring travel writers – or writing travellers – how to develop an idea and turn it into a polished piece of work.

This is a general workshop and will give participants a broad understanding of travel writing genres in magazines, newspapers, blogs and online with plenty of practical exercises. Topics include: how to impress an editor with good ideas, ways to evoke a sense of place and use photographs as ‘eye candy’, and how to turn a destination into a sellable story. Also covered: revising, structure and editing.

This workshop will run on Saturday 8 May, 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 09-May-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Ever wondered how to turn your passion for health and wellbeing into dollars?

This workshop takes you through the different stages of pitching, writing and selling health articles. Meggan Brummer will share practical advice and inside knowledge about becoming a successful freelance journalist in this market.

Other topics covered include: the basics of getting published in local and international health magazines; pitching your ideas; adapting your article to the publication; repeat sales and multiplying your income. Earning a living as a writer is a challenge:  earning it from doing what you love is fun! This workshop is for aspiring as well as published journalists, students and writers hoping to earn extra money through articles.

This course will run on Sunday 9 May, 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 09-May-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Do you have ideas for invented worlds and alternative realms? Perhaps you should be writing in the imaginative genres of speculative fiction.

Fantasy, science fiction and horror not only demand more imagination than other genres but also a high level of narrative technique. This workshop shows how to turn your imaginative ideas into a fully fleshed-out story – strategies for involving the reader in another world, conveying foreground and background at the same time, ‘defining’ a mystery, building to a climax … and not forgetting the very important art of pitching to a publisher!

This course will run on Saturday 9 May from 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 15-May-2010 to 16-May-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Publishing: it’s the holy grail of the writing world. Many try, few succeed. This two day seminar will take you beyond the iron gate and inside the world of modern publishing with experts from the industry. Whether you’re looking at commercial or self-publishing or can’t decide, whether you’re interested in mainstream, educational or digital publishing, this seminar is one you can’t afford to miss.

On day one, book editor and former publisher Jude McGee will give an overview of general book publishing in Australia – how it works, how and why publishers acquire books to publish, and how to maximise the chances of getting your book published. Find out Australian publishing’s vital statistics; how publishing companies are structured; what’s in the publishing agreement; the life of a book, from manuscript to bookshop shelf; how to write a catchy book proposal; and tricks to help get your manuscript under the nose of the right publisher, editor or literary agent.

On day two Jude will finish up and the seminar will move on to self-publishing with Michael Rakusin, former Managing Director of Tower Books and founding Director of The Scribo Group, Australia's largest independent book distributor. Michael will take you through the pros and cons of self publishing. He will help you understand the financial implications, guide you through the process of finding a distributor and talk about the pitfalls of marketing a self-published book. The session will look at some spectacular self-published successes and failures.

In the afternoon of day two we’ll be joined by David Reiter, Director of the industry-leading independent press IP, to ease you gently into digital space, talking about what opportunities and challenges it presents to authors (and publishers). Kindle Reader? ePub? POD? multi-versioning? Espresso Book Machine? DRM? David will explain it all, and guarantees that you'll come away with new respect for the pdf!

The day will be rounded off  with a special guest speaker to talk about educational publishing.

This seminar will run over Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 May, 10am - 4pm. Full price is $270. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 15-May-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Get ready to re-imagine your story. Through exercises and discussion we will work through your original idea and intention. We will discuss character development and ways to make your characters different from the thousands of others in children's literature. We will discover the secret to achieve dramatic tension (the heart of every good story) by careful attention to structure. Learn the picture book writer’s craft of language, voice and rhythm. After work on your craft we will move on to publication, manuscript submission, the relationship with illustrators and the clarifying of any questions you may have. Have your questions answered by one who has been a successful picture book writer for over twenty years.

This workshop will run on Saturday 15 May, 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Various session times, 17-May-2010 to 23-May-2010
Pier 4/5
Sydney Theatre Co
Walsh Bay Sydney NSW

Join us by the sparkling harbour of Sydney to hear both Australian and internatinals writers speak.

Tel: (02) 9252 7729

10am - 4pm, 17-May-2010 to 21-May-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Ever dreamed of writing a novel but don’t know how to go about it? Can’t find the time and discipline to sit down and work on your masterpiece?

This course covers everything you need to know to tackle a novel with confidence. Whether this is your first attempt or you’ve tried many times before, this three-phase course offers step-by-step guidance to writing – and completing – the best novel you’re capable of. You’ll discover how to build a novel from the ground up and learn the methods used by best-selling authors, both commercial and literary, to shape their fiction. Best of all, you’ll be shown how to apply their methods to your own writing to create a novel uniquely your own. From the blank first page to novel ready to send to a publisher, this practical – and inspirational – course covers every aspect of the novel-writing process. For the aspiring novelist, whatever your genre, here are all the tools, insights, motivation, feedback and support you will need to turn your dream into reality.

While the three phases offer a progressive step-by-step guide to writing and finishing a first novel, students are welcome to attend as many or as few as they want. Each phase may be taken as a stand-alone course.

PHASE ONE: THE NOVELIST’S BOOT CAMP (INTENSIVE)
The majority of novels fail because their ideas are underdeveloped or they are structurally or dramatically weak. This foundation phase takes students from creating an original and powerful idea that will grab readers, to having a firmly plotted novel with vivid characters, strong emotional action and a developed theme. Whether you are a beginning novelist or have several drafts under your belt, this course will ensure you have all the necessary ingredients in place for creating a successful novel. By the end of Phase One, students should have made both a detailed plan for writing (or revising) their novel and a solid start in writing it.

This five day intensive acts as an alternative to those who can’t commit to the ten week version of Phase One in February 2010. However, whilst this intensive repeats Phase One course content, it provides a different learning experience. It demands more focus and the learning curve is steep. The week's experience, shared with others pursuing the same dream, can also prove highly inspirational.

This course will run from Monday 17 May to Friday 21 May, 10am - 4pm. Full price is $850. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 21-May-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

The Eloquent Executive is a one-day survey of writing techniques, skills and challenges aimed at writers at all levels in all walks of business, bureaucratic and professional life.

It addresses the universal challenge facing writers in business: how to make unambiguous but economical sense about difficult and technical content in a fast and competitive environment; how to write to win the business or get the job or comply with the regs or meet the deadline; how to write clearly and astutely for demanding readers at many different levels; how, in other words, to write the complex simply.

Working in business places pressure on writing skills that may not have been well rehearsed at school. Every sentence must be, at very least, grammatical; beyond that, it must be circumspect and dignified in tone; it won’t help if it sounds unduly formal. It shouldn’t rant or ramble, dissemble or obfuscate. It shouldn’t oversell the proposition, but it must make the case. Every sentence must be sound and clear, helpful and engaging – an objective but human expression of thoughts arrived at through analysis and critical thinking.

The workshop offers a model that helps business people see and practise writing in a new way – to help them achieve those ends; it encourages and enables them to copy the best, not the worst, habits of business writers around them. It offers a way out of the maze of managerial lingo.

The workshop reminds participants about the rules of grammar and the uses of punctuation (including the misuse and overuse of dot points). Then it moves to good style. It analyses some norms of business writing and explores the constraints (often overstated) of commercial and bureaucratic settings; it considers ways to identify and meet the needs of readers; it discusses planning and thinking straight; it shows you how and why you need a point and how to make it early and clearly and often; and it discusses techniques for planning and ordering business prose.

This course will run on Friday 21 May, 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 22-May-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

If we let go of our beliefs about how to write, what to write and whether or not we’re any good at writing, what might we discover about our creativity?

In this experiential course, we’ll explore writing from what Zen Buddhists call ‘beginner’s mind’. Using gentle meditation practices, we’ll allow breath, silence and movement to guide us through a series of writing experiments. In this unconventional way, we’ll experience directly what it means to write with immediacy, empathy, courage and playfulness. We’ll discover form, voice and point of view. Giving up what we already know, we’ll write directly from the body’s rich and surprising wisdom. This course is open to both new and experienced writers, to those for whom the words are flowing and to those who feel ‘stuck’, to those who have a spiritual path and to those interested in learning about the rich relationship between meditative practice and the art of writing.

If you’ve taken this workshop before, feel free to attend again. Just bring your beginner’s mind and your willingness to surprise yourself.

This course will run on Saturday 22 May, 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 05-Jun-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Has your plot stalled? Is it not gripping enough? Does it wander about in the middle? Is your hero’s goal somewhat hazy? Does your climax’s resolution make sense? Have these questions and more answered by internationally published, best-selling fantasy author and professional book reviewer Jenny Hale.

Even experienced writers can make mistakes. However, the principles behind a great storyline aren’t complex. They apply to all genres.

You should already be working on a short story or novel. We will discuss these common topics: Gathering first plot ideas. What’s at stake, and will readers really care? Great opening chapters: beginning your story as close to the end as possible. Writing a plan, or not. Too many plot co-incidences: readers will know when you’re cheating. Reign in your magic and technology. Explaining your background: drip feed it to readers through characterisation and plot. Keeping it simple. A tight plot: integrating and weaving elements and sub-plots. Pacing: build to a climax. Climax: that moment when all seems lost. Resolution: making it memorable and satisfying.

This intensive course will comprise 50% theory. It also includes exercises and examples, information sheets and question time for students’ plotting concerns.

This course will run on Saturday 5 June, 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 05-Jun-2010 to 12-Jun-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

OK, you write and are starting to think about getting your work out to a wider world. You’re ready to move on to the next level. This workshop is for you: all styles, all ages.

Les's workshops are known for their constructive and friendly orientation. This workshop will have an emphasis on the nuts and bolts of establishing a poetry audience. A key component of the two days will be traditional workshopping where three of each participants’ poems are discussed in a fresh, supportive environment.

But that’s not all that's covered. Participants will benefit greatly from applying insider's hints on how the poetry scene works. Poems are examined with a view to finding outlets that fit your style ... all in addition to intensive editorial feedback.

Other topics include running your own projects, taking up opportunities offered by the internet and, of course, getting your book published. Everyone who so wishes will have their poems published in an established internet magazine.

This course will run over two Saturdays, 5 & 12 June from 10am - 4pm. Full price $270. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 12-Jun-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Do you want to work as a freelance journalist, but don’t know where to start? Have you started on your freelance path but need some pointers from an industry professional? Join seasoned Sydney Morning Herald journalist and editor Dan Kaufman for a practical workshop that looks at what freelance journalists need to know to succeed.

Being a freelancer has its rewards – the freedom to work from home and write features you’re passionate about. But it’s also highly competitive. We’ll talk about the types of stories editors are looking for, how to approach them, put a brief together and pitch. Learn the nuts and bolts of putting together news stories and features. Look at different kinds of introductions, how to make stories snappy, how to structure features and edit your own work.

We’ll work through a range of feature story types, from travel articles to personality profiles, and the skills each requires. Then Dan will cover the business of freelancing: basic media law and copyright, how and when freelancers are paid and what kinds of word rates can be expected.

This course will run on Saturday 12 June, 10am - 4pm. Full price $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 12-Jun-2010 to 18-Sep-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Do you need feedback on your fiction? Want to join a network of writers’ exchange? Work on your writing and learn the art of critique from experienced book editor and manuscript assessor Nicola O’Shea.

Even the best writers seek feedback from their peers. Virgina Woolf was in a writers’ group. So was CS Lewis, Katherine Mansfield, Henry James, James Joyce, HP Lovecraft and Dorothy Parker. This practice-based course will provide students with the opportunity to develop their critiquing skills and receive regular feedback on their work. We’ll learn to analyse a piece of fiction objectively and provide constructive feedback to the writer. We’ll work as a group to push each other’s writing further and develop the skills to spot room for improvement in our own work and in the work of others.

There will be eight places in the group. Each week we’ll critique the work of four participants; this may be a short story or an extract from a novel (maximum of 6000 words per piece). We will also examine different aspects of fiction writing during the course – narrative voice, point of view, show don’t tell, dialogue, structure and pace. Students will learn to identify these elements in a piece of writing and offer specific and focused feedback.

The course will run fortnightly for eight weeks. Participants will have two weeks between classes to read and reflect on the pieces submitted for critique, and to work on their own writing. Each student will have the opportunity to submit four pieces of work for the group. Each critiquing session will last for 30 minutes: 20 minutes of group feedback and 10 minutes for the writer’s response to the feedback. Each class will begin with a 30-minute discussion of various aspects of fiction writing, as listed in the course breakdown.

This course will run fortnightly over eight Saturday afternoons from 12 June to 18 September, 1.30pm - 4.30pm. Full price is $815. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 19-Jun-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

To write well you need to get to know how the language works, where to put the commas, and what the rules of grammar and the conventions of style demand. Grammar is the logic of the language; it is the bones that support the body of the writing. When you know grammar, you know the part that each word plays in a sentence. Grammar explains how to put words together on a page to make clear sentences. The good news is that there isn't too much that we really need to know and it needn't be dull to learn. It can even be fun! Learning how to use our language well is personally enriching and, in this information age, professionally rewarding. This workshop is full of clear explanations and practical exercises and is aimed at everyone who has to write in their work or study.

This course will run on Saturday 19 June, 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 19-Jun-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

The short story has never been more alive; new electronic opportunities have made this classic form more viable than ever.

But it’s always been able to hold its head up, as a way to experiment with ideas, practice story endings, and deliver a quick blast of intensity that’s perfect for the commuter, the night-time reader or the otherwise time-poor literary consumer.

We’ll look at structure and narrative drive; at climax and how to approach it, directly or by more devious means, at language and how to make it do several things at once, at quick characterisation and deftness in scene-setting and mood-creation.

Throughout, there’ll be lots of inspiration – readings from the masters and the cutting-edge practitioners, stealing other writers’ idea-collecting habits and rituals, all sorts of sneaky ways to get started and to keep up the momentum once you’ve got going.

You’ll also get in plenty of practice. We’ll do fast, full-on writing all over the shop, as well as having more extended and thoughtful stabs at maybe one, maybe several different stories – whatever you bring along and/or whatever comes to you on the day.

This course will run on Saturday 19 June, 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 1pm, 26-Jun-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Join the creative world of DIY publishing with legendary zine-maker Vanessa Berry!

Zines are photocopied, personal magazines with a lo-fi aesthetic. While their subject matter varies, all zines show their makers’ desire to communicate aspects of their lives and obsessions. They can be comprised of writing, found text and images, illustrations and comics, and often a combination of these.

Zines are an empowering and accessible medium that functions outside of traditional publishing. Ephemeral and personal, zines have arisen from a scene that values communication and exchange. In this workshop you will find out about aspects of the zine community and how you can get involved.
    
In this practical, hands-on workshop, you will learn about the world of zines and make a zine of your own. Vanessa will guide you through the process: from content, to construction, to distribution. Participants will create their own zine during the workshop and discover the pleasures and benefits of DIY publishing.

This course will run on Saturday 26 June, 10am - 1pm. Full price is $90. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 26-Jun-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Good humour, like good ballet, or good golf, looks easy – until you try it. Join the multi award-winning writer of Mother and Son and Grass Roots, Geoffrey Atherden, for a serious look at hilarity.

A good joke contains many of the principles of good story telling. For one thing, it has to be about something. A well told joke is always a pleasure, but no amount of verbal embroidery, even if it is highly inventive, will ever excuse the lack of a punchline. All the information needed to make the joke work has to be presented in the right sequence (how often is a joke spoiled when the teller says, “Oh, I should have told you…”). And in the end, simple often works best.

This workshop will present Ten Rules for Writing Comedy and includes exercises in individual and group writing. It will cover all forms of writing including prose writing and script writing for all media. All levels of experience welcome.

This course will run on Saturday 26 June, 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

10am - 4pm, 27-Jun-2010
NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle

Want to write a historical novel but unsure how to get started? Through a mixture of discussion and practical exercises we will explore how to research a historical period for the purpose of writing a novel; how to turn historical research into fiction; the pitfalls of using real characters; how to write dialogue; what is "authenticity", how can we achieve it - and does it matter?  

This course will run on Sunday 27 June, 10am - 4pm. Full price is $140. Discount of 30% available for members of the NSW Writers' Centre. Click for bookings and membership.

Tel: 9555 9757
Email: workshops@nswwriterscentre.org.au
View the website for more details

Check with your library for event time, 16-Aug-2010 to 22-Aug-2010
In libraries across New Zealand.

This is the week to visit your local library. Lots of events will be held across the country.

Tel: 64 4 473 5834

Various events, 21-Aug-2010 to 27-Aug-2010
Check out what's happening at your lcoal bookshop, school, or library.

Book Week is the longest running children's festival in Australia, celebrating its 65th birthday in 2010. The Children's Book Awards are announced during this week.

Tel: Check the website for details
View the website for more details

Check website for final Festival dates and times, 01-Jun-2011 to 30-Jun-2011
Kendall
Camden Haven
NSW Mid North Coast

The Watermark Literary Muster is a biennial gathering that brings together writers and readers who share a passion for the literature of nature and place. It is recognised internationally as a unique literary event on the Australian cultural calendar where writers share their work directly with readers, talk about the places that inspire them, exchange ideas on writing about nature and place, explore the role literature plays in environmental understanding and inspire others to write about the natural landscape. 

Watermark seeks to advance the professional interests of Australian writers by providing the sort of environment that prompts comments such as these from participating writers:

The event

• Promotes literature as a medium for cultural development and environmental awareness;
• Fosters the "Australian-ness" of writers by inspiring them to write about Australian nature and place;
• Continues the development of a program that embraces cultural diversity and supports and promotes the presentation of indigenous and ethnic culture and traditions through literature;
• Fosters excellence in Australian writing by providing direct access for academics, students, writers and readers to leading Australian and overseas writers;
• Provides a learning opportunity for aspiring and emerging writers;
• Provides a forum for academic writers to enhance their literary skills;
• Engages the reading community with Australian literature, particularly of nature and natural history;
• Exposes a regional community to literature and raise community awareness of environmental issues;
• Is a much appreciated ‘niche’ event on the Australian literary calendar with regional, national and international significance and reach;
• Attracts an audience of readers and writers from Australia and New Zealand as well as around the world;
• Contributes to the cultural and social development of the Camden Haven and the NSW Mid North Coast;
• Brings economic benefits to the Camden Haven community and make a small profit that can be used as seed funding for the next Muster.

Tel: 02 6559 9953
Email: watermarks@tsn.cc
View the website for more details