In this issue:
- More Student Success - Kim Kind and Joelle Shelhot
- TIP: To boldly go...
- You can Reinvent Yourself! How to become a writer
- Adelaide Review Short Fiction Competition
- Don’t live in Sydney? Enrol in Online Creative Writing
- TIP: Which word is right?
- WEBPICK: Cliché Finder
This week, we are thrilled to share the news that the Sydney Writers' Centre has just been announced as one of 10 Australian finalists in the 2009 Dell Small Business Excellence Awards. Dell has named us one of the most innovative small to medium-sized businesses in the country.
We're truly honoured to be included in this group of finalists. In the office today, we're celebrating at this lovely recognition, but it would not be possible without our team of wonderful and dedicated presenters. In particular, it would not be possible without the inspiring students who pass through our doors. Here are just two of them!
More student success
This week we’ve received even more good news from two former participants in our Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers course. Joelle Shelhot completed the Feature Writing course earlier this year and has had a piece selected by the editor of Well Being magazine to be published in their October edition. Great news – well done Joelle!
Kim Kind also only recently completed the course and she’ll have her article published in the career sections of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in September. Congratulations Kim!
If you’re interested in getting published in magazines and newspapers, the next Feature Writing course starts next week – so enrol now!
Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Pamela Wilson
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 1 July 2009 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
TIP: To boldly go
We covered this a while ago in this newsletter but we get asked about it so many times, I thought it was worthwhile to clarify again. Grammar sometimes has a tendency to sound more complicated than it needs to. For example, split infinitives. What’s an infinitive? And how do you split it? Here’s the simple answer borrowed from Star Trek.This is a split infinitive:
To boldly go where no man has gone before!The infinitive is to go, and it has been 'split' by the adverb boldly.
Here’s what www.askoxford.com says:
Split infinitives are frequently poor style, but they are not strictly bad grammar. In the example above, to avoid the split infinitive would result either in weakness (to go boldly) or over-formality (boldly to go): either would ruin the rhythmic force and rhetorical pattern of the original. It is probably good practice to avoid split infinitives in formal writing, but clumsy attempts to avoid them simply by shuffling adverbs about can create far worse sentences.
You can Reinvent Yourself!
It’s easy to reinvent yourself as a writer, and you don’t even have to come to a class or have access to the internet. You can learn at your own pace and create your own blueprint with our self-study program Reinvent Yourself: So you want to be a writer. The program includes a workbook, a 2-CD audio program and 6 bonus CDs featuring interviews with some of Australia’s most well-known authors. It’s a comprehensive program designed to help you become a writer.
Reinvent Yourself: So you want to be a writer
Cost: $197 including free postage to anywhere in Australia
($50 for postage outside of Australia)
Adelaide Review Short Fiction competition
This competition is a fantastic opportunity for you to have your short story judged by a panel of highly regarded, and successful, authors. The Adelaide Review and the University of Adelaide have teamed up to announce this new annual writing prize, with the aim of ‘setting new standards in contemporary short fiction’. Stories must be no longer than 2,500 words and entries will be judged by award winning Australian author Brian Castro, Nobel Laureate J.M. Coetzee and Jamaican poet and short story writer Olive Senior. One winner and up to five finalists will have their work published in The Adelaide Review, and the overall winner will receive a dozen of South Australia’s best wines.
Entries must be received by Friday 10 July. Click here for more information and to download an entry form.
Online Creative Writing – Learn from wherever you are
Our next online creative writing course starts soon and places are filling fast! This is an interactive and intensive course that you can do whenever you want, wherever you want. Our virtual classroom will give you the opportunity to participant online – you and your classmates will be able to give and receive feedback and ask questions.This creative writing course will teach you how to:
- kick-start the creative writing process
- tap into your imagination
- draw from everyday experiences and memories
- examine different types of creative writing
- give structure to your writing
- use characters and dialogue
Course: Online Creative Writing with Pamela Freeman / Cathie Tasker
When: Week beginning Monday 29 June 2009 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
TIP: Which word is right?
Many people confuse the words ‘whose’ and ‘who’s’ when writing. Just remember, ‘who’s’ is a contraction of ‘who is’ or ‘who has’. For example:
‘Who’s going to clean the bathroom?’
‘Who’s taken Rambo for a walk?’
‘Whose’ means of, belonging, or relating to whom (Macquarie Australian Dictionary) and is used in sentences such as:
‘Whose turn is it to clean the bathroom?’
‘Whose dog is Rambo?’
Visit http://cliche.theinfo.org/ to check it out.
WEBPICK: Cliché finder
Cliché finder is easy to use. Simply paste in the text you want un-cliched and click ‘Find cliches’. Any clichés in your text will be highlighted in red – and the more red, the fewer clichés your passage needs!
Other upcoming courses
Seminar: How to get your book published with Geoff Bartlett
When: Thursday 25 June 2009 (one-evening seminar)
Time: 6:30 - 8:30pm
Cost: $75
Seminar: Writing for the Web with Grant Doyle - FULL
When: Friday 26 June 2009 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Cost: $325
Course: Online Creative Writing with Pamela Freeman / Cathie Tasker
When: Week beginning Monday 29 June 2009 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with Pamela Freeman
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 30 June 2009 for five weeks - FULL
Time: 6:30 - 8:30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Pamela Wilson
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 1 July 2009 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Script Writing for the Short Films with Geoff Bartlett
When: Thursday 2 July and Thursday 9 July 2009 (two evening seminars)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $165
Seminar: Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle
When: Friday 3 July 2009 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $395
One-on-one Manuscript Clinic with Maree Giles - NEW DATE
When: Wednesday 8 July 2009, one hour sessions
Time: Call 9929 9237 to arrange an appointment
Cost: $150
Course: Online Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Valerie Khoo
When: Week beginning Monday 13 July 2009 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Course: Writing for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge - FULL
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 16 July 2009 for five weeks
Time: 6:30 - 8:30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Writing for the Web with Grant Doyle - NEW DATE
When: Tuesday 21 July (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Cost: $325
Course: Marketing Your Book with Amanda Falconer
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 22 July 2009 for three weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $235
Seminar: Professional Business Writing with Mel Wilkinson
When: Thursday 30 July 2009 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Tuesday 4 August 2009 (one-evening seminar)
Time: 6:30 - 8:30pm
Cost: $75
Course: Novel Writing Workshop with Pamela Freeman
When: 5 evening classes held approximately every six weeks beginning Tuesday 11 August 2009
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $450
Seminar: Self-publishing - How to do it with Geoff Bartlett
When: Wednesday 12 August 2009 (one-evening seminar)
Time: 6:30 - 8:30pm
Cost: $75
Seminar: Editing Essentials with Katrina Lobley
When: Thursday 13 August 2009 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $345
Course: Writing for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge - NEW DATE
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 18 August 2009 for five weeks
Time: 6:30 - 8:30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with Kate Forsyth
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 20 August 2009 for five weeks
Time: 6:30 - 8:30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Judith Ridge
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 26 August 2009 for five weeks
Time: 6:30 - 8:30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Feature Writing Stage 2 with Judy Skatssoon
When: Every Monday starting Monday 7 September 2009 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
This week I wanted to share a quote with you that really resonates with me. It's by Rudyard Kipling from the poem "If". The wonderful and entertaining Susannah Fullerton - President of the Jane Austen Society of Australia - brought it up recently when I interviewed her for our podcast series (I'll let you know when her interview is up on iTunes).
'Affect' and 'Effect' are so often confused in writing. How are we supposed to tell the difference between two words that sound almost the same? Well, it’s fairly easy. 
There is a big difference between writing for print and writing for your website. Visitors to your site want to read clear, concise and engaging writing. Scannability, information design and search engine optimisation all have an impact on how your website will be received – and how many people visit.
Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers is one of our most popular courses. And why shouldn’t it be? Many participants have articles published in a variety of national publications - and some even get published before they’ve finished the course!
I recently interviewed UK author Louise Bagshawe for our author podcast series. She has had incredible success with her books – including Glitz and Glamour – and is also well known for her work with the UK Conservative Party and many charities. Her latest offering is Passion and we have one copy to give away. 
WEBPICK: Bad Language
This week our two favourite things are words and T-shirts. Everyone in the office got their choice of t-shirt to celebrate some big news this week. We've been sworn to secrecy until 23 June so we can't tell you yet - but we'll definitely announce it here as soon as we've been given the green light. 
So, you’ve written your masterpiece. You’ve either decided to self-publish your book, or you’ve managed to pick up a commercial publisher. But is that it? You may have your book in your hand and ready to sell, but have you thought about your marketing? 
The Sydney Writers’ Festival is over for another year, but you don’t have to wait until 2010 to get your literary fix. There are two regional writers’ festivals coming up that will be well worth a visit. 
Can you spot a greengrocer’s apostrophe? Do you know the difference between a phrase, a clause and a sentence? Can you identify the nine parts of speech? Many people have a natural affinity for grammar, but sadly whole generations in Australia missed out on being taught this important subject at school. Our grammar and punctuation refresher is designed to give you a firm foundation in grammar and improve your writing. 
Australia Post is celebrating its bicentenary this year and the Australian Film Institute (AFI) turns 50. To mark these milestones, the two are coming together to hold a competition for short film makers. The challenge is to create a 200 second film (or 3 minutes 20 seconds) that features a parcel – the parcel can be as big or small as you like, it can play a major role or a minor one, but it must be part of the film. 
This month’s 
The Sydney Film Festival is upon us again, so if you’re feeling inspired by all those movies, you should join us for our first Script Writing for Short Films course. Writing for short films could be your springboard to feature length film writing, so this is a great opportunity to learn how to craft short film screenplays from scratch. 
Our latest author podcast is now available! This week we’ve interviewed Maree Giles, internationally renowned author of Invisible Thread, The Past is a Secret Country and Under a Green Moon. 
Disgrace is playing in competition at the Sydney Film Festival and will be released in Australia on 18 June. Based on J.M. Coetzee’s Booker Prize winning novel, Disgrace is the story of English professor, David Lurie, who goes to live with his daughter on her farm in Eastern Cape, South Africa. The country is still in the grip of post-apartheid tensions and a vicious attack at the farm changes David’s life irrevocably. 
Should you congratulate someone on or for their achievement? Here’s 
The name of this site comes from a lovely quote from Mark Twain – ‘the difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter – it is the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning’. 
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