In this issue:
- TIP: Do you use active or passive voice?
- Write for magazines and newspapers
- February Facebook Competition - now open!
- Perfect your pitch - and get published
- World Nomads Travel Writing Scholarship
- WORDWISE: Sh*t!
- Inspiring journeys - how to write a travel memoir
- WEBPICK: Furious Horses
I’m often contacted by people who want advice not only on writing, but also on how to get publicity. As a journalist, I’m fortunate to know about how the media works and how to get coverage in the media. The Sydney Writers’ Centre has been featured in everything from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Daily Telegraph, to ABC Radio and many magazines. So every week I’m contacted by people who want advice on how they can get this kind of publicity for their organisation or cause.The good news is that it’s not difficult to learn how. Our one-day seminar in “PR and Media Releases that Get Results” will give you a blueprint to help you get the press coverage you want.
Presented by PR expert Catriona Pollard, here are some comments from previous participants:
"The whole day was extremely practical. I felt very empowered at the end. I'm now far more aware of how PR can be implemented in my industry and specifically to my business, what tools are best for my area and media pitches vs media releases. Catriona was informative, lively, enthusiastic, willing to share her knowledge and provide advice specifically to your industry."
- Victoria Sharp
"I enjoyed the fact that Catriona was so willing to tailor her answers to our specific practical needs. The information was practical and clear. I was about to implement a strategy which I was not sure of (as I am only new to this) and Catriona was wonderful to guide me on a more strategic course."
- Linda Avramides
PR and Media Releases that get Results with Catriona Pollard
When: Thursday 17 February 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $495
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
TIP: Active or passive voice?
This is a concept a lot of aspiring writers struggle with because neither voice is obviously incorrect. But weeding out the passive voice and changing it to active voice will help you bring your writing to life.
The key difference between the two is whether the subject acts, or is acted upon. In active voice, the subject is doing the action. For example:
George chose to do the feature writing course.
In passive voice, the subject becomes the recipient of the action. For example:
The feature writing course was chosen by George.
You’ll notice passive voice is used a lot in business or academic writing, and it’s not always inappropriate. But in general, the active voice version of a passive voice sentence will be shorter, more powerful, and easier to understand.
What’s new this week at the Centre:- Kate Forsyth’s new course is “Plotting and Planning”. Thursday 19 & Thursday 26 May. Click here for details.
- Join us in Florence, Italy! Details for “An Italian Affair” with the Sydney Writers’ Centre are online.
- Australian Country Style magazine’s short story writing competition. You can win $5,000! Find out more here.
Click play to watch the video.
Join our online classroom
So far this year we’ve had students from Hawaii, Broken Hill, Singapore, Dubai, the Gold Coast, Perth - we've had students from all over Australia and the world! They’ve joined us in our online classroom and benefited from the same great content we teach here at Milsons Point.The online course, Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers, will take you through the process of writing great articles - and getting them published. You'll learn about creating a hook for your readers, how to write seamless transitions, and how to approach an editor with your work.
Here's what some recent participants had to say about the course:
"The presenter was excellent – clear and relevant. The online set up was easy to use and a surprisingly good learning experience."
- Stephanie Hunt
"Sue was very knowledgable and gave valuable insights into the industry. She was very encouraging and made me feel that getting published is much more achievable than I ever imagined. The course was short enough to keep your interest and was great value for money. It was really empowering and gave you so many insights into magazines and newspapers that I really believe I can write and earn money from it now!"
- Neoma Fsadni
Online course: Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Sue White
When: Week beginning Monday 14 February 2011 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Weekend intensive workshop
If you prefer to learn in a face-to-face classroom, but you'd rather not travel to our training rooms for five weeks, we'll be running a Weekend Intensive course soon. This option is perfect for those of you who may need to travel further to get here or can't commit to a five-week course.
Weekend Intensive Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Sue White
When: Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 February 2011 (two-day workshop)
Time: 10.00am - 4.00pm
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
Facebook Photo Caption Competition
Last month, our first ever Facebook Photo Caption Competition attracted some great entries. We asked you to send us your favourite travel photo with a caption, and we had a tough time choosing a winner. But we eventually did, so congratulations to Jenny Wight for her photo and caption from an incredible New Year's Eve in South Australia.Our next competition is now open for entries, and this time we want to see where you write!
Writing can be a lonely activity. Less so when you know that there are hundreds of other writers hunkered over a laptop or notebook, also battling with words. Post a photo of where you write, and your favourite writing tip (maximum 100 words) to our Facebook Page, or email your entry to courses [at] spindriftmedia.com.au.
The best entry as voted by the Sydney Writers’ Centre team wins a $100 voucher towards a Sydney Writers’ Centre online or face-to-face 5-week course or one-day business seminar. You can check out all the details and entries here.
Convince an editor to commission you - every time
One of our Twitter followers recently commented on how much she hates pitching to editors. As a writer, I can understand the frustration of writing (or planning) an amazing article, and then having to go through the process of convincing an editor to publish it.Pitching is an essential skill for all feature writers. That’s why this two-week course takes you through the process step-by-step and will help you improve your hit rate with editors. You’ll get published faster, by quality publications.
Here's what some recent participants said about the course:
"I got more confidence to work on how to pitch an idea to magazines. I now need to get a strong idea to pitch! Taking that first step of courage!"
- Julie-Anne Ellem
"Sue was a brilliant teacher and provided invaluable and practical feedback on our pitches. I loved the editor input too. My pitches are now clearer, with a strong hook and well researched."
- Catherine Boundy
This course is presented by Sue White, a freelance writer whose work has featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, Vogue Australia, Travel + Leisure (Australia), Sun Herald Travel, Women’s Health, Vogue Entertaining + Travel, CNN Traveller, various ABC outlets, Green Living, G magazine and numerous other publications in both Australia and overseas.
As a busy freelancer, Sue quickly learned to overcome her initial fear of pitching. She has since developed a full-time freelance career, which allows her to explore her interest in the environment, and career and well-being issues through her writing.
Perfecting Your Pitch with Sue White
When: Thursday 17 & Thursday 24 February 2011 (two evening seminars)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
World Nomads Travel Writing Scholarship
Want to go to Turkey? Want to go to Turkey, do a 10-day bike tour of the sites (which are incredible) and then WRITE about your experiences for one of Australia's most respected guide book publishers?World Nomads are once again offering a travel scholarship for a student or non-professional travel writer. This is an amazing opportunity and will give you a chance to practice your craft with a mentor, and hopefully see your work published in the updated Rough Guide to Istanbul.
To enter you need to write a 500-word (or fewer) travel story on a personal experience on one of the following themes:
- Responsible travel
- Journey in an unknown culture
- My big adventure
WORDWISE: Sh*t
It's not often we hear the word 'sh*t' used so freely in mainstream media, and we certainly never get a chance to use it in our newsletter. But given the sh*t storm created over Tony Abbott's 'sh*t happens' gaffe, we figured we could get away with it this week (twice in one sentence, no less).I've discovered that there is a popular theory that the word 'sh*t' comes from a nautical acronym - Ship High In Transit. It's a fairly recent urban myth. An email doing the rounds in 2003 claimed the acronym was used to mark crates or sacks of manure because their presence on board a ship was a potential fire hazard.
It's an interesting story, but it's not true. The word actually comes from the old English word, scitte, or diarrhoea. Scitte goes right back to the Dutch, schijten and German, scheisse. Originally, the word had no vulgar connotations and wasn't considered offensive at all. Nowadays, it's the most commonly used expletive in the English language.
Once more for good measure – sh*t!
How to write a book about your travels
The best travel experiences are inspiring and life-changing. So many of us have amazing travel stories to tell and it seems our thirst for travel stories is insatiable, with travel memoir being one of the most popular genres around. Just look at: Eat, Pray, Love; Holy Cow; and Almost French – their success proves we’re just as happy to read about travel as we are to do it ourselves!This year, we’re very lucky to have Claire Scobie (author of Last Seen in Lhasa) with us to teach Travel Memoir. This course is for anyone who has ever dreamed about turning their travel journals into a book.
Here’s what recent participants had to say about the course:
"Claire is lovely and had our interest and attention at all times. She is so experienced and knowledgable and encouraged us all to share our ideas whatever our level."
- Jennifer Leeder
"It was truly enjoyable. I have wanted to do a course like this for such a long time. I never knew I could learn so much about travel memoir writing. Claire was excellent. Her method of teaching was encouraging and easy to follow."
- Beverly Pang
This course is presented by Claire Scobie, the author of Last Seen in Lhasa, winner of the Dolman Best Travel Book Award. So far, it has been translated into German, Dutch and Korean. She writes for numerous publications including the Daily Telegraph and the Observer Magazine in the UK, and is a contributor to the Sydney Morning Herald, Sun-Herald, Marie Claire Australia and the Qantas in-flight magazine, The Australian Way. She’s gone on the trail of rhino poachers in Assam, done heli-fishing in Patagonia and crossed the Tanami Track in Australia.
Travel Memoir with Claire Scobie
When: Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 March 2011 (two-day workshop)
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
WEBPICK: Furious Horses
This is the blog of writer Christopher Currie. Early in 2008 he decided to jump-start his writing by posting a new short story every day for 365 days. And he did it! Now that the project is over, he writes regularly on books and the book industry, as well as posting the occasional short story.
It’s well worth going back and reading some of the stories from his year-long marathon writing effort. (I especially liked ‘Reasons I Write in Capital Letters’, one of his first stories from March 2008.) Plenty here to keep a committed reader happy for a while!
Check it out here.
Other upcoming courses
Online Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker
When: Week beginning Monday 14 February 2011 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Online Course: Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Sue White
When: Week beginning Monday 14 February 2011 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Seminar: Writing Letters and Emails with Deb Doyle
When: Wednesday 16 February 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Introduction to Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett – FULL
When: Wednesday 16 February 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $85
Seminar: PR and Media Releases that Get Results with Catriona Pollard
When: Thursday 17 February 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $495
Course: Perfecting Your Pitch with Sue White
When: Thursday 17 February 2011 and Thursday 24 February 2011 (2 evening classes)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175
Seminar: Edit with Confidence with Deb Doyle
When: Friday 25 February 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Weekend Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers Stage 1 with Sue White – NEW DATE
When: Saturday 26 February 2011 and Sunday 27 February 2011 (2 day workshop)
Time: 10.00am - 4.00pm
Cost: $395
Course: Daytime Creative Writing Stage 1 with Jeni Mawter
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 1 March 2011 for five weeks
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $395
Seminar: Grammar and Punctuation with Deb Doyle – NEW DATE
When: Friday 4 March 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $450
Course: Travel Memoir with Claire Scobie
When: Saturday 5 March 2011 and Sunday 6 March 2011 (2 day workshop)
Time: 10.00am - 4.00pm
Cost: $395
Online Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker
When: Week beginning Monday 7 March 2011 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Online Course: Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Laurine Croasdale – NEW DATE
When: Every Monday starting Monday 7 March 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with Pamela Freeman – NEW DATE
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 8 March 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Professional Business Writing with Mel Wilkinson – NEW DATE
When: Thursday 10 March 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $450
Course: Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers Stage 1 with Marina Go – NEW DATE
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 10 March 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: How to Get Your Book Published with Geoff Bartlett
When: Thursday 10 March 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $85
Seminar: Writing for the Web with Grant Doyle
When: Friday 11 March 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Cost: $395
Course: Life Writing with Patti Miller – FULL
When: Saturday 12 March 2011 and Sunday 13 March 2011 (2 day workshop)
Time: 10.00am - 4.00pm
Cost: $450
Course: Screenwriting Stage 1 with Tim Gooding
When: Every Monday starting Monday 14 March 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Self Publishing - How to do it with Geoff Bartlett
When: Wednesday 23 March 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $85
Course: Writing about Interiors, Style and Design with Nigel Bartlett – NEW COURSE
When: Thursday 24 March 2011 and Thursday 31 March 2011 (2 evening classes)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175
Seminar: Perfect Your Proofreading with Deb Doyle
When: Friday 25 March 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Boost Your Creativity with Laurine Croasdale
When: Monday 28 March 2011 and Monday 4 April 2011 (2 evening classes)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175
Seminar: Introduction to Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett – NEW DATE
When: Wednesday 30 March 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $85
Seminar: Blogging for Business with Steven Lewis
When: Friday 1 April 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Sell your ebook on Amazon with Steven Lewis – NEW SEMINAR
When: Tuesday 5 April 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $85
Course: Travel Writing: Get Paid for Your Adventures with Sue White
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 6 April 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge – NEW DATE
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 6 April 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Daytime Intensive Creative Writing Stage 1 with Jeni Mawter
When: Monday 11 April 2011 - Friday 15 April 2011 (5 days in a row)
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $395
Course: Weekend Travel Writing: Get Paid for Your Adventures with Sue White
When: Saturday 16 April 2011 and Sunday 17 April 2011 (2 day workshop)
Time: 10.00am - 4.00pm
Cost: $395
Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 3 May 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Daytime Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman – NEW DATE
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 4 May 2011 for five weeks
Time: 10.00am - 12.00noon
Cost: $395
Course: Magazine Writing Stage 2 with Gayle Bryant
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 18 May 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Plotting and Planning with Kate Forsyth – NEW COURSE
When: Thursday 19 May 2011 and Thursday 26 May 2011 (2 evening classes)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175
Course: Your Story Structure with Kathryn Heyman
When: Friday 17 June 2011 and Friday 24 June 2011 (2 half-day classes)
Time: 9.30am - 12.30pm
Cost: $215
Course: Life Writing Masterclass with Patti Miller
When: Every Friday starting Friday 1 July 2011 for eight weeks
Time: 10.00am - 12.00noon
Cost: $650
Course: Novel Writing Workshop with Pamela Freeman
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 5 July 2011 for six weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $495
Course: Life Writing with Patti Miller – NEW DATE
When: Every Friday starting Friday 9 September 2011 for six weeks
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $450
WRITING TOURS
Writing in Bali with Patti Miller
When: Saturday 18 June to Saturday 25 June 2011
Writing in Paris with Patti Miller
When: Thursday 20 October to Saturday 5 November 2011
Travel Writing in Italy with Sue White
When: Friday 16 September to Friday 30 September 2011
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