In this issue:
- TIP: Take another tack – not tact
- Take your creative writing to the next level
- Wet Ink Short Story Prize
- Learn the rules of editing
- Did you know?
- Write better letters and emails
- WEBPICK: Pitch Fever
It's been a busy time at the Walkley Conference for me this week. This is a great opportunity to catch up with other journalists and discuss the latest trends impacting the world of writing and reporting. It's always inspiring to meet with other people who are as passionate about journalism and feature writing as I am. Sometimes, I do think I'm very blessed to be paid to meet and interview amazing people and then have the privilege of telling their stories.Feature writing is a craft for magazines and newspapers that I grew to love when I worked in a newsagency as I grew up. My bosses were kind enough to let me take home magazines overnight so I could pore over the articles. I used to marvel at some of the writing and I thought it would be wonderful to one day be able to create such compelling stories. Over my career, I've been lucky enough to interview everyone from Jon Bon Jovi to Britney Spears and many others in between. I find ordinary people endlessly fascinating and I love writing about them too.
That's why I get such a thrill when I open the newspapers to find our former students published in Good Weekend, BRW, The Sydney Morning Herald or many other publications. I know what it's like to finally see your name in print, attached to a story you're passionate about.
If you're interested in writing articles, I invite you to learn the craft with the course Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers starting next week. It's presented by the very experienced and talented Matthew Nott.
The course will teach you about:
- which ideas work - and where to get them
- understanding the magazine/news market
- different types of feature articles
- how to research, structure and write a feature
- what editors want from a writer
- how to pitch your article or idea to a magazine and sell it!
This course is ideal for people who want to write articles. These could include feature articles about travel, lifestyle, politics, sport, entertainment, parenting, human interest – and much more.
Students have been published in The Sydney Morning Herald, Cosmopolitan, Sunday Life!, BRW, Notebook, The Sun-Herald, Australian Associated Press, Practical Parenting, Management Today, Australian Financial Review, City Weekly, Herald Sun, Home Beautiful and countless other magazines and newspapers.
Here’s what some recent participants had to say about the course:
‘Everything I learnt was of benefit to me! I have come from a long-term corporate background so every piece of information was new and beneficial for me. The information is so practical that you leave with a good understanding of what to do and how to do it - now it's just about having the courage to do it!!’
- Lana Haines
‘It was jam-packed with practical information. I feel ready to start pitching my ideas to editors. I've already got interviews lined up for my first article!’
- Samantha Grosser
Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Matthew Nott
When: Wednesdays starting Wednesday 18 August 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
TIP: Take another tack – not tact
When someone says they want to ‘change tack’, they mean they’re going to change direction. The word ‘tack’ has a number of meanings, but in this instance it’s a sailing term meaning course – as in ‘a course sailed’.
But often when you hear someone say ‘I’m changing tack’ or ‘he’s on the wrong tack’, they replace ‘tack’ with ‘tact’. My friend Amanda was telling me the other day that she's hearing it more and more. This is wrong!
Tact means to have good judgement in dealing with people, and has nothing to do with changing direction or course.
Take your creative writing to the next level
It’s hard to believe that just five years ago, we started the writers’ centre with one course – Creative Writing. We’ve now had thousands of students complete the stage 1 course, and I know that for many, this was just their first step in their writing journey. Your next step is Creative Writing Stage 2. This course is for anyone who has completed Creative Writing Stage 1 or Writing Books for Children. You’ll build on what you learned in your first course and incorporate those skills in your writing. Through workshopping and plenty of feedback, you’ll strengthen your fiction writing.
You’ll cover:
- how to find, create or extend your main characters and how to place them within a world of believable minor characters
- how to make similar characters distinct on the page - what is your character’s ‘journey’?
- structuring your story
- climax and resolution: how these shape the final story - and how to write them!
- the principles of scene development: dialogue, pacing, the manipulation of time, character interaction, management of exposition
- the right process of structural editing, copy-editing and proof reading, using examples from both published and student work
- and much more.
Here’s what some recent participants had to say about the course:
‘Most enjoyable about the course was having a presenter as educating and friendly as Pamela Freeman. Pamela was always happy to answer any questions and made the learning experience enjoyable. Different from creative writing stage one, stage two challenged me more, making me put what I have learnt to the test and pushed me that extra little bit.’
- Gustavo Panucci
‘I find Pamela Freeman a great inspiration and an excellent teacher. She has in depth knowledge of the industry and brings humour and personal experience effectively into each session. My workshop skills have improved and I feel that I have progressed to a stage where I am feeling more confident about the process of structuring a story.’
- Angharad Dalton
Creative Writing Stage 2 is presented by Pamela Freeman, author of 21 books, the most recent of which, Full Circle (Book 3 of the Castings trilogy), is being published in the US, UK, France, Spain, Portugal and Germany as well as Australia. Pamela’s latest children’s book, Victor’s Challenge, was published in 2009 in Australia and the UK.
Pamela started as a children’s writer, and many of her books have been shortlisted for the State Literary Awards, the Children's Book Council Book of the Year Awards, the Koala Awards and the Wilderness Society Environment Awards. Pamela – who is also an accomplished scriptwriter – has taught creative writing at the University of Technology, Sydney for many years.
Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman
When: Tuesdays starting Tuesday 31 August 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
Wet Ink Short Story Prize
Wet Ink is one of Australia’s premier literary magazines. They are committed to seeking out and publishing the best in new Australian writing. Their annual short story writing competition is on again and this is a chance to see your story published in this great magazine – and win some cash! First prize will be awarded to the best story of no more than 5,000 words. The winner will receive $3,000, one year’s subscription to Wet Ink, and publication in the March 2011 edition. Two highly commended entries will receive $100, a year’s subscription, and will also be published in the March issue. Entry fee is $15 for one story or $25 for two. You have until Tuesday 31 August 2010 to enter.
Download an entry form and more information here.
Learn the rules of editing
Editing documents at work can be a time-consuming and frustrating task if you don’t know the basics. But it doesn’t need to be! There are some key things you should know when editing and the techniques that you’ll learn in our one-day seminar, Editing at Work, will help you turn even the worst writing into a readable document. By the end of this one-day workshop, you’ll also:
- understand the steps involved in editing
- know what to do when you have to be both the writer and the editor
- know the standard marks that professional editors use when working with hard copy
- refresh your knowledge of the essential terms used in editing
- learn the rules for applying common editorial style points: word breaks, hyphens and dashes; italics, ‘roman’ and quotation marks; paragraph indentation; running on; closing up spaces; ‘number style’; and upper and lower case
- understand the role of editorial style sheets and house-style guides – and how to create them
- discover how to edit numerical information
- and much more!
This is a brand new seminar and is perfect for anyone who needs to edit letters, reports or other documents at work.
The workshop is presented by Deb Doyle, an experienced editorial-training consultant and publication editor. Deb has conducted courses for the Productivity Commission, AMP and Wizard Home Loans as well as many other corporate and government entities located in Sydney or Melbourne. Deb’s courses are interactive and collegial. She demystifies the editing process in a way that’s engaging and interesting.
Editing at Work with Deb Doyle
When: Wednesday 18 August 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
Did you know?
About 200,000 English words are in common use compared to 184,000 German words and 100,000 French words.According to Bill Bryson's Mother Tongue: "The richness of the English vocabulary, and the wealth of available synonyms, means that English speakers can often draw shades of distinction unavailable to non-Enlgish speakers. The French, for instance, cannot distinguish between house and home, between mind and brain, between man and gentleman, between "I wrote" and "I have written".
The Spanish cannot differentiate between a chairman and a president, and the Italians have no equivalent for wishful thinking. In Russia there are no native words for efficiency, challenge, engagement ring, have fun, or take care. English, as Charlton Laird has noted, is the only language that has, or needs, books of synonyms like Roget's Thesaurus. "Most speakers of other languages are not aware that such books exist."
Write better letters and emails
We all have to do it. In fact, most of us would spend a large portion of our day writing letters or emails to customers, colleagues, employees, even friends! So why is it so difficult for some people to write a concise letter?
Our one-day seminar on writing letters and emails will give you the tools and techniques you need to take the stress out of letter writing. You’ll have a chance to write and critique letters and emails, and learn the key things you need to make writing correspondence much easier.
In this one-day workshop, you’ll discover:
- knowledge that you can apply easily and immediately when writing correspondence
- knowledge of the four steps for writing any document
- ability to ask yourself four key questions when drafting your letters or emails
- analysis of the ‘CSAW’ method of writing: Collect; Select; Arrange; Write
- ability to apply the learning to your own sample letter and email
- an action plan for improving your writing
- valuable templates to help you write your letters and emails
- more confidence in drafting formal letters and informal emails
- ability to ensure that any paragraph you write is clear, concise and conveys the right information
- and much more
The workshop is presented by Deb Doyle, an experienced editorial-training consultant and publication editor. Deb has conducted courses for the Productivity Commission, AMP and Wizard Home Loans as well as many other corporate and government entities located in Sydney or Melbourne. Deb’s courses are interactive and collegial. She demystifies the editing process in a way that’s engaging and interesting.
Writing Letters and Emails with Deb Doyle
When: Tuesday 31 August 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
WEBPICK: Pitch FeverThis week’s webpick comes from one of our former Feature Writing students, Catherine Boundy. She’s come up with such an amazing way of overcoming the fear of pitching articles, I just had to share it with you!
In order to fulfil her dream of becoming a published writer before she turns 30, Catherine will be pitching 100 story ideas in 100 days. That’s right – one pitch a day. She’s taking her inspiration from every day life. She’ll be on the look out constantly for her next story pitch, and she’s chronicling her journey at Pitch Fever. We’ll definitely be following this one, and keeping our fingers crossed that Catherine achieves her goal!
Check it out here.
Course: Screenwriting Stage 1 with Tim Gooding - FULL
When: Every Monday starting Monday 16 August 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Editing at work with Deb Doyle
When: Wednesday 18 August 2010
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $365
Course: Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Matthew Nott
When: Wednesdays starting Wednesday 18 August 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Writing for the Web with Grant Doyle
When: Monday 23 August 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Cost: $365
Course: Online Feature Writing Stage 1 with Valerie Khoo/Pamela Wilson
When: Week beginning Monday 23 August 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Course: Online Creative Writing - Stage 1 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker – NEW DATE
When: Week beginning Monday 23 August 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Seminar: Professional Business Writing with Mel Wilkinson - FULL
When: Friday 27 August 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Writing Letters and Emails with Deb Doyle
When: Tuesday 31 August 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Cost: $365
Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman
When: Tuesdays starting Tuesday 31 August 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Travel Writing: Get paid for your adventures with Sue White
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 2 September 2010 for four weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $345
Seminar: Self-publishing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Thursday 2 September 2010 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75
Course: Online Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker – NEW DATE
When: Week beginning Monday 6 September 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Course: Online Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge/Nicola Robinson – NEW DATE
When: Week beginning Monday 6 September 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Seminar: Introduction to Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett – NEW DATE
When: Wednesday 8 September 2010 (2-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75
Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with James Roy – NEW PRESENTER
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 9 September 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle
When: Friday 10 September 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: How to get your book published with Geoff Bartlett
When: Wednesday 15 September 2010 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75
Seminar: Proofreading at work with Deb Doyle – NEW COURSE
When: Friday 17 September 2010
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Cost: $365
Course: Screenwriting Stage 1 with Tim Gooding – NEW DATE
When: Every Monday starting Monday 20 September 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Creativity Unleashed with Laurine Croasdale – NEW COURSE
When: Tuesdays 21 & 28 September 2010
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175
Seminar: How to get free publicity with Catriona Pollard – NEW COURSE
When: Thursday 23 September 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $495
Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 5-day Intensive course with Jeni Mawter
When: Monday 27 September - Friday 1 October 2010 (5 consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $395
Course: Magazine Writing Stage 2 with Gayle Bryant
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 29 September 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Novel writing workshop with Pamela Freeman
When: Every Tuesday beginning Tuesday 12 October 2010 for six weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $495
Seminar: Blogging for Business with Steven Lewis
When: Thursday 14 October 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.00pm
Cost: $365
Course: Build Your Online Profile with Tristan Bancks – NEW DATE
When: Thursdays starting Thursday 14 October 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Online Business Booster Bootcamp with Valerie Khoo – NEW DATE
When: Thursday 21 October 2010
Time: 9.30am sharp - 5.30pm
Cost: $695
Course: Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 27 October 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Perfecting Your Pitch with Sue White
When: Thursdays 4 & 11 November 2010
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175
Writing Tour: Writing in Bali with Patti Miller – FULL
When: 30 September to 5 October 2010
Writing Tour: Writing in Paris with Patti Miller – FULL
Dates for 2010:
Arrival: Thursday 21 October 2010
Departure: Saturday 6 November 2010
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