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• Author of 18 books James Roy teaches
  Creative Writing here
• TIP: Fit or fitted?
• Improve your writing at work
• Big Issue fiction issue - you can enter
• Get paid for your travel writing
• TIP: What is an oxymoron?
• Perfect your pitch - and get published
• VIDEO: Amber MacArthur's innovative book trailer
  

I love the fact that we have some of Australia’s best authors teaching here at the Sydney Writers’ Centre. They're all so generous with their knowledge and experience. So I’m thrilled that James Roy is teaching our next course in Creative Writing.

James has been published in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany and South Korea. He’s released a whopping 18 books, ranging from novels to short story collections.

If you’re interested in telling stories and writing fiction, I highly recommend the course Creative Writing Stage 1.

Creative Writing Stage 1 with James Roy
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 21 April 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

“I came up with a name for our company — Apple.” Wozniak said they could have tried to come up with more technical-sounding names but their vision was to make computers approachable. “Apple fit nicely.”

• Our one-day seminar Edit with Confidence is on tomorrow!
  
  
• Enrolments are coming in for our newest course with Kate Forsyth, Plotting and Planning.
  
  
• We’ve planned our schedule for Sydney Writers’ Festival and can’t wait to bring you videos, interviews and blog posts from the festival.
  
  
• Our latest Facebook Photo Competition is now open! Check it out here.
  
  
• QUICK VIDEO: Find out what's new at the Centre this week. (If you can't view the video in this email, just click here to see it on our blog.)
  

Better writing at work
Want to improve your writing at work, and your job prospects? If you’re writing reports, proposals or tenders, it can be overwhelming if you’re not confident in your writing skills.

Our Professional Business Writing seminar will show you the stress-free way to create polished and persuasive documents at work. Learning the golden rules for great business writing will enhance documents and could give you an edge in your job.

During this seminar, you’ll cover:

• the 8-step plan to writing winning proposals
• how to structure your reports
• words you should never use
• how to write concise sentences
• and much more.
  
  

Big Issue Fiction Edition
It’s on again. The Big Issue Annual Fiction Edition will be out later this year, and they’re now looking for the best Australian short stories to be featured. Last year’s fiction issue featured many established authors, such as Christos Tsiolkas, Linda Jaivin, and Michael Faber, and also introduced many of us to the work of writers such Samuel Rutter and Romy Ash.

The 2011 edition will be bigger than ever thanks to funding from the Copyright Agency Limited, and that means more stories will be needed. If you’d like to submit a story send no fewer than three printed (not electronic) copies of your entry of up to 3,000 words to: Fiction Edition, The Big Issue, GPO Box 4911, Melbourne 3001. Remember to include your name and contact details on a separate cover sheet.

Closing date for entries is Wednesday 1 June 2011.

WORDWISE: Interrobang and chess
In follow up to our tip last week on the interrobang (?!), we’ve discovered another use for it – in chess. (Thanks to reader Paul Grattan for alerting us to this.) In chess commentary, the use of ?! is a notation to indicate a dubious move that may turn out to be bad. Here are some other notations used:

!? an interesting move (but not necessarily the best)

! a good move (but usually surprising)

!! an excellent move (to save the day or lead to a win)

? a bad move (there are obvious better ones)

?? a blunder (game over or a winning position lost)

Even though it’s acceptable in chess to reverse the interrobang (!? for interesting move), as one of our readers, Alicia Thomson pointed out, this doesn’t excuse regular users getting it wrong. She told us she often sees it written as !? and says, “Surely the question should always precede the boom-boom?!”

Get paid for your adventures
Are you interested in writing travel articles but aren’t quite sure where to start? Would you like to add another feather to your feature writing bow and explore the world of travel writing? If you’re ready to learn more about travelling to write (and getting paid!) our Introductory Travel Writing seminar will give you the tips to get started.

In this two-hour seminar you’ll learn about the different types of travel writing, the realities of travel writing, how to increase your chances of getting your work published, and how to get paid for your adventures.

Here’s some feedback from recent participants:
“I enjoyed the enthusiasm and encouragement of the presenter and the amount of helpful information provided. Geoff was excellent. The information he provided was more than I had expected in a 2-hour seminar, and it answered a lot of questions I had. My contact before the seminar was efficient and friendly, the seminar was very helpful and interesting and I am planning on doing more courses as I can manage to do them while working and travelling from Canberra.”
- Ann Connolly

“I got practical information that allowed me to see clearly the day in the life of a travel writer: the nuts and bolts revelations! Geoff was funny, sincere, a good listener and took care to ensure each participant walked away with their top questions answered. The Sydney Writers’ Centre is a very professional, open organisation. There's no sense of exclusivity about information and I love that sense of transparency and telling it like it is. And it's also an inspiring place to be. It respects every person's ability to make their writing aspirations a reality.”
- Desanka Vukelich

Introduction to Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Thursday 21 April 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30pm - 8.30pm
Cost: $85

DAYTIME Introduction to Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Wednesday 8 June 2011 (two-hour morning seminar)
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $85

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

TIP: Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech containing contradictory terms. You see them everywhere - consider “definite possibility”, “extremely average” and “virtual reality”.

The word oxymoron comes from the Greek for “sharp dull”, which translates literally to “pointedly foolish”. But oxymorons aren’t always inadvertent errors. They can be used intentionally in literature to create a paradox. For example:

“There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is the true method.”
- from Moby Dick by Herman Melville

“…As one great furnace flamed; yet from those flames
No light; but rather darkness visible
Served only to discover sights of woe…”
- from Paradise Lost by John Milton

“...With fearful bravery, thinking by this face
To fasten in our thoughts that they have courage;
But ’tis not so.”
- from Julius Ceasar by William Shakespeare

Perfect your pitch - and get published
Successful freelance writers know there’s more to getting published than just writing an article. Getting the attention of an editor and convincing them to publish your work is crucial to establishing yourself as a regular feature writer. To do this, you need to get your pitch right.

Perfecting your pitch will improve your chances of publishing success, and this course, with feature and travel writer Sue White, will show you how it’s done. Over two classes you’ll learn how to refine and tailor your pitches to different audiences, how to sell your expertise, and how to better understand what editors want.

Note: Completion of Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers is a prerequisite for enrolling in Perfecting Your Pitch.

Here’s some feedback from recent participants:
"The workshopping of pitches was very helpful. I will be applying what I learnt to my job as a PR person and for future freelance work it's definitely worthwhile. Sue is very experienced, very approachable and friendly."
- Naomi Joyce

"I really enjoyed this course as it was so focused on one aspect of freelancing, which has helped me to focus my efforts and work to really improve the way I am planning and pitching.

"I have reorganised my story ideas and how I track them, with a clear separation from blog and article ideas. I am approaching pitching completely differently and have set clear goals of what I want to achieve from here."
- Nimmity Zappert

Perfecting Your Pitch with Sue White
When: Thursdays 28 April & 5 May 2011 (two evening classes)
Time: 6.30pm - 8.30pm
Cost: $175

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

Awesome book trailer: "Texter" by Amber MacArthur
I recently chatted to Canadian broadcaster, podcaster, speaker and author of "Power Friending", Amber MacArthur. You can view my video interview of her here.

I really love Amber's book trailer. It's clever and innovative and certainly makes you curious about Amber and her book. Fans of "Dexter" will love it as it's her version of the distinctive opening credits of the show. You can view that here.

What we’re reading
This week our wonderful Feature Writing and Travel Writing presenter, Sue White, is reading The Brain that Changes Itself. 

I found myself so engrossed in this international bestseller that I knocked over the  300+ pages in only a week! Author Norman Doidge manages to make the world of neuroscience enthralling, without dumbing down the content for the scientifically challenged.

The premise? The brain is plastic, which means that our potential to learn and change is expansive. Doidge has an ability to find intriguing case studies of plasticity being used to help everyone from stroke patients to children with learning disabilities, and he gives numerous examples of how taking advantage of brain plasticity can help us move past our fears, addictions and general neuroses. If there’s a downside to this read, it’s the gory details regarding the animal experiments many of the featured neurologists use to make their scientific breakthroughs. I found myself cringing at a few scenarios of poor old chimps with amputated fingers. 

We want to know what you’re reading! If you’d like to submit a short book review (no more than 200 words) send it to courses [at] spindriftmedia [dot] com [dot] au and we’ll consider it for publication in our newsletter or blog.

WEBPICK: Boost Marketing
The last few weeks we’ve been telling you about the blogs of our judges for our first ever Best Australian Blogs Competition. This week, we’ll look at Joel Norton’s blog for Boost Marketing.

Joel is a strong advocate of blogging for business, and so will be judging the business blog category of the competition. And he’s uniquely placed to do this - he’s been blogging at Boost Marketing for a while now and he’s also a feature blogger for Dynamic Business.

Boost Marketing is the place to go for marketing tips and news about the latest business developments. There are regular posts on everything from cloud computing to online marketing and work/life balance. Who knows - you may even find the inspiration to improve your own business blog!

Check it out here.

Other upcoming courses
Seminar: Sell your ebook on Amazon with Steven Lewis – NEW SEMINAR
When: Thursday 14 April 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $85

Seminar: How to Get Your Book Published with Geoff Bartlett
When: Thursday 14 April 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $85

Seminar: Edit with Confidence with Deb Doyle
When: Friday 15 April 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $395

Online Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker – FULL
When: Week beginning Monday 18 April 2011 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Seminar: Professional Business Writing with Mel Wilkinson
When: Tuesday 19 April 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $450

Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with James Roy
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 21 April 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Introduction to Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Thursday 21 April 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $85

Course: Perfecting Your Pitch with Sue White
When: Thursday 28 April 2011 and Thursday 5 May 2011 (2 evening classes)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175

Online Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker – NEW DATE
When: Week beginning Monday 2 May 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 2 May 2011 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman – FULL
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
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 4 May 2011 for five weeks
Time: 10.00am - 12.00noon
Cost: $395

Seminar: Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle – NEW DATE
When: Wednesday 4 May 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $450

Seminar: PR and Media Releases That Get Results with Catriona Pollard
When: Thursday 5 May 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $495

Online Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker
When: Week beginning Monday 9 May 2011 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Travel Memoir with Claire Scobie
When: Every Monday starting Monday 9 May 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: How to Get Your Book Published with Geoff Bartlett – NEW DATE
When: Wednesday 11 May 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $85

Course: Screenwriting Stage 1 with Tim Gooding
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 11 May 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Writing Letters and Emails with Deb Doyle – NEW DATE
When: Thursday 12 May 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $395

Online Course: Writing Books for Young Adults and Children with Laurine Croasdale/Judith Ridge/Nicola Robinson – NEW DATE
When: Every Monday starting Monday 16 May 2011 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
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

Seminar: Perfect Your Proofreading with Deb Doyle – NEW DATE
When: Friday 27 May 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Writing for the Web with Grant Doyle – NEW DATE
When: Friday 27 May 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Cost: $395

Course: Boost Your Creativity with Laurine Croasdale – NEW DATE
When: Thursday 2 June 2011 and Thursday 9 June 2011 (2 evening classes)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175

Course: Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Marina Go – NEW DATE
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 2 June 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Daytime How to Get Your Book Published with Geoff Bartlett – NEW DATE
When: Tuesday 7 June 2011 (two-hour morning seminar)
Time: 10.00am - 12.00noon
Cost: $85

Seminar: Daytime Introduction to Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett – NEW DATE
When: Wednesday 8 June 2011 (two-hour morning seminar)
Time: 10.00am - 12.00noon
Cost: $85

Seminar: Self-Publishing – How to do it with Geoff Bartlett
When: Thursday 16 June 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $85

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: Writing about Interiors, Style and Design with Nigel Bartlett
When: Wednesday 22 June 2011 and Wednesday 29 June 2011 (2 evening classes)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175

Course: Writing Books for Young Adults and Children with Judith Ridge – NEW DATE
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 22 June 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Course: Travel Writing: Get Paid for Your Adventures with Sue White – NEW DATE
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 23 June 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Blogging for Business with Steven Lewis
When: Thursday 30 June 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $395

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
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