Get Published newsletter

• We won the NSW Telstra Business Awards Micro-Business category!
• TIP: Dangling modifiers
• Build your online profile
• Big Issue Fiction edition
• Get your articles published
• Movie ticket giveaway – Me and Orson Welles
• Take your creative writing to the next level
• Wordwise: Janus words
• WEBPICK: Sydney Writers’ Festival

We’ve had a massive week at the Sydney Writers’ Centre. Last Friday, we all waited with bated breath at a black-tie function at The Westin Hotel in Sydney for the end of this sentence: “And the winner is …”

It was the NSW Telstra Business Awards and we were one of the finalists. We were  beyond excited when we heard the words:
“ … the Sydney Writers’ Centre”. We are honoured to win the NSW Telstra Business Awards Micro-business category.

Apart from the hard work from our wonderful staff and presenters at the Centre, much of this award is due to YOU, our incredible community of students and writing enthusiasts. We love your stories, your words, your questions and your passion for learning. That’s what gets me out of bed every day – helping solve writing issues, advising on how to get published, teaching some how to use pesky apostrophes and, in some cases, watching as you make your own writing dreams come true. We’re just humbled and honoured to play a tiny part in that. So thank you because this award would not be possible without your continued inspiration.

One area that we are receiving an increasing number of queries for is business writing. After all, not everyone wants to write the Great Australian Novel! Sometimes, we having more pressing issues like how to craft a professional business letter or how to edit documents at work. You might be interested in our new seminar “Editing at Work” presented by Deb Doyle.

Seminar: Editing at work with Deb Doyle
When: Wednesday 18 August 2010
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $365

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

TIP: Dangling modifiers
One of the most common errors people make in their writing is misplacing words or clauses in a sentence – or using ‘dangling modifiers’. A dangling modifier occurs when a descriptive phrase doesn’t immediately precede the noun or pronoun it’s modifying – leaving the description dangling. This can affect the meaning of the sentence and, if you’re not careful, you’ll wind up with some surprisingly silly results. It’s a very easy mistake to make, and often readers won’t immediately recognise it.

Here are some examples from The Little Green Grammar Book by Mark Tredinnick:

Before she’d even finished laying, Lucy chased the hen out of the coop.
(Who was laying – Lucy or the hen?)

We make recommendations for fixing all the problems in this report.
(Are they interested in fixing problems in the report or problems in the company?)

Before the hen had even finished laying, Lucy chased her out of the coop.

In this report, we make recommendations for fixing all these problems.

Build your online profile
If you want to build your profile with readers, publishers, customers or potential clients, knowing what opportunities are available online is vital. But you don’t need to be an technical whizz or know everything about the internet. There’s plenty you can do even if you don’t yet have a plan for your online presence.

Build Your Online Profile will show you how to engage your audience through blogs, social media and your website. You’ll finish the course with:

• an understanding of how you can use the web to connect with readers, publishers, agents, librarians, booksellers and others in a way that feels authentic to you
• confidence in your ability to use various web platforms
• handouts that take you, step-by-step, through the process of setting up and using several key web platforms
• knowledge to create a simple online video to promote your work
• workshopped ideas for expanding your current work into cross-platform projects, such as using video, audio and interactive web tools to bring your stories to life
• Lots of inspiration to help you break through procrastination and get active.

This course is taught by Tristan Bancks. He has been actively building and experimenting with his online presence as a writer over several years. His willingness to engage with the web has been integral to his success in getting published in Australia and the United States.

Tristan has a background as an actor and television presenter in Australia and the UK. His short films have won a number of awards and have screened widely at festivals and on TV. Tristan has written several books for kids and teens, including the Mac Slater, Coolhunter series (Random House Australia, Simon & Schuster US), and his illustrated series, Nit Boy, about everybody's favourite mini-beasts. Nit Boy is currently being developed for television. Tristan's Young Adult novel, it's yr life, was co-written via email between Byron Bay and L.A. with actress and author, Tempany Deckert.

Build Your Online Profile with Tristan Bancks
When: Mondays beginning Monday 19 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

The Big Issue Fiction Edition
It’s here again. The Big Issue’s highly anticipated fiction edition will be on sale from Friday 16 July. This year’s issue features the usual mix of well-known and up-and-coming writers, including Christos Tsiolkas (The Slap), Toni Jordan (Addition), and international author Michael Faber (Crimson Petal and the White). Also featuring this year is Linda Jaivin, author of nine books and also one of our featured authors on our podcast page.

There are also stories from new writers Patrick Allington, Oslo Davis, Emmett Stinson, Samuel Rutter, Karen Hitchcock and Romy Ash.

So enjoy this year’s Toasty Tales with the Big Issue, on sale from this Friday in most train stations, street corners or shopping centres – just look out for your local Big Issue vendor.

Get your articles published in magazines and newspapers
Many of our former students have done it, and you can too. I’m talking about getting published, of course! With the right tools you can write great articles and get them published in your favourite magazines or newspapers. Whether you’re new to writing or you just want to brush up on your skills, our Feature Writing course will help you.

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!

The next course is presented by Holly Nott, who was Sydney Bureau Chief of AAP. She has covered everything from shark attacks to federal elections, terrorism trials to snowboarding holidays. We’re thrilled that Holly has joined our team.

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

‘As part of my job is to write articles for our corporate newsletter and blog, it was extremely helpful to go through the "how to find ideas", the structure, the do's and don'ts, and how to edit and revise articles.’
- Delphine Caprez-Cunningham

Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Holly Nott
When: Thursdays starting Thursday 22 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

If you can’t make it to our training rooms in Milsons Point, you can do Feature Writing online.

Online Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Valerie Khoo/Pamela Wilson
When: Week beginning Monday 19 July 201 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

Movie ticket giveaway – Me and Orson Welles
Who wants to go to the movies? Thanks to Nixco, this week we have 20 double passes to give away to Me and Orson Welles, the story of a young man getting his break in the theatre in the 1930s.

The film has received rave reviews in the US and Christian McKay, who portrays Orson Welles, was nominated for a BAFTA award for his performance. Here’s a bit more about the film:

Me & Orson Welles is set in the exciting world of the New York theatre. Teenage student Richard Samuels lucks his way into a minor role on the legendary 1937 Mercury Theatre production of Julius Caesar, directed by a youthful Orson Welles. Over the course of a magical week, Richard makes his Broadway debut, finds romance with an ambitious older woman, and experiences the dark side of genius after daring to cross the imperious, brilliant Welles.

If you’d like to win a double pass to Me and Orson Welles, just tell us which play you'd like to act in, and why. Email our answer to courses [at] spindriftmedia [dot] com [dot] au by 5pm 23 July 2010 and don't forget to include your name and postal address.

Take your creative writing to the next level
If you’ve completed our Creative Writing Stage 1 course, then you’re well on your way to achieving your writing dreams. The next stage in your journey is Creative Writing Stage 2, which will give you a chance to really practice what you’ve learned and take your writing to the next level.

This is a practical course and each week you’ll have a chance to workshop your writing with your classmates. You’ll be using the techniques you learned in stage 1 of the course and you’ll also 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 our most recent participants had to say about the course:
‘Most enjoyable about the course was having a presenter as educated 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 script writer – has taught creative writing at the University of Technology, Sydney for many years.

Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman
When: Tuesdays starting Tuesday 27 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

You can also do this course online:

Online Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker
When: Week beginning Monday 26 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

Wordwise: Janus Words
In a recent newsletter, we mentioned contranyms, or words with two opposing meanings. (Get Published, 4 March 2010) Well, I’ve discovered another term for these words – and actually I like this one much better.

Janus words are single words that have two meanings that are opposite. The term Janus word comes from the Roman God, Janus. He was the God of gates, doors, doorways, and beginnings and ending, and is usually depicted with two heads looking in opposite directions.

The most often sited example of a Janus word is ‘cleave’, which can mean to ‘split something in two’ or ‘to cling to’. Some other examples are sanction (can mean allow or prohibit), bolt (to secure or to start suddenly and run away) and dust (which can be removed or sprinkled over something).

WEBPICK: Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts
The Sydney Writers’ Festival finished back in May, but organisers have been busy ever since uploading podcasts and video of some of the most popular talks. Thanks to ABC Radio National, ABC Big Ideas and SlowTV, you can watch Peter Carey’s closing address, enjoy an evening with Colm Toibin, and see Ross Gittins’ interview with Raj Patel, author of The Value of Nothing.

Podcasts include our very own Judith Ridge talking to Melina Marchetta and David Levithan, and ‘Did business speak cause the GFC?’, a fascinating session with Ross Gittins, Ross Garnaut and Neil James.

You can see and hear more from the Sydney Writers’ Festival here.

Other upcoming courses
Course: DAYTIME Creative Writing Stage 1 with Jeni Mawter
When: Every Friday starting Friday 16 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $395

Course: Life Writing with Patti Miller – FULL
When: Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 July 2010 (two-day workshop)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $450

Course: Online Feature Writing Stage 1 with Valerie Khoo/Pamela Wilson
When: Week beginning Monday 19 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Build Your Online Profile with Tristan Bancks
When: Mondays beginning Monday 19 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Writing Letters and Emails with Deb Doyle – FULL
When: Tuesday 20 July 2010
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Cost: $365

Course: Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Holly Nott
When: Thursdays starting Thursday 22 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Professional Business Writing with Mel Wilkinson – FULL
When: Friday 23 July 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Writing for the Web with Grant Doyle
When: Monday 26 July 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.00pm
Cost: $365

Course: Online Creative Writing Stage 1 with Cathie Tasker/Pamela Freeman – NEW DATE
When: Week beginning Monday 26 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Online Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker
When: Week beginning Monday 26 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 27 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: How to get your book published with Geoff Bartlett
When: Friday 30 July 2010 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 10.00am – 12noon
Cost: $75

Seminar: How to get your book published with Geoff Bartlett
When: Monday 2 August 2010 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75

Seminar: Introduction to Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Monday 9 August 2010 (2-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75

Course: Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle – FULL
When: Wednesday 11 August 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $395

Course: Life Writing with Patti Miller
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 12 August 2010 for six weeks
Time: 10am - 12noon
Cost: $450

Course: Screenwriting Stage 1 with Tim Gooding – NEW COURSE
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 – NEW COURSE
When: Wednesday 18 August 2010
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $365

Seminar: Professional Business Writing with Mel Wilkinson – NEW DATE
When: Friday 27 August 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Writing Letters and Emails with Deb Doyle – NEW DATE
When: Tuesday 31 August 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Cost: $365

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

Seminar: Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle – NEW DATE
When: Friday 10 September 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $395

Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with James Roy – NEW PRESENTER
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 22 September 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

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: Novel writing workshop with Pamela Freeman
When: Every Tuesday beginning Tuesday 12 October 2010 for six weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $495

Course: Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge – NEW DATE
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 27 October 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

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