- TIP: Since you ask – ‘because’ or ‘since’?
- Write for children and young adults
- Icon Films giveaway – tickets to The Road
- Kickstart your creativity in 2010 with Online Creative Writing
- My Child magazine and Parenting Express writing competition
- Blogging for Business
- Wordwise: Cocktail
- WEBPICK: Ommwriter
This newsletter comes to you from chilly Tasmania. I’m just regaining my land legs after a night crossing Bass Strait on The Spirit of Tasmania (yes, I took no chances and loaded up on sea-sick pills). I’ve brought a stack of books and magazines to keep me amused as I journey around the island – and I hope it’s a chance for me to get away and reflect on this year at the Sydney Writers’ Centre.Last week I received the wonderful news that the manuscript of one of our students has been accepted by a publisher in New York. I’m so thrilled that I did a little dance around the office. More details on that as soon as the ink is on the dotted line!
This book has been published in Australia and now it’s set to take on the US market. One of the reasons for the book’s success is that it has had a comprehensive marketing strategy. If you are planning to write a book, the marketing is just as important as the words. What’s the point of writing a book if no one knows about it? That’s what marketing is all about. You’ll learn what you need to know in our course, Marketing Your Book: Your best-seller Blueprint.
Marketing Your Book: Your best-seller blueprint with Amanda Falconer
When: Mondays starting Monday 18 January 2010 for three weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $265
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
TIP: Since you ask – ‘because’ or ‘since’?
You may have noticed that ‘because’ and ‘since’ are often used interchangeably in writing. While you won’t suffer major consequences if you do this yourself, in formal or business writing it’s a good idea to get it right.
Here’s how Grammar Girl explains it:
Since deals with time:
Since the incident, people treated her differently.
That example means something happened from the time of the incident. After that time, people treated her differently.
Because deals with something that brings about a result or an effect:
Because the incident was so upsetting, people treated her differently.
Time doesn’t enter into that example, so you use because.
You may have noticed that ‘because’ and ‘since’ are often used interchangeably in writing. While you won’t suffer major consequences if you do this yourself, in formal or business writing it’s a good idea to get it right. Here’s how Grammar Girl explains it:
Since deals with time:
Since the incident, people treated her differently.
That example means something happened from the time of the incident. After that time, people treated her differently.
Because deals with something that brings about a result or an effect:
Because the incident was so upsetting, people treated her differently.
Time doesn’t enter into that example, so you use because.
Write for children and young adults
Do you have a story you think will appeal to young readers? Have you always dreamt of writing for more than your own children? Writing for Children and young adults can be rewarding and lucrative – but where do you start? Our Writing Books for Children and Young Adults course will show you how to write an engaging and enjoyable story for youngsters.
This course will cover:
- how to get started
- finding the right voice
- creating characters and stories young readers will enjoy
- how to write believable dialogue
- common assumptions about writing for children and about young readers
- how to structure a story that works
- the secrets to plotting for different age groups
- what you need to know about getting into the children’s publishing market
Here’s what two recent participants had to say about the course:
‘I found Judith to be well informed within the writing industry. It was great to have inside knowledge from an experienced editor. Judith's teaching background was a bonus too. She presented information in an engaging manner. I learned a lot about how to write. I can now get writing!’
- Joy Mortimer
‘I just wanted to know more about writing and how to get started. I have gained so much knowledge and insight now. Judith and Pamela were very knowledgeable and warm presenters.’
- Margaret Fitzgibbon
This course is presented by Judith Ridge. She is well known in Australia and internationally for her involvement with writing for children. Judith has worked with the Children's Book Council, as an editor at ABC Children's Books and the NSW School Magazine and freelances as an editor for Random House. Judith edited Handle with Care: Making Friends with Animals by Paul McGreevy - one of Halstead Press' all-time top sellers. She has also edited Piccolo and Annabelle 4: The Steamer Demons by Stephen Axelsen (Random House) and numerous books for ABC Books.
Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge
When: Wednesdays beginning Wednesday 3 February 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
Icon Films giveaway – The Road
Icon Films once again have a fabulous motion picture ticket offer for subscribers – our very last giveaway for 2009!The Road is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Cormac McCarthy, and stars Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-Mcphee. Father and son are on a journey through a post-apocalyptic world in which it seems very few humans have survived. While the cataclysm that has left the world in a state of perpetual Winter is never explained, this is a haunting, and sometimes frightening, movie about survival.
Thanks to Icon Films we have 10 double passes to giveaway. As this is our last competition for the year, we’ll give you an easy question to answer – what’s your favourite road and why?
Send your answers to courses [at] spindriftmedia [dot] com [dot] au by 9am on Tuesday 22 December 2009, and remember to include your postal address.
Kickstart your creativity in 2010 with Online Creative Writing
Make 2010 your year to boost your creativity with our Online Creative Writing course. Our interactive online classroom means you benefit from the same content and feedback as our face-to-face classes while doing the course from home! Whatever your writing goals – whether you’re writing short stories, a memoir or a novel – this course will help inspire you and give you the confidence to start that project, and finish it.
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
Here’s what some recent participants had to say about the course:
I really liked being able to download the tutorials so I can listen to them more than once. This is a great benefit over trying to take notes in a classroom. It’s the first time I have tried to write a piece of creative writing since school, and I have learnt so much abut structure, planning and in particular cutting down on the volume of words.’
- Sarah Browne
‘I don't live in Sydney and these are very valuable courses, so I really enjoyed the online module. I was easily able to fit it around work etc and I would do another online course next time.’
- Lisa Chirio
Online Creative Writing Stage 1 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker
When: Week beginning Monday 11 January 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
My Child magazine and Parenting Express Short Story Competition
Sydney Writers’ Centre is again proud to be a sponsor of the My Child and Parenting Express magazine short story competition. Entries are now open for creative non-fiction stories of up to 900 words long, with a theme of pregnancy, childbirth or the first five years of raising a child. Anyone with kids will have plenty to write about with this one!
The best story will be published in the Autumn 2010 edition of My Child, and the writer will also receive enrolment in our Online Feature Writing course. This is one of our most popular courses, perfect if you want to learn how to write great articles and get them published! You can check out the details here.
The winning author will also receive a $150 voucher for Agoo’s online store (funky and sun-safe clothes for kids), a Bella mini-bag by Il Tutto valued at $149.95, and a two-year subscription to My Child magazine. Three runners up will also be rewarded generously with a $150 voucher for Agoo’s online store, a Bella mini-bag by Il Tutto and a one-year subscription to My Child.
All entries must be submitted via email by no later than midnight on Sunday 10 January 2010. You can find out more at Parenting Express or My Child online.
Blogging for Business
Many businesses are now starting to embrace social media particularly through blogging. Blogging can be an incredibly effective way of engaging your customers and staff, and building the reputation of your company. But it’s important to know how to do it well. This one-day seminar will show you how to make your company’s blog stand out for all the right reasons. It’s ideal for anyone who wants to start a blog for their business, already has one and wants to improve it, or needs to supervise others writing for a company blog.
The seminar will cover:
- the critical distinctions between a blog and an ordinary company webpage
- the terminology of blogging
- what readers expect from a corporate blog
- finding and building an audience
- how and what to measure
- common internal objections to blogging and how to overcome them
- best practice policies and guidelines for corporate bloggers
- building the business case for your blog
- what you should be looking for in your blogging software
Here’s what some recent participants had to say about the seminar:
‘Relevant - fun presentation - dynamic - enthusiastic presenter. Lots of new motivation for marketing ideas for the business.’
- Miranda Corkin
‘The presenter, Steven Lewis, is an expert in his field that made the seminar relevant and up to the minute.’
- Kandy Russo
The seminar is presented by Steven Lewis, who has consulted on blogging, podcasting and other Web 2.0 tools for companies such as Westpac and IAG. For Tourism Tasmania he created a ground-breaking series of travel podcasts, with similar projects in the works for companies like V Australia and Time Out.
Steven has also promoted blogs, wikis and podcasts as a corporate insider, having worked for AMP as an in-house evangelist for its enterprise 2.0 tools.
Blogging for Business with Steven Lewis
When: Thursday 28 January 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Cost: $365
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
WORDWISE: CocktailWith the silly season well and truly upon us, many of you will no doubt be indulging (perhaps over-indulging) in a few too many cocktails.
When you think about it, ‘cocktail’ really is an unusual name for a drink. While there’s no definitive answer to where this word came from, the most likely involves an apothecary name Antoine Amedee Peychaud, who invented mixed drinks in New Orleans around 1795. He made these drinks in an egg-cup (perhaps his mixed drinks were much stronger than the modern day cocktail), or coqquetier in French. This was eventually changed by English speakers to cocktay, and continued to evolve to become cocktail.
WEBPICK: OmmwriterA little bit of zen on your computer – that’s what the makers of this writing tool promise.
Ommwriter is a word processor designed to help you focus and concentrate on the writing task at hand. The background (a choice of white, grey or a snowscape) and music are designed to instil peace and tranquillity, to take you away from the ‘noisy background’ of a desktop with countless programs open. It’s a basic text editor that will help your writing flow.
At this stage it’s only available for Macs, but a PC version may be on the cards if there is enough demand.
If you want to relax your mind and inspire your writing, visit www.ommwriter.com.
Other upcoming courses
Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 5-day Intensive course with Jeni Mawter
When: Monday 11 January - Friday 15 January 2010 (5 consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $395
Course: Online Creative Writing with Cathie Tasker/Pamela Freeman
When: Week beginning Monday 11 January 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Course: Online Feature Writing Stage 1 with Valerie Khoo
When: Week beginning Monday 11 January 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Course: Marketing Your Book with Amanda Falconer
When: Every Monday starting Monday 18 January 2010 for three weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $265
Course: Script Writing for the Short Films with Geoff Bartlett
When: Wednesday 20 January and Wednesday 27 January 2010 (two evening seminars)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $165
Course: Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Thursday 21 January 2010 (2-hour morning seminar)
Time: 10.00am - 12 noon
Cost: $75
Course: Life Writing with Patti Miller
When: Every Friday starting Friday 22 January 2010 for six weeks
Time: 10am - 12noon
Cost: $450
Seminar: Blogging for Business with Steven Lewis
When: Thursday 28 January 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $365
Course: Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Pamela Wilson
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 28 January 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: How to get your book published with Geoff Bartlett
When: Tuesday 2 February 2010 (2-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75
Course: Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 3 February 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Online Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge
When: Week beginning Monday 8 February 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Course: Professional Business Writing with Mel Wilkinson
When: Thursday 11 February 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $395
Course: Life Writing with Patti Miller
When: Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 February (two-day workshop)
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Cost: $450
Course: Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Monday 15 February 2010 (2-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75
Course: Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle - NEW DATE
When: Tuesday 16 February 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $395
Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with Pamela Freeman
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 16 February 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6:30 - 8:30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Feature Writing Stage 1 DAYTIME course with Vanessa Waters
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 3 March 2010 for five weeks
Time: 10.00am – 12 noon
Cost: $395
Seminar: Self-Publishing: How to do it with Geoff Bartlett
When: Monday 15 March 2010 (2-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $75
Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 30 March 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with Kate Forsyth - NEW DATE
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 8 April 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6:30 - 8:30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Feature Writing Stage 2 with Judy Skatssoon
When: Every Wednesday beginning Wednesday 14 April 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
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