In this issue:
- Come with us to Italy!
- TIP: I or me?
- How to get published in 5 days!
- So You Think You Can Write
- Keep your motivation going
- Movie ticket giveaway: Rare Exports
- The golden rules of grammar
- TIP: Rein or Reign
- The perfect Christmas gift for all budding writers
- WEBPICK: Among Amid While
Buongiorno! Yes, I’m learning Italian. I’ve been so inspired by our upcoming course, Travel Writing in Italy, that I’ve decided to brush up on a few phrases so I can live la dolce vita like a local. I’d also like to invite you to sip chianti, dine out on pasta, and explore the amazing region of Tuscany with us in 2011 on our exclusive writing tour.When: Saturday 14 May to Friday 27 May 2011

- 14 days living in the beautiful town of Lucca in Tuscany, close to Pisa and
Florence – a travel writer’s dream destination
- 8-day writing course with Sue White, one of Australia's busiest and most widely-published travel writers
- An intensive immersion in the stunning town of Lucca – full of culture, cuisine, architecture, history and much more – with your very own Italian-and-English-speaking guide
- The romance and richness of a town ideal for you to live la dolce vita!
TIP: I or me?
Following on from our tip last week on subject and object, we’re now going to look at the difference between ‘me’ and ‘I’. If you’ve been reading our newsletters for a while, you may remember that we covered this last year, but we can all use a reminder sometimes. Both words are pronouns, and the factor that decides whether you use ‘I’ or ‘me’ is the pronouns' relationship to the verb. ‘I’ is the subject of the verb, and ‘me’ is the object. Here are some examples:
When you are the subject of the verb.
Sara and I visited the library. I am visiting the object that is the library.
My team and I completed the scavenger hunt first. I completed the object that is the scavenger hunt.
When you are the object of the verb.
Why are you talking to me? You are the subject who is talking to the object – me.
Is he coming to visit me? He is visiting something, an object, me.
Daytime Intensive – Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers
Monday to Friday – 5 consecutive mornings in January
It feels like 2010 has absolutely flown by and if you’re anything like us, you’re already thinking about your plans for 2011. If learning to write for magazines and newspapers is something you’ve put off this year, don’t despair – our daytime intensive Feature Writing class will give you the push you need! This course is ideal if you can’t make it every week for five weeks, or if you’re taking holidays in January. You’ll get all the content we cover in our usual face-to-face course in five morning sessions. If you’d like to write for magazines and newspapers, and learn the tools to get published, then this is the course for you.
It will cover:
- 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!
Here’s what some participants had to say about the course:
'The course was fast paced, fun and utilised clear examples of published work to demonstrate key concepts. I particularly enjoyed the profile writing exercise, and appreciated the personalised feedback. I'm reading with fresh, discerning eyes and feel I have been given valuable insight into the publishing industry. The course has given me the basic skills to tackle the process of preparing and submitting my own work for publication.'
- Leanne Gillespie
'The material struck just the right balance between informative and inspirational. I not only gained the knowledge to move forward but the confidence as well. I have attained an understanding of how to structure and frame my articles. I have learnt how to powerfully promote my craft and navigate the pitfalls and possibilities of the market place.'
- Caroline McCullough
This course is presented by Sue White, a successful feature 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.
Sue has a full-time freelance feature writing career, which allows her to explore her interest in the environment, and career and well-being issues through her writing. Sue’s also particularly chuffed that she now gets paid to appease her continually itchy feet through travel writing: an indulgence that sees her regularly journeying to inspiring places across the globe in the name of a good story.
DAYTIME INTENSIVE Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Sue White
When: Monday 17 January to Friday 21 January 2011 (five consecutive mornings)
Time: 10.00am – 12noon
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
So You Think You Can WriteOne of the most popular sessions at the Sydney Writers’ Festival in May was So You Think You Can Write – a chance for 10 determined and fearless writers to pitch their story to an Australian publisher and an agent. This fantastic, and surprisingly entertaining, event will be back in December as part of the Walsh Bay Open Day.
Participants, who will be randomly selected on the day, will have three minutes to pitch their book to two expert judges – Jane Palfreyman, publisher at Allen and Unwin, and agent Jane Burridge. Only 10 people will be selected, and if competition for these places is as fierce as it was in May, you’d do well to arrive early for this next session.
So You Think You Can Write will be held at 12noon on Sunday 5 December 2010 at the Richard Wherrett Studio at Walsh Bay.
Click here for more details
Online Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 – keep your momentum going
Now that you’ve finished our Creative Writing Stage 1 or Writing Books for Children and Young Adults course, you may be looking for ways to continue learning and keep your motivation up. Our Online Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 is the perfect next step and it will help you take your writing to the next level. The best thing about this course? You can do it from the comfort of your home, at a time that suits you. Building on what you learned in your first course, Online Creative Writing Stage 2 will give you a chance to practice those concepts and workshop your writing. You’ll receive invaluable feedback from your online tutor and fellow students.
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 proofreading, using examples from both published and student work
- and much more.
Here’s what some recent participants had to say about the course:
‘The feedback was very considered and most valuable. Not just on my own work, but being able to read everybody's work and feedback was great. The way I approach trying to write each scene and focusing on what I am trying to get the reader to feel, as well as the structural lessons, have been very valuable.’
- Tristan Durie
‘I can see improvement in my own writing from the beginning to the end of the course. As a stay at home mum with young children, the online course works best for me. I also benefit from the pressure of a deadline every sunday night!’
- Heather Hutchison
Online Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Cathie Tasker
When: Week beginning Monday 6 December 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
Movie ticket giveaway - Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
Thanks to our friends at Icon Films, we have tickets to a Christmas film that’s bound to surprise! Based on the original Finnish tales of Santa Claus (a vastly different figure to the Santa we know), Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is the feature length follow-up to the incredibly popular short films on YouTube. The film has been described as ‘The Citizen Kane of evil Santa movies’, a film for those who think they don't believe in Santa Claus anymore.
We have five double passes to give away. If you’d like to win one just tell us about your favourite Santa memory. Email your answers to courses [at] spindriftmedia [dot] com [dot] au by 5pm Friday 3 December 2010, and don’t forget to include your postal address.
Grammar and Punctuation Essentials
This year, one of our most popular business seminars has been Grammar and Punctuation Essentials. It just goes to show how important basic grammar and punctuation skills are to all writers – whether you're writing for work, school or pleasure. Many of us missed out on this important training in school, but it’s not as difficult as you might think to learn the basics.
This intensive one-day seminar will give you:
- knowledge that you can apply easily and immediately in your writing
- a clear understanding of how to treat common mistakes - such as apostrophes and plurals
- the basic rules you need to know to be confident in the workplace
- an understanding of when to bend, break or keep a rule or convention
- ability to discern when more than one solution is acceptable
- empowerment to justify your corrections to your own and other people's writing
- and much more
Here’s what two of our most recent participants had to say about the seminar:
‘The content was excellent. All of my niggling grammar questions have been answered. Even as I am typing this response I am conscious of where I should place my commas!’
- Niki Meris
‘Deb has an encyclopaedic knowledge and an easy, breezy, inclusive style; she made learning a pleasure. Already I am more confident - I now have a name for the nausea inducing corporate speak that is rampant at my workplace - Nominalisation. It is my curse, but also my new cause!’
- Dianne Mansell
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 fun. You'll be amazed at how engaging and interesting a workshop in grammar and punctuation can be.
Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle
When: Friday 3 December 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $450
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
TIP: Rein or reign
We sometimes see these two words being used incorrectly so we thought we'd recap the rules.Rein is the strap you use to guide a horse. When it's used figuratively, you get phrases like 'give free rein to' or 'took over the reins'.
Reign is when someone, like a king or queen, has power during a certain period.
So, these examples are correct:
Julia Gillard took over the reins in government.
We are guilty of giving Rambo the dog free rein at home. Instead, we should give him some rules to follow.
Prince William will one day reign as king.
Mark McInnes no longer reigns as CEO of David Jones.
Sydney Writers' Centre Gift Vouchers
Warning! I’m about to mention the word that will no doubt strike fear into the hearts of all who leave their planning and present-buying to the last minute… Christmas.Yes, it really is just around the corner (again?) and the frantic shopping fest has already begun (if City Westfield on a Sunday is anything to go by). Luckily, we have the perfect gift for all the budding writers in your life – a Sydney Writers’ Centre gift voucher.
Our gift vouchers can be purchased for a dollar amount, that the receiver can use towards any course; or for a particular course, if you really want to get them motivated! All you need to do to purchase one is phone us on 02 9929 0088, let us know what course you’d like or how much you want to spend, and we’ll send you the gift certificate that day. If only all Christmas shopping were that easy.
WEBPICK: Among Amid While
This blog, written by Australian author Margo Lanagan, instantly caught my attention because of the title – Among Amid While: Because talking is hard enough without all those ‘st’s. I couldn’t agree more! Margo Lanagan is very busy. She’s written more than 10 novels, as well as three short-story collections. She’s the recipient of a number of awards, including two Printz Honor Awards for young adult fiction. She reads LOTS of books. She’s also a well-known writing teacher. So, her blog is full of updates on all these things!
If you’re a fan of fantasy and young adult fiction, and want to be kept up to date on what’s happening in the publishing and writing world, you should definitely check this one out.
Check it out here
Other upcoming courses
Online Course: Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge/Nicola Robinson
When: Week beginning Monday 29 November 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Seminar: Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle – FULL
When: Wednesday 1 December 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $450
Seminar: Introduction to Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Wednesday 1 December 2010 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75
Seminar: Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle – NEW DATE
When: Friday 3 December 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $450
Online Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker
When: Week beginning Monday 6 December 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Online Course: Magazine Writing Stage 1 with Valerie Khoo/Sue White – NEW DATE
When: Week beginning Monday 6 December 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Online Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker – NEW DATE
When: Week beginning Monday 6 December 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Seminar: Self-Publishing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Wednesday 8 December 2010 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75
Course: Daytime Intensive Creative Writing Stage 1 with Jeni Mawter – NEW DATE
When: Monday 10 January 2011 - Friday 14 January 2011 (5 days in a row)
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $395
Course: Life Writing with Patti Miller
When: Every Friday starting Friday 14 January 2011 for six weeks
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $450
Course: Daytime Intensive Magazine Writing Stage 1 with Sue White – NEW DATE
When: Monday 17 January 2011 - Friday 21 January 2011 (5 days in a row)
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $395
Seminar: How to Get Your Book Published with Geoff Bartlett – NEW DATE
When: Wednesday 19 January 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75
Course: Travel Writing: Get Paid for Your Adventures with Sue White – NEW DATE
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 20 January 2011 for four weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $345
Course: Travel Memoir with Claire Scobie – NEW COURSE
When: Saturday 22 January 2011 and Sunday 23 January 2011 (2 day workshop)
Time: 10.00am - 4.00pm
Cost: $395
Course: Daytime Intensive Travel Writing: Get Paid for Your Adventures with Sue White – NEW DATE
When: Monday 24 January 2011 - Friday 28 January 2011 (4 mornings with a 1 day break for Australia Day)
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $345
Course: Magazine Writing Stage 1 with Mathew Nott – NEW DATE
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 25 January 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 1 February 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Writing for the Web with Grant Doyle – NEW DATE
When: Thursday 3 February 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Cost: $395
Course: Travel Memoir with Claire Scobie – NEW COURSE
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 3 February 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 Monday starting Monday 7 February 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Professional Business Writing with Mel Wilkinson – NEW DATE
When: Tuesday 8 February 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $450
Seminar: Writing Letters and Emails with Deb Doyle
When: Wednesday 16 February 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: PR and Media Releases that Get Results with Catriona Pollard – NEW DATE
When: Thursday 17 February 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $495
Course: Perfecting Your Pitch with Sue White – NEW DATE
When: Thursday 17 February 2011 and Thursday 24 February 2011 (2 evening classes)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175
Seminar: Editing with Ease with Deb Doyle – NEW DATE
When: Friday 25 February 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Life Writing with Patti Miller
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 – NEW DATE
When: Every Monday starting Monday 14 March 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Perfect Your Proofreading with Deb Doyle – NEW DATE
When: Friday 25 March 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Boost Your Creativity with Laurine Croasdale – NEW DATE
When: Monday 28 March 2011 and Monday 4 April 2011 (2 evening classes)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175
Seminar: Blogging for Business with Steven Lewis – NEW DATE
When: Friday 1 April 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $365
Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman – NEW DATE
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 3 May 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Magazine Writing Stage 2 with Gayle Bryant – NEW DATE
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 18 May 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Your Story Structure with Kathryn Heyman – NEW DATE
When: Friday 17 June 2011 and Friday 24 June 2011 (2 half-day classes)
Time: 9.30am - 12.30pm
Cost: $215
Course: Novel Writing Workshop with Pamela Freeman – NEW DATE
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 5 July 2011 for six weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $495
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