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TIP: That or Who?

The woman who wrote this book is a very good writer.

The waiter who served me at the coffee shop commented on how cute Rambo is.

This is the desk that I use at work – and it is covered in books and paper!

• 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
• 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.

SD Harvey Short Story Award

The Crime Writers Association of Australia is now accepting entries for the SD Harvey Short Story Award. Established in memory of journalist and true crime author, Sandra Harvey, the award is for the best short story up to 5,000 words. The story must include this year’s signature word, which is ‘Fountain’. (‘Fountain’ must appear in both the title and the story.)

The winning author will be announced at the Ned Kelly Awards ceremony in August, and will receive $1,000 cash plus publication in the Sydney Morning Herald. You need to send three copies of your story, along with an entry form and $12 entry fee, no later than Monday 31 May 2010.

You can get more information and an entry form here.

Take your writing on holiday
Would you love the opportunity to combine your love of writing with travel? Travel writing could see you writing feature articles from exotic locations in Africa, luxurious resorts in Thailand, or even fabulous getaways close to home.

If you’re ready to launch your career as a travel writer, this two-hour seminar will give you the insider information you need to get started.

We’ll show you:

• publishing opportunities (newspapers, magazines, electronic publishing, travel literature, guidebooks, other avenues)
• types of travel stories (service stories, destination stories, personal essays)
• what it takes to be a travel writer
• some straight talk about earnings
• finding and focusing your story (the right subject, travel trends, developing your story)
• the art and craft of travel writing
• getting published and making contacts (including tips on joining professional associations such as the Australian Society of Travel Writers)
• writing for travel guidebooks

Book giveaway – The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
We were thrilled to interview Booker Prize shortlisted author Sarah Waters for our podcast series recently. She’s been very successful in the UK and around the world and is best known for her Victorian novels, Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith, both of which were made into television series for the BBC.

The Little Stranger was released last year to great acclaim and garnered her a second Booker shortlist nomination. Here’s a bit more about the book:

In a dusty post-war summer in rural Warwickshire, a doctor is called to a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the Georgian house, once grand and handsome, is now in decline, its masonry crumbling, its gardens choked with weeds, the clock in its stable yard permanently fixed at twenty to nine. Its owners – mother, son and daughter – are struggling to keep pace with a changing society, as well as with conflicts of their own.
 
But are the Ayreses haunted by something more sinister than a dying way of life? Little does Dr Faraday know how closely, and how terrifyingly, their story is about to become entwined with his.
 
We have one copy of The Little Stranger to give away and if you would like to win it, just tell us about your spookiest ghost encounter (you can make one up if you like!). Send your answers to courses [at] spindriftmedia [dot] com [dot] au by Friday 7 May 2010 – and don’t forget to include your postal address!

(Congratulations to Joann Duff, who won The Long Song by Andrea Levy, and Paul Mahoney, who won Kiss of Death by PD Martin.)

Your grammar and punctuation refresher
You can transform your writing just by learning and using some basic rules of grammar and punctuation. And they’re not difficult to learn! Our one-day seminar is designed to help you identify and correct common errors in business writing – and also prevent them in your own work.

We’ll show you the golden rules of grammar and punctuation that you may not have learnt at school. You'll come away with:

• 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
• a taste of how professional editors approach their craft
• more confidence in applying the standard hard-copy editing marks to double-spaced copy
• and much more

Here’s what some recent participants had to say about the seminar:
‘I took this course as if I was going to undertake a general health check-up. I was glad to know that though I did not have major problems, after taking this course, I feel much healthier! Deb's course has refined and sharpened my grammar and punctuation. Now I can be more polished in my writing and when I read good books/articles I can learn and pick the good and correct styles from them because I now understand better the role and function of grammar and punctuation.’
- Fourteena Pusaka Dewi Halim

‘I enjoyed the seemingly limitless amount of examples Deb had on offer at the drop of a hat. Grammar and terminology have a tendency to confuse me with overwhelming detail, so relating it back to actual examples was indispensable.’
- Chris Deal

Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle
When: Wednesday 26 May 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Cost: $395

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

WORDWISE: Toe the line
Which is correct – ‘Tow the line’ or ‘Toe the line’? And what does it mean? Here’s the answer from http://www.history.navy.mil/trivia/trivia03.htm

Once a week, as a rule, usually on Sunday, a warship's crew was ordered to fall in at quarters – that is, each group of men into which the crew was divided would line up in formation on a given area of the deck. To ensure a neat alignment of each row, the sailors were directed to stand with their toes just touching a particular seam. Another use for these seams was punitive. The youngsters in a ship, be they ship's boys or student officers, might be required to stand with their toes just touching a designated seam for a length of time as punishment for some minor infraction, such as talking or fidgeting at the wrong time.

A tough captain might require the miscreant to stand there, not talking to anyone, in fair weather or foul, for hours at a time. Hopefully, he would learn it was easier and more pleasant to conduct himself in the required manner rather than suffer the punishment. From these two uses of deck seams comes our cautionary word to obstreperous youngsters to "toe the line."

(from the Nautical terms and Phrases page)

WEBPICK: Strangling my muse
It may seem as though there are endless blogs on writing and creativity all offering the same advice, but it’s always worth checking out more as you never know what useful nuggets of advice you might find!

Our latest one is Strangling My Muse, written by San Franciscan writer Sandy Ackers. She writes everything from screenplays to poetry, and she is also working on a book on creativity – and that’s where her blog comes in. It’s full of ways to inspire you and to make creativity part of daily life. There are some really interesting tips here – some that we in the office might even try too!

Check it out here.

Other upcoming courses
Seminar: Editing Essentials with Katrina Lobley - FULL
When: Friday 30 April 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $365

Course: Online Creative Writing Stage 1 with Cathie Tasker/Pamela Freeman
When: Week beginning Monday 3 May 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Professional Business Writing with Mel Wilkinson
When: Tuesday 4 May 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: How to get your book published with Geoff Bartlett
When: Tuesday 4 May 2010 (2-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75

Course: Online Feature Writing Stage 1 with Valerie Khoo - NEW DATE
When: Week beginning Monday 10 May 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Perfecting your pitch with Sue White
When: Tuesday 11 May and 18 May 2010 (two evening seminars)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175

Course: Script Writing for Short Films with Geoff Bartlett
When: Thursday 13 May and 20 May 2010 (two evening seminars)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $165

Course: Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Friday 14 May 2010 (2-hour morning seminar)
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $75

Course: Online Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge
When: Week beginning Monday 24 May 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Novel writing workshop with Pamela Freeman
When: Every Tuesday beginning Tuesday 25 May 2010 for six weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $495

Course: Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle
When: Tuesday 26 May 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Travel writing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Wednesday 26 May 2010 (2-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75

Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with Jeni Mawter
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 27 May 2010 for five weeks
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $395

Course: Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 27 May 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Writing for the web with Grant Doyle - NEW DATE
When: Friday 28 May 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Cost: $365

Course: DAYTIME Feature Writing Stage 1 with Pamela Wilson
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 2 June 2010 for five weeks
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $395

Seminar: Self-Publishing: How to do it with Geoff Bartlett
When: Wednesday 2 June 2010 (2-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75

Course: Feature Writing Stage 1 with Sue White
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 10 June 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Blogging for Business with Steven Lewis
When: Friday 18 June 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Cost: $365

Seminar: Editing Essentials with Katrina Lobley - NEW DATE
When: Thursday 24 June 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $365

Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 5-day Intensive course with Jeni Mawter
When: Monday 5 July - Friday 9 July 2010 (5 consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $395

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

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

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

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