In this issue:
- TIP: Succession or Secession?
- Write for kids and young adults
- 3-Day Novel Contest
- Special guests for Feature Writing Stage 2
- TIP: BBQ or barbeque?
- Write your adventures – and get paid
- Wordwise: Curry Favour
- WEBPICK: word spy
I'm so excited about our 2-week course Boost Your Creativity with acclaimed author Laurine Croasdale. Do you get stuck with writers’ block? Do you wish your writing had a bit more zing? This interactive workshop will help you find your inner writing genius and boost your creativity. Whether you are interested in writing fiction, business documents or magazine articles, Laurine can help you bring out the best in your work.You may already know the theory of what you need to do to write, but this workshop will help you tap into the creative soul inside you. And make no mistake, it's in there just busting to get out.
Boost Your Creativity will help you:
- understand the creative process
- identify the barriers to creative thinking and ways to overcome them
- live creatively
- revisit the way you listen and observe
- find inspiration
- create a body of work
- analyse work and do it productively
This course is presented by Laurine Croasdale, who has had a 25-year career in publishing which included setting up the fiction list for Barnacle Books, consultancy work for Reader's Digest, Harper Collins and Weldon Owen and packaging for Simon & Schuster. She has published three fiction titles for University of Queensland Press (Trivia Man, Red Golf Balls, What Truly Counts), two novels for Pan Macmillan (Surf School and Surf Sisters), school readers for Macmillan Education, a range of games and activity books for the ABC, Simon & Schuster and Reed for Kids, and television scripts for Hi5. She also spent 10 years reviewing books for ABC Radio. Her latest book, iHarry, is being released in May 2011 by Penguin.
Boost Your Creativity with Laurine Croasdale
When: Tuesday 21 and Tuesday 28 September 2010 (two evening classes)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $175
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
TIP: Succession or Secession?
There’s been some media discussion in the US recently on some Tea Party members' use of the word ‘succession’, when they actually mean ‘secession’. Both words are used a lot in America’s political life, but they have very different meanings.
Succession means ‘the act or an instance of one person or thing following another’ or, in this case, ‘the act or an instance of one person or thing following another’. It can also mean ‘a number of people or things following one another in order’. For example:
Queen Elizabeth better have a good succession plan in place if she thinks that Prince Charles isn't up to the job.Secession is ‘an act or instance of seceding’, or to ‘withdraw formally from an alliance or association.’ For example:
CEOs need to develop a good succession plan so that someone can step into their shoes when they retire.
The secession of the Principality of the Hutt River from the Federation of Australia is not recognised by the government.
In the US, the Secession refers to the withdrawal from the Union of 11 Southern states in the period 1860–61, which brought on the Civil War.
Write for kids and young adults
Want to write the next Harry Potter or Twilight? Well, you can if you know how to inspire kids and young adults through stories. Our Online Writing Books for Children and Young Adults is coming up and this is your chance to learn all about what younger readers want. Through our interactive forum, you’ll have a chance to practice the skills you learn and get feedback from an experienced and committed online tutor. You’ll also 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
‘I've benefited immensely from this course. Before, I lacked pretty much any confidence in my writing, and now I can't wait to go ahead and start writing my first novel! The most enjoyable thing I found about it, was being able to see/view other participants work as well as being able to share mine with others. It was very simple and easy. All you really need is some spare time, a computer and the internet.’
- Tina Gamble
‘As a first-timer to any online course, I found it very user-friendly. The best thing is the convenience re 'attendance' plus the professionalism of the tutors. The feedback was instructive (and kind!) and the presentation of both written and audio parts was clear and concise.’
- Mavis Stucci
ONLINE COURSE: Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge/Nicola Robinson
When: Week beginning Monday 6 September 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
3-Day Novel Contest
Write a novel in 3 days? No way – it’s not possible! Well, according to the folks at 3-Day Books in Canada, it is possible, and they’ve been calling on budding authors to try their luck in the 3-Day Novel Contest every year since 1977. The premise is simple – write as much of your novel as you can in just three days. Then send your manuscript to the judges. The best entry will be published by 3-Day Books in time for next year’s contest, and sold through their website. Second prize is $500 and third prize is $100.
Here’s the catch – the contest is being held this weekend! We would have loved to tell you about this earlier, but hey, finding out now just adds that sense of urgency and will hopefully motivate you for your three-day writing bender.
You must register by this Friday 3 September and you can
do that online here.
Special guests for Feature Writing Stage 2
This week, we confirmed the second of our guest speakers at the next Feature Writing Stage 2 course. We’re so excited that Mark Dapin will join Good Weekend deputy editor, Cindy MacDonald to give you an insight into the world of freelancing. This is an amazing opportunity to learn from two of the industry’s best! Mark Dapin is a columnist, feature writer and author. His columns in the Good Weekend are incredibly popular and he recently published King of the Cross, his first novel. He’ll be talking about the art of the interview, and how to get great quotes from your subject. With interviewees such as Gordon Ramsay and Nick Cave under his belt, he’s sure to have some great advice for you.
As deputy editor of the Good Weekend, Cindy MacDonald knows what stories work, how to pitch them successfully, and how to keep readers happy. She’ll give the class advice on what they need to do to get published and give you an insight into what editors want – and what they don’t want!
Feature Writing Stage 2 is your next step if you’re serious about developing your career as a freelance writer. In this course, you'll learn practical skills on:
- how to find the right angle
- how to attribute quotes correctly
- advanced interviewing techniques
- how to create balance in your stories
- nailing the lead of your feature
- where to find relevant sources for your story
- ethics and protocol
- facing journalistic dilemmas
- dealing with editors in the real world
- and other publishing conventions which are vital if you are serious about honing your feature writing skills.
Feature Writing Stage 2 with Gayle Bryant
When: Wednesdays starting Wednesday 29 September 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
TIP: Barbecue, bbq… or bar-b-q?It’s officially spring, and that means we’ll soon be firing up the barbie… or bbq… or is that barbecue? There are even more spelling options than these, especially when you start listing American versions as well.
The Macquarie Dictionary lists the most common spelling as ‘barbecue’. They’ve also got BBQ, barbeque, and bar-b-q, but these last two aren’t used as much in Australia. If you want to be really authentic, you could use ‘barbacòa’, the Spanish word from which barbecue is derived. According to Grammar Girl, ‘the Spanish adopted the word "barbacòa" from local populations they encountered in the Caribbean who used the word to describe the wooden frameworks they used to cook meat.’
Write your adventures – and get paid
If you want a taste of what the travel writing industry has to offer, or you’ve done our feature writing course and you want to explore more writing opportunities, then our Introduction to Travel Writing seminar is for you. This intensive two-hour seminar will give you the knowledge you need to take on this exciting and challenging industry. You’ll get an overview of:
- publishing opportunities (newspapers, magazines, electronic publishing, travel literature, 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)
‘Having the course notes to take home and review as well has having attended the seminar gives me the confidence to get going on this dream I have had for a while ! Geoff made everyone feel that despite their background, age or experience it was actually possible to break into travel writing and he gave us the practical tools and no nonsense information to do so. I have all the info I need now and it is all up to me to actually get going with writing.’
- Gretta Gregan
‘I really enjoyed Geoff's presenting style and the wealth of information he presented us with. He was informative, engaging, gave plenty of useful and interesting information and gave us a clear insight into the industry. It really opened my eyes about how the travel writing industry works and by the end of the seminar all the questions I had beforehand had been answered. I can't recommend it highly enough.’
- Barbara Cullan
This seminar is presented by Geoff Bartlett. He has worked as a freelance travel writer and photographer for magazines and websites for the last six years. His current areas of focus are the islands of the South Pacific and Asia. He is a regular contributor to Pacific Island Paradises and Asian Paradises.
Introduction to Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Wednesday 8 September 2010 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $75
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
Wordwise: Curry favour
We recently saw the term 'carry favour' used on a prominent blog, and we wondered, 'did she mean curry favour?' You’ve probably noticed a lot of this going on in Canberra recently – politicians ‘currying favour’ with independents and the Greens. In other words, they’re trying to win the approval of those people who will decide who becomes our next PM! This is one of those phrases that we use without really thinking about what it means. Think about it – what on earth does curry have to do with winning someone’s approval? According to Anonyponymous, by John Bemelmas Marciano, it all started with a horse named Fauvel. The fable of Fauvel is a French allegory for the corruption of church and state, and has Fauvel the horse moving into his master’s house. As his fame grew, so did his thirst for power, and the most important people from all over the land came to groom him in the hope of gaining his favour.
Still doesn’t explain the curry… well, curry was once a synonym for groom. In fact, anyone who owns a horse would be familiar with the term currycomb, so that’s how we come up with the ‘curry’. Fauvel also became ‘favour’ in English until we had the term ‘curry favour’.
WEBPICK: word spyThis website is the ‘word lover’s guide to new words’. And there are more new words than you might think!
The site is updated regularly with new words that have snuck into our lexicon, and you can also search the ‘Alpha Archives’ if you need to know what a ‘senior moment’ is, or where the word ‘McMansion’ comes from, or how our fear of climate change has led to ‘climate porn’… it’s amazing how many new words and phrases we come up with!
Check out word spy here.
Other upcoming courses
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
Course: Online Creative Writing - Stage 1 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker - FULL
When: Week beginning Monday 6 September 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 6 September 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Course: Online Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge/Nicola Robinson
When: Week beginning Monday 6 September 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Seminar: Introduction to Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Wednesday 8 September 2010 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75
Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with James Roy
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 9 September 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle
When: Friday 10 September 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $395
Course: Online Creative Writing - Stage 1 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker – NEW DATE
When: Week beginning Monday 13 September 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Course: Online Magazine Writing - Stage 1 with Valerie Khoo/Pamela Wilson – NEW DATE
When: Week beginning Monday 13 September 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Seminar: How to get your book published with Geoff Bartlett
When: Wednesday 15 September 2010 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75
Seminar: Proofreading at work with Deb Doyle – NEW COURSE
When: Friday 17 September 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $365
Course: Screenwriting Stage 1 with Tim Gooding
When: Every Monday starting Monday 20 September 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Boost Your Creativity with Laurine Croasdale – NEW COURSE
When: Tuesdays 21 & 28 September 2010
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175
Seminar: Professional Business Writing with Mel Wilkinson
When: Tuesday 21 September 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
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: Magazine Writing Stage 2 with Gayle Bryant
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 29 September 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Editing at work with Deb Doyle – NEW DATE
When: Wednesday 29 September 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Magazine Writing Stage 1 with Holly Nott – NEW DATE
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 5 October 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Writing for the web with Grant Doyle
When: Monday 11 October 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Cost: $365
Course: Novel writing workshop with Pamela Freeman
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 12 October 2010 for six weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $495
Seminar: PR and Media Releases that get results with Catriona Pollard – NEW COURSE
When: Thursday 14 October 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $495
Seminar: Blogging for Business with Steven Lewis
When: Thursday 14 October 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.00pm
Cost: $365
Course: Build Your Online Profile with Tristan Bancks – NEW DATE
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 14 October 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Writing Letters and Emails with Deb Doyle – NEW DATE
When: Friday 15 October 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $365
Seminar: Online Business Booster Bootcamp with Valerie Khoo – NEW DATE
When: Thursday 21 October 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am sharp - 5.30pm
Cost: $695
Course: Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 27 October 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Perfecting Your Pitch with Sue White
When: Thursdays 4 & 11 November 2010
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175
Course: Life Writing with Patti Miller – NEW DATE
When: Every Friday starting Friday 14 January 2011 for six weeks
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $450
Course: Life Writing with Patti Miller – NEW DATE
When: Saturday 12 March 2011 and Sunday 13 March 2011 (2 day workshop)
Time: 10.00am - 4.00pm
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
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