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Free newsletter from the Sydney Writers' Centre packed with information about our upcoming courses and events, writing competitions, festivals, free articles on writing as well as freelance news and opportunities. Here's a collection of some of our past newsletters.

3 June 2010

Thursday, June 03, 2010
Online Writing Books for Children; Where does a backflip leave you?; Build your business blog

In this issue:
  • Online Writing Books for Children
  • TIP: Where does a backflip leave you?
  • Student thanks
  • How to get your book published
  • Kids writing courses – The Writing Workshop
  • Build your business blog
  • Did you know? Radicals and radishes
  • WEBPICK: Inside a Dog

It's been another busy week at the Centre! I went to a breakfast seminar this morning and the CEO of a Very Big World-Famous Company used a slide presentation that featured these words emblazoned across the screen:
Its' about relationships
He put the apostrophe after the S.

I know that it can sometimes be confusing to know when to use an apostrophe. You can write either:
it's
OR
its

But, make no mistake, there's NEVER any situation when the apostrophe appears after the S.

Its’ … is just plain wrong!






Write for your favourite magazine
If you're in Sydney, you're probably waterlogged, thanks to all the rain we've been getting. If you're one of our online students, learning from afar, we hope the sun is shining in your neck of the woods. I love the feedback and interaction I get from our online students so I'm looking forward to the online course which I'm personally tutoring next week – I'll see you in our virtual classroom!

This is a great course if you want to write feature articles about topics you love for your favourite magazines. I'll show you how to structure a story, conduct great interviews and get published.

Online Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers with Valerie Khoo
When
: Week beginning Monday 7 June 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Click here for more information or to enrol online.





Online Writing Books for Children
If you’re writing books for children or young adults, you want to be sure that your stories will engage and inspire your readers. Writing for children isn’t necessarily easier than writing for adults. Young readers are discerning so if you want to win them over, you need to know the essentials of writing books for kids.

And now this course, one of our most popular, is available online. So you don’t have to come to our training rooms in Milsons Point – you can join us at any time in our virtual classroom. The Online Writing Books for Children and Young Adults 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 some recent participants said about the course:

‘The weekly assignments were superb and forced me to consider many different aspects of writing a story well whilst getting feedback on my own work. The best thing about this mode of delivery was the convenience of participating when geographically a long way from the Sydney Writers’ Centre. It was easy, convenient, flexible and well structured.’
- Cherri Ryan

‘This class was far more interactive than previous classes I have taken, which made it feel more like we all knew each other better. The ease of listening to audio when convenient is a definite plus. The tutor's thoughtful feedback gave good ideas for improvement and was very encouraging. Judith Ridge did a great job with chatting to the class as though she were in the room. The hand-outs were all helpful and applicable, in particular all the info about publishers and new writers support sites on the web.’
- Christine Huntsdale

Online Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge/Nicola Robinson
When
: Week beginning Monday 14 June 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Click here for more information or to enrol online.






TIP: Where does a backflip leave you?
Last week, I was boxing in the gym with my friend Cindy when she confessed to me one of her pet peeves – when people misuse the word ‘backflip’. You'll hear politicians or sports commentators use it frequently.
"The Government has done a backflip on climate change," said the Opposition Leader.

"The AFL judiciary has done a backflip on the decision against Gary Ablett," said John Smith.
The problem is that when you do a backflip (a backwards somersault), you end up in the same position as when you started. The term they should be using is ‘about face’.

I'm still wondering why Cindy decided to share this with me while we were boxing, but I definitely watched my words while she had those gloves on!






Student thanks
We love hearing from our former students and often get emails from people who have been published or had writing success. This latest email came from serial student Kees Bakhuijzen. Here’s what he said about his latest seminar, Professional Business Writing with Mel Wilkinson:

Just a quick mail to let you know I really enjoyed yesterday's seminar. Of course this implies a big thanks to Mel as well.

This was my fourth course at the Sydney Writers' Centre (starting off with your very inspiring course) and they have all been great. I always come home so inspired and full of energy, it's fantastic. The material presented is very good and helpful, the presentation is excellent and I also notice that the Centre always manages to attract a very interesting and stimulating crowd.


Thanks so much for your feedback, Kees. We look forward to seeing you again soon!





How to get your book published
So, you’ve finished another draft of your writing project. Now you just need a publisher. Sounds easy, right? But if you don’t know how the publishing world works and what you need to do to get a foot in the door, it can be a daunting task.

How to get your book published is an intensive, information packed, seminar that will give you the confidence to start your publishing journey. The seminar is perfect for anyone who is ready to be published, has a great idea or a book, or just wants to know what happens when you get published. It will cover:

  • how to write a winning book proposal
  • how to approach publishers
  • do you need an agent?
  • how much should you write before approaching a publisher?
  • negotiating a fair contract
  • the editing and re-writing process

Here’s what some recent participants had to say about the seminar:

‘The useful information has made me feel a lot more confident about publishing. I now feel prepared to approach publishers.’
- Alisha Walkerden

‘The seminar was very informative. Although there was a lot to cover (ie broad topic!) in 2 hours, Geoff did a great job focusing on the most relevant parts and willingly answering questions from participants. I now have a clear overview of the steps involved in getting your work published and also the various roles of the stakeholders (myself included). It was a really good introductory seminar and one I will follow on from (both in doing more Writers' Centre courses and also in approaching publishers).’
- Jane Louise Galbraith

This seminar is presented by Geoff Bartlett who is an author, journalist, actor and producer. He has filed articles and interviews for over 20 major newspapers and magazines around the country, including The Sydney Morning Herald, Courier Mail, Canberra Times, West Australian and Australian Style.

Geoff's first book, was published in Australia and New Zealand through Harper Collins. Comedians in the Mist was a series of interviews with top Australian comedians.

In the electronic media, Geoff has written for Good News Week, Backberner, Life Support, The Comedy Channel and 2MMM. He also writes regularly for the finance and travel industries. His latest books are Cattitude, released in 2006 and Mutterings which was published in 2007.

How to get your book published with Geoff Bartlett
When
: Tuesday 15 June 2010 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $75

Click here for more information or to enrol online.





Workshops for young writers
School holidays are approaching, which means we’ll get many parents calling us about writing courses for their kids. Now, we don’t run these courses ourselves, and they can be very hard to find, but we’re always on the lookout for great kids’ writing opportunities so we were thrilled to learn about The Writing Workshop in Annandale.

Established by author Bernard Cohen, The Writing Workshop offers courses for children of all ages up to Year 9. Courses are held after school, during school holidays, or online. There are also some in-school programs held. Courses are taught by published authors, all of whom have plenty of writing and teaching experience.

Courses for July school holidays are no doubt filling fast, so click here for more details.






Build your business blog
In today’s competitive world, it’s important that businesses use innovative and fresh ways to market their business. That’s why many companies have turned to blogging as a way to engage their customers and staff.

If you’re thinking of setting up a blog for your business, or you already have one but want to know more about using it effectively, this seminar will help you build and maintain your business blog. It will cover:

  • the critical distinctions between a blog and an ordinary company webpage
  • the terminology of blogging
  • what readers expect from a corporate blog
  • how to write a blog that stands out
  • 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

And here’s what some recent participants had to say about the seminar:

‘Perfect pace to learn and be stimulated - great presenter and teacher. Dragged me out of the dark ages of social networking knowledge to be talking the talk!’
- Sally Berry

‘Relevant, fun presentation, dynamic, enthusiastic presenter. Lots of new motivation for marketing ideas for the business.’
- Miranda Corkin

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.

Before moving into the world of Web 2.0, Steven had a long history in translating online tools for non-technical audiences writing as a journalist for mainstream publications around the world.

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

Click here for more information or to enrol online.






Did you know? Radicals and radishes
With an election looming and everyone from the right to the left accusing each other of being radicals, it’s interesting to note where the word radical comes from.

The word actually comes from the latin radix, which means ‘root’. Radical originally referred to someone prepared to get to the ‘root of a problem’, but it has since come to mean someone who favours extreme political or social reforms and ideals.

And another word that comes from ‘root’? Radish, for obvious reasons – it’s a root vegetable. Does that mean we have a parliament full of radishes? Some might say we might as well have.







WEBPICK: Inside a Dog
The State Library of Victoria’s Centre for Youth Literature is committed to promoting reading and writing for young people, and their website, Inside a Dog, perfectly complements their goals.

With a name taken from the Groucho Marx quote – ‘Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside a dog, it’s too hard to read.’ – the site includes monthly bloggers in residence (recent contributors include Andrew McDonald, Garth Nix and Richard Harland), news, book reviews and competitions.

They’re also currently looking for Inkys Award judges. So if you’re under 20 years old, or know someone who is, and are happy to read and judge 20 books click here for the details.









Other upcoming courses
Seminar: How to get your book published with Geoff Bartlett
When
: Friday 4 June 2010 (two-hour morning seminar)
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $75

Course: Online Feature Writing Stage 1 with Valerie Khoo/Pamela Wilson
When
: Week beginning Monday 7 June 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with Jeni Mawter
When
: Wednesdays starting Wednesday 9 June 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

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

Course: Online Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Nicola Robinson
When
: Week beginning Monday 14 June 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Online Creative Writing Stage 1 with Cathie Tasker/Pamela Freeman
When
: Week beginning Monday 14 June 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Seminar: How to get your book published with Geoff Bartlett
When
: Tuesday 15 June 2010 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75

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
When
: Thursday 24 June 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm
Cost: $365

Course: Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett
When
: Friday 25 June 2010 (2-hour morning seminar)
Time: 10.00am - 12noon
Cost: $75

Seminar: Professional Business Writing with Mel Wilkinson
When
: Tuesday 29 June 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 4.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett - NEW DATE
When
: Tuesday 29 June 2010 (2-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $75

Seminar: Writing for the web with Grant Doyle
When
: Wednesday 30 June 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
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: Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle
When
: Tuesday 6 July 2010 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: $395

Course: Writing Books for Children with Judith Ridge - NEW DATE
When
: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 7 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Course: Online Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman
When:
Week beginning Monday 12 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Perfecting your pitch with Sue White
When
: Monday 12 July and 19 July 2010 (two evening seminars)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175

Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with Jeni Mawter - NEW DATE
When
: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 13 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Course: Script Writing for Short Films with Geoff Bartlett
When
: Wednesday 14 July and 21 July 2010 (two evening seminars)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $165

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
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
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 - NEW COURSE
When
: Tuesday 20 July 2010
Time: 9.30am - 4.00pm
Cost: $365

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

Course: Travel Writing: Get paid for your adventures with Sue White – NEW COURSE
When
: Every Thursday starting Thursday 2 September 2010 for four weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $345

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

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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