Get Published newsletter

• TIP: Maybe or may be?
• Write compelling fiction – Creative Writing Stage 1
• Beautiful words
• Book giveaway – The Sixth Key by Adriana Koulias
• Transform your writing – Grammar and
  Punctuation Essentials
• What we’re reading – The Dead I Know by
  Scot Gardner
• WEBPICK: We Wanted To Be Writers

Well it seems that I’m surrounded by NaNoWriMo participants. If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard of NaNoWriMo, here’s an explanation. Rose, our communications coordinator, and Andrew, our newest team member (welcome Andrew!) are busy penning their novels in an effort to write 50,000 words in National Novel Writing Month. Good luck to all the NaNoWriManiacs out there!

If you want to progress towards writing your novel, then an ideal course is Creative Writing Stage 2. This is great if you want to keep your momentum going after the Stage 1 course or if you have a decent body of work that’s ready for fine-tuning.

Creative Writing Stage 2 will 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, manipulation of time, character interaction, management of exposition
• the right process of structural editing, copy-editing and proofreading, using examples from published and student work
• and MUCH more.
  
  

Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman LAST COURSE FOR 2011
When: Tuesdays starting Tuesday 15 November 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Can’t make it to our training rooms in Milsons Point? You can also do this course online.

ONLINE COURSE: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker
When: Week beginning Monday 14 November 2011 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

TIP: Maybe or may be?
When you’re firing off an email or engrossed in writing your latest story, it’s easy to make mistakes that won’t be picked up by your spell-checker – like using “may be” when you actually mean “maybe”.
 
We often see these two confused but it’s important to remember they’re not interchangeable. Maybe is an adverb, meaning “perhaps” or “possibly”. For example:

Maybe I’ll join you later.
Maybe all this exercise will make me feel fitter.

I may be going on holiday soon.
We may be taking time off over Christmas to read more books.

A good way to test if you’re using the right version when using “maybe” is to replace it with “perhaps”. If the sentence still makes sense, you’ve got it right. You can use the same test for “may be” – replace it with “perhaps”, but if it doesn’t make sense, then you’ve chosen the right form.

What's new at the Sydney Writers' Centre

• Filling fast: Writing Picture Books with Cathie Tasker, starts Thursday 10 November. 
  
  
• Sneak peek: The glamorous life of a travel writer 
  
  
• How does our use of words change over time? This is the topic of our radio show here.
  
  
• NEW DATES: We've just announced new dates for our 2012 Summer School program. Check it out here.

Get published in your favourite magazine
Want to know how to turn your love of writing into a career? Writing for magazines and newspapers is the perfect way to indulge your love of just about any topic – including politics, sport, travel, and entertainment – and get paid for it!
 
Our Magazine and Newspaper Writing course will show you how you can do it. You’ll learn which ideas work and how to find them, how to write feature articles, what editors want, and how to pitch your features and increase your chances of getting published.
 
Our last Magazine and Newspaper Writing courses for 2011 are happening soon – and filling fast!

This course is taught by Marina Go or Sue White.

Marina Go has been editor of Australian Good Taste, editor-in-chief of ELLE Australia, launch editor of ELLE Cuisine, editor of Sunday Life, editor of fashion for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers, and launch editor of PINNACLE magazine.


Sue White is a successful feature writer and travel 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, and various ABC outlets.


What past participants say:
“Sue White's enthusiasm for writing made going to class on a Monday night worthwhile. She was fantastic!
- Alegria Alano

“Marina's experience and easy to follow tips were brilliant. Marina is engaging and very knowledgeable. This course is a great way to kick start your writing passions.”
- Laura Farmer
 
WEEKEND INTENSIVE Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1 with Marina Go
When: Saturday 12 November & Sunday 13 November 2011 (two day workshop)

Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Cost: $395
 
Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1 with Sue White
When: Thursdays starting Thursday 17 November 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
 
Click here for more information or to enrol online.

More Student Success
This week, we received an email from Magazine and Newspaper Writing graduate, Tara O’Sullivan, who’s just scored two writing gigs with major magazines. She wrote to us:
 
“I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to everyone involved at The Sydney Writers’ Centre. After completing the Magazine and Newspaper Writing course last year, and this year Perfecting Your Pitch, with the incredible Sue White, I have been commissioned to write my first feature article for Cleo magazine! I am also writing a weekly blog for Cosmopolitan online. You guys gave me the confidence to believe in my writing, and to convince someone to publish it. A dream come true.”
 
Congratulations Tara!
 
We also received very exciting news from Barbara Parks. Barbara completed the Online Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 in 2010, and has just scored her first book deal! She wrote:
 
“I have now officially been contracted to Llewellyn Worldwide, who are the biggest publishers of new age and paranormal books in the world. My book is called In the Presence of Spirits: A True Story of Ghostly Visitations and will be released in early 2012.
 
I really do appreciate the role SWC has played in helping me fulfill my dream of becoming a published author. So to Pamela, Valerie, and indeed all at SWC, I send a very big THANK YOU! It goes without saying that I highly recommend the courses that the SWC offers as an invaluable stepping stone towards achieving success as a writer.”
 
Congratulations Barbara!

Sydney Writers’ Centre is a Better Business Partner
Here at the Centre we know how important sustainability is to many of our community. That’s why we’re taking part in the Better Business Partnership, a regional council project committed to improving the sustainability of businesses on Sydney’s North Shore.
 
As part of the project, we’re working on earning seven badges, each one for a different area of sustainability. So far, we’ve earned badges for water saving, waste saving, sustainable transport use and provision of staff support. And we’re still working towards becoming a more sustainable business!
 
You can check out the Better Business Partnership here.

How to write a compelling story – Creative Writing Stage 1
Do you dream of publishing your own book? Even if you’ve never written fiction before, our Creative Writing Stage 1 course can show you how to write a compelling story. Whether you’re interested in novels or short stories, this course will show you how to draw inspiration from your world and put it in words.
 
Over five weeks, you’ll cover all the essential elements of a great story – character, plot, and structure. You’ll also get tips on how to generate ideas and how to finally get that book out of your imagination and on to the page.
 
Creative Writing Stage 1 is one of our most popular courses and the last course for 2011 will be held soon!
 
This course will be taught by James Roy. James has written some 20 books, including the Children's Book Council Honour Books Captain Mack and Billy Mack's War, as well as the 2008 NSW Premier's Award-winning Town, which was also recently shortlisted for the German Youth Literature Prize.
 
What past participants say:
"James gave us some really great hints on writing. It was good to get an "insider's" perspective. The course was practical, stimulating and non-confrontational."
- Michele Smart

"James Roy was wonderful. He has inspired me to write more!"
- Amanda Baysari
 
Creative Writing Stage 1 with James Roy
When: Wednesdays starting Wednesday 16 November 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

What’s that? Bildungsroman
Ever heard of the word “bildungsroman”?

This is “a novel whose theme is the early growth and development of its main character”. These are books like David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, and The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.

Now there’s a word you can pull out next time you’re at pub trivia!

Beautiful Words
We found this wonderful post on Deshoda.com recently – a list of beautiful words. All word lovers can appreciate this! Some of our favourites were:

• Chatoyant Like a cat’s eye.
• Evanescent Vanishing quickly, lasting a very short time.
• Gambol To skip or leap about joyfully.
• Mellifluous Sweet sounding.
• Palimpsest A manuscript written over earlier ones.
• Serendipity Finding something nice while looking for something else.
• Surreptitious Secretive, sneaky.
• Tintinnabulation Tinkling.
  
  

• Ailurophile A cat-lover.
  
  

You can check out the full list here.

TIP: An historic or a historic?
Last week’s tip on the difference between historic and historical prompted Get Published reader, Alicia Thompson, to email and ask us to address the issue of “a historic” versus “an historic”.
 
When writing you should keep in mind this rule – use "a" if the next word starts with a consonant sound, and ‘an’ if it starts with a vowel sound. Here’s what the Australian Editing Handbook suggests:
 
All our dictionaries and style guides give a historic/historian as the preferred form. If you feel you must write an historic/historian, remember that it is an archaic form left over from the time when it was pronounced an ’istoric/’istorian; if you continue to use it, it follows that, for consistency, you should write an hotel, an holiday and an horrible experience as well.

Book giveaway – The Sixth Key by Adriana Koulias
We recently spoke to Adriana Koulias, author of The Sixth Key. Adriana’s publishing journey has been a fascinating one – she self-published her first book, Temple of the Grail, and eventually picked up a publishing deal with Pan Macmillan. The Sixth Key is her fourth novel and she’s now a full-time thriller author.
 
You can watch our interview with her here.

We have one copy of The Sixth Key to give away. This fast-paced historical thriller is set mainly in the 1930s and follows a search for a notorious 14th century book of black magic. If you’d like to win our copy of The Sixth Key tell us about your favourite historical book and why you love it. Email your answers to courses [at] spindriftmedia [dot] com [dot] au by 5pm, Friday 11 November 2011.

Transform your writing – Grammar and Punctuation Essentials
For many of us, the rules of grammar and punctuation can often seem bewildering. When should you use apostrophes? And when shouldn’t you? What are the nine parts of speech? How many commas are too many? Knowing these and other essential rules can have a surprising effect on your confidence and your writing.
 
Our one-day Grammar and Punctuation Essentials seminar is an intensive but enjoyable refresher that will transform your writing. By the end of the day you’ll be able to confidently spot errors in your own and other’s writing. You’ll also take home a copy of Deb Doyle’s Grey Areas and Gremlins: A grammar and punctuation refresher, a vital resource for anyone coming to grips with grammar.
 
What past participants say:
"Deb is very knowledgeable and has a wonderful presenting style. This seminar is great professional development for people wanting to write and even make a career out of it."
- Carla Avolio

"Deb is a warm and vivacious presenter who is a joy to spend time with in the class. Have your pen and notebook at the ready as she dispenses something valuable at every turn."
- Wendy Johnston

Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle
When: Friday 11 November 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Cost: $450
 
Click here for more information or to enrol online.

What we’re reading
This week Writing Books for Children and Young Adults presenter, Judith Ridge, is reading The Dead I Know by Scot Gardner. She writes:

I’ve just read Scot Gardner’s young adult (YA) novel The Dead I Know (Allen and Unwin). It’s the story of teenager Aaron, who lives in a caravan park in a small coastal town with a woman he calls Mam. Aaron has just started work with the local undertaker, helping with the collection and preparation of bodies for burial and attending funerals—when he can keep himself from fleeing from the grief that surrounds the bereaved. Aaron sleepwalks—often dangerously—and there’s clearly some great, terrible thing in his past that continues to haunt him. To top it all off, he’s being harassed by the constantly drunk inhabitants of a neighbouring van, and there’s something very wrong with Mam…
 
It all sounds a bit grim, and there’s no doubt that Aaron’s story takes him into some dark situations—not least of all the event from his past, which is gradually revealed to the reader through Aaron’s dreams and memories. Gardner leavens all this darkness with other characters—particularly the undertaker John Barton and his somewhat quirky family—who give Aaron friendship, support, practical help and some much needed respect. And so, in the end, while there are no pat answers and no shying away from the fact that there are some pretty dreadful people in the world, and horrific things can happen, there’s also a lot of good around. I found The Dead I Know pretty compelling and ultimately very satisfying. Recommended for older teens and grown ups.

We want to know what you're reading! You can write a book review for the Writing Bar and we'll feature an excerpt here in the newsletter. If you'd like to submit, check out the review guidelines here. 

WEBPICK: We Wanted To Be Writers
The legendary University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop was first established in 1936 and has gone on to become the model for many other contemporary writing workshops.

We Wanted To Be Writers is a book compiled by Eric Olsen and Glenn Schaeffer. It brings together some of the Writers' Workshop’s graduates from the 1970s including John Irving, T.C. Boyle, Jennie Fields and many more. Blending interviews, commentary, writing advice and gossip, with nearly 30 graduates and teachers contributing to the book.

The website brings together excerpts from the book, regular blog posts, and a section on “Books by the Bed”, a weekly feature where writers discuss their must-read books.

Check it out here.

Other upcoming courses
Seminar: Professional Business Writing with Sue White
When: Friday 4 November 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Cost: $450

Course: Your Story Structure with Kathryn Heyman
When: Friday 4 November 2011 and Friday 11 November 2011 (2 half-day classes)
Time: 9.30am – 12.30pm
Cost: $215

Online Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker – NEW DATE
When: Week beginning Monday 7 November 2011 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Screenwriting Stage 2 with Tim Gooding
When: Every Monday starting Monday 7 November 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Sell Your eBook on Amazon with Steven Lewis
When: Wednesday 9 November 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $85

Course: Writing Picture Books with Cathie Tasker
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 10 November 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle
When: Friday 11 November 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Cost: $450

Course: Weekend Intensive Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1 with Marina Go
When: Saturday 12 November and Sunday 13 November 2011 (2 consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Cost: $395

Online Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker
When: Week beginning Monday 14 November 2011 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 15 November 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Course: Screenwriting Stage 1 with Tim Gooding
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 15 November 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with James Roy
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 16 November 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Course: Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1 with Sue White
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 17 November 2011 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Edit with Confidence with Deb Doyle
When: Friday 18 November 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: From Blog to Book with Kerri Sackville – FULL
When: Monday 21 November 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $85

Online Course: Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1 with Sue White – NEW DATE
When: Week beginning Monday 21 November 2011 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Online Course: Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge/Nicola Robinson – NEW DATE
When: Week beginning Monday 21 November 2011 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395

Seminar: Introduction to Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Wednesday 23 November 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $85

Seminar: How to Get Your Book Published with Geoff Bartlett
When: Thursday 24 November 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $85

Seminar: Writing for the Web with Grant Doyle
When: Thursday 24 November 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.00pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Perfect Your Proofreading with Deb Doyle
When: Friday 25 November 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Cost: $395

Course: Plotting and Planning with Kate Forsyth
When: Monday 28 November 2011 and Monday 5 December 2011 (2 evening classes)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $175

Seminar: Better Business Emails with Deb Doyle
When: Wednesday 30 November 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: PR and Media Releases that Get Results with Catriona Pollard
When: Thursday 1 December 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Cost: $495

Seminar: Blogging for Business with Steven Lewis
When: Thursday 8 December 2011 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: Self-Publishing – How to do it with Geoff Bartlett
When: Monday 12 December 2011 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $85

Course: Daytime Creative Writing Stage 1 with Jeni Mawter – NEW DATE
When: Monday 9 January to Friday 13 January 2012 (five consecutive mornings)
Time: 10.00am – 12noon
Cost: $395

Course: Daytime Writing Picture Books with Cathie Tasker – NEW DATE
When: Monday 16 January to Friday 20 January 2012 (five consecutive mornings)
Time: 10.00am – 12noon
Cost: $395

Seminar: Successful Freelancing with Valerie Khoo and Gayle Bryant – NEW DATE
When: Thursday 19 January 2012 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $85

Course: Weekend Creative Writing Stage 1 with Jeni Mawter – NEW DATE
When: Saturday 21 January and Sunday 22 January 2012 (two consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Cost: $395

Course: Weekend Travel Writing with Sue White – NEW DATE
When: Saturday 21 January and Sunday 22 January 2012 (two consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Cost: $395

Seminar: How to Write a Business Book with Valerie Khoo – NEW DATE
When: Tuesday 24 January 2012 (half-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 1.00pm
Cost: $295

Seminar: From Blog to Book with Kerri Sackville – NEW DATE
When: Tuesday 24 January 2012 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $85

Course: Travel Memoir with Claire Scobie – NEW DATE
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 31 January 2012 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395

Course: Weekend Travel Memoir with Claire Scobie – NEW DATE
When: Saturday 4 February and Sunday 5 February 2012 (two consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Cost: $395

Course: Weekend Life Writing with Patti Miller – NEW DATE
When: Saturday 25 February and Sunday 26 February 2012 (2 consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Cost: $450

WRITING TOURS
Writing in Bali with Patti Miller – NEW DATE
When: Saturday 21 July to Saturday 28 July 2012

Writing in Paris with Patti Miller – 2012 dates to be confirmed