- Tip: The right way to plural
- More Student Success: Jaci Byrne
- SUMMER SCHOOL 2012: Writing Picture Books
- WORDWISE: Bant
- Get paid for your travels!
- What we're reading: The Corrections by
Jonathan Franzen - WEBPICK: TV Tropes
Happy new year! I’ve been so excited about 2012 that I think everyone is already sick of hearing about it. I spent the holidays in the Yarra Valley in Victoria (there’s a pic of me with little doggie Rambo enjoying the fresh country air). It was a wonderful opportunity for some downtime but, I have to say, it didn’t take long for me to crave getting back into writing.We have so many exciting plans for you this year. There will be courses in Food Writing, Thriller Writing, Chick Lit and so much more. Right now, when you’re fresh from your holidays, this is also the perfect time to check out our Travel Writing course – either here at the Sydney Writers’ Centre or online.
Welcome also to our students from afar, with enrolments from Italy and the USA this week. Whatever your writing goals are for 2012, I wish you the very best. And we're here to help you achieve them!
What's new at the Sydney Writers' Centre
- FILLING FAST: Creative Writing Weekend Intensive with Jeni Mawter, 21 and 22 January 2012.
- Want to know what it’s like being a music or health writer? Check out the Writing Bar for our latest profiles.
- Welcome to the team, Melina Marchetta! She’ll be teaching Creative Writing Stage 1 with us in 2012. Click here for dates.
TIP: The right way to plural
Noun plurals – there are so many irregularities here that it can sometimes be difficult to find the right word! Some of these may seem obvious but it’s amazing how many times people get it wrong.Here are some handy rules for a few of those nasty irregular plurals:
- If the word ends with "-us" the plural form will end in "-i".
For example: cactus to cacti, nucleus to nuclei, focus to foci.
- If the word ends with "-on" the plural will end in "-a".
For example: phenomenon to phenomena, criterion to criteria.
- If the word ends with "-o" the plural will have an "-es" added.
For example: potato to potatoes or tomato to tomatoes.
More Student Success
We received some very exciting news from Jaci Byrne recently. She completed our Magazine and Newspaper Writing course and the How to Get Your Book Published seminar, and has just published her first novel, Best Friends and Bastards, as an eBook through Amazon. Here’s what she wrote to us:I have attended both How To Get Published and Magazine Writing 1 and thoroughly enjoyed them, and have also been delighted with your regular newsletters, which are not only interesting and informative but help to remind a lonely writer that there are others out there in "writing land".
Congratulations, Jaci! And good luck with your publishing adventures in 2012.
You can check out Jaci’s books at jacibyrne.com.
If you want to get your eBook on Amazon check out our one-evening seminar Sell Your eBook on Amazon.
SUMMER SCHOOL 2012: Writing Picture Books
Our Summer School kicks off soon and many of the courses are filling fast. New to the Summer School schedule is Writing Picture Books – the perfect course for anyone interested in writing picture books for younger readers.Over five mornings you’ll learn what appeals to young children and how to write for them. You’ll be given clear guidelines that will improve your writing and your chances of being published. The course will also look at language and rhythm, how to work with illustrations, and how to choose your topic.
What past participants say:
"I found the ability to talk face to face with other like-minded people very inspirational. Also to get feedback from an experienced and respected industry professional was very worthwhile."
- Murray Henstock
"Cathie was extremely knowledgeable. It was beneficial to get an editor's point of view rather than an author's. It felt like we were given an insider's perspective on the picture book industry."
- Laura Wuellner
This course is taught by Cathie Tasker. Cathie has edited over 150 children’s picture books, both popular and award-winning titles. She has worked with some of Australia’s greatest picture book creators – Bruce Whatley, Jackie French, Mem Fox, Wendy Orr, Dee Huxley, Judith Rossell, and many others. She has worked in-house at Scholastic Australia and HarperCollins.
Daytime Writing Picture Books with Cathie Tasker
When: Monday 16 January to Friday 20 January 2012 (five consecutive mornings)
Time: 10.00am – 12noon
Cost: $395
Evening Writing Picture Books with Cathie Tasker
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 9 February 2012 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
The Necklace: Sydney writes itselfThe Sydney Morning Herald’s online novel experiment, The Necklace: Sydney Writes Itself, kicked off on Boxing Day. Each chapter of the online novel will feature a different suburb of Sydney and a necklace. Submissions are being invited for the final four chapters and you can read the story so far on the SMH website.
For details on how to contribute a chapter visit the Writing Bar.
Did you know? Bant
One of the top New Year’s resolutions made every year is to go on a diet and lose weight. This reminded me of an interesting new word I came across recently – bant. It essentially means to diet, though you won’t find it in the Macquarie Dictionary as it fell out of use decades ago.The word is derived from a Victorian diet developed by William Banting, who discovered that cutting carbs from his diet was the only effective way to lose weight. (Sound familiar?) He was so happy with the results he published a booklet on the subject, A Letter of Corpulence Addressed to the Public. The diet was incredibly popular, and controversial, and the verb to bant eventually came to mean to diet.
Get paid for your travels!
Want to explore the world and get paid for it? If you dream of making a living from writing about your travels, our Travel Writing course is for you. In this five-week course, you’ll learn what it takes to be a successful travel writer.The course will cover how to research your travel features, how to structure your articles, and how to get them published. You’ll also have a chance to write a travel feature and get valuable feedback from your presenter. This is a popular course so we have a few options for you – you can join us for a weekend intensive or evening course here in Milsons Point, or you can learn in our online classroom.
What past participants say:
"I benefitted from Sue's real life insights. It wasn't just theory. She was generous with her knowledge and even her intellectual property."
- Craig Eardley
"Great content and great teacher. Sue was really friendly and approachable and I really enjoyed hearing her experiences and practical advice."
- Celeste Mitchell
This course is taught by Sue White. She’s lost count of the number of countries she’s visited for work and play. As a travel writer, she has written about everything from the Golden Temple (Amritsar, India) to Gianni Versace’s 24-carat gold toilet (Miami, USA) while indulging her own itchy feet.
ONLINE COURSE: Travel Writing with Sue White
When: Week beginning Monday 9 January 2012 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
WEEKEND INTENSIVE: Travel Writing with Sue White
When: Saturday 21 January and Sunday 22 January 2012 (two consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am – 12noon
Cost: $395
EVENING COURSE: Travel Writing with Sue White
When: Mondays starting Monday 6 February 2012 for five weeks
Time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
Apostrophe catastrophes
This was spotted in Myer stores around Australia last week.
Oh dear. We can’t think of any situation when you would use the apostrophe in the word gets. This picture (thanks to Katrina Lobley above) shows that a firm grasp on punctuation is vital if you don’t want your gaffe trending on Twitter, as this one did earlier this week. Myer even asked their staff to wear these offending badges! (Thanks Raff Lagatta for sending us the photo below.)
Myer isn’t the only high profile apostrophe abuser, though. Here’s a pic from Qantas:
Again, you don’t use an apostrophe to create a plural! Cafe’s does not need the apostrophe. It should read cafes.
Not sure when to use an apostrophe and when to leave it out? Here’s our guide.
Turn your blog into a book – here's how
It’s true – it really is possible to pick up a publishing deal from your blog. That’s exactly what happened to blogger Kerri Sackville whose first book, When My Husband Does the Dishes: A Memoir of Marriage and Motherhood, was published on the back of her incredibly popular blog, Life and Other Crises. And she’s now working on a second book, due for release this year. If you want to know how she did it and how you too could turn your blog into a book, join us for our seminar From Blog to Book. I’ll be chatting to Kerri about her amazing publishing journey and we’ll reveal how you can build your online profile, strategies for getting noticed by publishers, how to market yourself as an author, and much more.
What past participants say:
"The seminar provided exactly what I was hoping for. Kerri Sackville was open and generous with sharing information. It was great also to have Valerie's input and wisdom. They were a perfect pairing."
- Lisa Schofield
"Kerri was very informative and enthusiastic and had lots of great tips. She was inspiring and happy to share what she's learnt."
- Therese Spruhan
From Blog to Book with Kerri Sackville in conversation with Valerie Khoo
When: Tuesday 24 January 2012 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Cost: $85
Click here for more information or to enrol online.
What we’re reading
This week Sydney Writers’ Centre communications coordinator, Rose Powell, is reading The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. She writes:The Corrections was Jonathan Franzen's break-out novel, which catapulted him from super-smart up-and-comer, to bestselling, multi-award winning literary icon. His third novel, The Corrections is a steely satire of American families bedded in a deeply sympathetic and insightful style of writing.
The story is five short novels, each focusing on one of the five members of the dysfunctional, mid-western Lambert family. As Alfred's mind deteriorates, his outrageously judgmental and anxious wife Enid is increasingly desperate to get all three of her grown up children back for one last Christmas.
The book will have you either laughing at or horrified by the characters, while also squirming in sympathy and discomfort. Franzen's ability to render complex concepts such as the bio-tech boom or the tangled and aching relationships in families is considerable, but it's his obviously brilliant yet easy to read prose style that makes this book so special. Franzen's brutally honest insights are tempered with a very American-style optimism and belief in redemption. I loved this book, and think it's a must-read for all writers, especially those who are writing literary fiction.
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: TV Tropes
This one is a favourite of our communications coordinator, Rose. What started out as a resource wiki for tv writers has turned into an extensive catalogue of information on writing fiction. A trope is a “figure of speech”, but at TV Tropes it is “a storytelling shorthand for a concept that the audience will recognize and understand instantly”. In other words, conventions of fiction. Tropes are listed by genre, media or narrative, and there is a seemingly endless list of articles and resources for almost any writer.
Check it out here.
Other upcoming courses
Online Course: Travel Writing with Sue White
When: Week beginning Monday 9 January 2012 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Online Course: Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1 with Sue White
When: Week beginning Monday 9 January 2012 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Course: Daytime Creative Writing Stage 1 with Jeni Mawter – SUMMER SCHOOL
When: Monday 9 January to Friday 13 January 2012 (five consecutive mornings)
Time: 10.00am – 12noon
Cost: $395
Course: Daytime Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1 with Sue White – SUMMER SCHOOL
When: Monday 16 January to Friday 20 January 2012 (five consecutive mornings)
Time: 10.00am – 12noon
Cost: $395
Course: Daytime Writing Picture Books with Cathie Tasker – SUMMER SCHOOL
When: Monday 16 January to Friday 20 January 2012 (five consecutive mornings)
Time: 10.00am – 12noon
Cost: $395
Course: Creative Writing Stage 1 with Kate Forsyth
When: Every Wednesday starting Wednesday 18 January 2012 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Successful Freelancing with Valerie Khoo and Gayle Bryant
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 – SUMMER SCHOOL
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 – SUMMER SCHOOL
When: Saturday 21 January and Sunday 22 January 2012 (two consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Cost: $395
Course: Daytime Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1 with Sue White – SUMMER SCHOOL
When: Monday 23 January and Tuesday 24 January 2012 (two consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: How to Write a Business Book with Valerie Khoo – SUMMER SCHOOL
When: Tuesday 24 January 2012 (half-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 1.00pm
Cost: $295
Seminar: From Blog to Book with Kerri Sackville
When: Tuesday 24 January 2012 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $85
Course: Screenwriting Stage 1 with Tim Gooding
When: Every Monday starting Monday 30 January 2012 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Travel Memoir with Claire Scobie
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 31 January 2012 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Sell Your eBook on Amazon with Steven Lewis
When: Wednesday 1 February 2012 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $85
Seminar: Daytime Introduction to Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett
When: Thursday 2 February 2012 (two-hour morning seminar)
Time: 10.00am – 12.00noon
Cost: $85
Course: Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1 with Marina Go
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 2 February 2012 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Daytime How to Get Your Book Published with Geoff Bartlett
When: Friday 3 February 2012 (two-hour morning seminar)
Time: 10.00am – 12noon
Cost: $85
Course: Weekend Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1 with Marina Go – SUMMER SCHOOL
When: Saturday 4 February and Sunday 5 February 2012 (two consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Cost: $395
Course: Weekend Travel Memoir with Claire Scobie – SUMMER SCHOOL
When: Saturday 4 February and Sunday 5 February 2012 (two consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Cost: $395
Online Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman/Cathie Tasker
When: Week beginning Monday 6 February 2012 for five weeks
Time: Whenever suits you
Cost: $395
Course: Travel Writing with Sue White
When: Every Monday starting Monday 6 February 2012 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Professional Business Writing with Sue White
When: Tuesday 7 February 2012 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Cost: $450
Seminar: Grammar and Punctuation Essentials with Deb Doyle
When: Wednesday 8 February 2012 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Cost: $450
Seminar: Writing for the Web with Grant Doyle
When: Thursday 9 February 2012 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am – 4.00pm
Cost: $395
Course: Writing Picture Books with Cathie Tasker
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 9 February 2012 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Weekend Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge – SUMMER SCHOOL
When: Saturday 11 February and Sunday 12 February 2012 (2 consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Edit with Confidence with Deb Doyle
When: Wednesday 15 February 2012 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Plotting and Planning with Kate Forsyth
When: Wednesday 22 February and Wednesday 29 February 2012 (2 evening classes)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $175
Seminar: PR and Media Releases that Get Results with Catriona Pollard
When: Thursday 23 February 2012 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.00am – 5.00pm
Cost: $495
Seminar: Blogging for Business with Steven Lewis
When: Friday 24 February 2012 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Weekend Life Writing with Patti Miller – SUMMER SCHOOL
When: Saturday 25 February and Sunday 26 February 2012 (2 consecutive days)
Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Cost: $450
Seminar: Better Business Emails with Deb Doyle
When: Tuesday 28 February 2012 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge
When: Every Monday starting Monday 5 March 2012 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Seminar: Self-Publishing – How to do it with Geoff Bartlett – NEW DATE
When: Monday 12 March 2012 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $85
Seminar: Perfect Your Proofreading with Deb Doyle
When: Thursday 15 March 2012 (one-day seminar)
Time: 9.30am – 4.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Thriller Writing with L.A. Larkin – NEW COURSE
When: Every Thursday starting Thursday 15 March 2012 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Writing about Interiors, Style and Design with Nigel Bartlett – NEW DATE
When: Thursday 15 March and Thursday 22 March 2012 (2 evening classes)
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $175
Seminar: Introduction to Travel Writing with Geoff Bartlett – NEW DATE
When: Monday 19 March 2012 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $85
Seminar: How to Get Your Book Published with Geoff Bartlett – NEW DATE
When: Monday 26 March 2012 (two-hour evening seminar)
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm
Cost: $85
Course: Creative Writing Stage 2 with Pamela Freeman – NEW DATE
When: Every Tuesday starting Tuesday 24 April 2012 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
Course: Screenwriting Stage 2 with Tim Gooding – NEW DATE
When: Every Monday starting Monday 9 July 2012 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 - 8.30pm
Cost: $395
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 – NEW DATE
Arrival: Thursday 18 October 2012
Departure: Saturday 3 November 2012
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