Queensland Writers Centre workshops are suitable for writers of all standards and experience. Participants will be introduced to general writing techniques related to the specific topic, as well as a range of creative writing exercises.
Workshops should provide an opportunity for participants to come away with ideas, information and contacts, a further understanding of the writing craft and the encouragement to continue writing.
Project Management for Writers led by Dr Monique Beedles
This practical workshop is designed to provide you with the tools and techniques required to help you achieve your writing goals. Dr Monique Beedles will assist you to define and plan a specific writing project and teach techniques to better manage your time and overcome obstacles that may hinder the completion of your project. If you are embarking on a major writing project like a novel draft, or are just looking for a structured approach to your writing practice this workshop will help.
When: Saturday 13 March
Where: Queensland Writers Centre, Level 2, State Library of Queensland, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Brisbane. Workshops run from 10.00am until 4.30pm unless otherwise stated.
Cost: QWC members $110, Concession members $100, Non-members $160
Bookings: Phone 07 3839 1243 or book online
Motivated Action, Motivated Characters led by Adair Jones
Writing a successful story requires all action to be motivated. Without motivation, a story will quickly lose pace and credibility. A great part of motivated action is having motivated characters, something that requires a degree of psychological knowledge. The first part of this workshop explores ways to keep the action of a story motivated. The second part looks at motivation in terms of believable characters.
When: Sunday 28 March
Where: Queensland Writers Centre, Level 2, State Library of Queensland, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Brisbane. Workshops run from 10am until 4.30pm unless otherwise stated.
Cost: QWC members $110, Concession members $100, Non-members $160
Bookings: Phone 07 3839 1243 or book online
So you think you can blog: a workshop for turning your ordinary blog into an extraordinary platform
Lots of people have a blog, but how do you turn your blog into a vibrant online following? Erica Bartle, former Deputy Editor of Girlfriend magazine and editor of Girl With a Satchel, 2009 Bloggie winner of Australia’s Most Popular Blog Award, explains how she built a readership of 30,000 visitors a month and what you can do to build and communicate with your online audience.
When: Sunday 28 March
Where: The Edge, State Library of Queensland, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Brisbane. Workshop runs from 12pm until 4pm.
Cost: $55
Bookings: www.qwc.asn.au or 07 3842 9922
Grant Writing Workshop
Need arts funding? Give yourself the best chance of success by attending this workshop on grant writing. Aimed at young and emerging writers, this workshop will cover how to put together an effective application. Timed to benefit applicants to the Australia Council New Work grants and Write in Your Face. Also suitable for creatives working in other artforms or media.
When: Saturday 10 April
Where: The Edge, State Library of Queensland, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Brisbane. Workshop runs from 2pm until 5pm.
Cost: Free
Bookings: www.qwc.asn.au or 07 3842 9922
The Kindest Cut: Editing for Writers led by Shelley Kenigsberg
The workshop is aimed at writers of fiction and non-fiction who are at all stages of development and are in the process of writing and want to finesse their work. Based on the premise that all good writing is rewriting, you will look at the techniques great writers use to do the redrafting and find those that work for you. You will also look at various elements such as writing style and word choice, voice, viewpoint, dialogue, beginnings and middles and ends, flow and balance, and structure.
When: Saturday 17 April
Where: Queensland Writers Centre, Level 2, State Library of Queensland, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Brisbane. Workshops run from 10.00am until 4.30pm unless otherwise stated.
Cost: QWC members $110, Concession members $100, Non-members $160
Bookings: Phone 07 3839 1243 or book online
Creating Suspense in Fiction led by Katherine Howell
Writing a thriller? Need to make sure your prose scares readers out of their La-Z-Boys? When your young heroine’s car breaks down on a deserted highway, her mobile phone doesn’t work and the serial killer is closing in you want to elicit yelps, not yawns. Katherine Howell’s workshop will help you learn the tools of the trade to create suspense through character as well as structure.
When: Saturday 8 May
Where: Queensland Writers Centre, Level 2, State Library of Queensland, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Brisbane. Workshops run from 10.00am until 4.30pm unless otherwise stated.
Cost: QWC members $110, Concession members $100, Non-members $160
Bookings: Phone 07 3839 1243 or book online
Five Steps to a Great Feature Article led by Tiana Templeman
This practical workshop for aspiring freelance writers utilises a ‘five box’ variation of the inverted pyramid which improves the clarity, quality and structure of all articles in any genre. Using a series of writing exercises, activities and group discussion you will learn the five steps you need to know to write strong and publishable articles.
When: Saturday 22 May
Where: Queensland Writers Centre, Level 2, State Library of Queensland, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Brisbane. Workshops run from 10.00am until 4.30pm unless otherwise stated.
Cost: QWC members $110, Concession members $100, Non-members $160
Bookings: Phone 07 3839 1243 or book online
Into the Horizon: The Secrets of Travel Writing led by Claire Scobie
Travel writing is a lucrative market for writers. This workshop will give you a broad understanding of travel writing and travel journalism in magazines, newspapers, on blogs and online, with plenty of practical exercises. Topics include: how to impress an editor with snappy ideas, techniques for crafting the story, ways to evoke a sense of place and use photographs as ‘eye candy’. This workshop provides extensive take-home notes and is interactive with dynamic presentations. By the end of the day, you will have all the tools to turn a destination into a saleable story.
When: Saturday 29 May
Where: Queensland Writers Centre, Level 2, State Library of Queensland, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Brisbane. Workshops run from 10.00am until 4.30pm unless otherwise stated.
Cost: QWC members $110, Concession members $100, Non-members $160
Bookings: Phone 07 3839 1243 or book online
Developing your Writing Practice led by Adair Jones
Hemingway wrote 1,000 words a day (never more) in his pursuit of one true sentence. Writing in her journal, Helen Garner makes a daily practice of sharpening the tools of her craft. Haruki Murakami likens writing a novel to running: as the body strengthens it’s possible to go longer and longer distances. During this workshop, Adair Jones (The Tower of Forgetting) will cover the discipline of daily writing, touching on different approaches, ways to get started and methods for going the distance.
When: Saturday 19 June
Where: Queensland Writers Centre, Level 2, State Library of Queensland, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Brisbane. Workshops run from 10.00am until 4.30pm unless otherwise stated.
Cost: QWC members $110, Concession members $100, Non-members $160
Bookings: Phone 07 3839 1243 or book online
Next text: everything Australian writers need to know about digital publishing (but were afraid to Google)
E-books, digital rights, online platforms… authors need to understand the changes happening in book publishing and media to be successful in the digital age. This workshop will deliver essential knowledge about digital publishing and helps writers take control of their opportunities.
When: Saturday 10 July 2010
Where: The Edge, State Library of Queensland, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Brisbane. Workshop runs from from12pm to 6pm.
Cost: TBA
Bookings: www.qwc.asn.au or 07 3842 9922