I love sharing creative writing tips and when quality courses come along, I want to share them with you.
If you’re based in Brisbane and have been looking for a group of creative writers that will help you to develop your skills, I recommend checking out Brisbane Writers Workshop courses. They will help you to develop valuable writing skills and inspire your creative ideas and develop them into stories.
Brisbane Writers Workshop courses are kept small to meet your needs and their presenters are experts in their fields with current publishing and editing experience.
So, I thought I’d share their 2017 schedule of courses which I put up on Weekend Notes.
Check out this mini-trailer above to see what the classes are like. This was the Fiction Blitz class from 2016 but it’ll give you a great idea of how cosy and cool the Brisbane Writers Workshop classes are.
Here’s the brief list of the courses on offer from April through to September 2017:
Intro to Creative Writing: Light Your Fire [4 Seats Left]
Saturday, 8 April: 2.30-5pm; Sun, 9 April: 10am-2.30pm
Intro to Creative Writing: Light Your Fire will inspire you to begin work on your creative story ideas. Sometimes you have a piece of the puzzle of your story whirling around inside your head and may need a little help getting it to bloom. You may want to work on developing your author’s voice or want to understand the basics of story structure. If that’s where you’re at, then this intro course will be a great start.
This course will give you the foundation information and inspiration to get cracking on your story!
Here’s the blurb from BWW on this course:
Spike your skills with this small-group course presented by Lauren Daniels. Developed for those with a desire to push ideas into more workable drafts, this course provides the petrol and the launch pad. Practice literary techniques, play with writing exercises, and build upon your strengths. Explore common issues from strengthening focus and omitting purple prose, to the crafting solid scenes with a focused perspective and an authentic, active voice.
Speculative Fiction: Myths & Madness [Filling Up!]
Saturday, 27 May: 3-5.30pm; Sun, 28 May: 10am-2.30pm
Speculative Fiction: Myths & Madness is going to be an course filled with ghost, ghouls, vampires and characters inspired by the myths of the world. I can’t wait to go to this course. I enrolled the minute I found out about it.
Here’s the blurb from BWW on this course:
Got ectoplasm on your laptop and fire-breathing carnies on the brain? Got Rowling, Gaiman, Rice, King, Bradbury and Tolkien on your shelf?
While the term ‘speculative fiction’ dawned in the 20th century, the angle of alternative and inventive angles that synthesise magic realism with the supernatural dates back to Euripides and Shakespeare.
Our challenge is to bypass the cliche and stay fresh. If you need some support from savvy editor/authors who love this genre as much as you do, join us…
Travel Writing: Articles to Books
Sat, 3 June: 3-5.30pm; Sun, 4 June: 10am-2.30pm
Travel Writing: Articles to Books is a course for those who love to travel and write stories about your experience.
Here’s the blurb from BWW on this course:
With a travel writer and editor as your guide, join this expedition into one most the most popular of genres. The itinerary includes resources, publishing tips and how to highlight your experiences in a marketable fashion as short pieces of writing for periodicals as well as full-length works. Travel adventure and disaster tales welcome. Beginners to advanced writers will create this supportive atmosphere. Trade trekking insights and tips with like-minded friends.
Polish & Publish: The Insider’s Guide
Sat, 15 July: 3-5.30pm; Sun, 16 July: 10am-2.30pm
Polish & Publish: The Insider’s Guide is a course filled with tips on how to bring your writing up to publication standard. I had a very positive experience when I attended this course. It was brilliant and kicked off a second rewrite on my own novel.
Here’s the blurb from BWW on this course:
Bring up to 2000 words of your writing to collect gentle and constructive feedback, discover your strengths, define opportunities for improvement, and get the inside scoop on publishing. This course will enhance your writing and you’ll be inspired by passionate industry pros to join the ranks of writers who take these workshops and get published. At the Polish & Publish workshop you’ll feel empowered to edit your own work with verve and learn how to run productive writing groups.
In Character: Archetypes to the Enneagram
Sat, 19 August: 3-5.30pm; Sun, 20 August: 10am-2.30pm
In Character: Archetypes to the Enneagram is a brilliant course! When I went to this course I learned so much about how to integrate archetypes into my characters. And I learned how to use the Enneagram to further develop my characters personalities. It was an awesome experience. If you’re receiving feedback that your characters are two dimensional, then I recommend getting along to this course.
Here’s the blurb from BWW on this course:
Examine character through an array of lenses including Carl G. Jung’s archetypes, Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey motif, and the personality model of the Enneagram as exemplary creative tools in character and plot development. Read excerpts and experiment with character styles. Explore the concept of identity as you track what makes good characters great. Join author/editors Lauren Daniels, Josh Brockbank and Geneve Flynn for lively discussions, writing exercises, morning and afternoon teas.
Writing for Children & Adolescents: Picture Books through YA
Sat, 16 September: 3-5.30pm; Sun, 17 September: 10am-2.30pm
Writing for Children & Adolescents: Picture Books through YA is yet another course I’ve attended with BWW. It was another excellent quality course filled with relevant information for authors seeking to write for children and YA.
It is amazing how much work goes into creating a picture book. And children are a tough audience, so the insights I received from the editors were pure gold.
Here’s the blurb from BWW on this course:
Meet with a team of editors — Anna Bartlett and Lauren Daniels — and award-winning, guest author Janet Reid to glean tips on what children’s and young adult [YA] publishers seek and how to prepare professional submissions. Find out about good storytelling techniques for young readers and how to earn the regard of this tough audience.
To find out more about the Brisbane Writers Workshop courses, check out their website.
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Happy creative writing!
The Creative Life 