When: 17th May 2008, 9am to 4pm (registration and payment from 8:30am).(Google Maps link)
Booking forms are available here .
The free "Get Booked On Sunday" event is being held the following day at Bargara Berries, and will include author panels and chats, book signings, and an iaido demonstration. Click the link for more details.
Workshops
Sally Collings, Editor and Author
Currently a publishing consultant, writer and editor, Sally Collings has more than 20 years experience in trade publishing. She is a former associate publisher (non-fiction) with HarperCollins Publishers Australia, and editorial director of Amber Books in the UK. Sally has had responsibility for running publishing programs of over 80 titles a year, as well as editing individual titles. Since shifting to freelance publishing work in 2004, Sally has filled a niche for editorial, writing and consultancy services, drawing on two decades of experience to ensure each project works successfully for its intended market. Particular subject areas of interest include biography, memoirs, motivation, parenting and spirituality. Sally is the author of
Sophie’s Journey , the story of Sophie Delezio, published by HarperCollins in 2007.
www.sallycollings.com
Putting Flesh on the Skeleton
How do you transform a life story that grabs your imagination into a manuscript that will also grab the world at large? This workshop looks at turning a handful of anecdotes into a well-structured manuscript, and picking a path through the many options - memoir, biography, autobiography, factual, fictionalised, authorised, non-authorised.
10 Easy Steps to Writing an Inspirational Bestseller
You walk into a bookshop and are confronted with shelves brimming with books telling you how to gain enlightenment, raise confident kids, be happy - usually in 10 easy steps (like this workshop!). Right now, motivation, parenting and spirituality are big business for publishers. But is this boom about to bust? Or is there room for more? Find out by joining Sally Collings, author of the bestselling Sophie’s Journey. Currently a writer, editor and publishing consultant, Sally has more than 20 years experience in trade publishing.
Simon Higgins, Internationally published adventure author
Simon is an author of Young Adult novels who turned to writing in 1998 after a successful career serving as a police officer and state prosecutor before also working as a private investigator. His published works include adventure stories with science fiction elements, such as the bestseller
Thunderfish and its sequels
Under No Flag and
In the Jaws of the Sea , gritty crime thrillers such as
Doctor Id ,
Cybercage , and
The Stalking Zone , featuring unwilling psychic detective Jade Draper, and the futuristic survival drama
Beyond the Shaking Time . In September 2007 the first book of Simon's new trilogy was published. Set in medieval Japan's civil war era,
Tomodachi: The Edge of the World is a historical thriller in which the son of an English lord, shipwrecked in feudal Japan, is befriended by a runaway samurai youth.
www.simonhiggins.net
Plotting Your Novel
This workshop will help with the structure of your book - how to establish rising tensions, where to begin and end scenes, managing plot threads. Simon will reveal a variety of practical approaches to the craft of story plotting in this positive, hands-on workshop.
Planning and Writing Action Scenes
Former policeman Simon Higgins will unlock the art of writing action scenes in this exciting hands-on workshop. Narrating chases, using weapons and the craft of escalating threat will be unveiled Simon will also demonstrate an action scene with Iaido, the martial art of the samurai sword, for writers of fantasy and historical novels.
Rowena Cory Daniells, Children’s Author
Rowena has nearly 30 children's books published and her adult fantasy series is sold in Australia, the US and Germany. She has run workshops for the Queensland Writers Centre, libraries, schools, festivals and national conventions. Her latest children's book is part of The Lost Shimmaron series.
www.corydaniells.com
www.lostshimmaron.com
Writing for Children
Getting the right tone for the age group is important and so is story length. This hands-on workshop will cover the difference between Trade and Educational markets and the different age groups, exercises on the craft of writing, and creating an early reader/picture book. This workshop has a limit of 20 participants so please book early.
Critiquing Your Work
This workshop will cover basic critiquing rules and hands-on critiquing in a friendly, fun environment. Participants will gain a more analytical attitude towards writing and feedback on their work. Attendees must submit 1,000 words of their current work but without their name on the submission and specifying the market, e.g. children’s 8-12years). These will be distributed at the workshop to be read and critiqued. The writer’s name will not be divulged. (Submissions must be sent to PO Box 1486, Bundaberg Qld 4670 to be received one week before WriteFest). This workshop has a limit of 20 participants so please book and submit your work early.
Kathryn Kelly, Creative Director of Playlab
Kathryn is currently the Executive Director of Playlab. Trained as a dramaturge at the University of Queensland, BA (Hons), her credits include shows with and dramaturgy for LaBoite, Zen Zen Zo, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, the Out of the Box Festival and Osmosis in Brisbane; Cahoots Theatre Projects and the Factory Theatre in Toronto and Playbox in Melbourne. She was the Resident Artist with Interplay: Festival for Young Playwrights 2004/5. She has also dramaturged with the Australian National Playwrights Conference (2005), the World Interplay Festival (2003) and the JUTE Enter Stage Write Program (2004/2005). She has been published by Ignite, Australasian Drama Studies, Playwrights Union of Canada Journal and the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs' Association of the America's Journal.
ABC of Playwrighting
Want to write a play? Don't quite know where to start? This workshop introduces participants to some of the distinctive aspects of writing for the stage including developing dramatic action, character and subtext. It will be a practical workshop, so bring your pen, paper and lots of good ideas!
Re-drafting Your Play
What do you do once that initial first burst of draft one is complete?
Kate Eltham, CEO of the Queensland Writers Centre, and Sophie Hamley, Senior Agent, Cameron Creswell Management Agency
Kate is Chief Executive Officer of Queensland Writers Centre. She appears regularly at writers festivals and presents seminars and workshops on writing and publishing industry topics. Kate has been a regular contributor to ABC Radio and The Courier Mail and has published numerous short stories in anthologies and magazines. Her volunteer projects include Clarion South Writers Workshop, of which she is Co-Director, and the Aurealis Awards, national literary awards of Australian speculative fiction.
Sophie has worked in the print and online publishing industries since leaving school. She started out in bookselling, and went to HarperCollins Australia after a year working in children’s books in Vancouver, Canada. From there she moved to Penguin, and then into the online world for several years, working with the Seven Network, Massive Interactive and CCH. Once back in the world of books, she worked as a senior editor at HarperCollins across a wide variety of titles, and then became senior literary agent at the Cameron Creswell Agency in May 2006. Since then she has placed several books across different genres with a range of Australian publishers.
Submitting to Agents
Have you ever wanted to approach a literary agent but been unsure how to go about it? This session will take you through the steps you should follow when preparing a submission to an agent. You'll learn about what an agent does for an author and what they are looking for in submissions. You'll learn how to structure a query letter, proper manuscript format and common pitfalls to avoid. If you have a finished manuscript and are preparing to send it out to either agents or publishers, this is a must-attend session.
Accommodation
The following WriteFest sponsors are offering special rates for attendees. Quote the WriteFest rate when booking.
Best Western Boulevard Lodge boulevardlodge@bestwestern.com.au www.boulevardlodge.bestwestern.com.au
Sandcastles on the Beach bargarasandcastles@bigpond.com www.bargarabeach.biz/sandcastles
Sponsors
We'd like to thank our sponsors, without whom this event would not be possible:
Best Western Boulevard Lodge
Central Queensland University
Copyright Agency Limited
Coral Coast Printers
Playlab
Queensland Writers Centre
Sandcastles on the Beach
Dontors Professional Hospitality Suppliers
