On Writing

Here is what one of the participants of the weekend workshop had to say.

Elaine’s first two-day intensive workshop on creating memorable characters was a huge success. As one of the participants, and a writer of many years’ experience, I was dubious that I would learn much new information about developing characters, but I soon found I have much more to learn. I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. The sessions were excellently planned and executed with a well-balanced blend of information and practical exercises. I have never enjoyed a writing workshop so much. I will create and describe my characters with a great deal more confidence now, knowing how to make them leap off the page and grab the attention of the readers.

The workshop is now available on-line. Just go to the website http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com  and to the CREATING MEMORABLE CHARACTERS page to find out how to download the workshop notes. The cost is way too cheap, but Elaine says she wants to make it affordable for all. If you want to improve your writing, download it today. You won’t be sorry.

Ron Day

The next workshop TURNING AN IDEA INTO A STORY is Saturday April 6^th from 10 am to 3 pm, if you are attending in person. It will be on-line from that date as well.

Want to learn more about writing without paying so much it breaks the bank? Here is your opportunity.

The demand for writing workshops has increased as more and more writers strive to be accepted by publishers, or to self-publish. The clever ones know that to make it in this business, you have to be the best you can be. Our local workshops are always full and some of the writers in other areas have asked about Skype or Internet workshops. So Gondor Writers’ Centre has decided to put the sessions on the website with access to anyone who books.

After payment of the low fee of either $55 for the content of an eight-hour intensive workshop or just $25 for the content of four-hour workshop. You will be given a unique password that allows you to go to  the workshop page. There you will find a Power Point presentation, with voice-over, of the workshop, and worksheets to download. These worksheets can then be emailed to the tutor for comment and editing. There is no time limit to finish the assignments.

The first workshop, CREATING MEMORABLE CHARACTERS  is March 2nd and 3rd. It will be available on-line on March 6th. You can choose to do just one or all of the workshops. So go to the workshop page choose the ones that interest you, and book yourself in by choosing the relevant Pay Pal button.

If you’re local to the Capricorn Coast, you may choose to attend in person. There are a couple of places left for the first workshop, so book now.

They can help you become the best writer you can be, and achieve your dream of being a published author.
TOPICS:

KNOW  YOUR CHARACTER AS WELL AS YOU KNOW YOURSELF –
But don’t use just your experiences, morals, and values. You’ll discover how to leave them behind and become your character.

STEP  INTO THE CHARACTERS HEAD AND ‘BE’ THEM –
Can you detach yourself from your own personality and become the person you are writing? The course will cover how and why you should do that.

MAKE  EACH CHARACTER UNIQUE –
Make sure each of your characters is different from the other. You will be studying personality types to make sure you know how to do this.

MAKE  THEIR ACTIONS AND SPEECH CONSISTENT –
There is nothing worse than getting half way through a book and finding the hero acting in a way that is totally out of character or speaking in a manner that is different. The course will look at ways to avoid doing that.

STUDY THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU –
How to combine quirks of behaviour, speech patterns, and mannerisms of the people around you.

MAKE EACH OF YOUR CHARACTERS ACT DIFFERENTLY IN ANY GIVEN SITUATION - This is true in real life and should be in your story. It is not enough for you to be  able to develop different personalities; you have to ensure you know how they  would react in all situations. You will write a scene from the view-point of people with different personalities that you study.

THE PROFILE OF A KILLER – You’ll be looking at the profile of people who commit violent crimes and what motivates them to commit these acts.

DEVELOPING A STORY IDEA – Before we start creating characters, we need to have a story to fit them. There is no good creating a bunch of characters and then finding they don’t fit our story.  The course will take you through some simple steps to create a story.

CREATING YOUR UNIQUE CHARACTERS – Now you get to the fun part – creating the characters to fit your story.

WRITING THE FIRST TWO PAGES TO INTRODUCE YOUR CHARACTER TO YOUR READER –  You’ll be asked to put to the test what you have learnt and  write the first two pages of your story to introduce the character and their situation.
From this beginning,  you are asked to write a story or section of your novel, up to 2000 words and send it to the tutor for comment.

There is still time to book. Go to the workshop page to make your booking.

Time is running out. The competition closes on June 14th.

Great prizes to be won, plus a chance to be published.

Don’t forget to get your entries in for this competition.

Here’s an opportunity for writers everywhere. A new competition has been organised by Capricorn Writers and Friends to honour Dr Liz Huf, a local writer, teacher and mentor to many. Sadly, we lost Liz last year to cancer. As a way of honouring her memory and making her legacy live on, the Capricorn Writers group decided to run an annual competition to give other writers a chance to achieve their dream of being published and winning prize money. An Anthology will be published of the winners and some runners-up.

There are four categories, which include poetry and short stories, and prize money of up to $500. Pop over to http://www.capwritersandfriends.com to see the full details and fill in the entry form.

Reviewed by the lovely girls at http://abooksofathomless.blogspot.com.au/

Title: Destiny Road

Author: Melissa Wray

Publication Date: August 5^th 2012

Publisher: Morris Publishing Australia

Format: E-Book and paperback

Pages: 212

Rating: 4/5
Blurb: Destiny Road is about a sixteen year old girl Jessica, who is building up to making a most important decision. One that will affect the rest of her life. It is a story of decision, growth, and acceptance.

Jessica is sixteen when she meets Bill for the first time. Six months later, she is moved away by her mother, to begin a new life, away from what she knows. Away from the man she is just realising she might have wanted in her life all along, her biological father. So begins Jessica’s journey of living with the choices made by herself and those around her.

Review: The great thing about Destiny Road is that is filled with all the realistic teenage things- starting at a new school, family drama, friend drama, learning to drive and etc. I found it especially relatable due to the Australian setting, though I believe people who aren’t Australian would still be able to connect. The fact that this is based on Melissa’s own experiences definitely added to the overall feel of the novel and meant that everything was relatable in some way.

My absolute favourite thing was the relationships that were in the novel. I loved reading about the building father/daughter relationship of Bill and Jessica, but I also liked how Jessica got along with Janet (her dad’s wife)- I find that usually step-mothers are portrayed as horrible people and whatnot so it was refreshing to see the two of them getting along. I also enjoyed the relationship between Jessica and her mother, Ally, once again it was really nice to see a teenage girl who actually got along with her parents.

I really liked both sets of Jessica’s friends- her old ones, Claire and Dempsey and her new ones, Mandy and Sam. In their own ways, they reminded me of the friends I made in primary school and then the ones I have now in high school- of course, it made it much easier to enjoy the book with people to relate them too. I really enjoyed how Jessica and Mandy’s friendship evolved in particular- I wasn’t really a big fan of Mandy at the start but I quickly realised that there was more to her than she was letting on.

Some of the little details that Melissa wrote about actually got me thinking- one example was a really good discussion about pivotal points and all. It’s not something you usually think about in high school, or in life in general really but the language Melissa used had me thinking about it in relation to my own life. This is only one of the examples of one of these things- others were funny, others more serious but each of them had relevance. This made it so much more connectable and enjoyable for me- sometimes it even felt like Jessica was feeling the exact same way as I did in similar situations.

I’d like to thank the lovely Melissa Wray for sending us a copy of her book to review. If you’d like to learn more about Melissa, you can check back on Saturday the 16^th for an author interview right here, including an international giveaway!

http://abooksofathomless.blogspot.com.au/

I’ve waited 8 months to have an interview on this site, but it was well worth the wait. Pop over to visit Morgen to read her very in-depth interview with me, a synopsis, and an extract from the latest book in my series, The Mystery of Nida Valley – Captured. You may learn something new about me, if you’re interested, but at least you will learn more about Morgen and her great service to authors world-wide.

http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/2012/12/10/daily-interview-no-577-with-fantasy-and-ya-author-elaine-ouston/

Her Excellency, The Governor of Queensland, Ms Penelope Wensley AC, Patron of Book Links (Queensland) launched the book PS: Who Stole Santa’s Mail at Black Cat Books, in Paddington last Sunday.

The book is a children’s story for early readers by Gold Coast author, Dimity Powell. When I asked Dimity where her idea came from for this fun children’s book she told me, ‘The initial idea came from a newspaper article about how local council was rumoured to take away post boxes on the Gold Coast, thereby decreasing their numbers dramatically or perhaps entirely. I thought this would make a good light-hearted mystery novel based on the ‘what if all the post boxes in a small boy’s town suddenly and inexplicably disappeared just two weeks before Christmas?’

She was so right. This extract from a review on Kids Book Review says it all:  http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2012/11/review-blogtour-ps-who-stole-santas-mail.html#more

 Dimity is an experienced writer and presenter. Since completing her formal study in writing, she has had a short story accepted in The NSW School Magazine and won many special mentions, top ten placings, and commendations for her short stories and picture books. She is an active presenter to children’s groups in schools and libraries. The story has been well received by local children at the schools where Dimity volunteers.

Below are some more images of the launch. But if you missed that one, don’t worry, there are more to come.

2. Venue: Marks and Gardner Gallery and Book Shop, 69 Main Western Road North, Mt Tamborine , Gold Coast.
Official launch by: Angela Sunde
author/artist. Date and time: Sunday, 25th November, 10.30 am.

3. Venue: Jungle Cats Family Restaurant & Playcentre 2769 Gold Coast Hwy, Broadbeach, Gold Coast. Meet the Author: Book reading and signing. Date and time: Sunday, 9th December, 2 pm.

4. Venue: Shannon’s Restaurant Coomera Waters, Coomera Gold Coast. Meet the Author: Book reading and signing. Date and time: Sunday, 16th December, 10.30 am. Free event.