Gondor Writers' Centre - Gondor Writers' Centre Breaking News

Look who coming to Gondor to do workshops...

4/3/2018

We are excited to welcome romance writer, Sarah Williams to Gondor.

Sarah is running a series of exciting and different writing workshops at Gondor over the next few months. Check them out on her page by selecting the image above.

Blogging for Business {or just for fun!}

Learn to blog! Websites that create customers.

Date and Time: Fri, April 27, 2018 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM AEST

Writing for Wellbeing:

Date and Time: Fri. 25 May 2018 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm AEST

Instagram for Writers:

Date and Time: Fri. 22 June 2018 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm AEST

Check out our other exciting presenters on our workshop page. http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/workshops.html

APRIL'S VALUABLE WORKSHOPS

3/29/2018

Are you booked for this vital workshop?

DEVELOPING BELIEVABLE CHARACTERS - April 7th & 8th

Developing strong, believable characters that your reader either loves or hates ... depending on your intention, is vital.

Many writers make the mistake of having characters who are not developed well enough and too similar to each other. Humans are not the same; we are all multidimensional beings. You must know your character as well as you know yourself.

Nothing turns your reader off like flat and unbelievable characters.

This workshop examines the great characters in books and explores what makes them that way. We will also examine the many personality types we meet and show you how to portray them effectively.

For crime and mystery writers, the character workshop includes an examination of criminal types and what drives them to commit crimes.

2 DAY INTENSIVE WORKSHOP
You can book for one day or two.

Dates: Saturday, April 7th and Sunday April 8th

Time: 10am to 3pm

Where: Gondor Writers’ Centre, 19 Caloundra St, Landsborough.

Cost: $120
http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/developing-characters.html

OTHER APRIL WORKSHOPS:

STRENGTHENING YOUR WRITING - 2 x 3 hour workshops -
The use of word pictures, metaphors and similes, show not tell, and the ability to create rising tension are all important tools.

How to use these tools and many others to create and improve your masterpiece is covered in this workshop.

We will look at their use in popular fiction and do exercises on improving our ability to use them.
Dates: Wednesday, April11th

   Wednesday April 18th

Time: 9.30am to 12.30pm

Where: Gondor Writers’ Centre, 19 Caloundra St, Landsborough.

Cost: $80
http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/strengthening-your-writing.html

WRITING CRIME FICTION - Saturday April 14th - Tutor Dr Ron Day

Many of us enjoy a crime novel and writing one can be just as much fun.

This genre requires the creation of colourful characters, the development of a twisting and turning storyline, the laying down of false clues and a final scene with a real twist.

We will examine characters in popular crime novels and explore why they are so well loved. We will look at the personality of criminals and what drives them to commit crimes.

Building tension and planting false clues is vital in this genre. We will look at effective ways to do that.

Date: Saturday April 14th

Time: 10am to 3pm

Where: Gondor Writers’ Centre, 19 Caloundra St, Landsborough.

Cost: $60

WRITING FOR THE EDUCATIONAL MARKET - April 25th - Tutor Dr Ron Day

Writing for the educational market requires special knowledge and skills. In particular you need to be able to express complex ideas in simple language.

This course will help you develop skills to produce learning materials for any age, no matter whether you are planning to develop instructional design materials, text books, learning guides, teaching notes or academic papers and theses.

Dates: Wednesday, April 25th

Time: 9.30am to 12.30pm

Where: Gondor Writers’ Centre, 19 Caloundra St, Landsborough.

Cost: $40

DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION - April 28th

Want to know the secret of Muza Ulasowski's amazing illustrations, created using a digital art program?

In this workshop she will take us step-by-step through the process and show us how to use the digital program she uses, Artrage.

Muza has mastered the use of the art program using her Wacom drawing tablet and will share with you how she builds her drawings using the tools and layers and adding the minute detail that makes her art exceptional.

As she works, she will explain each step while you watch her creating her masterpiece on the screen behind her.

You can bring your laptop and Wacom tablet, if you have one, or a touch-screen laptop, tablet or iPad to join in. Artrage is available for iPads or phones and can be used with a stylus or finger on all touch screen devices.
Dates: Saturday April 28th

Time: 10am to 3pm

Where: Gondor Writers’ Centre, 19 Caloundra St, Landsborough.

Cost: $95.Don't miss the exciting new workshops by guest presenters: Picture Books with Aleesah Darlison on May 12th.
Go to the website for more details on the program up to June: http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/workshops.html

Can't make it on weekends? Now you can join us for Wednesday Workshops - we are now running 2 hour workshops on a Wednesday, day and night sessions, to make it easier for some of our attendees who are busy weekends. The Saturday workshops will continue and you will find new subjects in those.

Go to the Workshop page and follow the link under each one to find more details. http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/workshops.html

Take your drawing skills to a new exciting level

3/13/2018

Want to know the secret of Muza Ulasowski's amazing illustrations created using a digital art program?

In this workshop she will take us step-by-step through the process and show us how to use the digital program she uses, Artrage.

Muza has mastered the use of digital illustration using her Wacom drawing tablet and will share with you how she builds her drawings using the tools and layers and adding the minute detail that makes her art exceptional.

As she works, she will explain each step while you watch her creating her masterpiece on the screen behind her.

You can bring your laptop and Wacom tablet, if you have one, or a touch-screen laptop, tablet or iPad to join in. Artrage is available for iPads or phones and can be used with a stylus or finger on all touch screen devices.

Dates: Saturday April 28th

Time: 10am to 3pm

Where: Gondor Writers’ Centre, 19 Caloundra St, Landsborough.

Find out more at:

http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/digital-illustration.html

Check out our other workshops:
http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/workshops.html

LAST CHANCE!

3/9/2018

Our scriptwriting presenter, Ben Marshall has moved to Tasmania, but he is still willing to come back to do our workshop next weekend. But we must let him know Monday if we have enough people to make it worthwhile.

If you want to get your book on the big screen this is one not to miss. Ben has spent 20 years as a TV scriptwriter so knows the industry backwards. As well as showing us how to turn our story into a script, he will also tell us how to pitch our story to TV and Movie producers.

Make his trip back to Queensland worthwhile. Book now!

Go to http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/scriptwriting.html to hear a video interview with Ben, get more details and make your booking.

7 reasons why mastering point of view is essential

3/5/2018

Many writers are confused about point of view when they start writing.

When we talk about point of view, we basically mean the perspective from which the story is told. Who are we listening to when we read the story? Whose head are we in? Whose eyes are we watching the story through?

Point of view isn’t merely another writing craft technique. Point of view is the foundation upon which great fiction rests.

Marcy Kennedy gives us 7 reasons why mastering point of view is essential:

Reason #1 – Well-executed point of view allows the reader to experience (and participate in) a situation that they could never have been part of, or might never want to be part of, in real life. Consistent and skilled use of POV not only allows us to live vicariously, but also gives us the opportunity to examine ourselves and think about whether we would have made the same choices as the characters. In other words, we become participants in two senses of the word. It engages our emotions and our minds.

Reason #2 – Well-executed point of view builds subtext, as we’re able to contrast what’s happening around the character with what they think about it. We can sort through the difference between reality and perception, the difference between the objective and subjective.

Reason #3 – Well-executed point of view sets each character apart, as we see how they uniquely interpret the world around them. Put another way, point of view is the tool we use to create three-dimensional characters. When we don’t understand point of view and when we don’t execute it correctly, we’re very likely to end up with flat, uninteresting characters. Beyond this, as novelists and short story writers, we have an advantage in that we can give our audience that filtered perspective. They can’t receive that from television or movies or plays.

Reason #4 – Well-executed point of view controls the flow of information to either create suspense or forward the plot. As authors, how we choose to handle POV determines what we must and can’t show to the reader. As readers, it creates the page-turning excitement as we discover things along with the POV character.

Reason #5 – Well-executed point of view encourages showing rather than telling. “Showing” in fiction rather than “telling” is one of the most common pieces of writing advice and also one that a majority of writers struggle to execute. Understanding and writing from a close point of view makes this concept easier because we’re experiencing the story through the eyes of a particular character.

Reason #6 – Well-executed point of view helps us decide what description belongs in the story. Many writers buy into the fallacy that description slows a story down. Description doesn’t slow a story down—bad description or description placed where it doesn’t belong slows a story down. When we write with a clear point of view, we’ll know what details are important to include and when is the appropriate time to include them.

Reason #7 – Well-executed point of view shows us when to include backstory and when to explain details about our world and setting or about the way something works. How much or how little to explain these elements to readers becomes a stumbling block for many writers. When we have a clear POV, we’ll know to include it only when the POV character would naturally be thinking about it or noticing it.

In Saturday's workshop, we will simplify the choice by explaining the advantages and disadvantages of each one and showing you how they work.

We'll do exercises on writing a scene from each point of view to help you understand the difference. You can work on a scene from your story or on an exercise we give you.
Dates: Saturday March 10th

Time: 10am to 3pm
Where: Gondor Writers’ Centre, 19 Caloundra St, Landsborough.
http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/point-of-view.html

SAVE MONEY AND GO IN A DRAW TO WIN IT BACK!

2/1/2018

LAST CHANCE TO SAVE MONEY.

Book before February 3rd and save 10% on the WRITERS' BOOTCAMP, February 23rd, 24th and 25th. The first 10 bookings will go in a draw to win their money back and get the weekend Free!

Start your writing year off the right way with these intensive workshops and personal interviews. They will get you writing and help you shape your work-in-progress into an exciting narrative.

Here is your chance to have an appraisal followed by workshops that will help you improve any weaknesses found in your manuscript.
Because of the personal attention each attendee will get, places are limited. Book early so you don't miss out.
Prerequisite: Please send the first 10 pages of your manuscript for an appraisal so I can let you know what you need to focus on during the weekend. Manuscripts must be in by February 10th.
Full details, including the program for the weekend, are on the website. http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/writers-bootcamp.html

Have you booked?

1/25/2018

Next Wednesday, January 31st is the start of our workshops for 2018.

A good way to get started writing is to start with short stories. Most writers started this way. To help you with this we are running a series of 2-hour workshops covering all the technical aspects of writing that you will need to excel.

These workshops will help you no matter what you are writing. The first workshop is on a subject that confuses most writers: Point of View.

INTRODUCTION TO SHORT SHORY: The course will introduce writers to the craft of short fiction. We will be examining the structure that makes a short story powerful.

Topics covered will be:

Week one: Wednesday, January 31st - 10am to 12.30pm
Point of view: New writers are often baffled when trying to choose a point of view for their stories and novels. In this workshop will look at the pitfalls and benefits of them all and help you discover the right one for your story.

Week two: Wednesday, 7th February - 10am to 12.30pm
Plotting, Themes and Setting: In a short story you don't have many scenes to tell your story so plotting those scenes carefully is vital. Succinct and interesting setting description will transport your reader to the world of your story. We will examine the way we can use setting to add mood to the story.

Week 3: Wednesday, 14th February -10am. to 12.30pm
Realistic and Engaging Characters: Characters make the story. Many characters in short stories are flat. They don't have to be that way. We will look at ways to make them believable and memorable even though you have limited words to introduce them.

Week 4: Wednesday, 21st February - 10am to 12.30pm
Rising tension and A twist in the tale: What will make your reader stayed glued to the pages until the end? Tension. We examine the six key things that will help you achieve that.

This is a practical, hands-on course where writers will be experimenting with different ways to use each element. You can book for all or just the subjects that interest you.

Format: Course for beginners

Where: Gondor Writers’ Centre, 19 Caloundra St, Landsborough.

Cost: $40 per day or $140 for all workshops. Book online: http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/introduction-to-short-story.html

What else is new? Exciting new workshops by guest presenters plus much more. See below.

Kick start your 2018 writing journey with a Writers' Boot Camp February 23rd, 24th and 25th.

These 2 plus days of intensive workshops, and a manuscript appraisal and interview will help you get on track for an exciting year of writing success.

Start your writing year off the right way. They will get you writing and help you shape your work-in-progress into an exciting narrative.

Prerequisite: Please send the first 10 pages of your manuscript for an appraisal so I can let you know what you need to focus on during the weekend. Manuscripts must be in by February 10th. Book before February 3rd and receive a 10% discount on fees.

Turn that work-in-progress into a masterpiece. This 2 + days of workshops and interviews takes you through all the things a publisher’s editor will be looking for and helps you polish the story till it shines.

Accommodation is available if required.

This is a hands-on course for all writers. You will be working on a work-in-progress and go away with ways to make it sing.

Follow the link to find more details. http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/writers-bootcamp.html

Don't miss the exciting new workshops by guest presenters: Workshops in Scriptwriting with TV scriptwriter Ben Marshall, digital illustration with Muza Ulasowski and Picture Books with Aleesah Darlison.

See the website for more details: http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/workshops.html

Another change for 2018 is Wednesday Workshops - we are now running 2 hour workshops on a Wednesday, day and night sessions, to make it easier for some of our attendees who are busy weekends. The Saturday workshops will continue and you will find new subjects in those.

Go to the Workshop page and follow the link under each one to find more details. http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/workshops.html

LOCATION: 19 Caloundra St, Landsborough, Queensland

The venue is conveniently located just a 5 minute stroll from the nearest railway station, minutes from the Bruce Highway and only 20 minutes from the Sunshine Coast and North Brisbane.

EXCITING NEW WORKSHOPS INCLUDING DIGITAL ILLUSTRATIONS AND SCRIPTWRITING

1/18/2018

What's new? Exciting new workshops by guest presenters.

Workshops in Scriptwriting with TV scriptwriter Ben Marshall, digital illustration with Muza Ulasowski and Picture Books with Aleesah Darlison.

More information below.

Kick start your 2018 writing journey with a Writers' Bootcamp in February. These 2 plus days of intensive workshops will help you get on track for an exciting year of writing success.

Check it out below and follow the link to find more details.

Another change is Wednesday Workshops - we are now running 2 hour workshops on a Wednesday, day and night sessions, to make it easier for some of our attendees who are busy weekends. The Saturday workshops will continue and you will find new subjects in those.

Go to the Workshop page and follow the link under each one to find more details.

FEATURED WORKSHOPS

WRITERS' BOOTCAMP - February 23rd - 24th and 25th
With Elaine Ouston

Start your writing year off the right way with these intensive workshops and personal interviews. They will get you writing and help you shape your work-in-progress into an exciting narrative. The workshops cover what publishers will be looking for and what will stop them reading.

Prerequisite: Please send the first 10 pages of your manuscript for an appraisal so I can let you know what you need to focus on during the weekend.

Select the link below to go to the workshop's page to see more details.

Writers' Bootcamp

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SCRIPTWRITING with TV scriptwriter Ben Marshall - March 17th and 18th

One not to be missed by any writer aspiring to get their stories onto the big or small screen.
Ben will cover how to turn your story into a script and how to pitch it to TV and movie producers.

Select the link below to go to the workshop's page to see more details.
Scriptwriting

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DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION with illustrator Muza Ulasowski - April 28th

Want to know the secret of how Muza does her amazing illustrations using a digital art program?

In this workshop she will take us step-by-step through the process and show us how to use the digital program she uses.

Select the link below to go to the workshop's page to see more details.

Digital Illustration

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DEVELOPING BELIEVABLE CHARACTERS - with Elaine Ouston - April 7th and 8th

Developing strong, believable characters that your reader either loves or hates ... depending on your intention, is vital. Flat characters lose readers.

Humans are not the same; we are multi-dimensional beings. This workshop examines the many personality types we meet and shows you how to portray them effectively.

Select the link below to go to the workshop's page for more details.

Character

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Greenleaf Press & Aleesah Darlison Presents: The Inside Word on Picture Books - May 12th

Discover the right way to create a picture book story and skip all the newbie blunders! Learn the various picture book structures and the skills to create a story that truly sings.

Select the link below to go to the workshop's page for more details.

Picture Books

EXCITING NEW THEME FOR JANUARY SCHOOL HOLIDAY WORKSHOPS: FAN FICTION

11/7/2017

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a great new year. It's always exciting to see a new year spread out before us. I hope it brings you and your family everything you wish for.

By popular request and to celebrate and encourage reading and writing, I have changed my program for the January school holiday workshops.

NEW THEME: Come dressed as your favourite book character, write a scene from the story and turn it into a book. Bring your favourite book with you.

Friday 12th January and Thursday18th January. 8.30am to 3.30pm.

Make sure the holidays are not wasted. At Gondor, the kids can learn valuable skills that will help them at school while they have fun. Check out our program below or on our website. Places are limited and filling fast.

If those days don't suit, check out the other workshops on the website.

Book now on the holiday workshop page or phone 54 399 038.

http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/school-hoilday-programs.html

SAVE MONEY - Learn to do your own editing

10/13/2017

In this workshop you can learn what will stop the agents and publishers reading and accepting your work.

This 2-day editing workshop was postponed to November 18th and 19th.

Thinking that you can produce a piece of writing that is perfect first time is folly. Not even the most experienced author can do this.

If you have finished writing your story and want to polish it and make it the best it can be, or you're half way through and want to know if you are on track, this is the next step. In most cases, what needs to happen now is an edit and total rewrite, or several rewrites. In this workshop, we will cover the things that will make the agent or publisher's editor stop reading and learn how to fix them.

If you want a polished, professional, end-product that is all it can possibly be, editing and rewriting is of crucial importance. I like to split production of a finished manuscript into five stages, editing, revision, deletion, addition, and change.

Thinking that you can just skim over your draft, tweak it a little, and all will be well is delusional. Commit yourself to careful, critical rewrite. It’s where you make shabby first thoughts into a work of art. It’s where you transform ordinary characters into complex, engaging human beings. It’s where you tighten your story – shedding flat and flowery sections, and creating a taut exciting narrative that the reader will want to keep reading. It’s where you make your prose sing.

Editing and rewriting is different from writing your first draft. For a start, you have something to work with; you’re not creating from scratch. It’s a different mindset. You need to be creative, of course, but you need to be critical. You also need to know when to leave well enough alone.

If you have a body of work to edit, bring it with you and we will edit the first few pages, if not, come and learn what to look for in future stories or manuscripts.

November 18th and 19th, Editing your masterpiece. 10am to 3 pm

Book now on the workshop page or phone 54 399 038 to book. http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/workshops.html