The sacred oak tree in our back garden area is blooming to welcome us. It's a magnificent tree, over 100 years old they tell us. It needs a couple of props to hold it up (but then most of us will when we are over 100). :) It shades the deck area beautifully. We are making great progress with our renovations and well on track for our opening on February 11th at 2pm. The room is almost finished. The air conditioner goes in this week and that will be the last of the big things done. Next week we start work on the garden. I can't wait to show it to you. Make sure you keep the 11th free to come join our celebrations. The first of the workshops are planned to start on February 18th, including a picture book workshop by multi-talented, award-winning author, Aleesah Darlison. More exciting workshops are in the planning stages. Pop over to our workshop page and check them out. http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/workshops.html Cheers Elaine and Ron |
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Even though we are not yet in our exciting new premises, the workshop plan for next year has started. Some of Elaine's workshops for first part of the year (to June) are listed. Others will be added, along with more guest presenters. But we already have one exciting guest presenter lined up. We are pleased to announce that award winning author Aleesah Darlison is going to present a new picture book workshop in July. The Inside Word on Picture Books will leave you buzzing with information and enthusiasm. Being good at High School English doesn't mean you can write a book. Writing a great story of any kind requires much technical skill, but these skills can be learned. Like all professions, to be the best at what you do, you have to work at it. Many people can tell a story, but if it doesn’t excite and intrigue the reader on the first page, they won’t read on. These skills are needed whatever you are writing: short story, picture book, chapter books for children, poems, memoirs, novels, etc. Every professional had to put in the hard yards to learn their vocation. A writer is no different. It is time to invest in your dream and take the courses you need. The cost is very reasonable. Go to our workshop page to learn more. http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/workshops.html ... but in this case, it is very HOT! Authors are amazing people. They look at current social issues and let their imagination go wild. This book is one such book. Examining the issues with child abuse by Catholic Clergy, this author has written a gripping story about how his protagonist dealt with the issue. Vengeance is a compelling thriller that covers the revenge of a victim of this abuse, not only on the perpetrator, but on others. You need to read the book to find out why. But as in all good stories, there is a twist to the tale. One you won't see coming. If you like gripping crime thrillers, you need to read this book. It is available on the Gondor website as a paperback and on Amazon as an eBook. http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/vengeance.html https://www.amazon.com.au/Vengeance-Dan-Malone-ebook/dp/B01M5GE65O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478828144&sr=8-1&keywords=Vengeance+Dan+Malone SYNOPSIS: Members of the Catholic clergy are going up in flames. The police are baffled. There seems to be no reason for the killings. Detective Balu thinks he has found the answer, but following the trail leads him into more trouble than he can handle. Gondor is on the move! As from December 9th Gondor Writers Centre will be located at Landsborough. This move has been prompted by the realisation that the location at Kilcoy was too far for many to get to easily. We will now be just minutes from the Sunshine Coast and North Brisbane and very close to the highway. The facilities are set up better for workshops with a large room downstairs that has been used in the past for a business, a car park and public bathroom facilities. There is a little work to be done to make it ready, so we expect to open in early the new year. We will then have an opening party and invite all past attendees, SCBWI members, and other writer friends. The venue will be offered to writers for book signings, meetings, and their personal workshops. I hope you can come and help us celebrate.
This extract from the 587 page document from the Productivity Commission's report and recommendations pertains to just the section that directly affects authors and other creatives.
It shows me that they have no knowledge of how the publishing industry works and have not investigated the effect their proposals will have on the publishing industry. Take this paragraph for instance: 'The evidence (and indeed logic) suggests that the duration of copyright protection is far more than is needed. Few, if any, creators are motivated by the promise of financial returns long after death, particularly when the commercial life of most works is less than 5 years.' It is such a general statement and does not take into consideration the many long-running book and movie series that span decades and the classic works that are reprinted and filmed for generations. Read it for yourself so you understand what they plan to do. Copy(not)right Copyright is an important IP right that protects the material expression of literary, dramatic, artistic and musical works, as well as books, photographs, sound recordings, films and broadcasts. Copyright grants creators the exclusive right to reproduce their work in material form, as well as to publish, perform in public, communicate to the public, and adapt their work. Exercise of these rights is commonly licenced to intermediaries, such as publishers, record companies, film studios, broadcasters, and copyright collecting agencies. However, Australia’s copyright arrangements are weighed too heavily in favour of copyright owners, to the detriment of the long‑term interests of both consumers and intermediate users. Unlike other IP rights, copyright makes no attempt to target those works where ‘free riding’ by users would undermine the incentives to create. Instead, copyright is overly broad; provides the same levels of protection to commercial and non‑commercial works; and protects works with very low levels of creative input, works that are no longer being supplied to the market, and works where ownership can no longer be identified. Copyright term is excessive and imposes costs Copyright protects literary, musical, dramatic and artistic works for the duration of the creator’s life plus 70 years. Following publication, sound recordings and films are protected for 70 years, television and sound broadcasts for 50 years, and published editions for 25 years. To provide a concrete example, a new work produced in 2016 by a 35 year old author who lives until 85 years will be subject to protection until 2136. The evidence (and indeed logic) suggests that the duration of copyright protection is far more than is needed. Few, if any, creators are motivated by the promise of financial returns long after death, particularly when the commercial life of most works is less than 5 years. Overly long copyright terms impose costs on the community. Empirical work focussing on Australia’s extension of copyright protection from life plus 50 years to life plus 70 years (a requirement introduced as part of the Australia–United States Free Trade Agreement) estimated that an additional 20 years protection would result in net transfers from Australian consumers to foreign rights holders of around $88 million per year. But these are likely to be a fraction of the full costs of excessive copyright protection. The retrospective application of term extension exacerbates the cost to the community, providing windfall gains to copyright holders with no corresponding benefit. Other costs are harder to quantify. Long periods of copyright protection, coupled with automatic application and no registration requirements, results in many works being ‘orphaned’ — protected by copyright but unusable by libraries, archives and consumers because the rights holder cannot be identified. Many other works are also unavailable to consumers once outside of their window of commercial exploitation. A number of studies have attempted to estimate a duration of protection where the benefits to holders are matched by the costs to users. These studies find that a term of around 25 years enables rights holders to generate revenue comparable to what they would receive in perpetuity (in present value terms), without imposing onerous costs on consumers. A new system of user rights The limited exceptions to the exclusive rights granted to creators under Australia’s copyright law do little to restore the balance. Exceptions operate as a defence for acts that would otherwise be an infringement of a creator’s exclusive rights. At a high level, Australia allows ‘fair dealing’ in copyright material; time- and format‑shifting of copyright material; libraries, archives and other cultural institutions to preserve and disseminate works, particularly in the digital era; and the operation of some technology processes. These exceptions are too narrow and prescriptive, do not reflect the way people actually consume and use content in the digital world, and are insufficiently flexible to account for new legitimate uses of copyright material. Consistent with the recommendation of the Australian Law Reform Commission in 2013, the Commission is recommending Australia’s current exception for fair dealing be replaced with a broader US‑style fair use exception. Such an approach would see copyright better target those works where ‘free riding’ by users would undermine the economic incentives to create and disseminate works. The fair use exception should be open ended and based on a number of fairness factors, which the courts would consider when testing whether a use of copyright material interferes with the normal exploitation of the work. These should include the:
One of the key advantages of a fair use over a fair dealing exception is that the law can adapt to new circumstances and technologies. Under a fair dealing exception, legislative change is required to expand the categories of use deemed to be fair. In contrast, under fair use, courts have the latitude to determine if, on the facts, a new use of copyright material is fair. Not surprisingly, submissions to this inquiry from participants currently benefiting from copyright protection universally argued against the adoption of fair use in Australia. Many participants suggested that by design, fair use is imprecise on the permissible uses of copyright material, and its adoption would create significant legal uncertainty for both rights holders and users. Putting the decision about which uses are fair in the hands of the court system necessitates litigation to determine the scope of infringements. Given the time and cost such court action entails, both rights holders and users might face some, at least initial, uncertainties about the degree of protection afforded to new uses. In the Commission’s view, legal uncertainty is not a compelling reason to eschew a fair use exception in Australia, nor is legal certainty desirable in and of itself. Courts interpret the application of legislative principles to new cases all the time, updating case law when the circumstances warrant doing so. To reduce uncertainty, the Commission is recommending Australia’s fair use exception contain a non‑exhaustive list of illustrative uses, which provides strong guidance to rights holders and users. Existing Australian and foreign case law, particularly from the United States where fair use has operated for some time, will provide further guidance on what constitutes fair use. Participants currently benefiting from copyright protection also argued fair use will significantly reduce the incentive to create and invest in new works, industry profitability and employment. The Commission considers that industry perspectives on the costs are overstated and premised on flawed assumptions. Further, most new works consumed in Australia are sourced from overseas and their creation is unlikely to be responsive to changes in Australia’s fair use exceptions. In the Commission’s view, enacting a fair use provision would deliver net benefits to Australian consumers, schools, libraries, cultural institutions and the broader community. Making it easier for users to access legitimate content Timely and cost‑effective access to copyright‑protected works — be they movies, television programs or electronic games — is the best way for industry to reduce online copyright infringement. Therefore, in addition to implementing a new exception for fair use, the Commission is recommending further changes to Australia’s copyright arrangements to make it easier for users to access legitimate copyright‑protected content. Geoblocking restricts a consumer’s access to digital products, enabling rights holders and intermediaries to segment the Internet into different markets and charge different prices (or offer different services) to consumers based on their location. The use of geoblocking technology is pervasive, and frequently results in Australian consumers being offered a lower level of digital service (such as a more limited music or TV streaming catalogue) at a higher price than in overseas markets. Studies show Australian consumers systematically pay higher prices for professional software, music, games and e‑books than consumers in comparable overseas markets. While some digital savvy consumers are able to avoid these costs (such as through the use of proxy servers and virtual private networks), many are relegated to paying inflated prices for lower standard services. The Australian Government should make clear that it is not an infringement of Australia’s copyright system for consumers to circumvent geoblocking technology and should seek to avoid international obligations that would preclude such practices. Parallel import restrictions on books are the analogue equivalent of geoblocking. Numerous reviews, including by the Commission, and most recently by the Harper Review of Competition Policy, have recommended that prohibitions on parallel imports be repealed. The Australian Government recently supported the removal of the restrictions and has agreed to progress this reform subject to the findings of this inquiry. There is no new evidence that changes the case for removing the remaining restrictions on parallel imports of books. The Commission is recommending the repeal of the restrictions take effect no later than the end of 2017. We appreciate the fact that many of you came to Gondor in 2015, so this year we thought we might try something different. We'll come to you!
We can do this in a couple of ways. We can come to your writers' group meetings and do a writing workshop of the group's choice. Or we can find a local venue in your area and hold workshops there. We need help to do the latter. If you know of a reasonably priced venue in your area that would be suitable, please let me know. Talk to your writing group at the next meeting and let me know if any of the members are interested. A list of the workshops available is on the website. http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/workshops.html SUNSHINE COAST AND SURROUNDING AREA: First group to take us up on this offer was the Noosa Arts and Crafts Centre, Wallace House, 1, Wallace Dr, Noosaville. We will be running the following workshops there: As a prelude to a short story writing competition, Noosa Arts and Crafts are offering a short story workshop: Saturday March 19th from 9am to 4pm. Story plan: To write any story, no matter how long, the following list of subjects is important. But in a short story, you don't have much time or many words to get your message across or tell your tale. We will examine ways to make your short story memorable. We will cover: 1. The building blocks of a story 2. Character development 3. How to keep your reader engaged 4. How to end with a memorable twist The workshop will include a writing exercise and handouts to help you build your competition story. Four week writing course for beginners and advanced writers. Dates and times: Each Wednesday afternoon, 1pm to 4 pm from May 4th to May 25th. Week 1. Turning your idea into a story We will explore the building blocks that make a compelling story that no one can put down. Workshop includes establishing the best point of view for your story, the importance of setting, and how to add excitement, depth, and intrigue. Week 2. Creating memorable characters We examine ways to develop strong, believable characters that your reader either loves or hates ... depending on your intention. Many writers make the mistake of having characters that are too similar to each other and not well enough developed. Humans are not the same; we are multidimensional beings. While some people may have one or two similarities, we also have several different beliefs and habits. We examine personality types and learn how to develop them into interesting characters. Week 3. Creating a wondrous setting When we read a novel with a graphic description of the setting, we are transported to that place. If the description is too brief, then we have no idea what physical situation our characters are in and we lose interest. The use of our 5 senses is very important to create a sense of place. In this workshop, you will be given examples of how that is done and exercises on creating a setting that transports us to the place. Week 4. Plotting your story This workshop will cover the importance of structure. It doesn’t matter if you are a ‘plotter’ or a ‘pantser’ this workshop will help make sure your story flows, doesn’t go off track and keeps your reader hooked from start to finish. All the workshops will include writing exercises and handouts to help you build your story. Book now by emailing Noosa Arts and Crafts: create@noosaartsandcrafts.org.au Or by phoning Jean on 07 54 74 1211. Gondor will still be used as a venue for workshops. Our program will include one day and weekend workshops and will be released soon. More information on the workshops can be found at http://gondorwriterscentre.com Cheers Elaine and Ron Today is a very special day. It marks the beginning of a brand new year.
Each year we say we are going to have a good year; that this one is going to better than the last, but by saying that we are not doing ourselves a big favour. What we should be saying is "I'm going to MAKE it a good year", because whatever happens to us is a direct result of our actions. Sure, we can't control things that happen around us; like the death of a loved one or global terrorism and much more, but we can choose how to respond to it. If we live a positive life, surround ourselves with people who care, and work towards achieving our dreams, we can make a change in our lives and the lives of those around us. Instead of making resolutions, I choose to set goals. To me resolutions are airy-fairy things. When you set goals, you don't just say 'I want this to happen' (my book to be published etc) by a certain date; you sit down and list the things you need to do to make this happen. Then you put a time frame on each step (a mini-goal if you like). This is the only way you will reach your goal. For me, my primary goal this year is to finish the YA novel I started in 2008 as the creative component of my Master of Letters, and get it published. I also have other secondary goals, most to do with books and publishing: more of my Mystery of Nida Valley series, more books on megafauna for younger readers, and a new chapter book series I am working on called Bush Tales: short stories about my life growing up on a cattle and sheep station in the west of Queensland. Some are pure fiction (like The Bunyip in the Billabong, which is about a billabong in our front paddock and an old bush tale that a bunyip lived there) and some are from real events. To achieve these goals, I must set time aside out of my busy life for my own writing. So, as well as my editing and book set-up for others, presenting writing workshops at Gondor Writers' Centre, and organising school festivals all over the state, I have to nominate days or hours per week that are exclusively for my writing. A tall order I realise, but one worth pursuing. So, Sunday will be my day to sit and look at my calendar of work and events for the year, plan the workshops at Gondor, and analyse the time I need to put into each one. Then I can set days or hours per day when I can work on my goals. The important thing then is to stick to that plan as closely as life allows. Wish me luck! Good luck with your goals for this year. If there is any way that I can help you achieve those goals, you know where to find me. Below is a very appropriate post I found on LinkedIn this morning. Valarie Strawmier, an American writer and content consultant, wrote this. I'm sure she won't mind me sharing it. At the bottom of the page is a link to her page. (Posted without editing) Best wishes Elaine 'Darren Hardy reminded me today that you can never own success; you can only rent it, and the rent is due every single day. Wanting success never made anyone rich and famous or gave them the life of their dreams. You have to want it bad enough to do something about it. If someone asked you, "On a scale of 1-10, how bad do you want change," answering anything less than a 10 or more means you don't want it bad enough. Sure, an 8 or 9 means you want it pretty bad, but not enough. The only way you're going to be willing to fight thru the setbacks, obstacles and challenges that WILL show up that day is when you desperately want a change. If you wake up and find yourself answering that question with anything less than a 10, you need to remind yourself why you started and who you're fighting this battle for. Success doesn't show up because you kinda want it too. It only comes to those who want it bad enough to pay its rent every single day. Thank you Darren Hardy for keeping me on track!' Valerie Strawmier Content Consultant/Director & Branding Strategy/Writer Annie needs to know how many people will be attending her workshop by November 11th, so if you intend to book, please do so quickly. DON'T MISS THIS WORKSHOP ON WRITING ROMANCE BY BEST SELLING AUTHOR ANNIE SEATON. November 21st and 22nd. Annie lives on the beautiful mid north coast of New South Wales. Her debut novel Holiday Affair hit the best seller lists on both Amazon US and Amazon UK within a month of release in 2012. Annie has recently signed a three book deal with Pan Macmillan and her first print book, a romantic suspense novel, Kakadu Sunset will be available in bookshops December 22nd 2015. Annie's Workshop: How to write romance that sells: Day 1: Creating a top class manuscript that will be snapped up for publication. This workshop will examine trends and tropes in the romance genre, pacing, characterisation and self editing for correct usage of grammar and punctuation. Day 2: Positioning yourself in the market and establishing your brand prior to, and after publication. We will examine the use of importance of social media in today’s digital world, creation of websites and blogs and how to capture a slice of the market, whether you are traditionally, self published or e-published. You can come for one day @ $80 or two @ $160. Get your writer friends together and escape for the weekend. Full weekend package: Includes 2 day workshops, lunch two days, evening meal at Gondor Saturday night and accommodation at the Kilcoy Motel: $300 with share accommodation in 3 bedroom cabin. $320 if single motel room accommodation. Workshop and accommodation only: Single $250. Share $230. WIN A FREE MANUSCRIPT EVALUATION BY ANNIE: Competition: Send through the first 20 pages and a synopsis for your romance novel by November 11th. You could win one of 4 FREE evaluations by Annie on your romance story. To book phone 07 54 981 332 or go to http://www.gondorwriterscentre.com/workshop-bookings.html- |
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