Workshops filling up!

Workshops for the Grassroots Weekend are filling up fast. 

'Not Just Poetry' is already fully booked. 

Please give second and third preferences when booking. Registrations close 8 May. 

And don't forget to register now for the fabulous Grassroots Writers' Dinner on Saturday night 18 May at the Park Beach Surf Club. 

A great opportunity to mix with other writers, enjoy some general trivia and have a delicious meal. All for just $35 a ticket. 

Partners/friends welcome. 

Book here.

How to book your ticket: Contact Julianna Garaty on 0404236762 or jgaraty1946@gmail.com

Paying for the weekend of workshops and optional barbecue and dinner: Indicate your preferred method of payment in your email or phone contact with Julianna.

Direct credit can be made to our bank account:

Coffs Harbour Writers’ Group Inc

BSB: 533000

Account no: 46423

Note: Make sure your name is in the required field

Gill Goater

Gill Goater

Gill’s been involved in writing for many years. She’s especially interested in modern poetry and the breadth of human experiences poets write about. She facilitates a poetry group in Port Macquarie and is a member of a writers group where she presents occasional workshops. Gill’s work has been published in anthologies, magazines, on ABC regional radio and in her book Occupied by Gods.

Not Just Poetry  Facilitator  Gill Goater

The techniques poets use will be helpful for anyone who’d like 

to lift their poetry or prose to a higher level. In this workshop

we’ll look first at how to create lively imagery followed by a written

 exercise using a template to write a poem or evocative prose piece.

Roby Aiken

Roby Aiken

Roby Aiken is the author of The Traders Series, an epic fantasy trilogy. She has written many short stories, and is currently working on a suspense thriller set in the Australian Outback. She has been a member of the Nambucca Valley Writers’ Group for twenty years, and is proudly their current President. 

Kick Start your Writing:

Facilitator: Roby Aiken

Roby Aiken takes you through a practical guide to make sure your writing resolutions for 2019 stick! Roby has a number of published works and speaks from the experience of knowing what works!

Where do you begin? How do you start? Do you schedule your writing time? Are you a plotter or a ‘pantser’? How many words do you write each day? How many do you need for your WIP? 

This discussion will look at these questions and more, and will help both experienced writers and new writers find out how others write and what works for them. 

Greg Barron

Greg Barron

Crime, terrorism, history, international politics and the wide open spaces of outback Australia are all passionate interests of author Greg Barron. He has lived in North America, New South Wales and the Northern Territory. His books, published by HarperCollins Australia and Stories of Oz Publishing, are gutsy page turners that tell the truth about the world, then and now. Rotten Gods was long listed for the prestigious Ned Kelly awards, and has been lauded as "one of the most sophisticated geopolitical thrillers ever written." Savage Tide was described by ABC Radio reviewer Rob Minshull as: "Both supremely intelligent and written at breathtaking pace."

Camp Leichhardt is the first of his Australian Stories , and was serialised in 2016 to wide acclaim. Rotten Gods, Savage Tide, Voodoo Dawn and Lethal Sky all feature Marika Hartmann, the Australian intelligence agent who won the hearts of readers all over the world.

Writing Historical Fiction

Facilitator: Greg Barron

Make your historical fiction ring true with tips from widely published author, Greg Barron. The authenticity of historical fiction depends on your knowledge and use of historical detail but also your characterisation, your creation of setting and use of language. You must build the world of your characters and make the period and the characters come alive

Elizabeth Bond

Elizabeth Bond

Elizabeth Bond is the copywriter behind Whirlybird Words, and she’s on a mission to grow innovative business in regional Australia, one word at a time.

As a self-confessed word nerd and marketing junkie, she enjoys crafting engaging, strategic and search-engine-optimisation (SEO)-friendly content that helps businesses genuinely connect with their ideal customers. 

She’s been writing professionally since 2003, and has qualifications in media, journalism, marketing and training. She lives on a property by the beach with her two dogs (office managers) in the spectacular Nambucca Valley, NSW.

http://whirlybirdwords.com.au/

https://www.facebook.com/whirlybirdwords/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethjbond/

https://www.instagram.com/whirlybirdwords/

Marketing for Writers

Facilitator: Elizabeth Bond

Does marketing your work make you tremble? Whether you’re self-published or have a publishing contract, you’ll need more than just a great book.

Having a personal profile helps engage your audience, expand your network and makes you appealing to publishers.

Filled with practical tips, this dynamic workshop will cover: your audience, personal brand, online profiles, social media, networking and more.

With the power of technology, it’s time to start building yours now!    

Michael Burlace

Michael Burlace

Michael Burlace is a newspaper sub editor who is learning fiction writing as he goes. He teaches others to write, edit and rewrite so their work flows and draws the reader along. This method liberates writers from their pesky inner critic and allows them to drop habits that interfere with good writing.

His workshops are fun and full of useful tools and techniques for writing, editing, publishing and promoting works.

Engaging your Reader

Facilitator: Michael Burlace

The most important character in your book is the reader.

How do you get that person to stay in the story all the way from the title to the final lines that wrap it up neatly?

Editor and writer, Michael Burlace, will look at how to carry a reader along with you and what turns them off!

Bring some of your writing. Also bring a novel you've read and love re-reading.

Laurel Cohn

Laurel Cohn 

Laurel Cohn is an editor passionate about the power of stories to communicate. As a developmental editor she has been helping writers since the 1980s prepare their work for publication. She spent five years with one of Australia’s top literary agents and four years as Consultant Editor to the NSW Writers’ Centre before turning freelance. She works with individual writers, publishers and self-publishers, and is a popular workshop presenter. She has a PhD in Literary and Cultural Studies. www.laurelcohn.com.au

Nail your Story and your Pitch

Facilitator: Laurel Cohn

In a world of communications dominated by headlines and key words, it is crucial to pitch your project to others concisely. You may be required to give a verbal pitch as well as one in writing or asked for a one-liner or for an extended synopsis. The key to a successful pitch is a clear and fundamental understanding of what it is you are writing and where it fits in the publishing world. This is relevant whether you are just starting out on a story idea of whether you are well under way.  Sounds easy in theory, but in practice, encapsulating your writing project in one sentence, a short blurb or even a 500 word synopsis can feel more difficult than writing a book-length work. This workshop offers tips and tools to help frame your work for different publishing opportunities, and shows how synopsis writing can help you develop your ideas from an early stage. Whether you are applying for a mentorship or grant, entering a pitching competition, submitting work to an agent or publisher, self-publishing, or just beginning your writing journey, your ability to pitch your work well and appropriately plays a crucial role in success.