Brisbane Art of Writing Retreat, February 22-25, 2024
The Art of Engaging Your Reader
All sessions conducted at
Level 1,
Old Mineral House,
2 Edward St, City.
INCLUDES:
Welcome drinks, finger food, and opening aperitivo.
Daily workshops, all tuition, handouts, and folders.
Hearty morning tea, coffee and sandwiches served daily.
3 Days + 1 Night Workshop.
COST: $1,300
4 writers, editors and guest lecturers.
Please note this program does not include accommodation or travel transfers.
Thursday, February 22nd
1800
Welcome Aperitivo
Meet your fellow writers over wine and aperitif yummies. Introduction to Lisa Clifford, you, your work and the days ahead.
Friday, February 23rd
9:30 – 11:00
THE FUNDAMENTALS OF STORYTELLING, Lisa Clifford
Let’s strip story back to the basics in our first class. Before we can move into Character and Plot, the craft involved in engaging your reader must be understood. Drama, suspense, conflict, narrative and more - your confidence starts here, in understanding the main elements of great stories.
11:00 – 11:30
Full morning tea, coffee and sandwiches provided.
For a good story to have any chance of success it must be populated with believable characters. Not every hero is exclusively good; not every villain is plain bad. By referring to examples and using writing exercises, we examine the importance of flaws in protagonists and redemptive qualities in antagonists, and explore the need for a broad spectrum of colours when it comes to the character palette, as opposed to the clichés of black and white.
11:30-1300
CHARACTER, Lisa Clifford.
For a good story to have any chance of success it must be populated with believable characters. Not every hero is exclusively good; not every villain is plain bad. By referring to examples and using writing exercises, we examine the importance of flaws in protagonists and redemptive qualities in antagonists, and explore the need for a broad spectrum of colours when it comes to the character palette, as opposed to the clichés of black and white.
13:00-14:00
LUNCH BREAK
Learn how to add authenticity to your settings and characters, create atmospheres and articulate descriptions that show, not just tell, your reader’s location through its sounds, touch, smells and tastes.
14:00-15:30
SENSE OF PLACE, Lisa Clifford
Learn how to add authenticity to your settings and characters, create atmospheres and articulate descriptions that show, not just tell, your reader’s location through its sounds, touch, smells and tastes.
Saturday, February 24th
09:30-1100
THE ART OF MEMOIR, Lisa Clifford.
Using examples from Lisa’s best-selling memoir, The Promise, learn how to collect, collate and recount your own story. A compelling memoir digs deep into themes. How do we boil your story down to concentrate on what thematically truly matters to you? And how do we say that in 80,000 words? ‘Life writing’ is about your journey and always has a distinct story arc. How has your life challenged and changed you? And how do we set up the scenes that show that?
11:00 – 11:30
Full morning tea, coffee and sandwiches.
Decide which character needs to tell your story. Get under their skin and push the plot through their eyes. How to try out multi-viewpoints making sure they are clearly signposted. Dialogue is a great tool for plot and point of view so let’s combine them in this class. Learn ways to bring characters alive with their speech patterns, move your story along and develop enduring connections with readers.
11:30-1300
POINT OF VIEW AND DIALOGUE, Sarah Armstrong.
Decide which character needs to tell your story. Get under their skin and push the plot through their eyes. How to try out multi-viewpoints making sure they are clearly signposted. Dialogue is a great tool for plot and point of view so let’s combine them in this class. Learn ways to bring characters alive with their speech patterns, move your story along and develop enduring connections with readers.
13:00-14:00
LUNCH BREAK
Bring your writing alive by learning how to write 'in scene' - with detail and description that take the reader right into the moment. Find out when (and why) to write 'in scene' and when to use summary. Play around with writing reflection and the question of how much reflection is necessary.
14:00-15:30
SCENE AND SUMMARY, Sarah Armstrong.
Bring your writing alive by learning how to write 'in scene' - with detail and description that take the reader right into the moment. Find out when (and why) to write 'in scene' and when to use summary. Play around with writing reflection and the question of how much reflection is necessary.
Sunday, February 25th
09:30-11:00
STRUCTURING YOUR PLOT - Laurel Cohn, guest structural editor and lecturer.
A story is like a creature. Whether it resembles a human with two arms, two legs and one head, or has a multitude of limbs and unusual features, it needs to be able to stand on its own and deliver its creator's intent. This session explores foundational principles of story structure and why they matter. Laurel also introduces tools and strategies for writers to check their story has the key elements required to carry a compelling story.
11:00-11:30
Full morning tea, coffee and sandwiches provided.
Laurel Cohn shows us how to resist the temptation of using a slab of backstory rather than artfully placing our character's history throughout our story. The how, when, where and why to including past in our text.
11:30-13:00
THE ART OF BALANCING BACKSTORY.
Laurel Cohn shows us how to resist the temptation of using a slab of backstory rather than artfully placing our character's history throughout our story. The how, when, where and why to including past in our text.
13:00-14:00
LUNCH BREAK.
Benython Oldfield, Samuel Bernard.
14:00 – 15:30
Guest Literary Agents.
Benython Oldfield, Samuel Bernard.
Chatting with a top literary agent is a wonderful opportunity to make connections. Agents are always seeking amazing manuscripts. But how do you make yours leap out of the ‘Talent Pool (the new word for slush pile). Whether you focus on memoir, fiction, narrative non-fiction, sci-fi fantasy, crime or romance, or even Young Adult, what are the major problems with submissions? And how can you avoid them?
Zeitgeist Literary Agency
Discussion and Q and A.
Chatting with a top literary agent is a wonderful opportunity to make connections. Agents are always seeking amazing manuscripts. But how do you make yours leap out of the ‘Talent Pool (the new word for slush pile). Whether you focus on memoir, fiction, narrative non-fiction, sci-fi fantasy, crime or romance, or even Young Adult, what are the major problems with submissions? And how can you avoid them?