| Welcome to the January newsletter! |
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| Hi Writers! Why write? I believe writers first put pen to paper out of a desire to connect. It's a natural impulse for Humans to make sense of our environment and reading is a huge part of that drive and the stories we read impact who we become as we grow up. Those of us who become writers feel we have a story worth telling, something to offer the readers of the future. You could say that in this way, writers live forever!
So as we hunker down, yet again, to ride out another wave, try to find the time to write. We don’t know the impact our words may have and if you can, get your words out there in front of some readers, because today might just be the day that particular poem or story is needed. Stay well and keep writing! Christine Betts
Newsletter Editor |
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| You can find GCWA membership information here... |
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President's Report
Welcome to 2022 and although we may be off to a rocky start, we have an exciting year in store. We were forced to make the difficult decision to cancel our January meeting due to the number of committee and members unable to attend. We will always act in the best interests of our members and guests and ensure we follow the requirements to bring our meetings together safely. As this wave of illness hits our state, we have hunkered down for the month of January, but look forward to seeing you all again next month.
Our special guest scheduled for January was to be Andrea Lewis, CEO/Festival Director of Somerset Storyfest. The committee has been working with Andrea and her team to find ways to create more events for our members. Andrea was due to announce an incredibly generous offer to our association. GCWA members both new and renewing in 2022 will be able to obtain a one-year complimentary Somerset Storyfest membership as part of their GCWA membership.
Our talented YA Author Selena Jane was to speak at the Surfers Paradise Beach Library in January with Somerset Storyfest and although this also had to be cancelled, it will be rescheduled for later in the year. We hope many of you will attend this special event.
What a great partnership with many more events and collaborations coming in 2022. I hope while everyone stays safe and well you also find a way to connect with your fellow writers, whether it is to check in on their writing journey or just to say hello. I would encourage you to remember that these are difficult and confusing times. Be kind to yourself and each other and stay safe and well. Kellie M Cox
President
Create, Inspire, Connect. |
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Our next meeting is on
Saturday 19 February 2022
at Burleigh Waters Community Centre,
Christine Avenue. |
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 | | Set your 2022 Writing Goals! New Year’s resolutions are notorious for failure. Fueled by enthusiasm, a few days, weeks or even months into the year, we come up against challenges, we get busy, we lose our motivation and become disheartened. 30 & 90 Day Plans help you break down your big goals into smaller, more manageable goals. Read more... |
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 | Got a writing-related win to celebrate?
Email gcwa.news@gmail.com with your writing milestone and we will celebrate it with you by announcing it to the world here in eWriteabout. |
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 | | We may not be able to gather in person this month, but please enjoy this interview with GCWA member David Thomas Kay, talking about his stunning historical fiction books. |
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 | Come and join us on the GCWA Facebook page and members, be sure to join the
Gold Coast Writers’ Association Members group. |
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| The 2021 GCWA Christmas party was held at the Currumbin RSL on December 11. The Secret Santa, naturally with a bookish theme, was a hit. See more photos in our new Gallery on the GCWA website. |
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 | | Writing Fridays at Elanora Library Covid Omnicron has thrown a spanner into the works for Writing Fridays. We will be back in February. Please check the GCWA Facebook page for updates. |
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| | | | Opportunities and Competitions |
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 | | GWN Summer Writing Competition Open We’re looking for fiction up to 500 words and poetry up to 20 lines on the theme of ‘heat’. Send us your spec fic, horror, fantasy, literary, historical, or uncategorised words! Use your imagination, twist it up, make us stop and take a breath. $5 entry fee for current financial members or $10 if you are not a paid member of GWN. Prizes for winners and runners-up in each category. See how to enter and pay your entry fee at the link above. Entries are open now! Competition closes Monday 31 January. |
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 | | The 2022 Award Mentorship Program for Writers and Illustrators supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund
Entries close 31 January 2022, 5pm AEDT
Thanks to a grant from the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund, the ASA are able to offer a new mentorship program for writers and illustrators, to help you develop your work to a publishable standard.
A team of experts will assess all submissions and award the following free mentorship packages to 20 winners in 2022. Read more... |
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 | | The Cloncurry Prize is one of Australia’s richest poetry competitions with a cash prize of $10,000. The competition aims to showcase the essence of outback Australia. The Cloncurry Prize is open to Australian Citizens, living in Australia with all entries to be assessed by a select panel of judges. The Junior Competition is open to Queensland school aged individuals with a cash prize of $250. The theme of the 2022 Cloncurry Prize Poetry Competition is “Spirit of the Outback”. Entries close: 1 February 2022 at 11.59 AEST. Read more... |
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 | Positive Words Mini Competition
Open to: All
Theme: Contains the word: Surf
Accepts: Short Story or Poetry
Size: 100 words or 10 lines
Entry Fee: $2.20 in unused stamps
Prize: Six months subscription to Positive Words |
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 | | Applications close this Tuesday, 18 January 2022
Program longlist notified: Late February 2022
Program shortlist notified: Early March
Program dates: Gold Coast Film Festival 20 April – 1 May 2022 Adaptable seeks material for film or television adaptation. Open to writers across Australia and New Zealand, the contest accepts any genre, fiction or non-fiction, published or unpublished. Queensland Writers Centre also identifies several early career unpublished/emerging writers to pitch their work to screen creatives, with these writers receiving mentorship and advice prior to the pitching sessions. Each successful applicant is given the opportunity to pitch published and/or publication-ready novels, short stories, biographies, and non-fiction works with potential for screen adaptation to producers, showrunners, and screenwriters. See the QWC website for more information. |
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 | | black&write! Writing Fellowships Each year black&write! offers two Fellowships for unpublished manuscripts by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writers. The winning Fellows work closely with black&write! editors to develop their manuscripts for publication. We are proud to work with our publishing partner, Hachette Australia. Applications for the 2022 black&write! Writing Fellowships are now open! Submit your entry before 5pm Wednesday 2 February 2022. |
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 | Save the date: Brisbane, 18-20 February 2022. An initiative of Queensland Writers Centre, GenreCon is the leading conference for genre writers.Featuring an impressive line-up of leading names in Australian and international genre fiction across a spectacular weekend of panels, workshops and special events, 2022’s conference is dedicated to you - The Storyteller. Plus, don’t miss out on your chance to pitch your work to leading publishers and agents. Full program live now! |
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 | | GenreCon 2022 Short Story Competition
Taking over our regular #RightLeftWrite flash fiction competition for the month of January is the annual GenreCon Short Story Competition.
Newsletter Editor Christine Betts won the November #RightLeftWrite competition. Join Christine and other members of the GCWA entering in January.
Submit your best short genre fiction (up to 1000 words) on the theme of Tarot before 31 January, 2022.
Entry is free for all Queensland Writers Centre members and GenreCon 2022 ticketholders. (Non-members entry free - $10) Enter Now! |
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The Queensland Writers Centre is a community that champions writers across Queensland. We help writers at all stages of their writing journey develop skills to improve their craft, engage their readers and build a sustainable career. Read more... |
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 | | Stringybark Short Story Awards 2022 Closes: 11:59 pm AEDT 13 Feb 2022 Length: ≤1500 words Award value: Over $1000 in cash and books. Entry fees: $14 for one story, $26 for two stories, $36 for three stories (max).
Read more... |
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 | | The Tasmanian Writer's Prize 2022 Entries close February 14, 2022. The prize is for short stories up to 3,000 words having an island, or island-resonant, theme. The winning entry will receive a cash prize of $500. A selection of the best entries will be published in the Forty South Short Story Anthology 2022. Read more... |
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 | | Writing Friday is a free, volunteer-led program for Queensland writers at all levels. It connects writers with other writers in their local community and provides a space — usually a library or community centre — where Queenslanders can cultivate their habit of writing, following the Pomodoro technique. Join us every Friday at Queensland Writers Centre or get in touch to find your nearest Writing Friday group! |
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 | | Stories Behind the Story podcast takes listeners behind the scenes to hear about the dramatic personal experiences that inspire authors. Spotlighting everyone from debut authors to the biggest names in publishing, host Cheryl Akle’s wide ranging and engaging conversational style encourages authors to open up about themselves and their writing, making for fascinating listening. You can listen to the Better Reading podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. |
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 | LIVE STREAM: Writing Ethical True Crime with Ruth McIver
Saturday, 22 January 2022
10:30 am 1:30 pm
Book Tickets While true crime is nothing new, over the past few years true-crime inspired fiction and true-crime memoirs have become a best-selling and award winning sub-genre. Working in this area as a researcher and writer, Ruth McIver proposes that this imaginative and personal response to private and collective trauma, is both necessary and cathartic. However, these dark places are perilous, and the terrain we are navigating has no guide book. This workshop attempts to shine a light on the questions crime writers working in this area want answered. |
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 | | Why I write... In a few sentences, tell us why you write. To be published in the GCWA newsletter. Email: gcwa.news@gmail.com |
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| Feedback Welcome! You may have noticed the changing face of the Newsletter and the Website. Please let us know what you think of the changes. Contact Us... |
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