| Welcome to the June newsletter! |
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Hi Writers!
I believe short stories have much to offer every writer, both in the reading and the writing. So, I'm thrilled that the Gold Coast Writers' Association has announced our first ever GCWA Short Story Competition.
The theme for the competition is 'Writing in the Sand.' Why is it a themed competition? Writing with constraints on word count, genre, or theme - or all three! - forces us to grow as writers. It's learning to write outside our comfort zone.
A member contacted me last week to clarify how to write to a themed prompt. This is my process. Take your time to muse on the theme or prompt. Make a word cloud, play with ideas. Start writing. Leave it for a few hours or days and then go back to it for another stab at it. Once you hit on a direction that grabs you, write your story in your chosen genre or style.
A romance writer might write about a proposal literally written in the sand. A horror writer might write about a monster that devours those who stumble on a deserted island, leaving strange markings on the sand. A thriller writer might write about someone who goes missing in the desert or a writer who moves to a beach shack to write their book and...
The writing in the sand can be real or metaphorical, desert or coastal, in a sandpit or longjump pit! The genre is your choice - romance, thriller, mystery, contemporary, historical... It's up to you!
Oh, and did I mention there are some great prizes?
Christine Betts
Newsletter Editor |
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President's Report
If you couldn’t make it to our June event, you missed meeting our new members and guests. Sixteen enthusiastic writers attended our meeting for the very first time. We started the day by encouraging everyone to introduce themselves to someone they hadn’t met before. We writers think we are an introverted bunch, but I can tell you there was a lot of chatter and laughter and hopefully the foundation for some amazing new friendships.
This has been one of the aims of the current committee to grow our association and encourage new members into our inspiring gatherings. I cannot sing the praises of our committee enough. They have each been working behind the scenes to not only bring you our monthly meetings but to bring additional value and events to our members. If you would like to join our committee, we are always looking for volunteers. We have lots of laughs and enjoy our time together. You will not be disappointed I can assure you.
This month’s meeting will be guaranteed to be a lot of fun. Paul Smith will be sharing his knowledge on weapons and how we can choose the right weapons for our stories and Jen Swenson will be sharing her know how on podcasting for writers. I hope to see many of you there on Saturday 16th July.
Until then keep writing, creating, and sharing your talents with the world. Kellie M Cox
President
Create, Inspire, Connect. |
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Our next meeting is on
This Saturday
18 July 2022
at
Burleigh Waters Community Centre
Christine Avenue, Burleigh Waters
Time: 12pm to 3pm. |
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Order of Events from 12pm - 12:00 Start
- 12:05 Introduction
- 12:15 Guest Speaker: Paul Smith - Choosing the right weapon for your characters!
- 13:00 Afternoon Tea: Pre-packed refreshments provided or BYO
- 13:45 Workshop: Podcasting with Jen Swensen
- 15:00 Close
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 | | Gun for Hire: Choosing the Right Weapon for your Character Author Paul Smith will be showing us replicas (not the real thing) of guns used by our favourite novel and film detectives. Learn the pros and cons of each choice of firearm for your character, get to handle them and see their size. Read more...
Paul is part of the Rainforest Writing Retreat crew. You can find him at www.PaulSmithAuthor.com |
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 | | Workshop: Podcasting In her Podcasting workshop, Jen will present the different aspects of creating a podcast, including practical steps in production, apps, software and hardware, and will share from her podcasting journey. This will be a practical and insightful workshop where you will have the ability to begin work on your own podcast. Read more... You can find The Change Room Podcast here... |
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 | Want to make a difference and have fun? The Committee of the Gold Coast Writers' Association would love to welcome new Committee members. Have a chat with any of the current committee members and let us know if you would like to join us or email Kellie at gcwa.president@gmail.com - Expand your circle of writer friends
- Give back to the Gold Coast Writing Community.
- Grow as a Writer and public speaker.
- Great addition to your Writer Bio.
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| | |  | Every Friday 10am to 3pm - All writers welcomeBook now Gold Coast Libraries, Queensland Writers Centre, and Gold Coast Writers' Association have teamed up to offer Gold Coast writers a space to cultivate their habit of writing and connect with other writers in the community. Following the Pomodoro Technique, Writing Fridays is a free, volunteer-led program for local writers at all levels. Check the GCWA Facebook page for updates.
GCCC Library website - Helensvale Library |
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 | | If you’re interested in writing a travel book, or if you are just generally interested in travel literature, this page will help you make the most out of the free resources we’ve built on this site. Read More... |
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 | Scriptable Scriptable is Queensland Writers Centre’s annual national program for emerging screenwriters looking to break into the industry. Submissions of unproduced scripts across a broad range of genres and formats are accepted, including short films, features, TV & web series.
5 shortlisted writers from the competition phase will be matched with a screen industry professional for 5 hours mentorship, with the aim of fostering ongoing creative and industry connections. All applicants are provided with a free development workshop tailored to commonalities across the cohort of applications, and opportunities for one-on-one feedback on applications are available.
Applications open 4 July – 16 August 2022.
Full Application Guidelines and an online Application Form are available at www.queenslandwriters.org.au/scriptable. |
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 | | The Magic of Finding Your Story
Saturday, 30 July 2022, 10 – 11am Creativity is a huge component for finding the perfect story for you to write. Often searching for the idea is what stops the writing process. This uplifting workshop is perfect for anyone who has thought about writing, but is not sure what idea to pursue, or for writers who are feeling a little stuck. Participants will leave feeling inspired and ready to dive deeply into their own writing projects. Author and writer Karyn Sepulveda utilises her background in theatre and teaching to teach ways to access your creativity for the best writing process. Read more... |
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 | | Writers' Block LIVESTREAM - Writing Junior Fiction with Dave Lowe
Saturday, 13 August 2022, 10.30am – 1.30pm You are in great hands with award-winning junior fiction author Dave Lowe. Author of eleven book, numerous plays and an episode of Bluey. Today he will teach you how to hook your reader in, develop interesting characters, use voice, dialogue and humour in your writing and focus on pacing. Dave will mention pitfalls of writing and how to avoid them and finally, how best to approach publishers. Read more... |
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 | | Judy Woolin writes children's action adventure books aimed at 8-10 year olds. Check out her blog full of reviews of children's, adult's and non-fiction books. Read more... |
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The annual Byron Writers Festival is Australia’s largest and leading regional celebration of storytelling, literature and ideas. Each year we present more than 150 sessions during Festival Week and attract an audience of approximately 12,000 people (or 70,000 individual attendances) in the stunning surrounds of Byron Bay. Read more... |
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| Join us!
Become a Member of the Gold Coast Writers' Association Somerset Storyfest are thrilled to offer members of the Gold Coast Writers Association free membership to Storyfest for 2022! Any members joining or renewing their GCWA membership in 2022, Storyfest's membership programme includes the following benefits:
- 1x piece of Storyfest merchandise. Your choice of a hat, drink bottle or coffee cup
- Exclusive preview to our annual festival programme
- Early bird tickets to all events all year
- 10% discount on tickets all year, including catered events
- 10% discount at the festival bookshop
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| More GCWA membership information here... |
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 | | This is a podcast about the first time…you publish a book. The First Time is one part reality show, one part writers’ master class. Each episode, we’ll speak to an Australian writer or industry insider about all the feelings and logistics of publishing a debut. Read more... |
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Gold Coast Writers’ Association Members group. |
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