| Welcome to the May newsletter! |
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Hi Writers!
What inspires you? For me, it's always been about travel, which has made the last few years challenging, but I spent a few days in Canberra this month. Now you might think our nation's capital is not the most inspiring of places but I went to see the Jeffrey Smart Retrospective at the National Gallery of Australia. His painting, The Traveller, normally in the Queensland Art Gallery, is a master work. Inspiration can be found anywhere, even in Canberra! I also went to the Brisbane Writers Festival (BWF) on Sunday. What a great event! I somehow found myself in a room with some of the big names in contemporary Australian literature. I was only invited because my Flash Fiction story, Southbank, was on the winners list for the BWF Southbank First Date Story competition. It was thrilling and terrifying and I probably made a bit of a wally of myself by being a bit too excited. I'm a big fan of enthusiasm but I may have to learn to play it cool when I'm around the bigshots!
Something I am not going to play it cool about is announcing that my story How I Got This Tattoo has been awarded the Tasmanian Writers Prize for 2022. You can read it here. I didn't think it was 'literary enough' but I entered anyway! There's no downside to having a go. Christine Betts
Newsletter Editor |
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President's Report
Welcome to the May edition of the newsletter for writers.
Writers are lovers of books, which is why I am surprised when writers tell me they don’t often read. Reading is, in fact, one of the best ways to improve one’s craft. I notice phrases that don’t read well in books and these phrases can be the same things that creep into my own manuscripts, if not recognised. Reading is a great way to learn about character development. We see the qualities that create depth, likeability, and vulnerabilities in characters. Through reading, we learn about plot; we recognise gaps in plots, and we appreciate when a good plot keeps us turning the page.
To track how much I read each year, I have been participating in the Goodreads Reading Challenge. I must admit, in the last two years I have failed miserably; not even coming close to meeting my reading challenge of 150 books per year. This year started strong, but I have fallen behind and currently have only read 28 books. Goodreads reminds me I am 21 books behind schedule.
When I worked in a film academy, one of the screenwriters and I enjoyed a little competition when it came to reading. When we saw each other in the hall or in the kitchen, we greeted each other with just a single number. This was the number of books we had read so far for that year. At the staff Christmas party, we would decide the winner – the person who had read the most books for the year. It was a fun way to keep each other accountable. So, if you are up for a little healthy competition, when you see me at the meetings, tell me your book number and which book you highly recommend, even if it’s your own. I am now off to find book number 29.
Until next meeting, keep reading, writing, and creating. Kellie M Cox
President
Create, Inspire, Connect. |
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Please note the
NEW LOCATION FOR
MAY GCWA MEETING! |
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Our next meeting is on
Saturday
21 May 2022
at
Room G4
Southport Community Centre
6 Lawson Street
Southport
Time: 12pm to 3pm.
Parking is available in the council car park behind the library. |
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Order of Events from 12pm - 12:00 Start
- 12:05 Introduction
- 12:15 Guest Speaker: Lucia Masciullo
- 13:00 Afternoon Tea: Pre-packed refreshments provided or BYO
- 13:45 Workshop: Crafting a short story with Kate Kelsen
- 15:00 Close
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| Our May Speaker – Lucia Masciullo |
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 | | Connecting Image and Word - A conversation about the balance of words and images. Do you want to know the point of view of a visual storyteller? Did you ever wonder what is the process an illustrator follows to go from text to fully illustrated pages? An engaging conversation on the delicate balance between words and images in picture books.
Lucia is an award-winning illustrator who loves to create whimsical characters and colouring with traditional techniques, mixing watercolour, pencil and collage.
Born and bred in Livorno, Italy, she moved to Australia in 2007 and since then she has illustrated thirty books, among which Come Down, Cat!, by Sonya Hartnett, CBCA Honour Book and shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Award. Read more... |
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 | | Kate Kelsen presents the May GCWA Writers Workshop -
Crafting a Short Story In this workshop, Kate will draw on her success from multiple competition wins to help you master short story writing. She will also show you the value of practicing short-form writing, and how it can improve your storytelling overall. Participants will have the opportunity to write their own flash fiction short story up to 500 words. You can read Kate's most recent winning story here... |
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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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 | | The Ten Penners wish to announce the title of our next anthology...
...drum roll please... Backyard Beasts and Curious Capers. This book will be launched at the October meeting of The Gold Coast Writers Association. Hope you can join us!
Pre-orders are available by contacting Jill by email at smith.jillwrites@gmail.com
The Ten Penners would love two new members! Do you write for Children and interested in joining us in this anthology adventure. If this sounds like you, call me on 0403275334 (not on Tuesdays or Thursdays) or email me at smith.jillwrites@gmail.com
The Ten Penners' next meeting is at Helensvale Library on the 4th of June between 10 am and 12 noon in the Multi-purpose Room.
Bring your ideas for a short story or two on the theme 'Backyard stories' from children's viewpoints. (around 1500 words)
If you are not wanting to contribute to the anthology, come and meet us anyway. We are a friendly bunch and excited about this project. We hope two GCWA members will join us.
Jill Smith, Co-ordinator of The Ten Penners, a subgroup of Gold Coast Writers Association Member 259. |
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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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 | | Right Left Write is run in conjunction with the QWC weekly newsletter, Pen & Pixel. Each month a new prompt, word or theme is announced, then it’s over to you to create a short story of up to 500 words and right, left, write. Queensland Writers Centre members can enter for free and non-members can enter for a $5 fee. Read more... |
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 | The ABR Podcast is a program that features extended interviews and major features from the magazine, such as essays, reviews, and short stories, recorded and discussed by their authors. Each episode will focus on a different subject or author reflecting the rich variety of content published in the magazine. Show notes will be available on the website. Each episode will be available on the website, Soundcloud and iTunes. |
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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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| 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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