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Hi Writers!
I have been immersed in the world of short stories for the past few weeks. My work-in-progress novel lay untouched and unloved while I wrote my Scarlet Stiletto entries. Once they were winging their way to Sisters in Crime HQ in Melbourne, I turned to your entries for the GCWA short story competition. I was thrilled by the diversity of interpretations of the theme. Writers found stories at the coast, in the desert, in an hourglass, and even in a tiny, portable Zen garden.
As with all competitions, there can only be a small number of prizes. Adherence to the rules of submission and those of the English language play their part, but in evaluating fiction writing, the heart and mind of the reader/judge play a role, too. The story needs to reach out and grab the reader. Unless you are writing only for yourself, this should be the goal every time you sit down to write.
Hot tip: Always read your story aloud to yourself or a friend. Try it and let me know!
If this was your first experience of writing for a themed competition, I hope it won't be your last. We regularly post links to competitions on the GCWA Members Facebook Group and on the GCWA website competitions page. Regardless of the outcome, if you use each story as an opportunity to improve your craft, the win is always in the writing.
Christine Betts
Newsletter Editor |
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President's Report
Welcome to the September newsletter and, sadly, my final President’s Report.
I have decided against nominating for President in the upcoming AGM. To date, I have served as a General Committee Member, Vice-President for two terms, and President. It is time to hand the reigns over. I am planning on staying on the committee as I have a number of projects I would like to see through to completion, and I look forward to sitting back and enjoying the meetings and getting time to chat with you all over coffee.
My goal, as I stepped into the role of President in September 2021, was to build partnerships with our fellow writing colleagues to enhance benefits to our members. Since that time, we have partnered with Queensland Writers Centre to bring you Writing Fridays at Elanora Library and the inclusion of the GCWA in the Regional Writers Group Meetings. Somerset Storyfest has come on as a major contributor providing free Somerset Storyfest memberships to our new and renewing members, and the City of Gold Coast Libraries have been active in inviting us to promote GCWA through events and collaborations. We have had many more writing group representatives join us to present at meetings or offer events and competitions through our newsletter and social media.
Working with a passionate committee of eleven, I challenged them to come up with their very own passion projects to promote GCWA and add value for members. We have seen printed brochures distributed through libraries and community centres; radio announcements of our meetings; our 2022 Short Story Competition and our first ever Write and Sip event, which was a sell-out. The number of new members each month has been astounding, seeing new faces every meeting has re-energised our association and our existing members have provided a welcoming space for writers of all skill levels to share in our passion.
We still have a number of committee roles vacant, and I hope to see new volunteers stepping into these positions. You will bring with you exciting ideas, passion and skills which will grow our talented group even further. It has been a great honour to have been tasked with the role of President for the last year and I look forward to congratulating the new President and committee when they are elected in September. Until then, keep being the amazing creatives you are.
Kellie M Cox President
Create, Inspire, Connect. |
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Our next meeting is on
Saturday
17 September 2022
at
Burleigh Waters Community Centre
Christine Avenue, Burleigh Waters
Time: 12pm to 3pm. |
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Members and visitors are encouraged to arrive 10-15 minutes early to complete the entry process so we can start on time. If you have flu-like symptoms, please stay at home and get better quickly. Entry prices are: Members: $5.00 (EFTPOS payment preferred, although cash is acceptable)
Visitors: $10.00 (EFTPOS payment preferred, although cash is accepted) |
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Order of Events from 12pm - 12:00 Start
- 12:05 Introduction
- 12:15 Annual General Meeting
- 13:00 Afternoon Tea: Pre-packed refreshments provided or BYO
- 13:45 Workshop: Marketing and Branding with Sofia Aves
- 15:00 Close
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 | | Marketing and Author Branding with USA Today Bestselling author Sofia Aves Marketing and author branding is crucial in the bookish world. Readers love to follow their favourite authors across socials and newsletters to create a solid base of super fans. Sofia Aves will cover consistency in branding, marketing books, newsletters and her favourite topic: writing binge-worthy romance. Sofia writes fast-paced police romances, sizzling military units, steamy cowboys with a Montana backdrop and the occasional cheeky god. As Marketing & Events Manager for Romance Writers of Australia, she loves to see authors flourish in their careers while sending her budget broke buying their books. Sofia writes kidlit for charity and has over one hundred and forty publications across four not-so-super-secret pen names. Read more... |
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| Congratulations to GCWA member Steve Treffery. Steve is excited by a positive response to his application for the QWC Fishbowl Residency and is now waitlisted. |
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 | | Have a daunting project but no support? Queensland Writers Centre’s Fishbowl Residency provides the writing space, mentorship and assistance for one lucky writer to complete a draft of their work. Read more... |
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 | | Congratulations to GCWA member David Thomas Kay for yet another award for his Circles of Time series. Book One: The Sword of Saint Isidores has won a Bronze medal in the 2022 Readers' Favorite Awards. |
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| The GCWA Annual General Meeting is being held this Saturday. Being part of this brilliant committee has been such a joyful experience. Please join us if you want to have fun, learn to feel comfortable speaking in front of an audience, and give back to your writing community. |
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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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 | | Each month the Gold Coast Libraries offers brilliant workshops and author talks. |
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 | Create a compelling atmosphere and the right mood in your work, and express its emotional truth through setting. Read more... Place in which you set your fiction or creative non-fiction is crucial to creating a compelling atmosphere and the right mood in your work. This course incorporates theory, discussion and practical exercises. Learning outcomes - To understand the role of place in literature and in their work
- To learn how to use place to add psychological depth to work
- To learn how to use place to express emotional truth of work
- To learn how to write place as a character of its own
- Vivid writing techniques
Dr Lee Kofman is a Russian-born, Israeli-Australian author of three fiction books and two memoirs. Book now |
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 | | Book now for Jane Harper at Robina Library International bestselling author Jane Harper is back with her latest thriller, Exiles. Jane will be live at our Robina Library for an in conversation event to talk about her new book, and her journey from journalist to award winning crime writer. Read more...
Don't miss this signature author event where you'll discover more about the inspiration behind Jane's storytelling style of 'outback noir', and the Australian landscapes that feature in her books. This is a not to be missed event with one of Australia's most acclaimed contemporary crime writers! Book now |
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 | | Meet international bestselling author Fiona McIntosh at this signature author talk to chat about her latest historical adventure, The Orphans. Don't miss this opportunity to hear from Fiona, a master at her craft, in person at our Helensvale Library. Fiona will share her inspiration behind the novel and the characters she has created, and more about her writing journey that has resulted in bestselling vivid and thought-provoking historical dramas. Book now |
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 | Winning Short Story Competitions - Essential tools for the serious writer. The bestselling short story writing guide authored by competition judges L. E. Daniels & C. Sawyer.
Two lucky entrants of our 2022 GCWA short story competition will receive a copy of this book, donated by Christine Betts. |
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 | On Wednesday 24 August we held our first Write & Sip event at the Whisky Lounge Mudgeeraba.
23 eager writers enjoyed 2+ hours of fun writing activities. Watch this space for the next Write and Sip event. Here are some pics from the event in August.
Here are some of the comments... "Thank you Christine and Kate for a fantastic evening! Loved the variety of writing activities, and walked away with two short stories that have been fun to share with family and friends. Looking forward to your next Write and Sip  " ~ Di
"Looking forward to the next one! Great fun!!" ~ Mary
"It was such a good night! Can't wait for the next one." ~ Rochelle |
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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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Gold Coast Writers’ Association Members group. |
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