Writers Studio

COURSE PRICES
DATES & EARLY BIRD SPECIALS
LIVE & ONLINE COURSES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT WE DO AT THE WRITERS' STUDIO

We offer Creative Writing Courses at our Sydney Studio in Bronte or online.

Courses combine a totally practical process with personal tuition and feedback.This, plus our unique, interactive online component will bring out the best in you and your writing.

Roland Fishman, who created The Writers' Studio in 1992, conducts all live classes. He has been a professional writer since 1980, worked as a journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald and has published three books.

For those who haven't worked with us, we offer two main creative writing courses.

1. Four-Week Unlocking Creativity Writing Course.
Whether you’re a complete beginner, a professional writer or somewhere in between, you’ll learn tools and techniques to unlock your creativity and dramatically improve your writing, from the very first class.

2. Ten-Month Novel and Script First Draft Writing Course. Many people dream of writing their novel or screenplay - this course will get you doing it. You'll learn all about story structure, find the story you want to write and complete the first draft of your novel or screenplay in ten months.

The Writers' Studio was established in 1992 in Sydney, Australia and since then thousands of students have completed our creative writing courses both live at our Studio and online.


CLICK LINKS FOR ALL COURSES, BOTH LIVE AND ONLINE

Unlocking Creativity Live Online
Writers' Gym   Online Only
Novel and Script - First Draft Live Online
Novel and Script - Second Draft
Live Online
Novel and Script - Third Draft Live Online

Character and Critique - Short Story Course

  Online Only
Character and Critique Short Story Course - Genre   Online Only

COURSE DATES & EARLY BIRD SPECIALS


"No one in the world is doing what you guys do, combining the structural elements of story telling with the power and creativity of play...This process is fantastic."
Dr George Miller, 2007 Acadamy Award winning writer/director for
Best Animated Feature: Happy Feet, Mad Max, Babe, Babe 2, Lorenzo's Oil, Witches of Eastwick.


"This is without a doubt the best writing course in Sydney ( First Draft Course). I strongly recommend it to anyone with a story to tell and more to the point - to people unsure of what the story they want to write is."
Sam de Brito - author, journalist, script editor
: White Collar Blue, Water Rats, Books: No Tattoos Before You're Thirty… What I'll Tell My Children?

His first novel is The Lost Boys, released April 2008


"It is impossible to overstate the significance of The Writers' Studio in the writing of my feature film screenplay "The Bet". Thank you Roland for providing this unique and wonderful place in the world where I could learn and grow as a writer and as a human being...I'm proud that the story of "The Bet" works.

How do I know? Because of the spontaneous expressions of complete strangers about the film - their enjoyment of it, their empathy with the hero and his journey and the lingering emotional impact of the story on them. Ultimately, that's the power of classic story telling which is at the heart of what The Writers' Studio is all about
." more
Caroline Gerard, writer/producer, "The Bet". (her first feature film)
2nd place: London/Australian Film Festival, 2006.
3rd place: Urban Cinefile Audience Award for Best Feature: Sidebar Program, Sydney Film Festival, 2006



"I had already completed my first book and was struggling to keep writing.  I used to sit at my PC for hours on end staring at the blank screen waiting to be granted the inspiration to write – as if inspiration came from some mystical source outside of myself. What a load of bollocks that turned out to be. 

Unlocking Creativity at The Writers' Studio taught me that the inspiration to write comes from the process of writing itself, not from thinking about writing and that all I had to do was silence my inner critic (which is normally very loud and swears a lot), keep my pen moving and allow myself to write junk.  Now as I sit down to write, so long as I have these three basic ‘rules’ going on in my head, I can write and am constantly amazed at what appears on the page.

Writing like this is coming from a different place, that secret place inside us where the magic lives.  It all sounds so terribly simple – and strangely enough, it is.  Turns out writing doesn’t have to be that torturous hair-pulling affair after all. 

I loved Unlocking Creativity so much, I returned and did it a second time and will definitely do it again (and again).  The support and encouragement from Roland, Kathleen and your fellow writers is inspirational and hugely motivational. 

No matter how experienced or inexperienced a writer you are, UC will blow you away with its simplicity and its power.  It’s the best thing I did for my writing and the best thing I did for myself."
Ali Whitelock, author of "Poking Seaweed with a Stick and Running Away From The Smell."



"Reading back over my first novel, I'm aware of a change at the point where I started doing The Writers' Studio course. It's where my descriptions went from run of the mill to, I think, much more visual. No one can give you a secret formula for 'how to write', but The Writers Studio seems able to unleash the wild writer beast in us all! And what I learned there in 1998 has stayed with me."

Yasmin Boland, journalist, author - Carole King is an Alien and All the Rage



"The course has been a real turning point for me. I learnt more about creative writing than I did in my degree or in my post grad studies. Which really says something about how much I learnt in 4 weeks. (Unlocking Creativity).The course showed me that I could find it within me - the "it" being the words, the images, the emotions that had been bogged down in utter self doubt. This course gets you connected with your deepest passion."
Jacinta Walpole



“This course (First Draft Course) has been truly amazing. Although I hold two degrees in English Literature, she says modestly, the knowledge I gained here about the process of writing far outweighed anything I learnt at University and has created a wealth of valuable skills that I am able to use. The collective consciousness of the group and each and every person’s contribution was touching, moving and above else truly helpful. Roland’s insights and ability to crystallize what I was struggling to pinpoint is an incredible skill and really kept the novel moving along.”
Marie Sullivan


"I have now written the first draft of my first novel. A quarter of a century dream has come true."
Shari Hooper

"It wasn't until I was close to the end of my First Draft course that I fully realised the value of the lessons I was learning. I happened to read an article in the paper quoting an experienced film industry figure who was running script development classes and complaining about the poor quality of Australian film scripts. She was saying how writers didn't know the fundamentals of writing a compelling story - the conflict, the story arc, the inciting incident etc. - and pretty much rattled off all the key points we learn in the Writer's Studio course! It was only then, hearing it from a third party, that it dawned on me how key these fundamentals are. Even if it feels a bit robotic and a bit relentless to follow such a rigid structure, in the end it frees you up to explore the most extreme possibilities of your story. I have learned to love my characters, and the process of writing (almost) every day (well, mostly) and when I do publish a novel one day, I will give credit where credit's due! Thanks to Andrew Blanch for his unfailing patience in the face of my unfailing impatience."
Susan Burchill

There is no one way to write, but the right guidance and support will get you there much quicker, by a factor of ten-to-one. You don't have to reinvent the wheel.

The Writers' Studio creative writing courses are totally practical and offer a step-by-step process. We offer detailed structural techniques, story templates, practical exercises, expert tuition and a supportive and inspiring environment to help and guide you on every step of your writing journey.

Once you've learnt the tools and techniques, the process of writing becomes more fun, profound and effective.

Roland believes the process of writing fiction nourishes and expands the spirit and that everyone has the ability to write and tell their story, provided they learn the essential tools and techniques of fiction writing and put in the work.

The size of our writing classes are strictly limited to ensure personal attention.

Roland has been invited to present his workshops at the:

Sydney Writers' Festival, 2008

He has also been invited by The Australian Women's Weekly to contribute tools and techniques to help writers prepare their stories for:

The Australian Women's Weekly Short Story Competition.


Slideshow of Unlocking Creativity Live

Slideshow of Unlocking Creativity Online Slideshow of Ten Month Novel & Script First Draft Live Course Slideshow of Ten Month Novel & Script First Draft Online

COURSE DATES & EARLY BIRD SPECIALS

 
   
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