|
       
|
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
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.
|
