October Newsletter & Upcoming Courses
Welcome to our October Newsletter.
Firstly, we want to remind you about our Short Story Competition.
The deadline for entries is 31 October. (See details below.)
You can also read below about the importance of knowing your genre when writing your novel or screenplay.
The Beast
Secondly, our local eastern suburbs magazine, The Beast interviewed Roland last month and featured the Writers’ Studio in their current edition, celebrating our 30 Year anniversary.
The Beast wrote, “Do you have an urge to write a novel or screenplay but need a bit of support to get your creative juices flowing? It might be worth starting the journey by looking into a four week course called Unlocking Creativity run by The Writers” Studio in Bronte ….”
The article quotes Roland, who started The Writers Studio in his living room at Bondi, “The great gift of The Writers’ Studio is seeing the pleasure people receive from getting in touch with their imagination, receiving feedback, being part of a creative community and seeing their writing and stories come to life.”
We have put the article online with a link to the magazine to read:
Click to read more here
 Short Story Competition!
As part of our 30 Year celebrations, we are running a Short Story Competition with an entry deadline of 31 October.
Click the link below for all the Competition details, the Terms & Conditions and how to enter.
There is a $500 First Place Prize, a $250 Second Place Prize and $100 Third Place Prize.
We can’t wait to receive your entry!
Click for all the details here
Unlocking Creativity Live
 We have two places open in our 4-Week Unlocking Creativity Live course at the Studio starting next Thursday night 13 October.
“Wow! What a massive 4 weeks! When I think back to the first class I feel like a changed person. To think, I had such a long period of time when I couldn’t think about what to write. It now feels like ideas are endless. I’ve been so inspired by my peers. What a gift.” Sally
As a newsletter subscriber, we are offering a $30 discount off the Early Bird course fee to take one of these places!
Enter this code: OCT to receive a $30 discount
Click to register here
An Introduction to Genre
 Every writer needs to find their unique voice and what it is about their story that makes it stand out.
Your story will have its best chance of finding its audience if you are aware of what genre your story fits into and what your readers’ expectations are. Bearing in mind, the fiction world is divided into roughly two segments: literary fiction and commercial/genre fiction.
“Writers typically underestimate the importance of mastering genre. The reason genre is so important is that the entire entertainment business is based on it. Genres aren’t just systems for expressing certain themes. They are also strategies for storytelling.
“One of the ways genres set themselves apart from one another is that they each ask a different central question and force the main character to make a crucial decision.” John Truby
To read more about Genre Writing click: here
Our next upcoming 6-Week Short Story course is the Genre Short Story course starting 31 October (Unlocking Creativity is a pre-requisite).
Many writers contact us and are unsure about joining this course, but then let us know how much they not only enjoyed writing stories in different genres, but also how much they learnt in the process.
Click here for more information and to register: here
Quick Course Round-up
The next Unlocking Creativity Online course will commence 9 November more >
Unlocking Creativity Live course will commence next Thursday 13 October with two places still open! more >
The next 6-Week course is the Short Story Genre course starting 31 October (Unlocking Creativity is a prerequisite) more >
The next 10-Month First Draft Online course will commence on 24 October (open only to those who are or have already undertaken Unlocking Creativity) The 13 March 2023 course is open for bookings for new writers more >
The 10-Month First Draft Live with Roland, Kathleen & Richard is starting on 4 March 2023 more >
Second Draft Live will commence on 4 February 2023 more >
Second Draft Online will commence on 3 April more >
The next Third Draft Online will commence on 6 February, register now for your pre-course work. Limited places more >
Third Draft Live will commence on 29 October more >
Third Draft Part 2 Online course will commence on 7 November more >
The Third Draft Part 2 Live 2023 course will open for bookings in the next few weeks more >
Please contact the office on (02) 9386 4994 between 10am and 5pm Monday to Friday, if you have any questions at all about which course is right for you.
DVD/Blue Ray Giveaways!
The Amusement Park
Thanks to Acorn Media we have DVD & BlueRay copies of Shudder Original ‘The Amusement Park’ on DVD to give-away in time for Halloween.
Recently discovered and restored 46 years after its completion, George A. Romero’s The Amusement Park stars Lincoln Maazel as an elderly man who finds himself disoriented and increasingly isolated as the pains, tragedies, and humiliations are manifested through roller coasters and chaotic crowds. The film is perhaps Romero’s wildest and most imaginative movie.
To win a DVD or a BlueRay email with your name, address and mobile to:
rsvp@writerstudio.com.au
Recent Course Feedback
Some snippets of the wonderful feedback that we receive back from recently completed courses. We update these each newsletter. They show what a large variety of writers get out of our writing courses.
“I recently enrolled into a four week ‘Unlocking Creativity’ writing course. Wow! What can I say? After four weeks, I must say, that course was one of the best I have ever undertaken in terms of how much I got out of it, and what it has left me to work on further. I will undertake the Short Story course, as writing short stories was the main reason I took the course in the first place. I now feel I am armed with the basic knowledge, skills and a structure to pursue my dream of writing.” Neeta, Unlocking Creativity Online
“I thoroughly enjoyed this short course and would recommend it to anyone who wants to ignite, or re-ignite, a writing passion. I now feel inspired, motivated and determined to improve and maintain a writing habit. A huge thank you to my fellow writers and to Neasa for the encouragement and wise words.” Helen, Unlocking Creativity Online
“It sounds like a cliché, but this course literally changed the course of my life. Like my character, after a decisive action (in signing up), I have gone on a profound journey, learned to be a better person, made some more drastic life altering choices and now have a first draft of my novel to show for it. Thanks to Kathleen, Rich and Roland’s infinite patience, skilled guidance and wisdom I have learned so much about the craft of storytelling but also the art of being a better person. I can’t wait to take what I have learned and continue to hone my writing skills and get onto that Second Draft. Thank you so much to The Writers’ Studio for everything you have taught us. I owe this story to you.” Isaiah, First Draft Live
“For me, the course has been all about giving myself permission. Permission to be creative, permission to not be perfect, permission to lower my standards, permission to sit in the discomfort and ambiguity and permission to do what you can with the time you have and accepting that. All of these can be translated into everyday life and I feel honoured and grateful to now have these skills and share the journey to get there with my fellow writers. I have been blown away by the originality at others stories and this has motivated me to keep going with my own and to keep moving forward. Thank you for everyone’s generosity and encouragement and I am looking forward to attending multiple book publishing parties and premiers in the years to come!” Vicky, First Draft Live
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