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September Newsletter & Upcoming Courses
Welcome to our September Newsletter.
Firstly, we want to let you know about our inaugural Short Story Competition as part of our 30 years celebration marking the creation of the Writers’ Studio in 1992.
Please read below for more details.
Secondly, we’d like to welcome and congratulate writers who are undertaking or who have just completed our 4-Week Unlocking Creativity Course. It is a deeply profound experience and is a privilege for us to witness the change in our participants’ relationship to the writing process.
The process reveals that everyone is a unique individual and everyone has something worthwhile to say.
Still, a burning question many people often torture themselves with is, ‘Do I have the necessary talent required to be a writer?’
We believe that everyone has the raw ingredients to be a writer. Like any creative pursuit though, what the final results will be will depend on how far you want to take it and how much work you are willing to put in to achieve your writing dreams.
Writing is an art and a craft that takes time to master.
“I don’t think that talent or gift, if such things exist, has anything to do with what the final receipts will be. My notion is that anyone who speaks, by reason of that speech, has prospects of achieving important imaginative writing. I see the notion of talent as quite irrelevant. I see instead old-fashioned notions of perseverance, application and industry…It comes down in every instance to this dualism between what one wants and what one may be afraid to have.”
Gordon Lish
 2022 Short Story Competition – Celebrating 30 Years
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.
Winning Entries will be published on our website.
Zahid Gamieldien will be judging the entries. Zahid has had short stories published in Overland, Menjin, international literary journals and was recently awarded a grant by Create NSW to complete his novel.
Click for all the details here
A few places open in Second Draft Online starting 26 September!
 We have a few places still open in the Second Draft Online course starting on 26 September.
The Second Draft “is where you will nail your story down, so that it works from beginning to end and you get the action, character arc and theme all working together. Something that is not possible in the first draft. “The second draft is the up draft – you fix it up. You try to say what you have to say more accurately.” Anne Lamott
We expect writers in the Second Draft to improve their stories by at the very least 200 percent. Seeing your story come together in this course is a pivotal and exciting part of the journey.
Click for more information and to register click: here
Quick Course Round-up
The next Unlocking Creativity Online course will commence 21 September more >
Unlocking Creativity Live course will commence 13 October 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 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 26 September 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.
Kelly Rigby – Podcast
 Kelly, one our of senior tutors & editors was interviewed for a 40 minute podcast on writing, editing and tutoring.
In the podcast she discusses the impact the Writers’ Studio had on her career path and her writing:
To listen click here: Spotify
Movie & BlueRay Giveaways!
The Terror – Season 1 & 2 on BlueRay
 We have a BlueRay copies of Season 1 & 2 of The Terror to giveaway.
Season 1: Inspired by the British Royal Navy’s real-life expedition into uncharted territory as the crew attempts to discover the fabled Northwest Passage. Faced with treacherous conditions, limited resources, dwindling hope and fear of the unknown, the crew is pushed to the brink of extinction.
Season 2: World War II-era Japanese-Americans on South California’s Terminal Island are menaced by a “bakemono” or folkloric spectre. Suffering forced evictions and imprisonment after the attack on Pearl Harbour, Chester Nakayama decides to take on a malevolent entity, journeying to realms of evil in both the present… and the distant past.
To win a BlueRay box set, email with your name, address and mobile to:
rsvp@writerstudio.com.au
Decision To Leave
 Thanks to Madman Films, we have double passes to giveaway to upcoming South Korean release, Decision to Leave opening in selected cinemas in October.
A man falls from a mountain peak to his death. The detective in charge, Hae-joon comes to meet the dead man’s wife. Seo-rae does not show any signs of agitation at her husband’s death. With her behaviour so unlike that of a grieving relative, the police consider her a suspect.
You can watch the trailer here
To win a double pass, please email with your address & 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 just completed the online creative writing course I talked about forever and finally committed to. I surprised myself at how easy the words could come once I tapped the well. I’ve loved being part of a creative collective, however distant and spread out we are, and I will miss that community feel of everyone on varied but similar paths. I have enjoyed and been inspired by every piece I’ve read, each writer having a different form and history. So many stories waiting to be told.” Lisa, Unlocking Creativity Online
“How fortunate I am to have spotted this ‘Unlocking Creativity Course’ on Instagram and followed through to buy it. It’s not the only time my wallet has been lightened after an Instagram scroll but I have to say, it is the most rewarding purchase to date. One lasting realisation is that only my time and my dedication will make me a writer. Thinking about writing is not writing. Highly recommend.” Emma, Unlocking Creativity Online
“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
“I’ve really loved the deep and detailed feedback from my tutor. The painstaking analysis and actionable advice has been wonderful.” Dave, Third Draft Part 1
“I finished! I now have something to work with, to restructure, re-write and polish. Everyone’s story has progressed dramatically. We all have a deeper understanding of what our story really is about, and the words on the page have improved in quality. Feedback & encouragement of one another has been vital and a key part of the course. I have also especially found working with Zahid incredibly helpful and valuable. His generosity of spirit is fantastic.” Graeme, Third Draft Part 2
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