Welcome to our November Newsletter!
Today, we’ll be welcoming writers into our final 4-Week Unlocking Creativity Online course for 2023. There are still a few places remaining in this course for writers interested in starting their creative writing journey.
We love the energy and enthusiasm that writers bring to this course. Watching the transformation of their writing over the 4 weeks, the confidence gained through implementing the tools and techniques, the support of their tutor and like-mind writers in their tutoring groups, and the discovery, or rediscovery for some, of their voice, is a constant source of inspiration.
The Power of Emotion
Emotion is the lifeblood of compelling fiction, infusing narratives with an undeniable power to connect with readers on a profound level. The essence of storytelling lies in the emotional journey it takes the audience on. That is a large part of the art and craft of fiction writing.
As the celebrated poet, Maya Angelou wisely remarked, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel .”
The emotional resonance created through words and characters is what truly endures in the hearts and minds of readers.
Harnessing emotion in fiction is a potent tool that enables a writer to craft relatable characters, engaging plots, and convey underlying themes with depth and authenticity. Whether it’s love, fear, joy, or sorrow, these emotions act as bridges, connecting readers to the inner worlds of characters and making their experiences more vivid, believable, and relatable.
To read more about the power of emotion in writing, read the full article here
This Time Next Year …
If you have been putting off writing until ‘some day,’ you might like to think about joining a First Draft course starting in March 2024. If you did, this time next year, you will be close to finishing the first draft of your novel or your screenplay.
“A year from now you may wish you had started today” Karen Lamb
The First Draft course provides you with a step-by-step process that breaks the writing of your novel or screenplay into manageable weekly tasks, and is designed for people working full-time.
Over the 10 months you will:
* Follow a step by step extraction process and uncover the character and story you you truly want to write
* Develop a deep understanding of classic story structure so you create a profound and meaningful emotional journey for your main character, your reader and yourself
* Work with your personal tutor who will support, guide and encourage you ever step of the way
* Develop a regular writing habit so that your characters and story come alive in your imagination and the act of writing nourishes your spirit
* Experience the pleasure and satisfaction of completing your first draft in ten months
For new writers, you will first undertake a complimentary and pre-requisite 4-Week Unlocking Creativity course in January (or you could start today!)
* First Draft ONLINE – 4 March 2024
* First Draft LIVE – 9 March 2024
“A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its achievement.” Bo Bennett
Give The Gift of Creativity
Did you know we offer gift certificates for both the Unlocking Creativity Online and Live courses?
The perfect gift for any writer and creative in your life!
The Certificate will arrive almost instantly in your inbox. Valid for 3 years, the recipient will have the choice to select the course dates that suit them!
To purchase your Unlocking Creativity Gift Certificate now, click here
Success Stories!
Natalie Turner
A big congratulations to Writers’ Studio alum, Natalie Turner.
Natalie let us know that she has recently signed on with a US literary agent to represent her debut novel, The Woman in the Red Silk Dress.
Congratulations again, Natalie, we wish you every success!
Elizabeth Spratt
Elizabeth Spratt, who is writing an action-packed thriller novel, submitted a short story into a writer’s retreat short fiction anthology, whose theme was romance.
She’d never written a love story before and to her surprise and delight was chosen to be published in the Anthology which will be released next year.
Great work Elizabeth!
DVD Giveaway!
Thanks to Acorn Media, we have copies of the new series Tales of the Walking Dead on DVD to give away.
In the months and years following the apocalypse, “Tales of the Walking Dead” follows the unique lives of new and familiar characters.
A prepper (Terry Crews) leaves his bunker and meets an unlikely ally (Olivia Munn); hostile co-workers (Parker Posey, Jillian Bell) try to escape Atlanta and each other; and a mother (Samantha Morton) must revisit her violent past to protect her child.
Meanwhile, a settler (Poppy Liu) tries to convince a scientist (Anthony Edwards) that people need to take back the land from the dead; a man (Jessie T. Usher) wakes up with no memory, only to find he is accused of murder; and a traumatised couple (Danielle Pineda, Danny Ramirez) seek refuge in a secluded house.
For your chance to win a double pass, email with your name, address, the movie title and your mobile to: rsvp@writerstudio.com.au
Another DVD Giveaway!
Thanks to Acorn Media, we have copies of the highly anticipated new series The Walking Dead: Dead City on DVD to give away.
Years have passed since we last saw Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and the old enemies must now form a tenuous alliance in order to carry out a dangerous mission.
Maggie and Negan travel to a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, long ago cut off from the mainland. There they discover a crumbling city, filled with the dead and denizens who have made New York their own – a world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror.
But as the pair moves deeper into the gritty depths of the walker-infested city, it becomes apparent that the traumas of their tumultuous past may prove just as great a threat as the dangers of the present.
For your chance to win a double pass, email with your name, address, the movie title and your 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.
Discovering a love for writing after so many years of procrastination had made me a different person and is helping me find a new voice – I feel invigorated and inspired and I am seeing with a new vision. Adrian, Unlocking Creativity Online
I’ve been writing! After 40 months of wandering in the wilderness, I’m excited about writing again. The Unlocking Creativity course did what it said on the tin.” Imogen, Unlocking Creativity Online
I just finished the Unlocking Creativity Online course with the Writers’ Studio in Sydney…. The course has taught me many things that go beyond just the writing itself… Thanks to this course I have learned how to free myself of the inner critic that was constantly telling me I wasn’t good enough, my stories aren’t worth it, or that there are other people out there that could do a better job…. My goal is to write a romance novel and down the track make a movie out of it. That would be a dream. Lisa-Marie, Unlocking Creativity Online
I am very grateful I did the course and to my fellow writers and tutor. I hereby commit to a daily practice of writing — minimum 3-500 words a day. Jane, Short Story Genre
Thank you for a wonderful course, I have never felt to supported even when I was at uni. Tara, First Draft Online
What a ride it has been! …honestly I just felt compelled to keep writing. It may seem a bit corny, but this course is among the best things I’ve done in my life to date. Thanks for the opportunity! Kerrie, First Draft Online
Kelly has been a great tutor. She has provided comprehensive and clear feedback and taken the time to explore that with me. I have appreciated her honesty about my work – I don’t want a wishy-washy response; I want clear critique and guidance. I felt all along that I was tapping into the mind of a specialist. Thanks, Kelly, you were wonderful! Malcolm, Third Draft Online