It might not be too late to sign up for this one if you're interested...
VU Creative Writing Short Course
The Creative Writing Short Course covers a range of introductory writing topics and gives each student the chance to create and read their own writing in a lively and supportive atmosphere.
This class is the ideal way to try creative writing if you’re not sure where to start. It also offers direction for those who want to continue writing but are unsure where to go next.
The Creative Writing Short Course is an energetic mixture of writing exercises, readings and discussion. It covers several forms of writing so students can embark on writing pieces that are new and satisfying.
Find out about
· Original ideas: finding them
· Fresh words: creating them
· Scenes: the building blocks of story
· Characters: making them real and interesting
· Writing choices: point of view
· Editing your own writing
· What to do next.
About the teacher
Margaret McCarthy is a published poet, writer and teacher working in Melbourne’s west. She has a Masters in Creative Writing and has taught creative writing for many years. Her creative writing work has won awards and is published widely.
Margaret’s manuscript “Entitlement” was short-listed for the Harper Collins Varuna Awards for Manuscript Development 2006. She is a teacher in Professional Writing & Editing at Victoria University.
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Begins 11 September 2010, for 6 weeks
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Saturdays 9.30 am-12 noon
Altona Meadows / Werribee / Point Cook area
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$240 / $210 concession
This Course is run by Professional Writing & Editing TAFE, Victoria University.
For more details, email isabelle.lebouder@vu.edu.au or phone 9919 2681.
Also look out for
Writing Stories for Children, Wyndham Cultural Centre, beginning August 28, 6 weeks.
‘Write a Short Film Script’ Saturday afternoons, Wyndham Cultural Centre, beginning August 28, 6 weeks.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Platform launch and next edition
News from Bruno:
Youth, VCE and Community Education
VU College
Victoria University
publishers of
PLATFORM “Age to Youth/Youth to Age”
Wish to let you know that:
*Edition 7 PLATFORM will be launched
THURSDAY 14th October
3.30pm
At the new restaurant at FOOTSCRAY NICHOLSON
Wine and finger food
RSVP(essential): bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au
0422 29 86 43
Pieces and poems by:
Michael McGirr
Robert Pascoe
Hannie Rayson
Paul Mitchell
Alice Pung
Michael Hyde
Sherryl Clark
VCAL students
Work Ed Students
Paul Kinna
Christine Kowal
Tom Petsinis
Barry Garner
Brian Doyle
PWE students and more
*Platform edition 7 will be launched in the new restaurant at Footscray Nicholson
*CALL for new writing/new photographs/new artwork for edition 8 (due out LATE in term 4)
Happy to come talk to your students and classes too about Platform. Give me a call.
Especially keen to get some song lyrics-more on that soon.
Email: bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au
0422 29 86 43
Go on! Write me a note, send good news down the line
Cheers
Bruno Lettieri on behalf of Maree Wheelens, Martina Michael, Megan Green, Susanna Bryceson (editorial team)
The Essence of Platform
Platform’s theme is Age to Youth/Youth to Age. The publication initially grew from a desire to give a voice to young folk—many whom rarely had their voice heard—who are entering post-secondary education and TAFE
Platform also reaches a wider audience—those who would read its youth offerings—and tells stories ‘back to youth’ of the insight and wisdom gained through experience. Platform promotes the worthiness of persisting with education.
Platform aims to create an interesting ‘orchestra’ if one-third of its writers were those who made writing their life and livelihood: Hannie Rayson; Helen Garner; Michael McGirr; Paul Mitchell; Martin Flanagan, and many more. Those who love to write, and predominantly do for the sheer love of it encompass another ‘orchestral’ third The remaining third are the first-timers and, perhaps, those ‘raw’ to it. The third-third-third formula gives Platform a unique voice.
Platform distributes itself through wide corridors of Melbourne’s west and jumps into all kinds of other quadrants too. It likes border crossing.
Youth, VCE and Community Education
VU College
Victoria University
publishers of
PLATFORM “Age to Youth/Youth to Age”
Wish to let you know that:
*Edition 7 PLATFORM will be launched
THURSDAY 14th October
3.30pm
At the new restaurant at FOOTSCRAY NICHOLSON
Wine and finger food
RSVP(essential): bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au
0422 29 86 43
Pieces and poems by:
Michael McGirr
Robert Pascoe
Hannie Rayson
Paul Mitchell
Alice Pung
Michael Hyde
Sherryl Clark
VCAL students
Work Ed Students
Paul Kinna
Christine Kowal
Tom Petsinis
Barry Garner
Brian Doyle
PWE students and more
*Platform edition 7 will be launched in the new restaurant at Footscray Nicholson
*CALL for new writing/new photographs/new artwork for edition 8 (due out LATE in term 4)
Happy to come talk to your students and classes too about Platform. Give me a call.
Especially keen to get some song lyrics-more on that soon.
Email: bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au
0422 29 86 43
Go on! Write me a note, send good news down the line
Cheers
Bruno Lettieri on behalf of Maree Wheelens, Martina Michael, Megan Green, Susanna Bryceson (editorial team)
The Essence of Platform
Platform’s theme is Age to Youth/Youth to Age. The publication initially grew from a desire to give a voice to young folk—many whom rarely had their voice heard—who are entering post-secondary education and TAFE
Platform also reaches a wider audience—those who would read its youth offerings—and tells stories ‘back to youth’ of the insight and wisdom gained through experience. Platform promotes the worthiness of persisting with education.
Platform aims to create an interesting ‘orchestra’ if one-third of its writers were those who made writing their life and livelihood: Hannie Rayson; Helen Garner; Michael McGirr; Paul Mitchell; Martin Flanagan, and many more. Those who love to write, and predominantly do for the sheer love of it encompass another ‘orchestral’ third The remaining third are the first-timers and, perhaps, those ‘raw’ to it. The third-third-third formula gives Platform a unique voice.
Platform distributes itself through wide corridors of Melbourne’s west and jumps into all kinds of other quadrants too. It likes border crossing.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Next Rotunda night is this Monday
Professional Writing and Editing (TAFE), Victoria University
presents
Rotunda in the West:
Conversations with Australian Writers
(and film makers)
[Check out Rotunda in the West on Facebook]
in collaboration with
Brimbank Literary Festival 2010 and Harvester College
Presents
“An Evening with Ana Kokkinos”
-acclaimed writer/director
-latest feature film Blessed
Plus
Mini-writing workshops (prelude) PLUS music
Monday 13th September
6.30pm (prompt start)
Harvester Technical College
76 Suffolk Rd
Sunshine North
FREE EVENT-please bring a small plate of finger food.
Rsvp (essential)- bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au (0422298643)
Friday, September 3, 2010
Not Just A Pretty Face
By Emma Shepperbottom
I remember when I was about 14, I was in the news agents with my mum, browsing though the magazines, aimed at my age group. There wasn’t a lot there that interested me. Dolly and Girlfriend, the mainstream magazines, never had any articles that seemed to hold substance. I found them to be boring and typical.
Just as I was ready to give up and walk away, a magazine I had never seen before caught my eye. It was called Chik. 50 Cent was on the cover and the stories advertised on the front grabbed my attention.
I took the magazine home with me and I read it front to back about half a dozen times. I was in love. Chik wasn’t the typical teenage girl magazine. It contained interesting, funny stories and a little character called “Mr Grassy Head” who had some kind of adventure each month. I never missed an issue after reading the first one. I was an avid reader, eventually upgrading to getting a subscription.
At some point, a Chik website with online message boards added to it was created. I signed up and became a member of an online community, with people who were like-minded and yet at the same time had so many different views and opinions. On the message boards, we had fun and debated and discussed real stuff. We all lived by Chik's slogan "not just a pretty face".
One sad day, the editor of Chik announced that Morrision Media (the publishing house for Chik) was no longer going to be funding the production of Chik and that the next issue would be the last. Because I had a subscription that had not expired yet, I was offered a different magazine to complete it. The only one that interested me was a magazine called Frankie. I like to think of Frankie as Chik’s big sister. I didn’t enjoy Frankie at first, I guess I wasn’t old enough, I wasn’t ready to meet Chik’s older sister. Although having said that, I do love Frankie now. But my love for Frankie is a story for a different day.
It may sound a little far-fetched, but I feel as though reading Chik and using the message boards helped to shape me as a person and pushed me to realise my passion for writing. I’d love to write for a publication like Chik or Frankie. Something that young people can read, that is unique and rich with substance.
I remember when I was about 14, I was in the news agents with my mum, browsing though the magazines, aimed at my age group. There wasn’t a lot there that interested me. Dolly and Girlfriend, the mainstream magazines, never had any articles that seemed to hold substance. I found them to be boring and typical.
Just as I was ready to give up and walk away, a magazine I had never seen before caught my eye. It was called Chik. 50 Cent was on the cover and the stories advertised on the front grabbed my attention.
I took the magazine home with me and I read it front to back about half a dozen times. I was in love. Chik wasn’t the typical teenage girl magazine. It contained interesting, funny stories and a little character called “Mr Grassy Head” who had some kind of adventure each month. I never missed an issue after reading the first one. I was an avid reader, eventually upgrading to getting a subscription.
At some point, a Chik website with online message boards added to it was created. I signed up and became a member of an online community, with people who were like-minded and yet at the same time had so many different views and opinions. On the message boards, we had fun and debated and discussed real stuff. We all lived by Chik's slogan "not just a pretty face".
One sad day, the editor of Chik announced that Morrision Media (the publishing house for Chik) was no longer going to be funding the production of Chik and that the next issue would be the last. Because I had a subscription that had not expired yet, I was offered a different magazine to complete it. The only one that interested me was a magazine called Frankie. I like to think of Frankie as Chik’s big sister. I didn’t enjoy Frankie at first, I guess I wasn’t old enough, I wasn’t ready to meet Chik’s older sister. Although having said that, I do love Frankie now. But my love for Frankie is a story for a different day.
It may sound a little far-fetched, but I feel as though reading Chik and using the message boards helped to shape me as a person and pushed me to realise my passion for writing. I’d love to write for a publication like Chik or Frankie. Something that young people can read, that is unique and rich with substance.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Reality Check
by Mark Simonato
“Mark, that could be you one day,” said Andee Jones, author of Kissing Frogs.
We were at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne for Debut Mondays, a promotional tool giving first time published writers the opportunity to read extracts from their book. It gives them additional advertising and the chance to increase book sales.
Public speaking makes me feel uneasy. I enjoy my isolation and I am too introverted to stand in front of a crowd and read from my own book. Andee confirmed that she felt the same way, but she has no choice if she wants to sell and make writing a sustainable career.
I walked away with the knowledge that being published is only 50% of an author’s job. The following questions came to mind:
• Who helps with sales?
• Who advertises?
• Who helps with gaining an audience?
The answer to all these questions is simple: the author!
To think that once published the job is done, is delusional. Being a writer is a process of running a business; consequently, you become a product that needs to sell.
I started to wonder how the Professional Writing & Editing course helps me with the world I intend to enter. Apart from teaching me how to improve my writing (fiction and non-fiction), I have chosen subjects that are also business related. For example, through Corporate Writing, I have learnt how to write articles for newsletters and how to craft a press release. Although the assignments are based on a non-writing business, I gained valuable skills that I can apply to me as a product to advertise and sell.
Desktop Publishing taught me the technical side of creating the layout of a newsletter, a magazine or an article, and Electronic Media gave me an insight on how to use—to my own advantage—the numerous on-line social networks. Don’t forget that many publishing companies also expect you to create a blog or write for their own one, once you sign a contract. Like it or not, electronic media is a massive part of the publishing world’s future.
I can now see that it’s crucial to create a smart balance with the subjects you choose to study; don’t be afraid to tap into the unknown. It’s best to be familiar with many areas within the writing world (or at least gain knowledge of the basics). Choose your subjects wisely; knowing how to write is not necessarily going to make you successful, so you need to start thinking as a business, because you ARE a business.
We were at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne for Debut Mondays, a promotional tool giving first time published writers the opportunity to read extracts from their book. It gives them additional advertising and the chance to increase book sales.
Public speaking makes me feel uneasy. I enjoy my isolation and I am too introverted to stand in front of a crowd and read from my own book. Andee confirmed that she felt the same way, but she has no choice if she wants to sell and make writing a sustainable career.
I walked away with the knowledge that being published is only 50% of an author’s job. The following questions came to mind:
• Who helps with sales?
• Who advertises?
• Who helps with gaining an audience?
The answer to all these questions is simple: the author!
To think that once published the job is done, is delusional. Being a writer is a process of running a business; consequently, you become a product that needs to sell.
I started to wonder how the Professional Writing & Editing course helps me with the world I intend to enter. Apart from teaching me how to improve my writing (fiction and non-fiction), I have chosen subjects that are also business related. For example, through Corporate Writing, I have learnt how to write articles for newsletters and how to craft a press release. Although the assignments are based on a non-writing business, I gained valuable skills that I can apply to me as a product to advertise and sell.
Desktop Publishing taught me the technical side of creating the layout of a newsletter, a magazine or an article, and Electronic Media gave me an insight on how to use—to my own advantage—the numerous on-line social networks. Don’t forget that many publishing companies also expect you to create a blog or write for their own one, once you sign a contract. Like it or not, electronic media is a massive part of the publishing world’s future.
I can now see that it’s crucial to create a smart balance with the subjects you choose to study; don’t be afraid to tap into the unknown. It’s best to be familiar with many areas within the writing world (or at least gain knowledge of the basics). Choose your subjects wisely; knowing how to write is not necessarily going to make you successful, so you need to start thinking as a business, because you ARE a business.
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