Summer, for those of us in Australia at least, is here again. But how did that happen?! A minute ago it was the middle of the year and it seemed like we had all the time in the world to complete our writing goals. Now the rush to the end of the year has begun, and as soon as the xmas parties start up, it will be all over red rover. If you are smart however, Christmas hols/ summertime can also be a great time for writing, for finishing off what you started, for giving yourself that kick up the proverbial and setting yourself up for using the holiday time for your writing as well as having a well earned rest.
Our Summer Writers Lab is designed to give you that extra push and help you make great use of three summer months for your writing. Five workshops spread from December to the end of February, give you the motivation and focus to keep going, to take advantage of every spare moment in between beach barbeques, camping trips and family get togethers. Keep your note book close by, for all the great characters come out at xmas time — you can jot surrepticiously on your phone and no-one will notice, they will be too busy Instagraming and FBing.
It’s great if you can attend our face to face workshops but you can also join online. Jan will send you the workshop exercises and you can submit writing and receive your feedback via phone or skype.
If you are wondering whether or not a lab like this could really help you get published —this might help. Every year a number of Jan’s first time writers go on to publish with major publishing houses. They include: Marguerite Van Geldermalsen, Married To A Bedouin (Virago); Margaret Wilcox, Gone (Penguin); Margaret Stephenson -Meere, The Child Within The Lotus ( Rockpool) Catherine Therese, The Weight Of Silence (Hachette Livre); Walter Mason, Destination Saigon (Allen & Unwin); Yvonne Louis, Brush with Mondrian (Murdoch) and Public Life Private Grief, Mary Delahunty (Hardie Grant), Jennifer Smart, The Wardrobe Girl (Random House); Biff Ward In My Mother’s Hands (Allen & Unwin).Established writers like Margo Lanagan and AD Scott also receive support from Jan’s workshops. Margo’s most recent fantasy novels, Tender Morsels and Sea Hearts, are published by Allen & Unwin in Australia, Knopf – USA, David Fickling Books, UK. AD Scott’s murder mysteries: A Small Death in the Great Glen and Tales From The Highland Gazette are published by Simon and Schuster in the US. See more here.
