Coming soon: Writing workshops in Melbourne, VIC Writing New Worlds: Getting Started in Science-Fiction and Fantasy Writing (three hours) This workshop is designed for everyone who's ever loved reading science fiction or fantasy (or both!) and wondered if they, too, could write stories of marvels and wonders. It covers what components go into an effective, compelling science-fiction or fantasy story, and how to turn your ideas into stories for yourself, for your friends, or for publication. Intermediate Science-Fiction and Fantasy Writing (three hours) This workshop uses in-depth analysis of iconic works of short speculative fiction to expand your knowledge of plot, characterization, world-building, and the use of language in writing high-quality science fiction and fantasy. Through looking at the works of acknowledged masters in the field, you'll heighten your critical and writing skills, and start applying your insights to your own writing. Prerequisite: Writing New Worlds or equivalent coursework or experience. Advanced Science-Fiction and Fantasy Writing (three hours) This workshop is all about you. You will provide a short piece of your own fiction in advance, to be distributed to all participants. During the workshop itself, you will offer your critique of each piece, and receive your colleagues' and instructor's feedback on your own story. While courtesy and respect will be paramount, you should be prepared for lots of constructive feedback. This is your chance to get the kind of intensive, unbiased scrutiny your work will receive from editors and readers, and to raise your writing to new levels of artistic self-awareness and professional practice. Prerequisite: Intermediate Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing or equivalent coursework or experience. Sign up for all three Science-Fiction and Fantasy Writing sessions and get a 20% discount. Powerful Dialogue (two hours) Good dialogue is the power source of fiction as well as drama: it's the writer's main tool to work with the energy of the story and keep readers immersed in the characters' lives. You'll learn and practice techniques for writing crackling dialogue, and practice applying them to your own writing. Writing for Performance I: Scripts (two hours) Writing scripts for actors to bring to life can be both thrilling and challenging. Nothing sharpens a writer's skills in any form more than writing for live theatrical performance. This workshop will give you the basics of how to write a script that actors will love to perform, and a brief introduction to producing your own plays (a necessity in the straitened circumstances of today's theatre world). Writing for Performance II: Lyrics and Libretti (two hours) Whether you write your own music or collaborate with a composer, writing lyrics and libretti (the words to operas) poses particular challenges. This workshop will give you the tools to write powerful, meaningful lyrics and libretti that consider composers' and performers' needs, and make them excited to set and sing your words. Writing for Performance III: Performance Poetry (two hours) Performing poetry out loud is an art as old as humanity, but that doesn't mean it's easy. In this workshop, you'll learn how to write poetry that's uniquely suited to spoken performance, and how to perform it effectively yourself. You'll also find out the secrets of slamming (competitive performance poetry) and how to get started getting your poems out to the world through riveting and electric performance. Be prepared to get on stage during the workshop! Sign up for all three Writing for Performance sessions and get a 20% discount. Worlds that Work: World-Building for the Science-Fiction and Fantasy Writer (three hours) Creating a consistent and satisfying fictional world is a skill that you can learn and use to make your stories vivid and engaging. This workshop will teach proven techniques for devising worlds that make sense and provide a robust background for your characters' adventures. Writing Powerful Poetry (two hours) For beginning, would-be, and hopeful poets: this workshop gives you skills in word choice, rhythm and sound, theme, metaphor, symbolism, and originality to create poetry that effectively communicates your unique insights and perspectives. You'll experiment with techinques and forms to start building your poetic skills and finding your own voice. Producing Your Own Plays (two hours) If you've tried to interest the major theatre companies in your plays, you know how difficult it is to get anyone to take a risk on new work. The solution is to produce your own work! This workshop will take you through the entire production process, from workshopping your script to whooping it up at the closing-night cast party. Producing is something anyone can do who has the willingness to work hard, be reliable and honorable, and keep track of details. See your work on stage – this workshop will show you how. Getting Out There: Readings, Launches, Media Releases, and Interviews (three hours) If your dream as a writer is to give readers the sort of joy you've had from the books you love, first you need to reach them. This workshop will teach you how and why to hold a reading, what a book launch is and why people hold them, and how to work with the media to find and engage with the people who will enjoy your writing and come back for more. Research Skills (two hours) Research has never been more crucial to the writer. The internet makes everyone a potential expert – in other words, the writer has nowhere to hide. But you can turn the internet to your advantage as you learn, fact-check, and seek deeper understanding of both the real world and the worlds you create in your writing. This workshop will give you tools and strategies to determine your own research needs, identify credible sources (and, by extension, untrustworty ones), choose keywords that get you useful results, locate and use the resources you find in your searches, keep track of your research activity, and use what you find in a fair and legal way. Academic Writing (two hours) Do you need to know what a thesis statement is? An analytic framework? A methodology? Can you structure an essay? Are you baffled by all the different referencing systems? This workshop can help! While it won't write your essay or dissertation for you, it can take some of the mystery out of the process. ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR Dr. Laura E. Goodin has a Ph.D. in Creative Writing from the University of Western Australia and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE). She also has decades of experience as a lecturer, tutor, and trainer. She has taught writing and media-relations courses and workshops for universities, literary festivals, science-fiction conventions, schools, training organisations, and community groups internationally. For information about editing services, click here.