Freelancing 101

When?

October 16th, 2021 1:00 PM — October 16th, 2021 4:00 PM

Where?

When?

October 16th, 2021 1:00 PM — October 16th, 2021 4:00 PM

Where?

This workshop with freelance writer Ben Brooker is a practical guide to getting started and keeping balance, what to charge, who to pitch to and so much more.


It can be difficult to know where to start as a freelance writer. How much should you charge? What makes for a good pitch? Which publications are right for you? Do you need an ABN and when do you register for GST? Can you claim expenses? 

The freedom of being your own boss can be exhilarating but self-discipline and an understanding of best practice processes are crucial. All too often, freelancers can be overwhelmed by too much or too little work. Come along and learn tips on how to make the most of it from someone who’s been there.

 

Participants will learn:

  • How to take a pitch from idea to payment
  • The ins and outs of dealing with editors
  • Setting up the business side of being a freelance writer: fees, ABN, invoicing etc.
  • Organising workplaces and daily writing schedules
  • Looking after yourself (physically and mentally) and staying true to your own vision

 

 

About Ben Brooker

Ben is a writer, editor, critic, playwright, essayist, dramaturg, and bookseller. He has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from Flinders University and an Advanced Diplo-ma of Professional Writing from the Adelaide College of the Arts. His work has been featured by Overland, Australian Book Review, RealTime, The Saturday Pa-per, ArtsHub, CityMag, The Lifted Brow, Kill Your Darlings, Meanjin, Witness Per-formance, and Daily Review, as well as the international publications Tanzcon-nexions, ArtsEquator, and Plays International & Europe. In 2013 Ben was an Emerging Writer in Residence at the SA Writers’ Centre, and was a featured playwright at the 2014 Emerging Writers’ Festival Adelaide Roadshow and the 2015 National Play Festival.

His plays have been performed in Sydney and Ade-laide, including by the award-winning Adelaide independent theatre companies five.point.one and SAYarts. In 2016-17 he was an inaugural Sydney Review of Books Emerging Critics Fellow and in 2018-19 was writer-in-residence at the Mill. His latest performance projects include commissions by ActNow Theatre, Next Wave Festival, and OzAsia Festival.

His experimental performance work Below the Line, an exploration of online comment culture, was featured in Adhocracy, Vitalstatistix’s national experimental arts hothouse, in 2017, and was to be presented in May 2020 at Melbourne’s SUBSTATION as part of Next Wave Festival. Most recently he was a core writer on DECAMERON 2.0, a collab-orative online theatre project by State Theatre Company SA and ActNow Thea-tre.

He is currently working on his first book, on psychedelics in Australia, and was appointed to the board of Writers SA in May 2021.

 


 

—Writers SA members must be logged in to receive the member discount. If you would like to use a workshop credit to book in, please contact [email protected] at least five working days before the workshop commencement date. Our staff don’t work full time and we don’t want you to miss out!

—Registrations will close 4pm on the Friday prior to a weekend event and 5pm the day of for an evening event to ensure all participants have the relevant links and information during Writers SA business hours.

—Members of other writing centres in the National Writers Centre Network can access our member discount. Contact [email protected] with your membership number to make your booking.

 

Price: Writers SA Member $77/Non-member $115

Venue: Zoom

 

Registration Details

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Writers SA members receive

  • 30% discount on all workshops and services (excluding Teen Writers Club)
  • a free 20-minute consultation upon sign up
  • advice, information and support in your writing activities
  • career pathway support and opportunities
  • access to a community of writers
  • opportunities to meet industry professionals
  • opportunities for publication and promotion

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