A 5-month program for writers working towards completing their first full length manuscript

February–June 2020

Are you looking for structured support and a strong peer network to help you finish your book? Writers SA's First Draft program provides fortnightly writing group meetings, a tailored workshop series, professional feedback and consultations, and peer-group support to keep you on track to complete your first draft by halfway through the year.

This program is suitable for anyone working on a long-form writing project, including fiction and narrative nonfiction in any genre, including poetry.

with Dr Danielle Clode (this workshop will be held online)

Nature writing, climate change fiction, ecocriticism, green literature, journalism, science writing or utopian fiction: there are endless forms of prose literature in which we address pressing environmental issues. But what does environmental writing do? What are we trying to achieve? Is it a call to arms, an attempt at education or emotional engagement?

with Jeri Kroll (online workshop)

What’s the difference between story and plot? How do you structure an effective narrative arc to give readers the experience you want them to have? Whether you plot before you begin, or you draft first and revise later, plot is the cornerstone. It drives your characters’ motivations and behaviours.

with Bronwyn Tilley (this workshop will be held online)

There’s an overwhelming amount of information available on how to get published, and (based on other writers’ anecdotes) an infinite number of pathways to publication. But how do you navigate it all without falling in an expensive hole, and where do you start? How do you decide the right path for you and your manuscript/story?

with Dr Ben Stubbs (this workshop is cancelled but will be re-run at a later date)

Travel writing is often referred to as 'the best job in the world', though little is understood about the genre beyond this. In this workshop Ben Stubbs will give some background to this statement by showing where travel writing comes from and how 'close travel' might be the new way forward. We will engage with contemporary examples and we will also get you to experiment with some key techniques to turn your own travels and observations into more dynamic travel stories whether it's to make money, post on your blog or just for your own diaries.

with Lauren Butterworth and Alicia Carter (This workshop has been cancelled and will run at the end of 2020)

In this workshop, Lauren and Alicia, hosts of the podcast Deviant Women, will help you to explore the murky world of telling women’s histories and biographies.

**This event has been cancelled**

with Matthew Tucker - Creative Crunchers

Most established creatives already have a go-to number-cruncher or system in place but since Adelaide doesn't really have a dedicated firm for writers and artists, we're bringing the knowledge to you!

with Margot McGovern (online workshop)

Faery tales are enchanting stories steeped in symbol, rite and ritual that speak to our primal fears and hopes. They are also fundamental in shaping our understanding of narrative and spirit us back to childhood. In this workshop we will consider the role of these traditional stories in our society and their continuing resonance for today’s readers.

with Katerina Bryant (online workshop)

From Stella Young to Fiona Wright to Carly Findlay, writers with chronic illness and/or disability are and have been Australia’s greatest storytellers. For presenter Katerina Bryant, writing her experience of illness has allowed her to find belonging in the history of hysteria. For her, writing is a powerful tool to express, as well as advocate, for change and acceptance. This workshop will explore how to craft a narrative, whether nonfiction or fiction, from the nuanced and immersive experience of living with illness and/or disability.

with Mandy Foot (cancelled but will run at end of 2020)

Developing a love of literature and reading begins early with picture books, with captivating images that spark the imagination and pull the reader into the story. Illustrators are often considered secondary to the author but they are very much a team. A good author will leave room for the illustrator. A good illustrator will take the reader on a journey beyond the words. What makes for good visual literacy? Do you need to draw a perfect picture to be a good storyteller? This workshop will introduce you to storytelling through character drawing.