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    Writing courses, free resources and webinars, and developmental editing Writing courses, free resources and webinars, and developmental editing
    • Home
    • About
      • About
      • Facilitators
      • Testimonials
      • Contact
      • How to enrol
    • Courses
      • Events calendar
      • Venice Writing Retreat
      • Creative Writing Course
      • Stow-on-the-Wold Writing Weekend
      • A memoir weekend and a writing retreat in the Karoo
    • Shop
    • Free resources
      • Free offerings for writers
      • Downloadable writing resources
    • Blog
    • Community Hub

    Workshops

     Join us for a Crime Writing Workshop with Joanne Hichens and Michéle Rowe
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    By All About Writing
    In How to write a book, Newsletters, Workshops
    Posted September 17, 2021

    Join us for a Crime Writing Workshop with Joanne Hichens and Michéle Rowe

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     Join us and Joanne Hichens for a Saturday morning memoir writing workshop
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    By All About Writing
    In All About Writing, How to write a book, Invitations, Workshops
    Posted June 25, 2021

    Join us and Joanne Hichens for a Saturday morning memoir writing workshop

    Got a story to tell? Join All About Writing’s Jo-Anne Richards and Joanne Hichens, author of recently-released memoir, Death and the After Parties, for a virtual Saturday Writing Workshop [...]

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     Creative Writing Workshop: What do they do while your characters talk, and why does it matter?
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    By All About Writing
    In How to write a book, Invitations, Workshops
    Posted May 4, 2021

    Creative Writing Workshop: What do they do while your characters talk, and why does it matter?

    Dialogue can make or break a story. How do you write a scene which doesn’t sound like a tick-tock conversation taking place in a void? Sign up for our Saturday […]

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     What’s on in May: Humour writing workshop, a free webinar, and more!
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    By All About Writing
    In All About Writing, How to write a book, Webinars, What's On In, Workshops
    Posted April 28, 2021

    What’s on in May: Humour writing workshop, a free webinar, and more!

    A couple of weeks ago we held a Saturday workshop on The Hero’s Journey and My Octopus Teacher. The power of that fundamental story structure was demonstrated neatly by the […]

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     You’re invited: My Octopus Teacher Storytelling Workshop
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    By All About Writing
    In Invitations, Workshops
    Posted April 6, 2021

    You’re invited: My Octopus Teacher Storytelling Workshop

    Netflix’s My Octopus Teacher has taken the world by storm. Its string of festival victories culminates now in both a Bafta and an Oscar nomination. On April 10, it will […]

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     You’re Invited: Saturday “Show Don’t Tell” Writing Workshop
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    By All About Writing
    In How to write a book, Invitations, Workshops
    Posted February 10, 2021

    You’re Invited: Saturday “Show Don’t Tell” Writing Workshop

    Show, don’t tell. It’s one of the most oft-repeated pieces of writing advice, yet it is frequently misunderstood. To paraphrase Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, “Don’t [...]

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     Get writing again with a community of writers
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    By All About Writing
    In Invitations, Workshops
    Posted October 6, 2020

    Get writing again with a community of writers

    Always dreamed of writing a novel, short story, memoir, or biography? Or maybe you’ve already got one in a drawer somewhere, and you can’t stop thinking about going back to […]

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     Free workshops and webinars this week to boost your creative spirit
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    By Richard Beynon
    In Webinars, Workshops
    Posted September 29, 2020

    Free workshops and webinars this week to boost your creative spirit

    This week, we’re bringing you not one but two free workshops and webinars to boost your creative spirit and help you along on your writing projects. First, join us and […]

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     Secrets of the trade: how to write movie scenes that wow
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    By Richard Beynon
    In Invitations, Screenwriting courses, Workshops
    Posted June 4, 2020

    Secrets of the trade: how to write movie scenes that wow

    For a hundred years and more, movies have been surprising, titillating and entertaining us with stories that are as ephemeral as spring blossom, or as consequential as the deepest human […]

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     Does life under Covid-19 hold a future for travel writing?
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    By All About Writing
    In Travel writing, Workshops
    Posted May 22, 2020

    Does life under Covid-19 hold a future for travel writing?

    Silly question. Of course it does. More than ever, now that we are largely home-bound and spend so much time on the internet. This is the time to collect all […]

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    INSTAGRAM
    📝 The Writer's Dual Consciousness Ever caught 📝 The Writer's Dual Consciousness Ever caught yourself living a moment while simultaneously crafting it into a story? You're not alone. This week we're exploring how writers navigate being both inside and outside their stories. Writing Tips * When you’re experiencing a moment that feels “story-worthy,” resist the immediate urge to mentally frame it as a scene. Instead, stay present in the experience first, then later set aside dedicated time to reflect on it as a writer. This helps maintain the authenticity of both the experience and your eventual writing. * Keep a “dual perspective” journal where you record events twice: first as you experienced them in the moment, and then from your more analytical writer’s perspective. This practice helps you understand how your observing mind transforms raw experience into narrative. * When writing about personal experiences, explicitly acknowledge both your participating and observing selves. Try writing the same scene twice – once from deep within the experience, and once from a more distant, observational viewpoint. This can add richness and depth to your narrative. Writing Exercise Choose a significant memory from your past. Write about it twice in 15-minute sessions: First, write it as if you’re reliving it in the present moment, focusing purely on immediate sensations and emotions. Then, write it again as if you’re watching it happen to someone else, noting patterns and meanings that weren’t apparent in the moment. Compare the two versions – what different truths emerge from each perspective? . . . #MondayWritingMotivation #memoirwriting #writingprocess #writingtips #writingcommunity #amwriting
    Book launch invitation: Please join the ONE LIFE a Book launch invitation: Please join the ONE LIFE authors at two launch events on 5 and 12 December. Register here: ow.ly/HkLy50UgyGj At this celebration of ONE LIFE, the writers will share their insights and experience, and will talk about the POWER of the short story. The editors will also be present. Joanne Hichens on the 5th and 12th and Karina Szczurek on the 12th. You will have the opportunity to ask the authors questions about their stories, their writing process and short stories in general. Get inspired to write your own short story. https://ow.ly/Lt2m50UhvPw
    The many jobs that the setting of your story can d The many jobs that the setting of your story can do Tip 14/14 Sensory immersion Detailed descriptions of place engage readers' senses, making the story more vivid and immersive. Authors like Proust excel at this. Here’s a passage from his magnus opus: In Search of Lost Time: "The Swanns’ drawing-room was a room such as one no longer sees today, lofty and spacious, of the kind which expressed a certain social status, and which must have been kept in repair at a considerable cost. An odour of old furniture, of curtains saturated with dust and perfumes, of tapestry permeated with the emanations of winter fires, brought to mind the tranquil dignity of aristocratic households where life is led in seclusion, amid family relics. Against the walls the large, empty armchairs, covered in silk, upholstered with light green damask and embroidered with multi-coloured flowers, were stationed in front of the fireplace, forming a kind of solemn tribunal. The flames crackled and sent reflections flickering up to the ceiling, where the ceiling-rose cast shadows like the petals of some enormous flower opening slowly to reveal itself." Detail, remember, is what the living blood of narrative fiction. Engage as many of the reader’s sense and plunge them into your setting, and your story. . . . #SensoryImmersion #Detail #StorytellingTips #StorySettings
    Writing Wisdom from Venice 16/16 Writing with rest Writing Wisdom from Venice 16/16 Writing with restraint is about holding back, not telling your reader too much. But restraint also means we should try to write more obliquely. It’s a form of showing, rather than telling. Give us the evidence – the details which we need to interpret – but don’t actually do the interpreting. Let your reader do that. Show the smoke, let us infer the fire. #WritingRetreat #VeniceWritersRetreat #Creativity #AmWriting
    ✨ Light the Dark: Free Short Story Writing Works ✨ Light the Dark: Free Short Story Writing Workshops ✨ Spark your creativity with Short.Sharp.Stories! Explore what POWER means to you - from speech to speed, electricity to creation. 🎯 Develop your anthology submission 📝 Hands-on writing experience 💡 Fresh content each session Join us: Nov 23 & 30 14:00-16:00 SAST Register via the link in bio . . . #writingcompetition #writingcontest #writingworkshop #shortstory
    Writing Wisdom from Venice 15/16 Restraint is an Writing Wisdom from Venice 15/16 Restraint is an essential ingredient for suspense in your writing. Give your readers a nibble at the facts, rather than the whole leg of lamb, and they’ll be hungry for more. #WritingRetreat #VeniceWritersRetreat #WritingTips #AmWriting
    The many jobs that the setting of your story can d The many jobs that the setting of your story can do Tip 14/14 Sensory immersion Detailed descriptions of place engage readers' senses, making the story more vivid and immersive. Authors like Proust excel at this. Here’s a passage from his magnus opus: 'In Search of Lost Time': "The Swanns’ drawing-room was a room such as one no longer sees today, lofty and spacious, of the kind which expressed a certain social status, and which must have been kept in repair at a considerable cost. An odour of old furniture, of curtains saturated with dust and perfumes, of tapestry permeated with the emanations of winter fires, brought to mind the tranquil dignity of aristocratic households where life is led in seclusion, amid family relics. Against the walls the large, empty armchairs, covered in silk, upholstered with light green damask and embroidered with multi-coloured flowers, were stationed in front of the fireplace, forming a kind of solemn tribunal. The flames crackled and sent reflections flickering up to the ceiling, where the ceiling-rose cast shadows like the petals of some enormous flower opening slowly to reveal itself." Detail, remember, is what the living blood of narrative fiction. Engage as many of the reader’s sense and plunge them into your setting, and your story. #StorytellingTips #StorySettings #AmWriting
    Writing Wisdom from Venice 14/16 Readers enjoy fi Writing Wisdom from Venice 14/16 Readers enjoy figuring things out. They’re flattered by the realisation that the writer believes them intelligent enough to work things out for themselves. This is why it’s almost always better to give your readers too little than too much. . . . #WritingRetreat #VeniceWritersRetreat #Creativity #AmWriting
    The many jobs that the setting of your story can d The many jobs that the setting of your story can do Tip 13/14 Narrative structure The movement between places can structure the narrative. Joseph Conrad used this technique in Heart of Darkness. The novel is structured around the journey up the Congo River: "Going up that river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings. An empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest. The air was warm, thick, heavy, sluggish. There was no joy in the brilliance of sunshine. The long stretches of the waterway ran on, deserted, into the gloom of overshadowed distances. On silvery sand-banks hippos and alligators sunned themselves side by side. The broadening waters flowed through a mob of wooded islands; you lost your way on that river as you would in a desert, and butted all day long against shoals, trying to find the channel, till you thought yourself bewitched and cut off for ever from everything you had known once—somewhere—far away—in another existence perhaps." Think of a journey, then structure a story round it. The journey becomes a metaphor, and a convenient structure to support the unfolding story. . . . . #StorytellingTips #NarrativeStructure #JosephConrad #StorySettings
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    NEWS & TIPS
    • The Writer’s Dual Consciousness: Being Both Inside and Outside Your Story
      The Writer’s Dual Consciousness: Being Both Inside and Outside Your Story
    • Short Story Workshop
      Short Story Workshop
    • Short Story Webinar replay and info about two free workshops
      Short Story Webinar replay and info about two free workshops
    • How Many Jobs Can Your Story’s Setting Do?
      How Many Jobs Can Your Story’s Setting Do?
    • Mining Your Inner World to Create Characters
      Mining Your Inner World to Create Characters
    • Crafting Powerful Short Stories
      Crafting Powerful Short Stories
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