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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
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    Archives

    Tag Archives for: "writing courses"
     Ready to write that book or screenplay? We can walk beside you.
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    By All About Writing
    In All About Writing, How to write a book, Invitations, Mentoring
    Posted March 19, 2021

    Ready to write that book or screenplay? We can walk beside you.

    Mentoring applications open now – limited places available You promised you’d start that book or screenplay this year – but you’re stuck, or have no idea where to start. Or […]

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     Hone your writing craft with a free webinar, writing workshop or course
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    By All About Writing
    In All About Writing, Invitations
    Posted July 11, 2020

    Hone your writing craft with a free webinar, writing workshop or course

      July and August are jam-packed with an exciting array of events. They include free webinars on travel and creative writing, short workshops, a weekend travel blogging workshop and more. [...]

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     July Newsletter: The value of community and what’s on in July
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    By Jo-Anne Richards
    In Newsletters
    Posted July 9, 2020

    July Newsletter: The value of community and what’s on in July

    The value of community: A word each from Jo-Anne and Richard Jo-Anne We’ve never been quite as aware of the value of our All About Writing community as we have […]

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     June Newsletter: Choose your own writing adventure
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    By Richard Beynon
    In Newsletters
    Posted May 29, 2020

    June Newsletter: Choose your own writing adventure

    Give your writing an instant makeover As writers, we continue to learn from each other through our lives. This month we thought we’d share one of the crucial lessons our […]

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     Corona update – we’re still here for you
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    By Jo-Anne Richards
    In Invitations, Newsletters
    Posted April 21, 2020

    Corona update – we’re still here for you

    We want to be part of the solution. We can’t do anything about the virus, but hopefully we can make your lockdown easier to bear. And we know you’re anxious: […]

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     Black Friday Special: 40% off all online courses for today only
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    By All About Writing
    In Promotions
    Posted November 29, 2019

    Black Friday Special: 40% off all online courses for today only

    Black Friday Special: 40% off all online courses for today only To recognize Black Friday, we’ve got an extra-special, once-off sale on. Receive 40% off any of our online courses […]

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     All About Writing August Jamboree: Free courses and webinars
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    By Jo-Anne Richards
    In Creative Writing Courses, Screenwriting courses
    Posted July 25, 2019

    All About Writing August Jamboree: Free courses and webinars

    Roll up, roll up, for the All About Writing August jamboree. We’re celebrating you, our writing community, next month, by giving you a week filled to the brim with free […]

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     Which of our writing courses has your name on it?
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    By Jo-Anne Richards
    In Creative Writing Courses
    Posted October 5, 2018

    Which of our writing courses has your name on it?

    Our final courses for the year are all starting soon. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to explore your creativity and sharpen your writing, now’s the time. We’re offering [...]

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     Is your story running on empty? How All About Writing can provide support.
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    By Richard Beynon
    In All About Writing, Creative Writing Courses, Richard Beynon's blog
    Posted September 20, 2018

    Is your story running on empty? How All About Writing can provide support.

    We all began the year with a story with a happy ending: that by December we’d have written that long-deferred novel or script… or that short story that’s teased us […]

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     Writing need not be lonely – how we can help
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    By Jo-Anne Richards
    In Jo-Anne Richard's blog, Mentoring, News
    Posted September 11, 2018

    Writing need not be lonely – how we can help

    It’s hard to achieve your writing goals alone. It’s easy to get stuck, easy to procrastinate, easy to give up. That’s why All About Writing exists. To give everyone the […]

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     Hand-in-hand to great writing in 2018
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    By All About Writing
    In Creative Writing Courses, Newsletters
    Posted December 1, 2017

    Hand-in-hand to great writing in 2018

    There’s a paradox to writing: it is at once an intensely solitary activity, and at the same time is dependent on the good opinion of a vast community of readers. […]

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    📝 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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