Great news, Coffs Harbour Council will be hosting live streaming of this year’s Sydney Writers’ Festival into Coffs on Friday 4th, Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th May at Cavanbah Centre, not the Jetty Theatre as previous years.

Program times and content details to be finalised shortly.

Mark these dates in your must attend calendar of events.

Happy New Year!

Our first meeting for 2018 is Wednesday 7th February at Cavanbah Centre, Coffs Harbour, commencing at 10am to 12.30pm

Another year almost over and members and guests enjoyed another superb Christmas Lunch Event at Park Beach Surf Club on Wednesday 6th December 2017.

A hands-on practical workshop for writers of memoir, family history, fiction, fantasy, and all types of writing. Learn how to edit for structure (story line) and copy editing for grammar, spelling and punctuation, and any ‘stand out’ inconsistencies of time, place or word usage. You will hone your techniques on your own or provided material and learn essential critical skills to gain a polished manuscript. A must for everyone who wants their work to be read and enjoyed!

When:           1.15 pm – 3.30 pm Wednesday 1 November 2017

Where:          Cavanbah Centre, Harbour Drive, Coffs Harbour

Presenter:     Leonie Henschke

Cost:             Members $7.50. Non-members: $15

More information and registration: 0412668315

In this workshop you will look at creating all things magical: worlds, creatures, characters and more.  Learn how to weave a story where the only limitation is your imagination.

It will be a hands-on workshop for all ages and abilities where your pen is as powerful as a wand.  Writers of every genre will find this very useful and informative.

Facilitator:              Roby Aiken

When:                     Wednesday 6th September

Time:                       1.30pm to 3.30pm

Where:                    Cavanbah Centre, Harbour Drive, Coffs Harbour

Cost:                        $7.50 for members and $15 for non-members

Ninette van Zyl was recently acknowledged for her role as President from 2003 to 2012 during a wonderful get together morning tea with the members of Coffs Harbour Writers Group.  We wish her farewell and all the best for the future.

Keep in touch Ninette!

In this workshop you will learn and practice the tools of effective characterisation, how to draw characters from a range of sources, make them real people, and work them into your writing realistically and successfully.

Workshop Facilitator:  Dr Lisa Milner

When:                          Tuesday evening 11th July, 2017

Time:                           Registration 5.30 for 6 to 8pm interactive workshop

Where:                        Coffs Harbour Library

Cost:                            $7.50 for members and $15.00 for non members

Includes light refreshments

One of our member’s Bruce Meder will be launching his first book ‘Opportunities Emerging: Social Change in a Complex World

Wednesday 17th May 5 to 7pm

Dark Arts Cafe’, Cox Lane, Coffs Harbour

Details: brucemeder@gmail.com

Another exciting workshop is planned for May 3rd.  Participants will learn how to turn your pasture into lawn.

The workshop will cover identifying and culling weeds like; words to avoid (and discuss why), repetition, redundancies, time stream, cliche’s, passive and active voice, showing versus telling, and much more.  We will not worry about spelling and simple grammar.  Hopefully, those prickles have already been dealt with.  If you can present your work to an editor (or discerning reader) as an inviting, painless ‘walk’ you story is more likely to be considered.

Facilitator:         Rosalie Skinner

When:                Wednesday 3rd May

Time:                 1.30pm – 3.30pm

Where:               Cavanbah Centre, Harbour Drive, Coffs Harbour

Cost:                   $7.50 for members and $15 for non-members

Publish!

Industry or Indie?

It’s never too early or late for aspiring writers to consider how to get their work out there.

This workshop will explore the promise and perils of different publishing pathways; traditional publishing, vanity press and self-publishing or “indie publishing”.

We’ll answer such questions as:

• Who are the major publishers and are they interested in me?
• What is an Agent and do I need one?
• How do I present my manuscript?
• I’ve got my advance, I’m going on a cruise. Right?
• Is “vanity press” always the villain?
• Self-publishing an e-book: how hard can it be?
• Self-publishing a paperback: how costly will it be?
• I’m published: can I quit the day job?

The presenter, Margaret Penhall-Jones is a local writer and editor.