Tristan Bancks is a children’s and teen author with a background in acting and filmmaking. His books include Two Wolves (recognised as an Honour Book in the 2015 Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards, as well as winner of the YABBA and KOALA Children’s Choice Awards), the My Life series (weird-funny-gross short stories featuring Tom Weekly) and Mac Slater, Coolhunter. His short films as writer and director have won a number of awards and have screened widely in festivals and on TV. Tristan is excited by the future of storytelling and inspiring others to create.

Duration: 30 minutes to 1 hr
Suitable for: Stages 2-6 and adult. (NB: can be adapted to include stage one in small schools.)

Workshop overview

Autobiographical talk using anecdotes, images, video and the web to trace how Tristanʼs books relate to his life story. From schoolboy in Sydneyʼs Blue Mountains to teen TV actor and presenter in Australia and London, through travel and university to film making and life as an author. Discover the books Tristan loves to read, how he finds inspiration and how he makes a living telling stories for page and screen. Along the way, have lots of laughs, gain valuable tips on using your own life to inspire your stories and help create a weird, funny, gross short story for the next My Life book.

Topics covered

• How to find story inspiration
• Top 5 writing tips
• Making writing an active, contact sport

Duration: 1, 2 or 3 hrs
Suitable for: Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4

Workshop overview

How can you use all the odd, boring, funny stuff that happens to you and turn it into excellent stories? Author Tristan Bancks used bits from his life to inspire his short story collections My Life and Other Stuff I Made Up and My Life & Other Stuff That Went Wrong. Like the time his sister made him eat Vegemite off her toe and the time he had his appendix removed just to get out of school detention. Learn how to mine your own life for cool, weird, funny stories that your friends and teachers will love.

Topics covered

• Using memory for story inspiration
• Mashing truth and fiction to create authentic, entertaining stories
• Freewriting practice to discover untapped story ideas

Duration: 1-3hrs
Suitable for: Stage 2, Stage 3, Stage 4, Stage 5 to adult.

Workshop overview

Participants observe, experience and let the world around them rush onto the page. The forward-motion and physical exercise bring the writing experience alive, forging new and unexpected stories. Can be done in the school playground! https://www.tristanbancks.com/2018/01/byron-bay-writing-safari-2.html (Inspired by Tristan’s writing process on his book Two Wolves.)

Topics covered

• Writing outdoors for story inspiration
• Present-moment awareness as a storytelling tool
• Discovering character inspiration from the people and spaces around you.

Duration: 1-3hrs
Suitable for: Stage 3, stage 4

Workshop overview

In-depth writing workshop for very keen / talented writers aged 10+ wanting to take their work to the next level and excavate the stories locked inside them. This workshop goes beyond ʻgetting startedʼ and plunges into voice, setting, character development, conflict, plotting, analysis of great writersʼ work and saying more by saying less.

Topics covered

• Writing outdoors for story inspiration
• Present-moment awareness as a storytelling tool
• Discovering character inspiration from the people around you.