Byron Writers Festival 2022
Festival Workshops
Writing a Memoir: The Nuts, The Bolts, The Tools To Do It
I think I’ve got a story to tell, but where do I start? What do I put in, what should I leave out? And hang on, what exactly is my story? Exploring the truth of your life can be challenging and elusive. This workshop will give you the tools to make your story both engaging and authentic.
Monday 22 August, 10am — 4pm
Byron Community Centre, Wategos 2
$145/110 Members & Students
Writing Your New Story After Trauma
When our life is turned upside down by change, tragedy or loss, we have the opportunity to create a new life story, a growth story that takes us beyond our suffering and into new territory. How do we find and write this story?
Tuesday 23 August, 10am — 4pm
Byron Community Centre, Wategos 2
$145/110 Members & Students
Theme, Imagery, Symbolism
Identify your driving themes, delve into symbolism and render vivid imagery with your prose. In this half-day course, Stella Prize-winner Emily Bitto guides you to explore how the ‘big ideas’ that preoccupy you as a writer can be used to take your creative project to the next level.
Wednesday 24 August, 9.30am — 12.30pm
Byron Community College, Wategos 1
$85/60 Members & Students
Supported by Faber Writing Academy
Writing the Personal
In this workshop, Nikki Gemmell explores the power of honesty and vulnerability in writing. Nikki will guide participants through questions of craft, the refuge of anonymity, tricks for bravery in writing, personal protectiveness as well as pathways to publication.
Wednesday 24 August, 10am — 4pm
Byron Community Centre, Wategos 2
$145/110 Members & Students
The Golden Rules for Writing a Short Story
In an engaging, enlightening and entertaining day-long workshop, writer, broadcaster and academic Sunil Badami will reveal his Golden Rules for Writing a Short Story, which he tested by writing four short stories in four weeks — all of which were published in some of Australia’s most prestigious literary journals.
Wednesday 24 August, 10am — 4pm
Habitat, Meeting Room 1
$145/110 Members & Students
Go Publish Yourself
Whether you’re an aspiring or established writer, you can now ‘go publish yourself’, on equal footing with the mainstream industry players. Join Debbie Lee from IngramSpark to learn about print-on-demand and global distribution, and how these services are turning the publishing world on its head. Co-presented with Graham Davidson, CEO of Rack & Rune Publishing.
Supported by IngramSpark
Wednesday 24 August, 1pm — 3.30pm
Byron Community Centre, Wategos 1
$35/25 Members & Students
Memoir Ethics
Memoir can be a powerful form – but one that also has the power to cause harm to others, and even to the author themselves. This masterclass with Dr Yves Rees will explore the complexities involved, helping you to develop a personal ethics of memoir writing.
Thursday 25 August, 9.30am — 12.30pm
Byron Community Centre, Wategos 2
$85/60 Members & Students
Nature Writing
This workshop explores ways of writing more ecologically, to narrow the divide between the human and more-than-human worlds, while engaging the reader. Through discussion of examples and a range of exercises, we’ll explore the notion of authenticity, the intersection of inner and outer landscapes, and the creative potential of research.
Thursday 25 August, 10am – 4pm
Habitat, Meeting Room 1
$145/110 Members & Students
The Truth is in the Detail
“The truth of the story lies in the detail.” – Paul Auster
If we are writing about a subject we do not know intimately, we will inevitably have to undertake research to find the details that will make our writing come to life. What are these details and how do we find them?
Thursday 25 August, 10am – 4pm
Byron Community Centre, Wategos 1
$145/110 Members & Students
How To Write Satire
Satirical comedy writing is a dreary affair of unimaginable pain and suffering. But it’s a good way to get incredibly rich quickly. This course gives you all the tips and tricks you need to quit your day job. Includes a look at the technical side of comedy, as well as tips on what to do with the mountains of cash that you’ll have to wade through each morning.
Thursday 25 August, 1pm — 4pm
Byron Community Centre, Wategos 2
$85/60 Members & Students
Meet the Publisher
Once you’ve finished polishing your manuscript, the next step is to submit it to agents and publishers. But it’s hard for any writer to know if their work is really ready. In this consultation, you’ll be given expert feedback on your work and whether or not it’s ready to submit.
Supported by Faber Writing Academy
Friday 26 August, 20-minute consultations, 9.30am — 1pm
Byron Writers Festival office
$105/95 Members & Students