Duration: 2 hours
Suitable for: High school. Works best with a year group (eg year 8 or year 11) or a mixed group of particularly keen writers, drawn from Years 7 – 12.

Workshop overview

Sarah draws on her years of experience as a novelist and journalist to teach techniques to get students’ creativity flowing, as well as concrete, practical tools to create narrative tension, deepen character, and create a sense of immediacy for the reader.

She gives comprehensive handouts, with examples from others’ writing, and illustrates with anecdotes from her own writing experience. She gets the students writing straight away, and they’ll do lots of writing throughout the workshop.

Topics covered:

• Free-writing as a brainstorming tool and fast, effective way to write a first draft.
• The drafting process – how a first draft is different to the final draft.
• Exercises to flesh out character.
• Using detail to show rather than tell.
• Writing a ‘sensory brainstorm’ to generate material to bring a piece of action alive.
• Student Q and A.

Duration: 3 hours
Suitable for: High school. Best for year 9 and up, unless students are focused, keen writers.

Workshop overview

Sarah draws on her years of experience as a novelist and journalist to teach students techniques to get their writing flowing, as well as concrete, practical tools to create narrative tension and to deepen character. She explains how students can write ‘scene’ to create immediacy for the reader and to show rather then tell. Most students write in summary and find it a revelation to learn about writing in scene.

She gives comprehensive handouts, with examples from others’ writing, and illustrates with anecdotes from her own writing experience. She gets the students writing straight away, and they’ll do lots of writing throughout the workshop.

Topics covered

• Free-writing as a brainstorming tool and fast, effective way to write a first draft.
• Fleshing out character using free-written character histories
• When to show and when to tell.
• Using scene to show and create immediacy
• Writing a sensory brainstorm to add effective detail to scene.
• Student Q and A

Duration: 3 hours
Suitable for: Year 12 students studying Extension English 2

Workshop overview

For students studying Extension 2, Sarah can offer ideas around coming up with ideas, refining ideas, generating material, deciding on form and approaching the rewriting process.

Topics covered

• Free-writing as a way to overcome writing blocks and effective way to write a first draft.
• When to ‘show’ and when to ‘tell’ when writing fiction or creative non-fiction.
• How to write ‘scene’ to create immediacy in fiction or creative non-fiction.
• Student Q and A – which is usually very fruitful.

Depending on the size and duration of the class, Sarah is happy to include some one-on-one sessions with students while others write.

‘Sarah was exceptionally well received by our students! She taught the students how to use free writing to expand their ideas and deepen their writing skills. Our creative writers from Year 10 and 11 were involved in the workshop and Sarah was able to engage very well with this age group. Many of the students have asked when Sarah is coming back! There is no doubt that the students gained many new skills in how to write creatively and overcoming blocks that arise. She has also delivered a workshop to some of our senior students in Year 12 English Extension 2 who were all able to progress their compositions in positive ways following her work with them.’ – Katie Biggin, Deputy Principal and Head of English at Cape Byron Rudolf Steiner School, Byron Bay

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 filmmaking 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 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.

Duration: 45mins
Suitable for: All ages

Presentation overview

Jesse has entertained audiences from ages 4 to 94 in Australia and internationally with her tales of writing, researching, and extremely unusual creatures. Passionate about becoming a vet from childhood, she ended up becoming an author instead and has written a series about friendships between humans and animals.

A fibreglass seeing eye dog sets sail for the frozen south in Stay: The Last Dog in Antarctica. A young rider tries to save a wild horse in danger in Paruku The Desert Brumby, and a city kid has to draw on all her courage to save a koala from a cyclone in Dexter the Courageous Koala. Each of the books has school curriculum relevance, and teacher’s notes. Jesse has researched all her books out in the field, and her presentation follows her adventures with dramatic audio visuals in a highly engaging format for schools. She is also an international award-winning author of historical and contemporary fiction for adult readers.

Topics covered

• Finding story inspiration
• Researching an idea for a story
• How authors create characters using language and images
• Characters in context
• Author Q&A

Duration: 45mins – 2hrs
Suitable for: All ages

Workshop overview

It’s a rollercoaster ride as international award winning author Jesse takes participants through the thrills, chills and spills of creating a story. Activities include brainstorming ideas and story-worlds, creating memorable characters, how to make a story irresistible, and how get over the finish line. Jesse refers to her own junior novels and how they were created. She tailors every workshop to suit the ages and abilities of participants – she has taught hundreds of writers aged from seven to seventy in Australia and around the world, and is a passionate and enthusiastic teacher.

Duration: 45 min – 1 hour
Suitable for: Stage 4, 5, 6

Presentation overview

In this engaging presentation, CBCA nominated children’s author, Zanni Louise shares her insights into publishing, and how books are made. She engages students in a discussion about effective storytelling techniques, developing original ideas and the creative process. She also talks about why feedback and collaboration is the magic ingredient, and shows engaged students how they can develop and publish their own work.

The focus of this talk is being a ‘courageous creative’, stepping outside the box and making a living doing what you love. Zanni leaves room for questions and discussion.

Topics covered

• How picture books are made
• Effective storytelling
• Writing for different ages
• Sourcing ideas
• Harnessing ideas
• Zanni’s ‘Secret Story Garden’
• Being a courageous creative
• The art of accepting feedback
• The art of collaboration
• Author Q&A

Curriculum outcomes

• Responds to and composes increasingly sophisticated and sustained texts for understanding, interpretation, critical analysis, imaginative expression and pleasure (Stage 4, 5)
• Effectively transfers knowledge, skills and understanding of language concepts into new and different contexts (Stage 4, 5)
• Effectively uses a widening range of processes, skills, strategies and knowledge for responding to and composing texts in different media and technologies (Stage 4, 5)
• Think in ways that are imaginative, creative, interpretive and critical (Stage 4, 5, 6)
• Communicate through speaking, listening, reading, writing, viewing and representing (Stage 6)

Duration: 1hr – 2hr
Suitable for: Stage 4, 5, 6

Workshop overview

In this engaging workshop, CBCA nominated author Zanni Louise guides writers through steps to harness creativity, and develop compelling stories. Zanni shares tips for overcoming writer’s block, and developing fresh story ideas. Writers will develop compelling characters, with strong motivations and challenges, and use the narrative arc to guide characters home to a satisfying resolution. This workshop promotes creative thinking, story development, working positively with feedback, collaboration and confidence presenting work.

Topics covered

• Create compelling characters readers will connect with
• Develop a rich and compelling story arc
• Tips for overcoming writer’s block
• Tips for editing and story development
• Story presentation
• Author Q&A

Curriculum outcomes (if applicable)

• Responds to and composes increasingly sophisticated and sustained texts for understanding, interpretation, critical analysis, imaginative expression and pleasure (Stage 4, 5)
• Effectively transfers knowledge, skills and understanding of language concepts into new and different contexts (Stage 4, 5)
• Effectively uses a widening range of processes, skills, strategies and knowledge for responding to and composing texts in different media and technologies (Stage 4, 5)
• Think in ways that are imaginative, creative, interpretive and critical (Stage 4, 5, 6)
• Communicate through speaking, listening, reading, writing, viewing and representing (Stage 6)