Finding Your Way Back to Your Story

Most writers don't struggle because they lack talent. They struggle because somewhere along the way they lose sight of the story they are trying to tell. The manuscript becomes tangled. The plot wanders. The memoir grows too large. Characters refuse to cooperate. Dialogue feels flat. The writer who once felt excited now feels overwhelmed.

I get it. I totally get it.

It's why I teach creative writing. I wouldn’t say there are loads of hard and fast rules for writing because there are so many different styles, voices, stories. But there are building blocks. There really are. Understanding ‘the telling of stories’ gives writers an edge and incredible confidence. Once you understand what a scene is doing, why a character behaves the way they do, or where a story is losing momentum, your storytelling improves so much. And writing becomes so much more enjoyable.

The Sydney Storytelling Workshop at Woollahra Library, Double Bay, running August 21–23, is designed to slow you down so that you can reconnect to your story. There is space for conversation, reflection, team writing, close attention and genuine progress.

Just saying too, many writers arrive with nothing more than an idea, a few notes, or the feeling that there is a story they want to tell. There are no writing levels at The Art of Writing. What unites everyone is a love of stories and a desire to tell them better. Because we are discussing the building blocks.

I’m telling you this now because places are filling up. And I’d hate for you to miss out.

Over the three days we work through the fundamentals of storytelling, creating people and understanding their conflict, memoir, sense of place, theme and plot, dialogue that does more than simply deliver information, and the delicate balancing act of backstory. Drop me a line if you’d like the full 3-day program. 

There will be eight different lecturers/writers/speakers teaching across the weekend. Ashley Kalagian-Blunt, Petronella McGovern and structural editor Laurel Cohn (the backstory queen), as well as an author panel featuring Adam Courtenay (memoir, autobiography and biography), Meg Kenneally (editing) and Larry Writer (niche writing).

On the final afternoon, Benython Oldfield from Zeitgeist Literary Agency joins us for a Q and A about publishing, submissions, and what agents are currently looking for. Writers can optionally submit a paragraph describing their story beforehand if they feel ready, though many participants simply listen and absorb the Zeitgeist Literary Agency discussion.

Let’s do this!