Inspiration for would-be creative writers

WRITING WORKSHOP... Members of the Goulburn Valley Writers' Group will conduct a half-day workshop for budding writers, covering a range of writing projects on Saturday, October 19. President of the GV Writers' Group, Suellen Drysdale at this year's Poetry Slam. Photo: Aaron Cordy

“EVERYONE has a book inside them” is a phrase we often hear, but how many turn their secret writing desires into reality?

Members of the Goulburn Valley Writers’ Group will conduct a half-day workshop to provide impetus for budding writers, covering a range of writing projects on Saturday, October 19. Short, introductory sessions will cover screenplay writing, researching family history projects, writing for children and short story writing.

The free Creative Writing Kick-Start workshop is an initiative supported by the City of Greater Shepparton’s Creative Cities Grants Program and will be delivered by accomplished members of the GV Writers’ Group.

As the home of the nationwide Furphy Literary Award, Shepparton is fertile ground for emerging literary talent. Robyn Black is the GV regional ambassador for Writers Victoria and co-ordinator of the Furphy Literary Award which attracts hundreds of short story entries vying for the $15,000 first prize. Robyn will present a session on how to maximise your chances of winning the short story competition.

President of the GV Writers’ Group, Suellen Drysdale says, “The workshop sessions are designed to give participants a taste of different writing projects and inspire them to start writing.”

WRITING WORKSHOP… Members of the Goulburn Valley Writers’ Group will conduct a half-day workshop for budding writers, covering a range of writing projects on Saturday, October 19. President of the GV Writers’ Group, Suellen Drysdale at this year’s Poetry Slam. Photo: Aaron Cordy

Having published three books for children, encompassing pre-teen novels to a humorous picture book, Suellen will provide an overview of writing for children.

Military historian and writer, Tracee Spiby has spent considerable time researching her grandfather’s exploits during both World Wars. Inspired by letters written by her grandfather, Spiby launched her book “One Hell at a Time” last year, which has been recognised as a major contribution to Australia’s military history. Tracee will guide others in how to research their own family history project.

Writing for the screen is a dream come true for Melissa Black. Having completed an Advanced Diploma of Professional Screenwriting, she has worked on several productions, including feature film “Blue Canaries” and the US series “La Brea” which was filmed in Australia. Melissa will provide a taster session for people interested in script writing, provide a short interactive writing exercise and information about opportunities in the screenwriting industry.

The Creative Writing Kick-Start will run from 10am to 2pm on Saturday, October 19 at the Mechanics Institute, 243 Wyndham Street, Shepparton.

While the workshop is free, thanks to funding from the Creative Cities Grants Program, bookings are essential.

To book please go to: https://events.humanitix.com/gvwg-creative-writing-kickstart. Or scan the QR code. Bookings essential.