ABC OPEN Project

link  The moment behind the photo.
This is an Open project and worth a visit via the link
Open until the 4th December you are required to grab a photo and tell the ABC via audio/text what it is all about or what happened next or what went before.

I'm sure we all have a picture that tells a thousand words!
So dig out your snaps and get creative.

MICHAEL FITZGERALD-CLARKE HAS A POETRY MANUSCRIPT ACCEPTED

Breaking news: WITS poet Michael Fitzgerald-Clarke's manuscript A Quadraphonic Whisper has been accepted by the small American publishing house Virgogray Press (http://virgograypress.com/).  "It's been several years since I've had a collection published," Michael says, "but I feel this new chapbook of mostly very recent poems shows that my work continues to develop, my creativity still is vibrantly alive."  The volume is scheduled to appear some time in 2012, and is dedicated to all Michael's friends at Writers In Townsville Society.  Stay tuned for updates.

Queensland Writers Centre, opportunity.

WITH ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT TO SUBMIT THIS IS A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOMEONE.

Want to write and then write about writing? Of course you do!

Thinking about writing a novel? Love blogging?
Want to write a novel and blog about your experience? QWC is offering an exclusive opportunity to a writer keen to blog about their favourite topic . writing!
What do I get?
Our lucky resident blogger will get access to the Year of the Novel Online with Alison Goodman - our year-long program that guides you through the process of putting together your novel. Valued at $445, this is our most popular and rewarding course and features lessons from Dr Kim Wilkins.
A great platform on the QWC blog - your posts will be promoted through our website and social media and read by thousands of writers and industry professionals!
Heaps of motivation and support.
What will I have to do?
All you need to do is commit to posting on the QWC blog once a fortnight, for one year (the duration of the course), about your experience in Year of the Novel Online, your writing practice, your hopes and dreams, and everything in between!
What do I have to do to apply?
Send us 100-200 words telling us about your writing and why we should choose you to be our resident blogger, as well as a short bio of about 100 words, before Friday 23 September. Email qldwriters@qwc.asn.au.

Writers digest : Wits Web help

Thanks to Writers digest and Jeff Gerke.
FIRST 50 PAGES CHECKLIST

Before submitting your manuscript to an agent or editor, it’s important to make sure your submission package is in the best possible shape it can be. Here’s a checklist that can help you troubleshoot your manuscript and improve your chances of success:

How strong is your first line? Make sure you lead off with something that will catch an agent or editor from the very beginning.
Do you start with a dream scenario? Because that’s a quick path to rejection.
Does your story have an engaging hook?
Are you telling instead of showing? Remember the old writing adage “show don’t tell.”
Double check your point-of-view. Make sure you don’t have any errors or shifts in POV.
Make sure your characters have depth.
Is there a lack of beats for pacing and description?
Check for stilted dialogue.
Are there inadequate descriptions of characters and settings (or details that are introduced to the reader too late)?
Are you starting the main action too soon?
Are you going into flashbacks too early in the story?
Do you jump to a new viewpoint character too early?
Is there enough conflict?
Is there something at stake for your hero?
** Based on The First 50 Pages: Engage Agents, Editors, and Readers, and Set Your Novel Up For Success by Jeff Gerke.

Monologues and humour

This is a very very funny monologue. The writing is wonderful and the execution superb.

The Age short story competition Free to enter!

The Age newspaper has a brilliant competition every year.

click  here 

to go to the web page with all the information

Send entries to:
The Age Short Story Competition
The Age
Level 2
655 Collins Street
DOCKLANDS 3008
or email shortstory@theage.com.au

Closing date September 23, 2011 - 5pm (late entries will not be accepted)

Winners will be announced in December.

The 1st, 2nd, 3rd winning stories will be published in Life & Style. They will also be published at www.theage.com.au.

First prize winner will receive $3000; 2nd prize, $2000; 3rd prize, $1000.

Poet in Residence in Townsville.

MICHAEL FITZGERALD-CLARKE BEGINS AS THE RESIDENT POET AT THE AITKENVALE LIBRARY

On Thursday morning, 1 September 2011, WITS member and respected poet Michael Fitzgerald-Clarke had his first morning as Poet In Residence at the Aitkenvale library. Michael had barely sat down when he was approached by a library customer, and he spent the next seventy minutes or so in sometimes animated conversation with an inexperienced poet who was keen to discuss a draft of his first, to be self-published, book. Michael offered him advice and counselling on a variety of poetry-related matters, and at the end of it had a satisfied customer. A member of the library staff approached Michael after the man had gone, and thanked him for spending the time with him, as the regular staff didn't have that time available.

Poetry Tip: When drafting a poem, examine what Michael terms "potentially empty" words such as "that", "so", and "the" carefully, to see if they can be omitted without affecting the sense of the poem.

MICHAEL FITZGERALD-CLARKE HAS ANOTHER POEM PUBLISHED

Michael's lighthearted poem "Helen Marie Gunz; and Me" has recently appeared in the 1 September 2011 post of the American e-journal Dr. Hurley's Snake-Oil Cure (http://snakeoilcure.com/). The poem was in response to the journal's call for submissions on photos that appear in the Smithsonian Institution's public archive. The pic of Helen Marie Gunz (displayed with the poem) convinced Michael she might be the Ideal Woman...

WIN WIN WIN

WIN A $40 WORTH OF GOODS FROM THE WITS SHOP

WITS poet Michael Fitzgerald-Clarke occasionally turns his hand to prose, if his arm is twisted, and he has been contributing lighthearted articles on things Australian for American novelist Dawn DeAnna Wilson's blog, The Year of Writing Dangerously (http://dawn-theyearofwritingdangerously.blogspot.com/). The series, titled "Aussie August", began at the beginning of August, and has been extended into September because of Dawn posting on Hurricane Irene (which affected her). To win a book by one of Dawn's peers, or $40 AUD of WITS merchandising from the excellent WITS shop (see the link on the LHS of this blog), all you need to do is leave a comment on one of Michael's posts before Dawn draws the prizes on 12 September 2011. There is no catch. You won't go on any mailing lists, or be subject to any marketing campaign spam e-mails. Be in it to win it!

Cairns conference of Book Creators Circle

this is a free event

click here to take you to their site and go to announcements.

ANNOUNCEMENTS BOOK LAUNCH - 10 AUGUST ONLINE 24 SEPTEMBER BOOK CREATORS EXPO BOOK CREATOR EXPO RYDGES TRADEWINDS Cairns - opposite St Monica's Cathedral - Trinity Room SATURDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER 2011 Speakers: DR LINDSAY SIMPSON LAURA MILLIGAN Exhibitors: Approx 30 exhibitors in book industry.

KERRY ASHWIN MAKES BLOGGING EASY

At the WITS meeting on Wednesday evening, 31 August 2011, our widely published author and experienced blogger Kerry Ashwin gave us the lowdown on how to start and maintain a free blog. Kerry began with first principles: what is your objective in starting a blog? do you want it to raise your web profile? She showed how you can make your blog stand out in the crowded cyber-space by inventive titles and keywords (tags); and how to compose an effective biography for your blog. The presentation focussed on Google blog -- www.blogger.com -- rather than WordPress, given that both are free options.

Designing your blog was covered in a lot of detail, from templates; to headers; to posting; and editing, once you have begun the process. Kerry's message stressed experimenting with the various settings, and she went through a number of experiments during the evening, prompted in part by enthusiastic questions from the audience. A strength of the presentation was Kerry's use of the technology available, including having the internet live on the big screen, so that she could show us, among other things, several of her personal blogs to illustrate points.

All told, the presentation was excellent. There was so much to take in, it was very information-rich, but Kerry very kindly offered to send those present her power point presentation, which contained her session notes as well as graphics of the various screens she spoke on, and much else besides. A totally worthwhile evening!

$10,000 prize for unpublished manuscript.

Inaugural Writing Australia Unpublished Manuscript Award

$10,000 + $2,000 for a mentor of your choice

The Award, to aid in the development of the next stage of an unpublished manuscript, is for a work of adult literary or genre fiction. It will be granted to the work that shows the greatest promise and likely to benefit most from this opportunity.

The winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000 and, in consultation with organisers, will be offered a suitable mentor selected from some of Australia’s best authors.

The Judges

Valerie Parv, international best-selling author, is a successful writer of romance and non-fiction. Valerie’s books have sold more than twenty-six million copies internationally, and been translated into over twenty languages from Russian to Japanese and Icelandic.

Mark Macleod is a Senior Lecturer in English at Charles Sturt University and well known as a Television and Radio Presenter. Mark was Project Manager of ‘My Favourite Book’ for ABCTV. He published books for young readers and for adults under his own name imprint at Hodder Headline.

Peter Bishop is one of Australia’s most effective writing teachers and mentors. Working with Australia’s leading authors he has enjoyed outstanding success as the Creative Director of Varuna -The Writers’ House in the Blue Mountains - from 1994 to 2010.

Applications close: Thursday 13 October 2011

Entry form: http://writingaustralia.org.au/