Wednesday, June 29, 2011

FAREWELL TO NIKESH MURALI


High on the list of benefits of belonging to a Writer’s Group is the opportunity to link up with other
writers. Regardless of their level of writing experience or genre, people come along prepared to
share their work & their knowledge with other members. The generosity among writers never fails
to amaze me. Sharing your successes or rejections with friends’ results in a bond of fellowship.

For the past four years we have had the pleasure & privilege of having Nikesh Muralli as a member
of WITS. Nikesh is a very accomplished writer & has run several workshops for us. Writing, like all
art forms needs to be nurtured, and so we continually strive to improve our understanding of the
craft.

Sadly, now it is time for Nikesh to move on. We will miss his particular brand of humour, his ability
to offer honest criticism & encouragement & his willingness to always listen to & help out a fellow
writer. For the time being (maybe a year or so!!!) Nikesh will continue to manage our blogsite.

From tropical Townsville to the frozen depths of Canberra , Nikesh, surely you could have picked a
better time of the year to move. We’ll miss our late night coffee sessions, but since you are only an
email away your good friends in the north will no doubt still be running their work by you. We wish
you every success & remember the eyes & the ears of WITS will be upon you.

Monday, June 6, 2011

FAREWELL TO GEMMA


Last Wednesday night we said a sad farewell to Gemma who is heading back to the UK. Their
gain our loss. Still social media makes it so easy to keep in touch. Not quite the same I know. But
hopefully once Gemma finds herself a new writer’s group (& now that she realizes the benefits to be
gained ) we may be able to establish WITS as a sister group.

Heritage Day

Every year WITS has a stand at Heritage Day. Townsville provided us with the perfect day. I swear
you could not get better weather anywhere. Thousands of local people came out to enjoy the
community displays.

The park where this annual event is held is located at the front of the old West End Cemetery.
What better place to commemorate our heritage & to celebrate life in general; past & present
intermingling.

With banners in place & a heap of brochures we four who had volunteered to man (person) the
stand munched on chips, drank coffee & enjoyed the carnival atmosphere. Sadly due to stuffy
restrictions we were not allowed to play on the jumping castle. Maybe next year.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Writing Workshop with Nikesh Murali

Making A Scene

Have you struggled with writing individual scenes that constitute your novel/short story/memoir?

Have you ever wondered if there was an effective way to structure your scenes to create maximum dramatic effect?

Would you like to learn the formula for creating an opening scene that will hook your readers?

To understand the way a scene works and how it relates to the overall structure of a story, it is important to analyse the basic mechanisms that drive dramatic conflict, such as scene and sequel and motivation reaction units. It is also essential to outline your scene in advance, to seek out the ‘heart’ or the ‘heat point’ and ensure that you are not writing fluff that will be trashed during the revision phase.

Under the expert guidance of critically acclaimed author Nikesh Murali, who specialises in researching micro and macro structures in fiction, unravel the hidden structure of scenes using techniques from legendary writing teachers like Dwight Swain, Jack Bickham and many others.

Cost: $50.00
Date: 10 April 2011
Time: 10:00 am to 04:00 pm
Venue: Aitkenvale City Council library Workshop Room

Due the hands-on nature of the workshop we have limited seats. Book before the 5th of April 2011 to avoid disappointment.

For bookings please contact nikeshmurali(at)nikeshmurali(dot)net

SUITED TO WRITERS AT ALL STAGES OF THEIR WRITING CAREER - ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL FOR AUTHORS WHO ARE STARTING ON THEIR FIRST MANUSCRIPT


Trainer Bio:

Nikesh Murali's poems and short stories have appeared in more than 70 publications around the world. His works have been translated into French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. He was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2007 and won the Tom Paine Award in Non-Fiction Writing in the same year.

He has completed his Masters in Journalism from Griffith University for which he was awarded the Griffith University Award for Academic Excellence in 2005, and his Masters in Teaching from James Cook University in and a Bachelors degree in English Literature and World History from University of Kerala. He is a tutor and researcher at James Cook University and is working towards his Doctorate in Creative Writing.

For workshop testimonials please visit http://www.nikeshmurali.net/p/workshops.html

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Monday, February 14, 2011

From this coming Wed 16th February WITS is back in full swing, a bit late due to Yasi's unscheduled visit. Let's hope that anyone suffering from writer's block is now back in action after having the cobwebs blown away.
Townsvillians who have not yet experienced the benefits to be gained from being a member of a Writer's group now is the perfect time to pick up the phone or send an email for more details.
Writing like any art form is a craft & WITS offers you the opportunity to develop your skills, share your knowledge & experience, in a friendly motivating atmosphere.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Writing Workshop with Nikesh Murali

Plotting Made Easy

Have you got a great story, but you are not sure how to structure it into a cohesive and gripping narrative? Struggling with your novel? Not sure of how to plot a story featuring memorable characters and pen a riveting story brimming with external and internal conflict?

Advance your understanding of the craft with this hands on, intensive 5 hour workshop where you will learn about some of the most popular and effective plotting systems employed by successful authors and gain new insights into the micro mechanics of fiction writing

You will learn how to…
• Examine the values and ambitions of your protagonists and antagonists, which in turn will help you formulate a strong story goal

• Create an effective outline based on the 3 act structure using step-sheets

• Break your novel down to story beats and character arcs to manage your manuscript and discard the boring bits

• Craft a strong beginning and climax by breaking it down to its effective components

SUITED TO WRITERS AT ALL STAGES OF THEIR WRITING CAREER - ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL FOR AUTHORS WHO ARE STARTING ON THEIR FIRST MANUSCRIPT

Cost: $50.00
Date: 14 November 2010
Time: 10:00 am to 04:00 pm
Venue: Aitkenvale City Council library Workshop Room



Due the hands-on nature of the workshop we have limited seats. Book before the 1st of November 2010 to avoid disappointment.

For testimonials see http://www.nikeshmurali.net/p/workshops.html

For bookings please contact nikeshmurali(at)nikeshmurali(dot)net

TESTIMONIALS

I learnt so much about one of the story structures for novels as well as for short stories. He is energetic, interesting, fun and knows his business. I would certainly attend any workshop he held in the future, even the travel to and from Townsville didn’t take the shine off.

Jacque Duffy, Children's Book Author , http://www.jacquesartandbooks.com

***

Nikesh has a talent for both writing and teaching. Judging by the quality of the six hour presentation a good deal of research and preparation had gone in beforehand. It was a hands-on experience and as we went through the stages of presentation, by interacting with Nikesh we constructed a credible outline for a story. We were then able to apply the principles to our own work.

The main focus of the workshop was on mastering the art of story structure. You can have a great story and engaging characters but unless it goes through the necessary stages, in the end it won’t work. By putting the correct foundations in place, the construction of your story, regardless of length follows a pattern the same as if you are constructing a building. In using the correct method to create a working outline you are saved the agony of doing endless rewrites. I’m speaking from experience here.

My novel which took me eight years to research and write went through endless drafts. I thought I was finished with it two years ago, but knew deep down that something wasn’t quite right. It needed restructuring; the trick was to know how to go about it the right way. Writing like any craft has to be learned, as long as you have the gift of story-telling and the willingness to learn, the tools are all there for you. Thank you Nikesh, for providing me with the tools to make A Hint of Darkness a best seller.

Lori Hurst, Author and President of Writers in Townsville Inc.

***

The workshop on story structure was both fun and informative. Nikesh is a natural-born presenter, oozing passion and enthusiasm,and I came away totally fired up for all things writing. The information offered was well organised and easy to understand with Nikesh illustrating many points with examples from modern day movies and texts.

I've been able to apply the knowledge I gained in the workshop to the novel I am currently writing and finding with this structure my story is flowing coherently and easily. I am so glad I attended and would heartily recommend this workshop to any writer.

Tess McCarthy, Winner of WOTS Short Story Contest

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Performance readings at Thuringowa Library

Don Gallhager introduced us and kept the audience engaged.Lori took us along for a ride with a short story with a twist.
Michael entertains us with witty poems


A chance to meet and greet the audience and the writers.