About Us

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Fairfield, Queensland, Australia
Fairfield Writers Group is a mix of beginner and experienced writers who meet the second and fourth Saturdays of the month at the Brisbane City Council Library in Fairfield Gardens Shopping Centre, Fairfield road, Fairfield, Queensland. Our passion is writing and we work hard at our craft. Our aim is to encourage, support and help each other to reach new heights in our writing. New members are always made welcome and usually whisked off to the local coffee shop at the end of meetings for sustenance and socialisation with the rest of the crew.

Welcome to Fairfield Writers Group

We hope you will stop for a while and browse our site and if you like what you see, please visit us again soon.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”

-Henry David Thoreau




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Next Meetings

      23rd of April 2011
Easter -NO NOVEL GROUP MEETING

   7th of May 2011
            Anthology Group-10am

 14th of May 2011
             Exercise Group-10.30am

28th of May 2011
                  Novel/Short Group-10.30am


TEMPORARY VENUE:
Yeronga Services Club Inc
Cnr Fairfield Rd & Kadumba St,
Yeronga QLD 4104

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Easter Invitation

The 9th of April is our last meeting before Easter.

Can everyone bring something small along to share for morning tea.

Anthology group 9.30am
Exercise group 10.30am

Temporary Venue
Yeronga Services Club Inc
Cnr Fairfield Rd & Kadumba St
Yeronga QLD 4104

EXERCISE FOR THE 9TH OF APRIL 2011

FAIRFIELD WRITERS GROUP – WRITING EXERCISE

9th of April 2011
LOG LINES EXERCISE


1. Anthology members to write up a log line for their short story (as per the attachment from Lorraine-see below)

2. Non-anthology members to write a love poem, short story, recipe or film synopsis to a max of 120 characters (as per the BPay competition http://www.bpayshortandsweet.com.au/)


WRITING LOG LINES

If you wanted to build a house, you would start – hopefully – with a plan.
Imagine if you just called the concrete supplier and said “Pour some concrete here please”, without first planning the layout of the house, pegging it out, and placing retainers to hold the concrete in the right form. The cement would run all over the place and make a big mess.

After drawing the plan, you need to think about structure. How far apart should studs be? Where will you need steel beams to take the weight of the roof?
In the same way, you should have a plan for your story, and then a structure, otherwise it will ramble all over the place and probably make no sense. Certainly it will lose the reader’s interest.

THE PREMISE
A story plan and structure begins with a premise.
A premise is the unspoken underlying purpose of your story.
Think about a debate. You argue a premise with the purpose of convincing the audience that your
premise—and not the opposite premise argued by the other side— is true. A story should also argue
a case. It needs a central lesson or moral, and whatever premise you choose, you must either believe
in it passionately, or be prepared to argue it as though you believe in it passionately.

Your job, as storyteller, is to convince the reader that your premise is true. The premise should
never be overtly stated, but by the end of the story the reader should understand and believe it.

EXAMPLES OF PREMISES:

• Pride comes before a fall.
• Hard work ultimately yields rewards.
• That which is acquired without effort is not worth having.
• Women’s liberation didn’t liberate women.

THE THEME
Next, you need a theme. Actually, some experts say stories can have multiple themes, but every story should have at least one.
A theme is an underlying lesson that your character must learn through the story. It contains guidance for the audience on how to live.

A theme should be able to be expressed in a short sentence. Unlike the premise, it can sometimes
be overtly stated, though often you will find the story teaches more effectively if the message is more subtle. Your theme and your premise are tightly interwoven, and between them, they provide the structure of your story.

It is vitally important that you stick with your theme throughout the story. Don’t be tempted to wander off on a tangent and introduce unrelated information. Every sentence in your story should relate directly to your theme and drive the reader toward acceptance of your premise.

THE LOGLINE
Now, once you have decided on a premise and theme for your story, the next step is to compose the logline.
A logline is a brief summation of your story. In just a few lines, it should tell the reader exactly what the story is about, and it should SELL it to the reader.

Loglines are vitally important because they are the sales pitch to publishers and agents. If the reader isn’t excited by the logline, the story won’t sell. Period! And if you can’t write a logline that excites,don’t bother trying to write the story, because I guarantee you it won’t excite either.

A very productive exercise for would‐be writers is to write loglines for books and stories you have read recently and movies you have seen. Practice creating accurate loglines that sum up the story, and excite readers to want more. Show the loglines to friends. Do they want to read the book or see the movie?

When you set out to write a story or novel, you should write the logline before beginning the story.
That will give it structure – a plan and a form to follow so that your argument stays highly focused and you ultimately convince the reader that your premise is true.

Think of your logline as the seed of your story. The strength of that seed determines whether or not you can grow the story to something worth reading.

WRITING A LOGLINE:
First, write a sentence that describes the story you want to tell. For example:
A plane crashes in the mountains.
So what? No interest here!
Why did it crash? Who was on it? Where were they going? What happened to them?
You are now following the ‘what if’ method of creating a story. So, decide which questions your story
will answer, and how. You need to expand your logline to create interest and give you material for a story.

A plane crashes in a remote mountain location and the hungry survivors, after exhausting the meager food supplies they brought with them, end up eating the bodies of those killed in the crash.

Okay, a bit macabre, and perhaps it will turn off as many readers as it turns on, but hopefully you get the drift.

Its good discipline to bring your entire story down to one sentence, because it helps you dismiss ideas that don’t work, and it ensures you have the ability to communicate your ideas in a simple manner that is easy for the reader to understand.

The golden rule is:

If you can’t tell the story in one short sentence, it’s too complicated to tell in a short story or novel and you need to rethink it.

Don’t make the mistake of making the logline too simplistic though. It needs to say enough to create interest.

Example:

A man is trapped on a plane that is hijacked and must kill the hijackers if he is to rescue his family.

Okay. Not bad. But would it add interest if we told the reader something about the man? How about:

A gentle man with little self confidence is trapped on a plane that is hijacked and must kill the hijackers if he is to rescue his family.

Better. Now what if we tell the reader a bit about the hijackers?

A gentle man with little self confidence is trapped on a plane that is hijacked by ruthless terrorists, and he must kill the hijackers if he is to rescue his family.

Now it’s getting interesting!

The rule, therefore, is:

Tell the reader what happens. Tell the reader a little about the central characters so that they understand how the characters will react to what happens, or how their personality further complicates the plot. Don’t go into too much detail. Keep it short.

Here are some example loglines for stories you might be familiar with:

ET: A boy discovers a friendly alien and has to help him return home before he is captured by

scientists.

Jurassic Park: A scientist has recreated dinosaurs and put them in a theme park, but they escape

and try to devour his family

The Dirty Dozen: A group of convicts are released from jail and given the task ofkilling a group of

Nazi generals behind enemy lines, in a mission with no possibility of escape.

Loglines can change as your story evolves, but start with a firm idea so that you have somewhere to go.

Once you have the premise, theme, and logline, you have a measuring stick to test the relevance of each scene in your story. Does this scene fit with the logline, help teach the theme, and drive the argument stated in the premise? No? Then delete it – right now! Yes, I know you particularly liked this scene. There’s some great description and clever wording, but it’s not relevant, so it doesn’t belong.

A great story – a story that will sell and readers everywhere will love – starts with a fabulous logline,then stays true to the theme throughout and convinces the reader absolutely that t premise is true.

Written by Lorraine Cobcroft. March 2011.
The author acknowledges the work of Michael Domeyko Rowland whose Screen Story Writers’
Course has been used to provide source material for his article under the ‘fair use’ principles.

FURTHER READING:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Log_line
www.suite101.com/.../screenwriting‐‐‐writing‐the‐logline‐a354667
http://www.writersstore.com/writing‐loglines‐that‐sell
www.scriptologist.com/Magazine/Tips/Logline/logline.html
www.inktip.com/tips-loglines.php
library.creativecow.net/articles/gregory_browne.../logline.php

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

COMING EVENTS

Animated image of multiple fireworksWriters Festivals and Events 2011
 - Australia

•31 March to 3 April 2011 - Oracles of the Bush - live performances of Australian Bush poetry, musicand art. Tenterfield, New South Wales.

•2 & 3 April 2011 - The Norman Lindsay Festival of Children's Literature at the Norman Lindsay Gallery, 14 Norman Lindsay Crescent, Faulconbridge, Blue Mountains, New South Wales.

•6 to 8 April 2011 - Lit Fest - Young adult and children's literature festival hosted by the All Saints College, Bull Creek, Western Australia.

•21 to 25 April 2011 - Swancon - The annual West Australian Science Fiction Convention.

•29 April to 1 May 2011 - Williamstown Literary Festival - Williamstown, western Victoria.

•16 to 22 May 2011 - Sydney Writers Festival

•6 & 7 June 2011 - Voices on the Coast: A Youth Literature Festival - Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

•17 to 20 June 2011 - Watermark Literary Muster - Biennial festival bringing together national and
international writers whose writing focuses on nature. Camden Haven, New South Wales.

•14 to 17 July 2011 - Mildura Writers Festival

 22-24 July 2011- Whitsunday Writers Festival






00430480.jpgIpswich Poetry Feast

Ooops! Stop Press!

Stop Press!

I forgot to let you know, . .
how to make sure you'll get a
good feast on your hot breakfast!
At the Official Launch & Poets' Breakfast

For the Fab Cost of only $15 per head

Phone the Ipswich Library on 3810 6761
by the 31st March.

The feast of poetry is free!
Sashimi on banana leaf
Postcards from Bangalow Writing and Gourmet Experience‏

Learn writing skills while eating well and enjoying new companions

If you love writing, travelling and food, then you won’t want to miss the Postcards from Bangalow Writing and Gourmet Experience. Held over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in June, this unique writing event
will awaken your creativity and indulge your senses.

Hidden in the hills some 10 minutes drive from Byron Bay, Bangalow is a travel writer’s and foodie’s delight. Join seasoned travel writer Kim Wildman and learn what it takes to be a travel writer while experiencing the smells, tastes, sounds and characters of this unique community.

Included in the weekend: three gourmet meals in atmospheric local restaurants, a visit to the Bangalow farmers’ market followed by a half day Foodscape hinterland tour taking in three of the region’s best producers, a guided historical walking tour of Bangalow and fun writing workshops as well as plenty of free time to allow your creative juices to flow. Each of the three included restaurant meals will be attended by a local writer, editor or identity who’ll lead themed discussions on topics from how to capture the essence of a destination to how pitch an article to an editor, with questions and answers, readings and more.

If a weekend of writing, reflecting and enjoying the tastes and flavours of Bangalow isn’t enticement enough, Sample Magazine, the epicurean bible of the Northern Rivers, has offered to publish the best travel article written over the weekend in the travel section of the spring edition of the magazine. So not only will you experience what it takes to be a travel writer, you might even get published.

This fun and informative weekend experience is suitable for beginning writers upwards with an interest in travel writing, food and good company.

Accommodation can be arranged in a variety of local venues in and around the village.
Contact Kim Wildman on 0400 887 991 or kim@wildwriting.com.au to make a booking. Places are limited, so get in quick!
Date: 10-13 June
Times: 4pm Friday to 12pm Monday
Cost: $450 per person

Facilitator: Kim Wildman is a published travel writer and guidebook author with more than 10 years experience freelancing for a variety of media outlets around the world. She has authored more than 15 guidebooks, including Lonely Planet and Bradt travel guides, and written scores of travel features for the likes of Australian Woman’s Health, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Travel Africa, Voyageur and Ninemsn. When she's not continent-hopping, Kim runs travel writing workshops and mentors writers from her base in Bangalow. Recently voted one of Tripbase's 100 Favourite Travel Writers in the world, she also presents guest lectures on travel writing at universities and schools and speaks about her passion for the written road at international literary festivals and travel fairs. See her website for more details: http://www.wildwriting.com.au./

Testimonials from Kim’s past travel writing workshops
“Excellent! The course was very useful and exceeded my expectations.” Amy Dalguish, Travel Editor, Total Travel

"Kim Wildman lead a clear and inclusive travel writing workshop which not only focused on the skills of writing and storytelling but the business of travel writing and having your work published. A fun and valuable course by an experienced travel writer." Holly Galbraith, Go Future Media

COMPETITIONS

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The CALEB Prize
for faith-inspired writing
by Australasian writers
is now open!

1 Jan - 30 Jun, 2011
3 main sections:
fiction, non-fiction, poetry
(also unpublished manuscript)

Top Prize: $1000
+ other monetary prizes, vouchers and trophies +
 + reviews available on all books +

entry forms and full details at
Omega Writers Inc - 'words with wings': Omega Writers Inc, PO Box 492, Corinda Qld 4075 Australia


City of Rockingham Short Fiction Awards 2011 Now Open‏


Natcon 50 information: Writing competition and more!‏


BPAY SHORT AND SWEET
There's a prize of $3000 for writing a short story, love poem, film synopsis, or recipe. Each are to be a maximum of 120 characters - not words, but characters. I think it would be great if members entered the competition after the exercises - I know I could do with $3000! http://www.bpayshortandsweet.com.au/

BrightonCOW Update

We have two competitions open at the moment.

One is free to enter and has three £10 prizes as well as publication on our site. You need to write a non-fiction piece on the subject of your own choosing. Word limit is 500. Deadline is 30th April 2011.

We have a fiction competition too. The deadline is 31st May 2011. It costs £4 to enter and the word limit is 3000. There are three cash prizes of £100, £50 and £25. All shortlisted stories have the option of publication on our site as well as being broadcast, where appropriate, on the local hospital radio network.
Full details are on our site http://www.brightoncow.co.uk/

POEM OF THE MONTH

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ETERNITY
By Anne

Too late to say,I love you,
When the light shadows fall.
The still night vibrant with the tang of spring
     Makes longings small.  
   Did I once love you?
Did I seek in vain?
The earth that calls me, overshadows all.

Did your dark eyes once draw me
As a bow
Draws music from a violin?
I have forgotten all but being kin
To haunting dusty silences
That supplicate
The tableau of the overshaded sky;
The swell of orange-blossom sent
Unmoving bathes the vibrant silences
Deep-blent in earth,and all the earth of me.

The long-repeated cool,dry summer nights
The little vestige of eternity
That merges youth and age,
The backdrop for the crystal pageantry
Of all small sounds,
Far-carried near and clear.

The handclasp of today and yesteryear,
The flicked-back page
Now yesterdays,tomorrows and todays,
Filling the little shells of you and me,
Diverse,untouching,in the mystery
Of timelessness that overshadows need
Of liitle love,dwarfed by infinity.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

IMPORTANT NOTICE!

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The NOVEL Group meeting this Saturday
26th March 2011 has been cancelled.

Our next meeting is on the 9th of April 2011
Anthology meeting at 9.30am
Exercise meeting at 10.30am

TEMPORARY VENUE:
Yeronga Services Club Inc
Cnr Fairfield Rd & Kadumba St,
Yeronga QLD 4104

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

If God gives you something you can do,why in God's name wouldn't you do it?
Stephen King-Writer

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Sunset_And_Sunrise_g108-Silhouette_Of_A_Man__p27894.html

NEXT FWG MEETINGS

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12th of March 2011
Anthology Group: 9.30am to 10.30amExercise Group: 10.30am -12:00approx

26th of March 2011
Novel/Short Story Group:10.30-12.00 approx TEMPORARY VENUEYeronga Services Club Inc Cnr Fairfield Rd & Kadumba St,Yeronga QLD 4104

COMPETITIONS

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The Reason-Brisbane Poetry Prize  

Closing date: 27 May 2011

This is the competition's eighth year and it is open to budding and established writers across Australia. Open theme. Prizes: 1st $1500, 2nd $500, 3rd $300. Melbourne-based poet, Petra White will judge the entries and winners will be announced in The Australian newspaper on 24 June 2011. For guidelines, see http://www.daylesfordonline.com/poetryprizesend a SSAE to Rules, PO Box 545, Daylesford, VIC 3460.

Poetry Entry Guidelines

NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2011

Fairfield Writers Group
Minutes of the Exercise Group
12 February 2011


Present: Carol, Wendy, Anna, Helga, Vera, Lou, Findlay, Lisa, Anne, Lorraine and Jennifer.

Apologies: Maarten and Dani.
Meeting chaired by Anna



1. Positions Filled

Minute taker - role will rotate each meeting; attendee keeps notes; to be emailed to Anna for distribution / upload to blog
Chair Anna
Blog – Anna
Media - Lou and Findlay
Facebook / Twitter - TBC. Dani was nominated but not in attendance at meeting
A state of writing group administrator - Lou
Secretary - Anna
Treasurer - Carol
Graphics - Helga
Librarian - Jennifer as rep; Lorraine as back up
Role includes homework exercises kept collated, compendium on google docs from martin; have a list of hard copy resources in FWG available; Anna to share blog logon to Jennifer.

2. Set exercise for April
Exercise for April-Lou.
Exercises available - Carol to email Anna to distribute copies – this was unexpected but a pleasant surprise

3. Meeting Room Update
Yeronga Services Club until further notice.
Anna to follow up with library on design of the refit to include a quiet space for meetings

4. Workshops
Lou to email contact at BCC to see if they would be a guest speaker for indicatively a June / July meeting with the anthology team
They were involved in the project management of the One Book Many Brisbanes 4th edition

5. Youth Group Update
Martin's Idea originally; he is not coming to FWG at this stage.
Group aimed at 18 - 25 years where we act as mentors; concerns that 18-25 years is not an age group for a youth group.
There was some concern by some of the submissions from previous interested youth group potentials - style/content issue.
There is interest (Lou and Anna) to have the Youth Group concept with the FWG
Decision - to be discussed at October Meeting in conjunction with year planning; discussion to include future of this idea; further scoping.

6. Contacts List
Phone and Email collected by Lou; to send to Anna.

7. Member suggestions
New idea from Lisa –
FWG produce a children's book as a future project.
To be discussed at the October meeting.

Lou
Fairfield Writers Group
Minutes of the Novel Group
26 February 2011

Present: Helga, Maarten and Anna.

We had a quiet but thought provoking turn out. Helga and Anna brought poems to share with the group.
Maarten provided great feedback in how to write poetry.
It was a great opportunity to share ideas on how to improve on our anthology stories.

Anna

Next meetings:
26 February – Novel/short story Group
12 March –Exercise Group