SHIFTING GEARS: TRANSFORMING YOUR STORIES FROM GOOD TO GREAT
Sunday 15 March 1.30PM-3.30PM
Venue: Craigs Investment Partners
Hobson Ave, Kerikeri
$25PP (INCLUDES A COPY OF SCORIA: SHORT PROSE FROM THE CINDER CONE)

In November we ran a workshop to celebrate the launch of our first publication, Scoria: Short prose from the cinder cone. The workshop was so well received that we are running it again, this time in Kerikeri.

When we went into the revision process for Scoria: Short prose from the cinder cone we had no idea how significantly some of our stories would change. Many had been published before, selected by editors and judges for inclusion in various periodicals, anthologies, blogs and websites – they must be good, right? Perhaps even great? We thought so but still we examined each one closely. And we asked others to examine them closely too – firstly beta readers, then an assessor and finally a copy editor. In each round of reading new eyes asked new questions that had us thinking about our stories in new ways. What if we did cut out some characters? What if we did reduce the word count? What if we increased it? What if we completely reconsidered the form? What if we changed the tense or point of view. Can a title change make that much difference? Even our proofreader asked a question we couldn’t ignore that saw one story completely rewritten just days before the manuscript went to the designer.

Shifting gears: Transforming your stories from good to great is a celebration of our revision journey. Join us for an afternoon of story shaping on Sunday 15 March 2020 from 1.30pm to 3.30pm at Craigs Investment Partners, Hobson Ave, Kerikeri. We will demonstrate some of these techniques and show you how powerful even small changes can be. Writers of all levels who have stories in any form from raw draft to ready to submit will find value in this workshop. We will have examples for you to work on but also feel free to bring some of your own work to experiment with.

If you already have a copy of Scoria, please bring it with you. There will be an alternate free gift for you.

Testimonials

Thank you for the excellent writing workshop; I came away full of ideas and the enthusiasm to utilise what I had learned. The workshop ticked so many boxes for me: it was well organised, interactive, serious with an element of fun, and managed to engage a diverse group in terms of writing experience.  Above all, I really appreciated the generosity of spirit with which you shared a piece of your own work as you had progressed through the edits.  You are both great learning facilitators and I look forward to attending future workshops with you. VM

I thought your workshop was fantastic. You two were honest, helpful, funny, endearing. Often workshops can be a bit confronting, say, if you’re asked to write something in a short time – but not this one. It was all about learning … such a gift to get an insight into your processes. RR

Shifting Gears is thoroughly engaging and insightful.  The facilitators are highly skilled and well trained, encouraging writers to be flexible and open to new perceptions.  I came away from the workshop not only inspired but also equipped with a framework of helpful suggestions for reference.  What is the Heart?  This question has breathed new life and focus into my stories and poems.  I have been writing daily ever since. KB

I really enjoyed the writing afternoon – intimate, not too long, and a chance for everyone to participate. AJ