100 Story Studio: Writer's Notebook with Tony Birch - Review

Post

Subscribe

Sat 22 Feb 2014

It had been a long time since I last attended a writing workshop and I was a little nervous - would I feel like a novice compared to the other writers? Would I be able to understand what the presenter was talking about? Would I leave feeling less inspired than when I arrived?

I needn't have worried. 'The Writer's Notebook' with Tony Birch at 100 Story Studio was, by far, the most inspirational five hours of writing development I have experienced.

The Presenter

Tony Birch is the best kind of presenter - he has life experience, industry experience, teaching experience and boundless energy and passion for his craft and those who want to pursue it.

A widely published author of short stories, his books include Shadowboxing (2006), Father's Day (2009), and Blood (2011), shortlisted for the Miles Franklin award (2012). His new collection of short fiction, The Promise is about "love and loss and faith" and is due to be released in April 2014.

Tony Birch also holds a BA, MA and PhD and teaches writing at the University of Melbourne .



The Material

100 Story Studio, in the heart of Footscray, is not your usual uninspiring boardroom training venue. Decked out with creative kids in mind, it is spacious, colourful, full of light and plenty of books to get you in the mood.

The workshop was pitched perfectly for writers of all levels. By the end of the day we had explored our own work, sample works of great authors and had plenty of tips and exercises to take away and implement on our own writing projects.

Tony somehow managed to explain complex concepts such as dramatic objectives and narrative cliches in words that we could not only understand, but relate to and see clearly in our own writing.

We learned how to create real characters and places within an honest narrative. How to invoke questions and tensions and resolve these in a way that is authentic to the values of the story.

Practical tips on the writing process included:
* Keep a notebook of snapshots of scenes from everyday life. It may be years before you use them, but no writing is ever wasted.
* Always wear comfortable underpants... and preferably no shoes.

The Company

100 Story Studio creative writing workshops have a maximum of 15 participants. This allowed us to really get to know each other and learn from our collective experiences.

We each had our own passions and projects to share, from screenwriting about the lives of nightclub bouncers, to family biographies set in Zambia, crime fiction, novels and some who just wanted to get the creative juices flowing again.

Judging by the lunch time conversations we all left re-energised about the writing process and armed with practical ideas on how to make it happen.



A Great Cause

100 Story Building is a centre for young writers in Melbourne's inner west with the mission to "provide opportunities for the most marginalised children and young people in our community to build the literacy skills, confidence and sense of belonging that are fundamental to future success."

The funds raised from the 100 Story Studio adult creative writing workshops help the centre continue to offer these important opportunities.

Find out more about 100 Story Studio and sign up for one of their monthly workshops.

#books_writing
#community_centres
#courses
#footscray
#west
#workshops
#february
!date 22/02/2014 -- 22/02/2014
%wnmelbourne