Varuna - the Writers' House 2011

Celebrating 20 years

Workshops, Programs & Services by Varuna in Katoomba, the Blue Mountains

WORKSHOP: Writing from Life with Anna Goldsworthy - March 5, 2011

On the heels of her impressive literary debut, Anna Goldsworthy, the author of 'Piano Lessons' guides you through the process of "writing from life". Participants are encouraged to bring a sample of their own work, along with plenty of questions. Topics to be covered include self-censorship and the ethics of life writing, and how to structure memoir into a compelling narrative.

Date: Saturday March 5, 2011

Time: 10am-1pm

Venue: Carrington Hotel Library, Katoomba or to be advised

Cost: $100

Maximum capacity: 20 participants

For more details click here.

WRITING FOR STAGE AND SCREEN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESIDENCY - by Expression of Interest

Spend a week in residence with acclaimed writer of stage and screen Katherine Thomson. Katherine will be in residence with four selected writers to provide individual consultations and group sessions to assist writers in guiding the development of their work to the next stage.

Who should apply: Experienced writers for stage or screen should apply. The residential week will work best for those who are either ready to redraft, or in the early stages, planning and outlining their script and working on issues of structure, narrative or character. Katherine will meet with writers both individually and in a group to assist them in developing their work over this intensive week.

Important dates: Expressions of Interest sought by 28 February. Residency to take place Monday May 23 - Sunday May 29, 2011.

For more information click here.

CRIME WRITING WEEK with Marele Day 2011 - by application process

Spend a week in residence with acclaimed crime writer Marele Day. Marele will be in residence for two separate weeks with eight selected writers - four writers for August 29 - September 4 and four writers for October 17-23. She will provide individual consultations and group sessions to assist crime writers in developing their manuscript to the next stage.

Who should apply: Crime writers with a work in progress are welcome to apply. The residential week will work best for those who have a crime project which is well underway. Marele will meet with you twice during the week for a one-hour consultation and will facilitate one group session while in residence.

Important dates: Applications sought February 1 - 28. Successful applicants will be announced on the website 30 March. Residencies (four writers in each) to take place Monday August 29 - Sunday September 4, and Monday October 17 - Sunday October 23.

For more information, click here.

PENGUIN VARUNA DEVELOPMENT SCHOLARSHIP 2011 - by application process

Awards: The scholarship winnerwill receive a substantial cash prize, residential time at Varuna, the Writers' House, and 20 hours of professional editorial assistance from Penguin over one year. Up to two runners-up will each receive three consultations over the year with a Varuna writing consultant and have their finished manuscript considered by Penguin for publication.

Who should apply: New and emerging writers of adult fiction and narrative nonfiction, including published writers trying a genre different from most of their published work. Applicants need to have an extensive (book-length) work in progress and are asked to submit the first 50 pages.

Important dates: Applications are accepted from 1 April 2011 and must be submitted (electronically) by 30 April 2011.

For more information, click here.

COURSE: Introduction to Life Writing with Patti Miller - May 23-June 13, 2011

"With life stories we make sense of ourselves and the world around us."

This four week course will introduce you to the journey of writing your life. In a creative and supportive environment, it offers ways of accessing memories, of finding your writing voice, of bringing the details to life, of creating the lived reality of your experience on the page and beginning to find its structure. There will be some readings and discussions and lots of writing exercises with individual guidance on your work.

Dates: May 23, May 30, June 6 (Public Holiday), June 13

Time: Mondays, 10.00am-1.00pm for 4 weeks

Venue: Varuna, the Writers' House, 141 Cascade St, Katoomba. Parking is in the car park or on the street.

Cost: $190 for the four weeks. Payment is required to book a place. The cost is set and covers the costs to Varuna.

Maximum capacity: 12 participants

For more details click here.

MASTERCLASS: Character and Story Structure with Katherine Thompson - May 28, 2011   This is a full-day, hands-on writers' workshop focusing on character development in your television or feature film script. You will be actively writing and going through story exercises with screenwriter Katherine Thomson, aiming to create characters that simultaneously surprise us as writers, have their own free will and yet support the story that we want to tell. In the afternoon the principles of character and story structure are demonstrated by using an award-winning Australian feature film.
Date: Saturday May 28
Time:10am - 1pm
Venue: to be advised, Katoomba
Cost: $100
Maximum capacity: 30 participants
For more details click here.

MASTERCLASS: From Rough Idea to Final Draft with Marele Day - October 22, 2011
Writing is re-writing, a process of adding, subtracting and re-arranging. Editing one's own work is not only a matter of changing a word here or there, but also addressing the fundamental building blocks of narrative - are characters believable, is the story compelling, etc? Through discussion, class exercises, and feedback this one-day workshop aims to develop the skills necessary for converting a first draft into a polished manuscript, with attention given to both structural editing (the story elements) and copy editing (the words on the page). Participants will be required to read each other's work prior to the masterclass.
Date: Saturday October 22, 2011
Time: 10am - 1pm
Venue: to be advised, Katoomba
Cost: $100
Maximum capacity: 30 participants
For more details click here.

VARUNA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESIDENCIES
The Varuna Professional Development Residency enables writers to work intensively for one week in the unique residential environment of Varuna under the supervision of one of Varuna's Writing Consultants.
There are two kinds of Varuna Professional Development Residency - Group and Individual. An individual VPDR can be taken in any week where there is a vacancy. Current vacancies: March 14-21; June 27-July 4.
Group Residency
'Writing the Personal' with Peter Bishop: July 25-31
For more information click here.

WRITING DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Service: A phone consultation with one of Varuna's writing consultants to assist writers at every stage of their writing project, from experimental beginnings through to the completion of the work.
Who should apply: Writers of fiction, narrative non-fiction, essays and poetry who need assistance with developing their project to the next stage.
For more information click here.

Testimonials:

"Carol's feedback on my short stories was honest and thoughtful. Using her questions and comments, I rewrote one of the stories, which then won a FAW prize. I think her drawing out of one of the themes really made this story work, and I found the whole experience extremely helpful."

Claire Aman, 2010

See the Varuna website for more details about these and other programs.