The Writers' College

Issue 51 Newsletter

April 2015
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Changes Issue
FOUND ON THE WEB
COLLEGE NEWS
ON OUR WEBZINE
MY WRITING JOURNEY
SA WRITERS' COLLEGE SHORT STORY COMPETITION
COMPETITION TIME!

 

 

Writers College student feedback

my writing journey competition 

 
Michelle   
Writers' College Links...

 

 

 

Find us on Facebook 

Follow us on Twitter

Michelle
 

 

In this issue, we look at breakthroughs and changes in the writing industry.

Technology has completely transformed the way writers produce their work, get published, and make money. Scroll down for some fabulous reads, both local and from the web, to update you on what's happening in this ever-changing industry.
 
Best wishes

Tracey Hawthorne (Editor)   

  
FOUND ON THE WEB 

  

- These days, even the most successful writers must invest huge amounts of time and resources to promote themselves. Read about 'authorpreneurship' here.  
 

- Magazine writers must know who their readers on, and stop relying on their 'gut feel'. Read why here.

 

- According to a recent survey, most Britons want to be authors. But could they put up with the sheer hard work of it? Find out here.

 

- Do you judge a book by its cover? Here are some fabulous recent ones.

   

STUDENT NEWS

  

Well done to these students for their publishing successes.

Ishara Maharaj
completed the Write a Novel Course with Alex Smith at SA Writers College. Her novel has been accepted for publication by Modjaji Press. Congratulations Ishara.


Magazine Journalism student, Nicky Wilton, had her article 'Better than Sliced Bread' published in the Big Issue Magazine.

Pravina Maharaj just had a story published in You Magazine called 'The Wrong Mr Right'. Pravina completed the Write a Novel Course at the Writers College.

Suzanne Main
, who completed The Basics of Creative Writing Course and won the 2014 Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award, has just seen her book appear in bookshops. See How I Alienated My Grandma here.

Greta Henley
completed the Scriptwriting Course with Karen Jeynes as her tutor. Her short film called 'Promise' was shown at the Labia Theatre in Cape Town. Greta also co-wrote the second short film called 'Recovery'. 

 

William Oosthuizen's short story 'Board and Lodging', which was a winner in a SAWC Short Story Competition, has been snapped up by Nickelodeon as a potential screenplay. What exciting news for William!

Elzanne Amoa 
- one of our top Magazine Journalism Graduates of 2014 - has been freelancing for an online health and fitness portal. The editor Puseletso Mompei wrote to us with these words: "I just wanted to say thank you so much. Elzanne ... has been such a pleasure to work with. Her work is top notch, she writes really well and is an asset." That's the kind of feedback we love to hear!


Congratulations to all of you.


THINKING OF DOING A WRITING COURSE?

We offer over 35 writing courses with all the tools, tips and training to help you write in that field. Our tutors have years of experience, and work one-to-one with you to hone your skills.
 

Find out more by contacting us for our full course curricula and enrolment details. 

 

 

On Facebook? Join us for daily tips and inspiration on our Facebook page.  
  
ON OUR WEBZINE

 

Our webzine is a fantastic place to find guidance, writing tips and information. Immerse yourself in the world of writing. 

  

Making money in media

Financial journalist Maya Fisher-French tells us how she does it.

  

Setting up a great blog

Leanie Louw tells you how.

 

Writing believable, effective dialogue

Find out how to here.

 

Creating perfect logical flow

Read more here.

 
MY WRITING JOURNEY COMPETITION

With just a pen and paper, Thorne Busakwe - winner of the January 2015 My  Writing Journey Competition - changed her reality and made magic.

Read her story here.


 

SA WRITERS' COLLEGE SHORT STORY COMPETITION

Short Story Writing

The shortlisted results for the SAWC Short Story Competition can be found  here. A big well done to our entrants this year.

 

The full results will be published on 30 April. 

 

 
COMPETITION TIME

Maskew Miller Longman Literature Awards: Children's Fiction

Closing date: 30 April

More info here.

 

The Bristol Short Story Prize

Closing date: 30 April

More info here.

 

The Bridport Prize for poems, short stories and flash fiction

Closing date: 31 May

More info here.


The Henshaw Short Story Competition

Closing date: 30 June

More info here.

  

Scribble magazine 'Why do I write?' article competition

Closing date: 31 August

More info here.  

  

Monthly entries
 
For regular competitions, or if your writing is aimed at a more local readership, country-specific competitions can be found on the bottom right-hand corner of our individual home pages. There you will also find regular, monthly and weekly competitions. Keep checking in for updates!
F
FREE GRAMMAR ZAP! e-COURSE

Spruce up your grammar with a 5-minute grammar lesson that arrives in your Inbox each day for 5 days. It takes 5 seconds to register. Click here to sign up. Your first lesson arrives the next day.

 

My Writing Journey Competition

 

Write us a 1 000-word story about your journey as a writer. Make it funny, quirky or inspirational. We'll publish the best story in our newsletter and on our blog - plus the winner will get $200 (R1 000 or �100).

 

Send your story to [email protected].

 

Open to our newsletter subscribers from around the world.

 

The next My Writing Journey competition closes noon on 31 May 2015. Full details here.