RWA Keynote address – Kate Cuthbert: Consenting adults

The romance novel and representations of sexuality after #MeToo Kate Cuthbert, at the time still managing editor for Escape Publishing (and now at Writers Victoria) presented this on the first morning of the conference. I had a severe migraine and unfortunately missed it. I say unfortunate because it was by all accounts a showstopper, and […]

Ross Grayson Bell – Writing for a Screenplay versus a Novel (pt 3)

The Hero’s Journey One way of telling a story. Stage 1 – The Ordinary World  Stage 2 – Call to adventure  What is the call to adventure?  What new force appears to challenge hero?  How is hero’s flaw tested?  Stage 3 – Refusal of the call  Heroes initially reject the call to adventure  Stage 4 […]

Ross Grayson Bell – Writing for a Screenplay versus a Novel (pt 2)

7 ways to engage an audience 1. Premise  Your point of view and how to live it.  Eg romance writers have a perspective on love  Eg in Fight Club, the only way to evolve was to break yourself apart to move on. Not the same as the book, where he ends up in an asylum […]

Friday workshop: Ross Grayson Bell – Writing for a Screenplay versus a Novel (pt 1)

Ross Grayson Bell is a screenwriter, producer and story consultant with over twenty-five years of international experience in story development and film production. Having started as a creative executive for legendary, Hollywood producer Ray Stark, Ross developed and produced Fight Club for Twentieth Century Fox and executive produced Under Suspicion with Gene Hackman and Morgan […]

Breakout 5: Ally Blake – How to hook your reader

How critical is your first page, really? If it doesn’t grab the reader / editor / agent on the first page, you are done. Step 1:  Opening line Memorable Poetic Gets a laugh It out to connect, entice, tickle reader’s curiosity Make it impossible for a reader t put your book down Your opening line […]

Mary-Jo Putney: the noble art of storytelling

The internet has allowed anyone who wants to to be published, but doesn’t mean they have readers. Plenty of workshops on how to write, but not many on how to tell stories. Yet stories have power and is what attracts readers – which is why newspaper articles often lead in with a recap or a […]

Breakout 4: World building panel

Mel Scott (moderator), Keri Arthur, Denise Rossetti, Alison Goodman, C. S. Pacat CS Pacal Writes fantasy with gay princes Keri Arthur Dark urban fantasy Alison Goodman Fantasy, sci fi, crime Wearing steampunk shoes Denise Rossetti Sword and sorcery fantasy Science fiction Erotica World building is important, and needs to be consistent

Publishers’ Moderated Panel

Pippa Roscoe – Harlequin UK Moving into London Bridge Megan Farrell – Tulin Publishing Digital first, selected print Women’s fiction, romance, chicklit Marty Green – Pantera Press Boutique Sydney based publishing house Focus on authors not individual books – full career Lex – Penguin / Random House Works across multiple lines Sue Brockhoff – Harlequin […]

Opening Plenary 2: Mary-Jo Putney – Keynote address

Known for writing on controversial subjects.  In 2014 got the Nora Roberts lifetime achievement award. Writing conventions – a group of introverts pretending to be extroverts for a weekend who collapse in a heap when they get home. Thanks to conferences and the internet, writing is not the isolated experience it once was. Creativity and […]