Discover writing as a way of exploring your experience of the world, especially the natural world.

Over six weekday evenings, participants will consider various writing forms (reflective essay, poetry, journal, letters etc.) and have opportunities to try them as well as to develop their own writing practice. By the end of the course, participants will be settled into a writing practice and writing forms or registers that work for them.

This course will be most useful to people who love words and want to use them as tools for understanding themselves and the world they find themselves in.

Mary-Rose will tailor the program to participant needs as much as possible. In broad terms, the course will include learning resources on the topics below. Participants will have opportunities to share their words in a supportive environment.

Writing life. The life of writing and the writing of life. The power of writing as a way exploring experience of the world, writing as reflection and record, with examples.Writing practice: exercises that make getting pen to paper a breeze.
Creativity and mindfulness. Why last week’s exercises work. Theories about how creativity works and what that means for creative practice. Freeing up creativity and how hard that is, getting started, keeping going, finishing. Writing practice: Finding our own foundations for a writing practice.
Content is form is content. Introduction to forms, different kinds of writing life and life writing, poetry, reflective essay, personal journal and letters, with examples. Writing practice: Writing about something that matters in different forms.
Nature and writing. Nature and writing life, writing about nature. Writing practice: Writing something from nature.
Structure and editing. Structure and editing for yourself and for readers.
Where to from here. What can you do right now instead of hankering for readers? Writing practice.

Payment plans are available for this course. Please contact Queensland Writers Centre at admin@qldwriters.org.au or call (07) 3842 9922.

Dates/Times

5:30pm – 7:30pm, Wednesday 1 March
5:30pm – 7:30pm, Wednesday 8 March
5:30pm – 7:30pm, Wednesday 15 March
5:30pm – 7:30pm, Wednesday 22 March
5:30pm – 7:30pm, Wednesday 29 March
5:30pm – 7:30pm, Wednesday 5 April

Format

This is a 6-part course with a focus on writing craft; it will be held in-person at Queensland Writers Centre, State Library of Queensland. It is a level 1 course, suitable for participants of all levels and writing backgrounds.

About Mary-Rose

Author of six novels and two non-fiction books, essays, short stories and feature journalism, Mary-Rose MacColl has helped many people tell their stories. Her non-fiction book The Birth Wars included women’s stories of their experience of Australia’s maternity care system. For a Girl tells a story from Mary-Rose’s own life. Her recent novels explore grief and regret, often with historical settings. Mary-Rose writes occasional journal pieces at mary-rosemaccoll.com/journal about long walks in nature.

Queensland Writers Centre membership

Consider becoming a member of Queensland Writers Centre (worth $79 / year) to save up to 30% across our Program of workshops, courses and events - including up to $95 savings on your ticket to Writing Life. Queensland Writers Centre membership includes a host of benefits:

Belong to a vibrant community of Queensland writing
Discounts of up to 30% across our Program, services, and competitions
Subscription to the quarterly WQ magazine
Priority access to writing advice from our experienced team
Recognition for your writing achievements in our Member Milestones
Access to Writer's Consults, the Writer's Surgery program and other members only services
Access to member benefits of other state writers' centres in the National Writers Centre Network

Find more information on our website or get in touch with the team today.

For more information about Queensland Writers Centre’s Program of Events and answers to FAQs, please visit: www.queenslandwriters.org.au/program-info

Contact the host of Writing Life with Mary-Rose MacColl