Writing Place with Richard Yaxley

Improve your writing of place as a key component of powerful fiction.

Australian novelist Alexis Wright wrote that ‘place extends, a particular place is not separate and just of itself. We are part of the world—all related. And all parts of the world are related to us.’

No matter what type of fiction you’re planning or writing, place will be an aspect worthy of significant attention. In this practical and stimulating workshop, you’ll work with place as a key component of fiction. You’ll examine the varying roles of place in narrative, try out different techniques for writing about place, and consider ideas to do with memory, research and imagining.

Learning outcomes

In this workshop, participants will:

• Investigate different ways of understanding place in fiction
• Consider the varying roles of place in narrative structure and development
• Learn how to write about place more effectively through a series of practical exercises

Format

This is an in-person workshop with a focus on writing craft; it will be held at State Library of Queensland. This workshop is suitable for writers of all levels and writing backgrounds.

About Richard

Richard Yaxley is a Brisbane-based author. His novels include Joyous and Moonbeam (2013), This Is My Song (winner of the 2018 Prime Minister’s Literary Award; winner of the ACU Book of the Year Award; finalist in the Queensland Literary Awards) and The Happiness Quest, a CBCA Notable for Older Readers. More recent novels are A New Kind Of Everything (2020), Harmony (2021), and Leonardo Forever (2023).

Richard is also a past winner of the Queensland Premier’s Literary Award for Drink the Air (2010). In 2011, he was awarded a Medal in the Order of Australia (OAM).

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