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Author Archives: Helen Stubbs

Anthology Update and Story Plus Workshop

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Helen Stubbs

Dear Readers and Writers,

Prana Writers and the editors are busy reading your submissions. I’ve been really impressed with the quality of submissions, and am very grateful to everyone who sent us a story. Thank you for your patience in waiting for our decisions.

We were delighted to have an article about the Gold Coast Anthology appear in WQ magazine, published by Queensland Writers Centre. If you have a copy, we are on page five.

We have also begun talking to our publishers about the process of publication. We hope to begin taking advance orders for copies in April 2014.

Next weekend I’m attending Genrecon in Brisbane. Below, I have included notes about my experience at the Brisbane Writers Festival. The Story Plus workshop seemed quite relevant to projects like the Gold Coast Anthology, as we seek creative use of technology to both shape our project and share the news about it.

The Story Plus Workshop

At Story Plus, industry experts talked about the creative projects they were leading, using story and information technologies creatively.

It was an amazing day of short lectures and panels by about thirteen creative professionals, all of whom had different insights and fantastic projects to talk about. I want to share their projects and insights with you.

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They described the following diverse projects:

1. Mapping the journey of an abstract airship based on wind movements “ @shipadrift “ by James Bridle
2. Zombie Run “ a running game “ by Naomi Alderman
3. Writing, publishing and analysing data about the novel Willow Pattern which a team wrote and published within 24 hours  by Simon Groth
4. Mobile Choose Your Own Adventure stories with QR codes  by Emily Craven
5. Flash fiction on napkins by Sue Wright Tiny Owl Workshop
6. Robot University by Christy Dena
7. ACO Virtual  by Michela Ledwidge
8. Game, game, game and again game by Jason Nelson.

I recommend checking out these projects and creators.

The main messages I brought home were:

1. Story is strong
2. New platforms create new creative spaces and narrative possibilities to explore
3. Platforms elevate, amplify and influence story (but keep accessibility for audience in mind)
4. People, technology, network and platforms all interact
5. Text remains important and narrative often returns to text
6. Story space expands to accommodate more mediums
7. Technology must be explored for creative possibility
8. Community and collaboration are key
9. People and technology can achieve more collaboratively than separately
10. Imagination and risk taking can create new delivery platforms rather than fine tuning old ones

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I was already interested in exploring narratives in different media, but these speakers made me feel that it is possible. In fact, it would be remiss of me not to investigate the exciting possibilities changing technologies represent.

As Garth Nix pointed out, writers will always write. Other speakers also said that reading will maintain an important place in the landscape, as will telling a bedtime story to a child, or a scary story over a candle.

One concern I have, which I’d like to hear discussion of, is extending the network to less privileged people. Technology has become so essential to my family’s learning and creativity that (while there might be drawbacks of dependence) I suspect we gain further advantage over those without access to technological products.

The main issue here is that technology represents access to information and education, two important avenues to achieving successful life outcomes.

I’ve described two extremes of the spectrum; the creative leaders taking technology into new emerging narratives, and those with limited or no access to the computational side of the network.

While we pursue our creative goals I think it’s important to extend help towards those who lack opportunity, and incorporate a vision towards equitable access into our work.

Helen

@superleni

(This will be cross posted at my other blogs)

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Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment |

Tim Ferguson: Comedy Writing Workshop at Burleigh

Posted on August 1, 2013 by Helen Stubbs

As part of our grant application process we needed letters of support. One of the people who provided a lovely letter for us was Kathy Stewart at Gold Coast Writers Workshops. GCWW is an initiative that began this year. They are offering writers’ workshops with people like Louise Cusack, a wonderful writing teacher. She was Prana Writers’ original mentor! If it seems like a small writing world, that’s because we’re developing a bigger and stronger writers’ network.

Supporting each other is a great way to amplify our efforts as a writing community. So it gives me great pleasure to share information about GCWW’s next hands-on masterclass with Tim Ferguson on 10th August, at Burleigh.

“It should be a fun day – in fact, I think it’s guaranteed to be a fun day!” Kathy said. She enjoyed listening to Tim at last year’s Gold Coast Writers Festival. “Tim Ferguson is Australia’s only comedy-writing teacher so we’re really privileged to have him here on the Gold Coast…I can’t wait to learn from him again.”

Tim will share his original techniques to create jokes, stories and comic characters in a course suitable for beginners and professionals.

Here are the details. Click below if you would like to book.

Book through Eventbrite: Tim Ferguson Write Comedy Now Workshop

Presenter: Tim Ferguson

Topic: Write Comedy Now

Time: 9.45 am to 4.00 pm

Date: Saturday 10 August 2013

Place: Fradgley Hall, above Burleigh Heads Library, corner Park Avenue and Connor Street, Burleigh Heads, Queensland

Cost: $145 which will include light refreshments

Free parking is available in the Burleigh Heads Library car park.

Gold Coast Writers’ Workshops have more workshops and opportunities coming up, including a short story competition open now. So check out their website, too!

Good writing!

Helen Stubbs

 

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Posted in Photo Blogs, Slider, Upcoming Events | Leave a comment |

One Image, Many Stories

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Helen Stubbs

It might arise that we have two or more stories written from the same photo. That is absolutely fine. It’s wonderful to see the different creative output that arises from the same stimulus.

I’ve done many free writing exercises as part of group sessions with Prana Writers and it’s always wonderful to hear how different our creative output is, even when we start with the same inspiration.

I think this phenomenon makes creative people more comfortable about sharing their ideas, too. It seems quite rare that the same idea appeals to two people so much that they would want to spend time working on it. And even if they did, they would almost certainly take it in different directions and use different styles.

At our Prana Writers’ meeting on the weekend we talked about how we were going with writing our stories. We all seem to have chosen different photos to work from. We are feeling some pressure to come out with some really good work.

Enjoy your writing!

Photo: Events 6 Wedding portrait of unidentified couple at their Mudgeeraba bush wedding, Queensland, 1924 [picture] / Photographer unknown. Asset name LS-LSP-CD136-IMG0015

Photo: Events 6
Wedding portrait of unidentified couple at their Mudgeeraba bush wedding, Queensland, 1924 [picture] / Photographer unknown.
Asset name LS-LSP-CD136-IMG0015

 

 

 

 

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Posted in FAQ, Photo Blogs, Slider | 1 Comment |

Indigenous Voice

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Helen Stubbs

The process of photograph selection included the offer to all Prana Writer members  to browse the Public Collection of the Local Studies Library and select around ten photographs each. We submitted requests for around a hundred and fifty photos to the Local Studies Library. Most were approved.

Some of the photos we could not use were of Indigenous people and artefacts, of both local and Pacific Island origin.

We could not use these images because Indigenous peoples want the opportunity to tell their own stories about themselves and their culture. However, I hope that Aboriginal writers can find inspiration in the other photos.

Photo: Forest 4 Twin Falls in the Warrie National Park, Springbrook, Queensland, 1956 [picture] / Ray Sharpe, photographer. Asset name LS-LSP-CD521-IMG0008

Photo: Forest 4
Twin Falls in the Warrie National Park, Springbrook, Queensland, 1956 [picture] / Ray Sharpe, photographer.
Asset name LS-LSP-CD521-IMG0008

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Posted in Photo Blogs, Slider | Leave a comment |

I’m Stuck!

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Helen Stubbs

Photo: Forest 3 Looking out through the natural archway formed by Cave Creek undercutting the soft volcanic rock at Natural Bridge, Springbrook National Park, Queensland, 1959 [picture] / Ray Sharpe, photographer. Asset name LS-LSP-CD522-IMG0002

Photo: Forest 3
Looking out through the natural archway formed by Cave Creek undercutting the soft volcanic rock at Natural Bridge, Springbrook National Park, Queensland, 1959 [picture] / Ray Sharpe, photographer.
Asset name LS-LSP-CD522-IMG0002

So, you’ve started writing your Gold Coast Anthology story and you’re stuck! It happens to me, too. What do you do? Just keep it in the back of your mind while everything in your life is going on around you. Apply everything you see and hear to it to see if things fit. Further inspiration can come from other fiction and real life. Another thing I do is make a mind map of crazy possibilities. You can write anything that comes to mind down. You won’t use most of it, but you might find something good. You could look through some more of our photos. Another one might add inspiration. I love to talk to friends about my stories or ask them to read them, though I have usually finished it before I hand it over to read. Sometimes friends come up with great suggestions and see the story from an angle that I’ve missed.

I’m writing this blog with a photo of the Natural Arch, or Natural Bridge attached. I love this place, it’s my favourite easy bush walk, just 50 minutes drive south west of Nerang. If you haven’t been you should go! Really.

I’ve been so many times. At daytime, at night time to see the glow worms. I’ve swum in the cave. There were eels, but they didn’t bite me. Swimming under the waterfall is kind of painful, but still fun! I’ve never jumped down the hole. You can’t right now as there’s a big pointy log poking up from the water. You probably shouldn’t ever…but I’d still love to jump, even if it means getting impaled. Maybe, one day.

One night I walked down there I am a snake and a crayfish. The crayfish was on the track trying to fight us. Super cute.

Good luck with your story writing! Writing and bush walking … two adventures with many winding paths to choose from.

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Posted in FAQ, Photo Blogs, Slider, Writing tips | 2 Comments |

I’m a new writer, help!

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Helen Stubbs

For newer writers we recommend the following:

  • Read as much as you can in the way of contemporary Australian short stories in the same genre as you are writing.
  • Complete several drafts and revisions of your story.
  • Ask fellow writers or editors to review and advise on your story.
  • If you have time, put your story away for a week or two and then read it and see if anything needs changing.
  • Explore your local writing groups and join a critique group. Queensland Writers Centre is a great place to start.

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Posted in FAQ, Slider | 1 Comment |
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