At O'Reilly's in Lamington National Park
cc by Thinboyfatter (contact)
The Rainforest Writers Retreat (RWR) is a place where for three days you can immerse into a writing world surrounded by emerging and established authors. The two-hour trip up to O'Reilly's Resort (daunting at first) goes through the 'road less travelled', up the mountain, and offers stunning views of the Gold Coast Hinterland.
Day One
We meet Charmaine Clancy (RWR organiser, children's author extraordinaire, and Year 7 teacher), and receive our welcome folder full of note-taking sections, inspiring 'How To' modules and 'Writing Tip' pages.
Charmaine captivates the retreaters with her enthusiasm and knowledge. For her Masterclass on WRITE YOUR BOOK BLURB she recommends:
Keep it short and focus on: who, what, where, how
Identify Main Characters and add intriguing descriptors
Tease out the Primary Conflict and include a setting line
Establish the Stakes
Identify Audience and start with a hook using Genre keywords
Christine Titheradge (aka Chris Radge) author. At RWR she wears many hats as an organiser and providing all the delicious sweet treats. She proves to be a nurturing editor, providing valuable critiques to all the finalists of the Ghost Anthology. She is highly organised in putting the RWR Anthology together with her handling of a complex schedule of four editors per story, the management of the Dropbox, and her prompt replies to email queries.
The Masterclass THE GHOST STORY with Jack Sim (Ghost historian) takes us on chilling tales of Ipswich Cemetery and Boggo Road Gaol. Jack's imposing figure, dressed head-to-toe in black, commands attention as he talks of Bertie Piper (died 1904 of Typhoid fever) in a manner that makes his audience believe the tales of Bertie's haunted statue, and inspires all to write a story for the upcoming Ghost Anthology.
At the end of Day One, standing outside my villa, I brave the 4 degree temperature and the hinterland pitch-black darkness as I wait for my daughters, in possession of both keys, to open the door. Mobile reception is non-existent, so persistent door knocking is all I can do to get the girls' attention away from the delights of an outdoor spa. Once inside, the fireplace is all I need to relax after a hectic first day, and maybe a glass of champagne.
Day Two
The 400m morning walk from the villa through the rainforest to get breakfast and another 400m walk back down to the conference centre is a great way to get the mind into gear and the body fit.
PRODUCTIVITY AND PAGES with Anna Campbell, Historical Romance writer, enumerates the many ways to keep writing and fill the page. Her stamina for the three-hour masterclass is impressive after just having arrived from an overseas trip. As are her strategies on Time Management, including Rituals; To Do Lists; Training the Muse; and establishing if you're a Panther (start to end), Scener (scene by scene), or Plotter (plotting the whole story).
Raelene Purtill shows how to visualise writing goals with a vision board. Her huge pile of magazines plus the generous array of craft material help the creative process. It's also a great opportunity to get to know some of the other retreaters.
Day Three
The SHORT STORY masterclass with Meg Vann (Crime Thriller Writer), who shares her process on how to structure and create a story. She starts with a three-act timeline structure with two transitions (T1 and T2). Her point on introducing the antagonist at the beginning and not beyond the mid-point is particularly useful. She gives individual attention to the retreaters as we workshop Ten Prompts for Ten Lines. With these Prompts (Weather, Sound, Object, Weather Update, Article of Clothing, Sound Update, Object & Mood of Scene, Action, Character Trait, One-Line Dialogue) some retreaters read out their Ten lines and showcase their talent as writers, in particular Anna Campbell.
I attend two out of the five short workshops (travel constraints - a two-hour road trip and a plane to catch). Frank Prem (Poet Author) and Lea Scott (Lecturer and Crime Writer) take us respectively through 'How to get Free Publicity' and 'Mindmapping'.
Gaining invaluable writing insights with every masterclass, exploring the Tree Top Walk with my two daughters, sharing a drink at the Rainforest Bar mesmerised by the stunning hues of a Queensland sunset, and being mentored by Joanne Austen Brown (Romance Author) are all reasons to return to RWR in 2020.
cc by Thinboyfatter (contact)
Comments