Songster and Wordsmith

MEDIA RELEASE September is offering up a smorgasbord of literary events in the Eurobodalla. The Moruya Library is recreating the literary experience of a bygone era. Writers, readers, and audience will come together to share their love of style and the written word. Wear your Sunday best and enjoy a an elegant spread in a twilight event of original readings by local writers. Thursday 1 September, and Thursday 15 September, from 5.30pm at the Moruya Library. Come join Eurobodalla Writers Group members for this free event! Contact Moruya Library on 4474 1333 to secure your place. Refreshments are provided. Debbie Richardson, a local author of young adult fiction, is running her popular ‘Rockin’ the Edits’ workshop for the Eurobodalla Writers Group on Wednesday September 7. This workshop uses song lyrics to analyse and imagine character motivations as drivers for narrative arc. Debbie has presented this workshop to writers in the ACT and far south coast with enthusiastic reviews.

I had a lot of fun on the writers retreat weekend as a mentor and I hope I didn't overly overwhelm my three mentorees. They did an amazing job with the tasks I set them.   And since we'll be heading into National Novel Writing Month in a few months, these tips, which came out of the sessions, might prove useful if you put them into practice now. 1. Backstory has already happened. It's what the author knows but what the reader needs to know depends on each story. Build you elaborate worlds off to the side and sprinkle into the story. A great way to explain Backstory is to read the Stars Hallow Wikipedia page for The Gilmore Girls TV show.   It has a rich history that appears throughout the series to add credibility to the setting. So if you think of backstory as the world around the characters and you'd only include what's necessary, it's the same with character backstory.   2. The character arc might help determine what the reader needs to know.