April & May 2009

Writer’s Quote of the Month

Women want love to be a novel, men a short story

    Daphne Du Maurier, b 13 May 

~~~~

Contents

1. News
2. Guest Speaker – May & June 2009
3. Amanda Patterson: On Writing
4. Courses & workshops
5. How to Become a Subscriber
6. Book Reviews
7. Author Interviews
8. Soul Signs - Aries & Taurus 
9. Competitions
10. Students Write
11. Classified

 ~~~~~

1. News 

Writers Write graduates win two national short story competitions

Congratulations to Priscilla Holmes, winner of Woman & Home ‘Greed’ Short Story Competition

Congratulations to Shelagh Foster, winner of Essentials/Mills & Boon ‘Voice of Africa’ Competition

Read the winning stories in the May editions of both magazines

The Write Recipe for Delicious Monsters

  ~~~~~

Half of the 20 finalists in Mills & Boon / Essentials Voice of Africa competition are graduates from Writers Write and our Romance Writing Course. 

 Amanda Patterson with Romance Guru, Anthony Ehlers

“Last year, we launched an intensive one-day workshop to tie-in with the 100 year anniversary of Mills and Boon,” says Amanda Patterson, Writers Write Founder. “Publishers seem to be looking to Africa for fresh voices and love stories out our exotic settings. There has never been a better time for new authors to explore the lucrative romance market.”

Read on

 ~~~~~

Amanda Patterson joins the panel of judges for the“Write Away” programme: a writers’ conference at St Andrew’s School for Girls – 23 May 2009.

Other judges and speakers include Pamela Jooste, Zapiro, Steve Francis, Shaun Johnson and Bongani Madondo.

Contact gleggat@standrews.co.za for more information

 ~~~~~

Writers Write, along with Amanda Patterson, is featured in the May issue of Destiny Magazine. The article has been expanded online - Amanda Patterson Destiny May Issue

 ~~~~~

Are you planning to fail?

"A young man who had been an avid motorcycle enthusiast and motorcycle racer wanted to open an engineering business.

The business would specialise in the “High Performance” engineering of motorcycles, he believed that motorcycles alone would support this concern.

The business would be supported by people in the industry who had committed to this in writing, race teams and dealers alike.

Everything looked good in theory.

What could possibly go wrong?"

 ~~~~~

2. Guest Speakers

Romance Writers, Readers & Winners

Date: May 2009
Time: 10:30
Venue: TBA
Cost: R100, 00

RSVP: info@writerswrite.co.za

 ~~~~~

 

As Spud Milton continues his diabolical stagger through adolescence, he learns one of life’s most important lessons: when dealing with women and cretins, nothing is ever quite as it seems. 
The year is 1992 and, as always in South Africa, radical change is in the air. The country may be on the bumpy road to an uncomfortable redemption, but Spud Milton is hoping for a smooth ride as he returns to boarding school as a senior.
Spud’s world has never seemed less certain; he attempts to master Shakespeare, wrestles constantly with God and the power of negative thinking, and develops an aversion to fried fish after a shocking discovery about his grandmother, Wombat.

Date: 11 June 2009
Time: 18:30
The book: Spud Learning to Fly
Venue: The Local Grill, Hurlingham, Sandton

Cost: R280, 00 for subscribers / R330, 00 for other guests, includes 3 course dinner, Talk, Q & A’s
RSVP: info@writerswrite.co.za

~~~~~

3. Amanda Patterson: On Writing 

   Banking on Romance

Heart of Africa Course Dates:

Cape Town

9th & 10th May / 27th & 28th June

Johannesburg

30th & 31st May

Durban

6th & 7th June

~~~~~

4. Coming up in Writing 

Writers Write - 44 published graduates:

Johannesburg
May
9th (Saturday Mornings) from 09:00 – 12:30
18th – 22nd (Mornings) from 09:00 – 12:00
June
13th (Saturday Mornings) from 09:00 – 12:30

Cape Town
June
1st - 5th from 09:00 - 13:00 daily
22nd -26 th from 09:00 – 13:00 daily 

Durban
July
6th – 10th from 09:00 – 13:00 daily

 ~~~~~

Writers Write 2: 30th May (4 Saturday Mornings) from 09:00 – 12:30

Kiss: Write Winning Short Stories on 23rd May  

 ~~~~~

Business Writing Courses 

Strategic Press Release: 16th May / 27th May 

Editing Edge: 28th May

Write Fund Raising Proposals: 3rd June

The Write Plan: 25th & 26th May

Contact Anton Joubert for all business writing enquiries on 0798753719

 ~~~~~

5. How to Become a Subscriber

Mail info@writerswrite.co.za

 ~~~~~

6. Reviews

Our reviewers rate books from 1 – 5

1 - For use as a doorstop only
2 - Keep for publishers’ & booksellers’ strikes
3 - A great holiday read
4 - You’ll remember this with enthusiasm a month later
5 – Unforgettable

More reviews

~~~~~

7. Interviews 

Patricia Schonstein

Sam Cowen

Lee von Loggerenberg

Astrid Fleming

  ~~~~~

8. Soul Signs

On Writing (& Other Stuff) for Taurus

~~~~~

9. The Write Co Competitions for Subscribers

New Competition

You know you're a real writer when . . .

Send in your five reasons, and win

 ~~~~~

Monthly Opinion Piece Competition

Theme for May: Children's Parties in 2009

 ~~~~~

Monthly Poetry Competition

Theme for May: My mother never

To enter: Send entries to amanda@writerswrite.co.za

  ~~~~~

Past Winners

Winner for All the things I didn't do in 2008 is Jill Marais

Winner for My Funny Valentine is Lucie Spannenberg
Winner for The Other Side of The Story is Greg du Toit

Vote for the winner for Black & Blue

~~~~~

10. Students Write

  ~~~~~