I have my long term plan of being a writer still held dearly, and a vision of myself as a full-time writer is what keeps me sane and moving forward.
Most recently, I have been doing a few writing courses to improve my skills and keep me motivated. With the Australian Writers’ Centre, I have done these courses over the last couple of months:
- content writing – this course is at your own pace, with audio and download handouts. Shorter in content than the other courses listed here, but just as practical
- copywriting – this was a 5 week online course, which walked through a great formula for copywriting across a number of project types and lengths, which has given me the confidence to be able to pick up this kind of freelance work
- freelance writing – this course is a 2-day intensive in Melbourne over a weekend in October, coming up. I’m really looking forward to having some face-to-face, and meeting likeminded people
- travel writing – also another 5-week online course, though as well as a focus on style and structure, this has a strong focus of getting into the industry and getting publish. Can’t wait!
I have also bought a few books on writing, particularly because I love doing writing exercises:
- Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
- The Little Red Writing Book by Mark Tredinnick
- The Writing Book by Kate Grenville
- Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark
Finally, I also try to keep focused by listening to these podcasts:
- So You Want to Be A Writer – this is the Australian Writers Centre podcast, with Valerie Khoo and Allison Tait, two chatty experienced writers with such great insights, and writer interviews.
- The Garrett – supported by Writers Victoria and the Victorian library, this podcast has a strong literary tone and deeper conversations with authors about their work and the industry.
- Lost the plot – this is a great little blog by the daughter of a colleague of mine. It’s local to Canberra and has a broader coverage of reviews, interviews, industry events, and gossip.