The Emerging Writers’ Festival work, learn and play largely on the land of the Kulin nation, and pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.
EWF celebrates the history and creativity of the world’s oldest living culture.
Genre fiction is the bread and butter of the book industry. Join this group of remarkable writers for a day of everything genre fiction – from applying research in your work, to the differences between types of fiction and the way they are marketed. Each session provides writers with tools and information they can apply to their own genre fiction practice, be it in romance or fantasy, historical fiction or crime writing.
10AM – KEYNOTE: WRESTLING WITH GENRE
Award-winning author of From Here On, Monsters Elizabeth Bryer, shares her wisdom on embracing the limitations and freedoms of genre. Hear Elizabeth speak to the power of risk taking, failure, and approaching each draft as an opportunity to experiment and actively resist neoliberal morality.
With Elizabeth Bryar
11AM – BREAK
11:15AM – SUBVERTING GENRE CONVENTIONS
Tropes and clichés have historically run rampant throughout works of genre fiction. Hear some of the best writers in the field discuss how they challenge and de-construct these archetypes to write original stories within their genres. Hear about each writer’s relationship to taking risks and pushing boundaries within their fiction writing, as well as hopes and predictions for the future of the genres they love to read and write.
With Sharlene Allsopp, Imogen Dewey, Saman Shad and Sean Wilson
12:15PM – LUNCH BREAK
12:45pm – SPECULATIVE VISIONS
Travel to the future with author Briohny Doyle. This workshop blends the art of writing pertinent and thought-provoking speculative fiction, with conversations around the responsibilities writers of genre fiction have to the future of storytelling, and to future storytellers.
With Briohny Doyle
2:45PM – BREAK
3PM – IMMERSIVITY
Discover the craft of writing distinct, immersive moods within works of Genre Fiction, with master of atmosphere Anna Snoekstra. Learn how to set intentions in your novel writing when it comes to creating strong settings, narrative arcs and characters, and how to employ these devices to create an idiosyncratic feel in your writing.
With Anna Snoekstra
Closed Captions, keyboard navigable, zoom text, break time
Monday 19 June, 10am-4pm
Zoom
Online, Via Zoom
Sharlene Allsopp was born and raised on unceded Bundjalung Country into the Olive mob.
Elizabeth Bryer’s first novel, FROM HERE ON, MONSTERS, was joint winner of the Norma K. Hemming Award.
Imogen Dewey is a writer, editor and journalist based in Sydney, on Gadigal land.
Briohny Doyle is the author of Echolalia, Adult Fantasy and The Island Will Sink.
Saman Shad is a writer, editor, journalist and teller of stories.
Anna Snoekstra is the author of Only Daughter, Little Secrets and The Spite Game.
Sean Wilson is a writer from Perth, now based in Melbourne.
This panel will be where to find out all the habits that make up a viable professional practice.
Join Elfy Scott, author of The One Thing We’ve Never Spoken About as she unpacks different approaches to writing our personal peripheries.
Four evenings of professional development sessions for aspiring and seasoned writers alike who wish to dig into the nuts and bolts of being a professional writer.
The National Writers’ Conference is the place for emerging writers to develop their skills, hear from leaders in the field, and forge connections within the industry.
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