WORKSHOPS AND AUTHOR TALKS

WORKSHOPS FOR GROUPS

Romance as a Sub Plot (2 hour interactive workshop)

In this hands-on workshop, Alison Stuart will lead the participants through a discussion on:
  • The romance genre
  • Tropes of the romance genre
  • Plotting a romance plot
  • Incorporating a romance plot as a sub plot in other genres and how it enhances and deepens the conflict and emotional intensity or your book. 

Turning to Crime (1-2 hour interactive workshop)

In this hands-on workshop, Alison Stuart will lead the participants through a discussion on:
  • What is meant by the crime genre
  • The tropes of crime fiction
  • The rules of crime fiction
  • Planning a crime fiction book (characters, POV, Setting, Conflict, Plot Structure, theme etc)
  • Incorporating crime/mystery as a sub plot within other genre fiction 

Writing Popular Fiction
(3 hour interactive workshop)

In this hands-on workshop, Alison Stuart will lead the participants through a discussion on what is 'Popular/Genre Fiction' vs 'Literary Fiction'. 
Participants will then explore the six key elements to craft a genre fiction story:​
•Characters
•POV
•Setting
•Conflict
•Plot Structure
​•Theme

So you want to write...?
​A 6 week Creative Writing course

Regardless of whether you have always wanted to write a crime novel, a romance, a great work of literature or your own family story, this 6 week course will take your writing to the next level as we explore developing characters, structuring stories and techniques for bringing your writing to life.  The course also covers an exploration of the current publishing world and includes opportunity for brainstorming and critique. 
​

Taming Scrivener - Introduction (1.5 hours interactive introductory workshop)

A one and a half hour interactive workshop intended as a beginners introduction to the Scrivener interface. 
​

Taming Scrivener 2 (1.5 hour interactive workshop

You have made your first tentative steps toward using the greatest writing tool since the invention of the pen? Now you are interested in learning a little more about Scrivener’s “bells and whistles”?
This one and a half hour interactive workshop assumes a basic knowledge of Scrivener and will introduce participants to creating custom layouts and templates, importing research files, and touch on plotting techniques using Scrivener and integration with Aeon Timeline. ​

Taming Scrivener (3- 6 hour interactive workshop)

In this hands-on workshop, award-winning author Alison Stuart, will walk participants through the major components of the Scrivener interface and, using live demonstration, guide them from starting a new project through to compiling a project to a manuscript format in Word.You will learn:
  • Understanding Scrivener: Opening a Project/ Introduction to the Scrivener interface/
  • The Binder: Setting up your project/ Importing files/ Folders and binders/ Character and Setting templates/ Organising your Research
  • The Editor: Writing your best seller/ Corkboard/Synopsis
  • The Inspector:  Compiling into a Word document for further editing
  • Introduction to some bells and whistles such as labels and colours/ project targets.
By the end of the workshop the participants will have a basic working knowledge of the main tools Scrivener has to offer and the confidence to use and adapt the program for your next bestseller.
Note for Participants: You will be expected to bring your own computer to the workshop preloaded with Scrivener and ready to go! The workshop will focus on the latest version of Scrivener (V3 for Mac) but can accommodate Scrivener for Windows. It will not touch on Scrivener for IOS. At the conclusion of the workshop, every participant will be given access to downloadable step by step guides (and videos) covering the subject matter of the workshop.

​Painting the Picture ( 1.5 hour interactive workshop) 

Short Story Writing

So you want to write a Romance? (1.5 hour workshop)
Whether you are writing contemporary romance, science fiction, paranormal or historical the essential key to bringing your story to life is an understanding of the world in which your characters move. There is no point in having the most complex characters, with deep emotional intensity quivering out of every pore, if they are simply set in a void. You need to provide them with a home, friends, a locale, weather...

In this interactive workshop, Alison will introduce participants to the use of the 5 senses in their writing. 
(Please note this workshop also forms part of Alison's 6 week Creative Writing Module)
​
A half day workshop on crafting a short story.
 
An introduction to what defines a romance from a love story and the romance genre in general.
The workshop then looks at the major elements of a romance novel: Setting, Characters and Plot and how to craft a story arc to take your readers on a journey from first meet to happy ever after.

ONLINE - SELF PACED

TALKS TO GROUPS

​Romancing the Reader (1 hour guest speaker)

So you want to be a writer?
​Everyone loves a love story… maybe some more than others, but there are few stories in this world that do not have at their heart, a romance.
 
But what does ‘romance’ really mean when we talk about a literary genre? Is it the popular Mills and Boon stories, or is the sweeping dramas of Gone with The Wind. Romance has as many variations as there are readers and remains the single best selling genre in the world.
 
In this talk designed for readers, Alison will dispel some of the 'myths' of the romance genre in an entertaining and lighthearted presentation.
A one hour talk suitable for a library or similar group... 

Recent Workshops and Appearances

​2016:  February Romancing the Reader (Hobsons Bay Library)
2016:  March:  Scrivener for LPlaters - 4 week on line course (Romance Writers of Australia - OWL)
2016:  May:  Painting the Picture (Melbourne Romance Writers Guild)
2016:  July:  Painting the Picture (Townsville Writers and Publishers' Centre/Romance Writers of North Queensland)
2017:  Feb:  Scrivener for L Platers - 4 week on line course (From the Heart Romance Chapter - Romance Writers of America)
2017:  Mar/Apr: Creative Writing (4 out of 7 sessions for Macedon Ranges Further Education Centre)
2017:  May/June:  Creative Writing (6 module course run for Macedon Ranges Further Education Centre)
2017 June:  Scrivener for L Platers (one day course - Victorian Writers Centre)
​2017 November:  Scrivener for L Platers (one day course - Tasmanian Writers Centre)
​​2017 February:  Historical Panel (Australian Romance Readers)
2017 June:  'The Other Civil War' - English Civil War in modern fiction (Historical Novel Society Conference, Portland Oregon)
2017 August:  Historical Novel Society of Australasia - Satellite Event - Military Historical Fiction
2017 September:  Historical Romance Panel (Historical Novel Society of Australasia Conference - Melbourne Australia)
2018 February:  Romancing the Reader (Yarra Plenty Regional Library)
2019 May:  So you want to write a romance? (Boonah Writers Festival)
2019 June:  Scrivener for Beginners (Historical Novel Society of North America, Maryland) - Panel on Finding your Niche.
2019 November:  Taming Scrivener (South Australia Writers Centre)
2019 November:  Taming Scrivener (Writers Victoria)
2022 (ONLINE):  Taming Scrivener and Painting the Picture (RWA)
2022 July:  Merbein Library and Wentworth Library
2022 August:  Writing historical fiction (RWA)
2023:  February:  Sisters in Crime (panellist)
2023 February:  Traralgon Library  + ABC radio
2023 June:  Williamstown Literary Festival - Panellist
2023 July:  Writing Popular Fiction (Yarram Story Fest)
​2023 July:  Chelsea Library and Benalla Library 
​2023 August:  Turning to Crime (Romance Writers of Australia)
2023 October:  Romance as a sub plot (Terror Australis)
2024:  Williamstown Literary Festival - 2 panels

​Please contact Alison directly on the contact form if you wish to organise for her provide an online or face to face workshop delivery on Scrivener or any of the other topics listed here. 

    Contact Alison for more information or to book a workshop...