WRITING WORKSHOPS AND COURSES

Interactive Global Online Writing Course

Season of Inspiration
Next Season of Inspiration will run for 9 weeks from October 6, 2008.
We are taking registrations now for the October 2008, 9-week, interactive, entirely online course

Whatever the season in your part of the world make it a Season of Inspiration.

Yet again we will be dipping into a variety of sources of inspiration, from nature to music to landscape. From mesostic poems to mystery stories, there'll be formats and genres to experiment with. We aim to provide inspiration for writing that'll see you through the rest of 2008.

• We offer support, exercises and creative bolstering.
  
• Come whether you're bursting with ideas to try out or whether you want to rediscover your creativity.
  
• Designed so that you can work at your own level (whether you're starting out as a writer or seeking inspiration for your next publication) with the support and encouragement of a writing community and two tutors.
  
• This is the online equivalent of a writers' workshop, not a lonely self-study course.
  
• Students are welcome from anywhere in the world (the course is run in English).
  
• Co-tutors: Helen Whitehead (Nottingham, UK) and Sharon Rundle (Hunter Valley, Australia).


Course fee: AUD 360 or £170; USD 335; Euros 220

Contact us at info@newmediawriting.com for more information or to register (we will send you a Paypal invoice or information on where to send a cheque). You can find more information about the course at Season of Inspiration
and www.newmediawriting.com


This is a popular course that attracts writers from around the globe.

As a former Manager of the trAce Online Writing School, run by The Nottingham Trent University in the UK, Helen Whitehead has many years of experience managing and teaching online writing courses and is a researcher in online communities. She is an e-learning specialist, editor, writer and web developer, and a learning technologist at the University of Leicester in Professor Gilly Salmon's Beyond Distance Research Alliance.

Sharon Rundle is an editor and a prize-winning writer. She has a degree in adult education and holds the UTS Faculty of Education SMSA Award and Medallion for Superior Academic Achievement and Adult Education Practice. She has more than fifteen years teaching experience and specialises in distance and E-learning. She has taught at the University of Technology Sydney; the The Nottingham Trent University trAce Online Writing School (UK) and James Cook University, Institute of Modern Languages, Distance Creative Writers' Course (Townsville, Australia). She has been appointed to the Assessment Panel for English subjects for NSWTAFE OTEN (Australia).

Both Sharon and Helen are members of the Community of Expertise for the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UN GAID) through the e-community: E-learning and Knowledge Sharing (ELKS) of which Helen is convenor. www.elkscommunity.org

To register for the New October 2008 Season of Inspiration course please email info@newmediawriting.com


Comments from our Season of Inspiration writers:
"Though I am a published writer (I have an anthology of Short Stories in my name) I must say I have benefitted from the Season Of Inspiration course in a big way. Can creative writing be taught? It is a much-debated question. Story telling, they say, is a gift, not a skill which can be learnt. Helen and Sharon have proved this wrong. Having participated in Season Of Inspiration I feel there is neither a magic moment nor a magic wand which can transform you into a writer. A story teller however gifted she or he may be must also be a wordsmith. You may have most original and inspiring ideas. But all stunning ideas do not end up as stunning stories or a stunning poems. Why? It is here that a course like SOI can come to your rescue. Perfectly and comprehensively structured, SOI gives-- as it should-- equal importance to concept and technique. I particularly liked the way Helen and Sharon used images and visual metaphors as prompts to get you set on a narrative. This is a subtle but extremely effective device or a ploy on the part of the instructor, which urges you to go beyond and beneath the surface and arrive at insights and epiphanies which, incidentally, is the dream of every writer. SOI is a road map to aspiring writers. It is a truly inspiring course. I felt the nine weeks I spent with Helen and Sharon and the fellow participants in SOI were over too soon. Though hectic and demanding it was a refreshing and enjoyable experience."
Sujata (Haryana, India)

"This was the best online writing course I have ever done. Writers were given the freedom to be creative without the unnecessary restrictions of other online courses, but whilst also respecting the feelings of other course members (and the instructors). The feedback was useful and constructive - I was praised for the aspects of my writing that worked well whilst being given advice on how to improve my work (exactly what I expect from a top notch course). The technical aspects of the course were excellent in terms of layout, ease of access to lessons and general use of the forums. The other students were amazing. I loved the chat sessions and the terrific effort by Sharon and Helen to accommodate all students' time zones. The support I received from everyone when I experienced major technical problems with my computer was fantastic and really made me feel part of a community of writers. Lastly and not of all least, the exercises we were given each week were fabulous and very much encouraged my creative spirit. I have learned so much from this course."
Julia (WA, Australia)

"I have found Season Of Inspiration better each time I took part. Both students and tutors were keen and enthusiastic. The interactions have been helpful, stimulating, forthright, and most importantly, honest. The materials were more than ample and well diversified to cater for different student's individual needs. There was no pressure but a lot of pleasure and fun to be in the SOI course. It has been very productive for me even when I was away overseas for 4 weeks. As a bonus I have improved my English through interacting with the others. I would strongly recommend it to anyone who aspires to be a writer and to writers who want to be better writers. I certainly would recommend it to potential students who are not born with English as their mother tongue."
Andrew (NSW, Australia)

"The course really was inspiring. The tutors were knowledgeable, supportive and flexible and I enjoyed communicating with other writers from around the world. I would wholeheartedly recommend a Season of Inspiration course to anyone looking for prompts and encouragement to explore their own writing and develop their critical faculties, particularly if the time they have available to write is limited or variable, or they aren't sure how to get started. Season of Inspiration gave me a whole lot of new beginnings."
Mazzy (Bath, UK)

"SOI courses have taught me a multitude of styles and facets of writing development that I never thought I would experience or aspire to, before I was introduced to this online instructive and supportive education. Constantly, I was reminded of the joys of sharing my thoughts and dreams by producing compositions on a regular basis, whether daily or weekly over nine week periods, and then surprise, surprise! my first book is now in sight. Thanks to SOI and Helen and Sharon's skilled tutoring methods, my imagination has matured from Dreamland to Accomplishment."
Barbara Hunter (NSW, Australia)




Sharon's Biographical Notes

ELKS

James Cook University

TAFE OTEN

Central Coast Community College

ROUND TABLE WRITING Manuscript Consultancy




PREVIOUS WRITING WORKSHOPS AND COURSES 2001 - 2005

Please note that the trAce Online Writing Community webpages are now archived.

The Nottingham Trent University, trAce Online Writers' Workshop (UK)

The Nottingham Trent University, trAce Season of Inspiration Summer school

The Nottingham Trent University, trAce Developing Your Narrative Voice (UK)

The Nottingham Trent University, 1 -1 tuition to assist authors. (UK)

Camp Creative

NSW Writers' Centre

Fellowship of Australian Writers
Writers' groups in the community.


MANUSCRIPT CONSULTANT

ROUND TABLE WRITING manuscript assessment service



WRITING FELLOW
Fellowship of Australian Writers

CO-ORDINATOR
UTS Alumni Writers' Network
MEMBER
UN Global Alliance for ICT Development (UNGAID) Community of Expertise.
E-Learning and Knowledge Sharing [ELKS]- Invited Member
Blended Learning and Instruction
View my page on Blended Learning and Instruction
Member of the Institute of Professional Editors

Professional Member of the Society of Editors NSW, inc.

Australian Society of Authors

UTS Alumni

British Council

Varuna The Writers' House

Pencil Orchids Writers' Group

Company of Writers


---

                                                                              

              BACK                                                                                                                  NEXT


                                                                              

                                                            Sharon's Biographical Notes