The Writers Unleashed festival was a great day. It was a pleasure to organise such a great event with such a fabulous team assisting me. In its 8th year, the festival brings established and developing authors to present on various topics of interest. The authors presented inspiration, advice, direction and ideas for those participants who want to improve their craft.
The children’s authors in the Southern Cross Room were enthusiastic and informative on so many aspects, from creating an author’s platform by Sandy Fussell, to Sue Whiting’s masterclass on creating a picture book.
The adult and YA authors gave guiding advice on their writing styles. Crime writer Gabrielle Lord spoke about maintaining the tension of a novel, as her YA series was written to a seemingly impossible brief. One of the most popular sessions of the day was with Cathie Tasker. As an editor she provided some key points in editing the structure of your manuscript, developing further your characters and giving useful advice that we as writers may not have considered before.
The editor consultations had been fully booked for some time and the editors provided constructive feedback to those who attended. I was given some ideas of how to incorporate historical detail in my work without it overpowering the story and protagonist. Editors and publishers can also provide insightful points about the publishing and book industry.
Also congratulations to Rebecca Sheraton who took out first prize in our Picture Book Writing Competition. This is a great competition for showcasing children’s writers.
I look forward to next year’s event.
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