The Write-In: 2017-2025
Programme image
I developed and delivered this creative writing programme from 2017-2025 across five venues for Yarra Libraries in Melbourne Australia. I reworked the programme over these years based on organisational needs, participant feedback, opportunities for collaboration, and restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Melbourne had six lockdowns across 2020-2021). I produced writing resources, reading lists, trained others to support delivery, collaborated with other writers, and increased regular participation in the wider programme by 171%
2017-2018: two-hour sessions run once per month from February to November
Point of View
Character
Setting
Plot
Suspense
Life-writing
Introduction to Poetry
Editing masterclass
How to Write a Novel: Outline
How to Write a Novel: Getting Started
2019: two-hour sessions (Seminar Edition) delivered once per month from February to November. I trained two more staff with creative writing expertise to support the delivery. To meet increased demand from regular participants and newcomers, I collaborated with a local author to deliver a second stream of the programme (Editing Edition) to run on an alternating fortnightly schedule with the Seminar Edition to support writers working on projects such as novels, short story collections, plays, and collections of poems. In the Editing Edition, 10-12 participants would submit pieces of up to 1500 words (prose) or 7-8 poems from their projects for guided workshopping with their peers.
Seminar Edition
Point of View
Character
The Emotional and Dramatic Moment (Scene)
The Sensorium (Time and Place)
Plot Part One: Writing a Premise
Plot Part Two: How to Create and Outline
Plot Part Three: Combating the Tyranny of the Blank Page
Writing and Editing
Writing and Editing Part Two
Writing and Editing Part Three
Editing Edition
February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November
Based on the success of the English-language programme, I co-produced a special edition workshop for the local Chinese community for Chinese Reading Month in August. I delivered the content with the help of a chinese speaking writing teacher.
Write, Write, Write
2020-2021: two-hour sessions delivered online and in-person according to Victorian State COVID-19 restrictions. This involved switching between online and in-person sessions at short-notice. I trained two more staff to support me in the delivery of sessions. These staff members had creative writing expertise and I reworked the programme to better balance their strengths and teaching styles with community wants and needs for the programme. I continued working with the local author to support regular participants workshop their pieces in an online format of the Editing Edition.
2020:
Seminar Edition
Point of View (in-person)
No session for March because of venue closures for lockdown #1
Character
Scene
Setting (Time and Place)
Form One: Shape and Pattern
Form Two: Colour and Texture
Planning and Outlining
How to Get Started (first lines, opening sections)
Writing and Editing
Editing Edition: February-November, monthly submission and editing periods via email
2021: hybrid delivery model due to continued lockdown restrictions. I delivered sessions in-person and livestreamed them for participants who couldn’t attend face-to-face sessions. The topics were the same as 2020, and I supported the local author to deliver Edition Edition sessions via email and live online sessions.
Planned developments that I shelved because of COVID-19 restrictions, staff capacity, and budget constraints: A Summer manuscript swap, a public reading event featuring a lineup of regular programme participants.
Additional writing initiatives across 2020-2021:
Chinese writers prize
English writers prize
Seniors writers prize for Victorian Seniors Festival
Interactive Storytelling with Twine
Creating Characters for Roleplaying Games
Creating Worlds for RPGs
2022-2023: programme returned to in-person sessions February-November across the Seminar and Workshop (formerly Editing) streams.
2024-2025: due to organisational needs, I made the following changes to the programme: Seminar stream - five sessions February-June inclusive; Workshop stream - five sessions July-November inclusive; monthly sessions of the core programme supplemented by masterclasses delivered by local or visiting writers. These new sessions included a short story workshop, a writing for wellness session, a Vietnamese language workshop, and a Chinese language one.