Workshop programme

Conflux workshops are approximately 2 1/2 hours and limited to 15 participants (except the sword workshop, which can have 16).

Bookings will open August 1, 2008 via workshops@conflux.org.au

Index of Workshops

Blogging for fiction writers and would-be fiction writers

Gillian Polack

Cost: $10 per person

Time: 9am Friday, October 3

Blogging can be a wonderful way to communicate for writers. It can also be quite dangerous. In this session, we will talk about how to make the most of blogging using internet resources such as blog carnivals. We will also look at what ort of audience you want to grow and why, how public blogs actually are and what different strategies for raising your blog's profile actually do. Blog platforms are important, and networking, and interpreting your statistics. The workshop will also cover when becoming a paid blogger is worth considering and when it's not the best thing you could do. Other issues will be dealt with according to interest by the workshop participants, including how you can significantly reduce your chances of becoming the respected writer you want to be if you use your blog to cleverly shoot yourself in the foot. In fact, if you want to shoot yourself in the foot, Gillian is happy to provide strategies for this and for developing a firm following of stalkers.

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The Business of Writing Comics

Elizabeth Argall

Time: 9am Friday, October 3

So you want to write comics (or graphic novels) and make your millions? Before you quit your day job or ask an artist to draw your 270 page magnum opus make sure you do your homework. This workshop will provide an overview of Australian and International comic industries and communities. Talk about common traps for new players. Tips on how to make your gorram comic live and examples of diverse success stories.

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April's Antique Roadshow to the Future

April Herzog

Time: 9am Friday, October 3

April's Antique Road Show of the Future.
Do you have a lot of books you want to look after? Graphic novels? Comic books, models, paintings or costumes? April will be giving practical demonstrations and advice. Bring along any object you may have questions about.

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The Noble and Knightly Art of the Long Sword

Chris Barnes

Time: 12am Friday, October 3

Medieval Europe produced martial arts just as effective as those of Asia. This workshop will teach you the basic techniques of the German tradition, which was taught throughout the Holy Roman Empire from the 14th to the 17th centuries. The workshop will focus on use of the long sword (also known as the bastard or hand-and-a-half sword). You'll learn correct footwork, basic attacks and counterattacks, plus the history and principles of the German system. We'll also demonstrate some more advanced techniques and (if time permits) samples of techniques from other European fighting traditions. Participants should wear comfortable clothes and shoes (shoes should preferably be smooth-soled, but ordinary sneakers will be OK). Wooden training swords will be provided. The workshop is suitable for ages 18 and over. This workshop will be essentially the same as the sword workshop held at Conflux in 2007; people who took part in that workshop will find this one a useful refresher. However, no prior experience is needed.

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Mental Magic – Illusions and tricks of the mind

Karen Ott

Time: 12am Friday, October 3

An opportunity to view and try out various optical and other illusions. Do they "work" for you? Why do they work? A lot of fun for the curious!

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Get That First Draft Finished!

Maxine McArthur

Time: 12am Friday, October 3

When asked what is the hardest thing about getting a novel published, many experienced authors and agents will answer "finishing it in the first place". Don't let yourself be one of the thousands of people with a promising half or three-quarters of a novel sitting in your desk drawer. Using discussion and short exercises, this workshop deals with some common causes of first draft 'stoppage' and strategies to get things moving again. It focuses on problems often faced by writers of speculative fiction, in particular consistency in world-building, how much research is enough, and integration of character and plot. The workshop will be of most use to writers with a work in progress.

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A Writer's Guide To Dreaming - How to Transform Dreams, Ideas, and Thoughts into Fiction

Jack Dann

Cost: $55 per person

Time: 3pm Friday, October 3

This 2 1/2 hour intensive with Conflux Guest of Honor, Nebula and World Fantasy Award recipient Jack Dann, offers participants a unique opportunity to broaden their understanding of how to 'think oneself into a story' and how to access the unconscious to resolve plot, character, and conflict problems. Participants will learn how the application of techniques such as Lucid Dreaming, meditation, self-hypnosis, and lateral thinking can fuel the creation of historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and magical realism. Participants will also learn how to apply the power of mythical archetypes to their own fiction and will learn about the nature of creativity…and how to apply it to their own work. Handouts will be provided

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Digital marketing for authors: from blogs to book trailers

Fiona McLennan

Time: 3pm Friday, October 3

A jargon-free guide to digital marketing for authors, complete with case studies. We'll review what works (and why) and look at ways to stretch self-promotion dollar further using digital marketing.

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Creating dynamic characters

Karen Miller

Time: 3pm Friday, October 3

Dynamic characters often make the difference between a book that's forgettable, and a book readers can't put down. Dynamic characters can persuade an editor to buy an unknown writer's first novel. But how does a writer go about creating dynamic, unforgettable characters? In this workshop, fantasy author Karen Miller_will show aspiring writers how to craft and create the kinds of characters that readers will remember long after closing the book, and also examine the role of characterisation on plot and story development.

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Deam Magick! An Experiential Workshop

Margi Curtis and Leigh Blackmore

Time: 1pm Monday, October 6

This workshop offers and experiential introduction to contemporary magic and seeks to redress some of the misconceptions regarding views of this ancient sacred art. Please come along prepared to participate.

At this year's Magic workshop we will open with a short introductory talk, followed by the main part of the workshop which will be held in ritual space. We will cast the circle and invoke deity using both contemporary Wiccan methods and ritual from the Golden Dawn Tradition of Western Magic. We Will use the opportunity to explore the Conflux 5 theme of Dreaming. We will follow the ritual with open discussion and reflection upon the experience. A comprehensive "Recommended Reading" list for research will also be provided. Please being along any questions you may have about the topic, about writing and the issues involved.

The facilitators intend to create an authentic spiritual context which may inspire and inform your writing and your reading. Margi's magical work has mainly been intuitive, feminist and goddess-centred. Leigh Bloackmore brings contrasting experience as a Cermonial Magician of the Western Mysteries.

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Grant Writing

Peter Strong

Time: 1pm Monday, October 6

Peter is highly experienced and skilled in getting funds from governments and the private sector (such as banks and the like). He has completed successful tender and grant applications for community owned organisations and have also run over 40 workshops on grant writing for organisations and communities. Peter has comprehensive experience at both ends of grant application and management process. He has also written policy and guidleines for government and non government organisations, including the World Bank, and has also assesssed applications and submissions.

Peter knows that there is a person (or that team of people) assessing a grant application and he knows how to get that person to tick all the right boxes and approve your grant application. Peter also owns and runs a bookshop (Smiths Alternative Bookshop in Canberra) so he understands what book suppliers, publishers and distributors are seeking.

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Writing the Otherworld

Felicity Pulman

Time: 1pm Monday, October 6

Writing the Otherworld: A believable / viable setting, interesting characters and a vital quest are fundamental when creating otherworld fiction. Through a series of fun exercises, students will explore the otherworld of their imagination (including magical objects and magical creatures) plus devising diverse characters and a quest to carry the story

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Workshop 13 - superstitions and things that go bump in the night

Nicole R Murphy

Time: 1pm Monday, October 6

What else would the thirteenth workshop be about but all the things that give us a bit of a shiver and make us wonder. Writer and editor Nicole R Murphy will go through some of the better and less known superstitions and discuss where they come from and what they are meant to achieve. Be prepared to throw some salt, sit with your feet off the floor and practice jumping out of the way of black cats.

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