Where do I begin......
As a first timer, experiencing this festival was great. I loved the vibe, atmosphere and authors. As I didn't know what to expect this festival was brilliant and a great first impression.
My favourite sessions were "Influence and the Media" with Tasneem Chopra and "We're All Going to Die" with Leah Kaminsky. These two women were not only empowering, but incredible individuals that showed knowledge, insight and great passion. They displayed the importance of if you really love something you should do it, and for that I not only learned something but I am very grateful and appreciative.
The other sessions were also fantastic and beneficial. It was interesting to see and hear authors views, opinions and facts about all things writing. Each author showed and shared knowledgeable insight of what it is like to be an author.
Not only was it tiring and exhausting but a great opportunity to gain knowledge and help on how to be a writer and the tools you must have to go about it. I have always thought about writing a book, but never really believed that I had the ability to, but also the drive and motivation. Somehow, the writers motivated me and I'm sure many others, instilling in them that if you believe in your abilities you can achieve anything you put your mind to. THANK YOU!
A big sincere thank you to Sue Gillett, who was a brilliant, enthusiastic and lovely lecturer that showed and displayed absolute professionalism and passion through out the whole festival. Not only was she helpful but you could see the love she has for the subject. If only all of my classes were like this I would be one happy university student. THANK YOU SUE.
All in all, WRITERS IN ACTION was a fantastic subject and opportunity for anyone pursuing to be a writer or anyone that is generally interested in books and reading. I would highly recommend it as I learnt so much in just a few days. I will definitely be back.
- Written by Hediye Besim.
Saturday 1 October 2016
Death is inevitable, we're all going to die.
QUOTE OF THE SESION: "If we sanitize death, we sanitize life" - Dr Leah Kaminsky
Death is something that will happen in each one of our lives, yet we dismiss it and tend to avoid it. Are people scared? Do they not think about it? Or is it one of those melancholy subjects that no one wants to hear?
I was eager to hear this session, yes, I know what 22 year old female wants to hear about dying? But the truth is, it will happen. Maybe not today or tomorrow but it certainly will happen one day. Anyway, as I was walking to the VAC I noticed many older people lining up for this session. Men and women in there 40's, 50's, 60's and here I was.
Entering the session I was feeling excitement, I must admit the session was full! As it began the audience were greeted with the lovely Sue Gillett interviewing Dr Leah Kaminsky. Dr Leah had a very brilliant way of interacting with the audience, she used anecdotes about her own life and her Jewish faith, and spoke in such an engaging way where the audience was in awe. She discussed her book "We're All Going to Die" and how its about learning to confront death and facing your fears. Through this, its looking at life more authentically and fearlessly, coming to terms and accepting that death will come, but embracing and appreciating life.
I loved the way she spoke about her book in such a passionate and exciting way. She summed up her book saying "I can't go on, I will go on". Alarm bells went off in my head, because its so realistic and true. Everyone goes through many ups and downs through their life, with positive and negative aspects. We have to continue to remember to get back up and continue to try and embrace life in every shape and form. Life isn't meant to be perfect, its meant to be imperfect and I think thats an element that many people forget. THANK YOU LEAH!
Death is something that will happen in each one of our lives, yet we dismiss it and tend to avoid it. Are people scared? Do they not think about it? Or is it one of those melancholy subjects that no one wants to hear?
I was eager to hear this session, yes, I know what 22 year old female wants to hear about dying? But the truth is, it will happen. Maybe not today or tomorrow but it certainly will happen one day. Anyway, as I was walking to the VAC I noticed many older people lining up for this session. Men and women in there 40's, 50's, 60's and here I was.
Entering the session I was feeling excitement, I must admit the session was full! As it began the audience were greeted with the lovely Sue Gillett interviewing Dr Leah Kaminsky. Dr Leah had a very brilliant way of interacting with the audience, she used anecdotes about her own life and her Jewish faith, and spoke in such an engaging way where the audience was in awe. She discussed her book "We're All Going to Die" and how its about learning to confront death and facing your fears. Through this, its looking at life more authentically and fearlessly, coming to terms and accepting that death will come, but embracing and appreciating life.
I loved the way she spoke about her book in such a passionate and exciting way. She summed up her book saying "I can't go on, I will go on". Alarm bells went off in my head, because its so realistic and true. Everyone goes through many ups and downs through their life, with positive and negative aspects. We have to continue to remember to get back up and continue to try and embrace life in every shape and form. Life isn't meant to be perfect, its meant to be imperfect and I think thats an element that many people forget. THANK YOU LEAH!
 |
| Sue Gillett interviewing Dr Leah Kaminsky in the session "We're All Going to Die" |
Thursday 29 September 2016
TASNEEM CHOPRA = INSPIRING
QUOTE OF THE SESSION: "Look after yourself, you can't change people's perceptions of you" - Tasneem Chopra
My favourite session of the whole festival. My thoughts on Tasneem were: Wow. Inspirational. Humorous. Smart. Funny. What a woman.
This session provided such great insight on Muslims and how the media portrays them.
The 5 things I learnt in the session were:
1. Tasneem is a consultant, author and activist. She delivers workshops on diversity, racism and identity to a range of audiences.
2. Not only is she a Muslim but a very proud, admirable and independent career minded woman.
3. She discussed how muslims go through emotional fatigue and anxiety everyday because the media portrays negative propaganda and unfortunately causes them to feel unsafe and anxious. Through this, she discussed personal anecdotes and what a muslim meant to her personally.
4. Chopra didn't stress enough the importance of diversity and acceptance in the society we live in. We must love one another and look after each other. Despite, the negativity the media presents about Muslims there is also a positive element so Muslims can get their views and opinions across.
5. Not only is Tasneem smart but incredibly charismatic and funny. She interacted with the audience in a positive and inspiring way. It was clearly evident how much the audience embraced her since the Visual Arts Centre was full of people with not one seat empty.
Tasneem Chopra displayed knowledge, humour and respect while being interviewed. She taught people about herself and how life is what you make it. Thank you Tasneem for your honesty and allowing people to understand, learn and hopefully love more.
My favourite session of the whole festival. My thoughts on Tasneem were: Wow. Inspirational. Humorous. Smart. Funny. What a woman.
This session provided such great insight on Muslims and how the media portrays them.
The 5 things I learnt in the session were:
1. Tasneem is a consultant, author and activist. She delivers workshops on diversity, racism and identity to a range of audiences.
2. Not only is she a Muslim but a very proud, admirable and independent career minded woman.
3. She discussed how muslims go through emotional fatigue and anxiety everyday because the media portrays negative propaganda and unfortunately causes them to feel unsafe and anxious. Through this, she discussed personal anecdotes and what a muslim meant to her personally.
4. Chopra didn't stress enough the importance of diversity and acceptance in the society we live in. We must love one another and look after each other. Despite, the negativity the media presents about Muslims there is also a positive element so Muslims can get their views and opinions across.
5. Not only is Tasneem smart but incredibly charismatic and funny. She interacted with the audience in a positive and inspiring way. It was clearly evident how much the audience embraced her since the Visual Arts Centre was full of people with not one seat empty.
Tasneem Chopra displayed knowledge, humour and respect while being interviewed. She taught people about herself and how life is what you make it. Thank you Tasneem for your honesty and allowing people to understand, learn and hopefully love more.
Wednesday 28 September 2016
Happy Endings - do we always need one?
QUOTE OF THE SESSION: "Writing is rewriting" - Gabrielle Tozer
To be honest I wasn't a fan of the Old Fire Station. I just felt it to be really small and the chairs were so UNCOMFORTABLE! Nonetheless, I was here to see the ever so talented Gabrielle Tozer and Ellie Marney and hear them both discuss happy endings and the importance of writing young adult fiction.
First to speak was Gabrielle Tozer, I sensed a really positive and enthusiastic aura about her. She was interesting, funny and just a relaxed type of person. She has written "The Intern" and "Faking It". The session discussed the importance of having a happy ending in a book and is it necessary all the time. "If the character has earned it and had some hardships along the way, then yes, I do feel like they are deserving of a happy ending" Tozer said. "The Intern" is about a young 17 year old girl aspiring to be a writer and the obstacles she faces to get where she wants to be. Tozer explained that writing a happy ending has to be believable and in a sense done in a way that conveys originality so the reader can appreciate it not just expect it.
Ellie Marney was also someone that oozed passion, humour and intellect. She has written the "Every" series which are a range of crime and murder mystery novels and follows the lives of Rachel Watts and James Mycroft and what unfolds when they both come together and investigate a murder. Marney's take on happy endings was straightforward and simple. "Adolescents don't always want to see the happily ever after, there at that age where they know that life isn't always happy. Things like death, mystery and life experiences can be good for them" Marney said. She further stated if it doesn't flow well with the book you don't need to put the happy ending in. However there must be some optimism and trust so the reader can feel a sense of hope.
Gabrielle Tozer and Ellie Marney both agreed on saying that in order for a happy ending it must fit within the structure of the book. You shouldn't put it in if it doesn't flow. My favourite quote was said by Tozer as she explained writing her novels were sometimes a struggle."As dark as things can be, there is always light" This to me resonated with what was said about happy endings and how they are perceived. No matter how hard or difficult situations can be in novels, there can always be light at the end of the tunnel.
To be honest I wasn't a fan of the Old Fire Station. I just felt it to be really small and the chairs were so UNCOMFORTABLE! Nonetheless, I was here to see the ever so talented Gabrielle Tozer and Ellie Marney and hear them both discuss happy endings and the importance of writing young adult fiction.
First to speak was Gabrielle Tozer, I sensed a really positive and enthusiastic aura about her. She was interesting, funny and just a relaxed type of person. She has written "The Intern" and "Faking It". The session discussed the importance of having a happy ending in a book and is it necessary all the time. "If the character has earned it and had some hardships along the way, then yes, I do feel like they are deserving of a happy ending" Tozer said. "The Intern" is about a young 17 year old girl aspiring to be a writer and the obstacles she faces to get where she wants to be. Tozer explained that writing a happy ending has to be believable and in a sense done in a way that conveys originality so the reader can appreciate it not just expect it.
Ellie Marney was also someone that oozed passion, humour and intellect. She has written the "Every" series which are a range of crime and murder mystery novels and follows the lives of Rachel Watts and James Mycroft and what unfolds when they both come together and investigate a murder. Marney's take on happy endings was straightforward and simple. "Adolescents don't always want to see the happily ever after, there at that age where they know that life isn't always happy. Things like death, mystery and life experiences can be good for them" Marney said. She further stated if it doesn't flow well with the book you don't need to put the happy ending in. However there must be some optimism and trust so the reader can feel a sense of hope.
Gabrielle Tozer and Ellie Marney both agreed on saying that in order for a happy ending it must fit within the structure of the book. You shouldn't put it in if it doesn't flow. My favourite quote was said by Tozer as she explained writing her novels were sometimes a struggle."As dark as things can be, there is always light" This to me resonated with what was said about happy endings and how they are perceived. No matter how hard or difficult situations can be in novels, there can always be light at the end of the tunnel.
Tuesday 27 September 2016
Make it New
QUOTE OF THE SESSION: “Love the process” - Lauren Mitchell
It was a beautiful Saturday morning and View Street was jam packed and buzzing with people everywhere. There were people young and old, mingling, interacting and just simply embracing what the festival had to offer. It was great to feel apart of a community in a sense where everyone was at the festival to learn and gain insight on what authors had to say.
It was a beautiful Saturday morning and View Street was jam packed and buzzing with people everywhere. There were people young and old, mingling, interacting and just simply embracing what the festival had to offer. It was great to feel apart of a community in a sense where everyone was at the festival to learn and gain insight on what authors had to say.
It was a busy morning and I always have a thing with time management if I don’t get somewhere on the allocated time that’s it. My old and interfering friend ANXIETY kicks in. I’m here, the Fire Station it says, how can you miss it. I’m about to walk into the session “Make it New” and then the ticket lady stops me. “Wait here please, I think the session’s full”. NOOOOOOOOOOO I say in my head panicking. “Come through there’s a few more seats left”. Hallelujah!!!!!! I quickly but quietly hurry to find a seat. Lucky. There’s a seat 3 rows up on the end where a friendly lady says, “Sit here”. The lights dim down and the session begins.
The audience is greeted by the wonderful Sue Gillett as the interviewer and 3 authors Sam Cooney, Briohny Doyle and Lauren Mitchell. This seminar set the bar high. The audience was enthusiastic and it had a conversational like vibe, which made it appealing, I really admired what Lauren Mitchell had to say. She was the author of “Artist Spaces” which is about 12 creative people and the beautiful places they live and work, it highlights photographs of inspiring homes and studios of the artists. She discussed the importance of constantly making relationships, which makes you gain more opportunities. Even though writing a book is hard at times you must "love the process" as Lauren said. Anything you love takes time, patience and perseverance. In order to be successful you must take risks and do what’s best for you. To me I think, that’s so true because in life you must take some scary risks and just try because you never know what could happen to your career. One of favourite quotes is "If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough" and to me Lauren was conveying that through the session. She had 3 excellent tips for the audience to remember:
1.Be brilliant at what you do.
2.Be reliable and professional.
3.Be a nice person.
These 3 elements were extremely important because it made the audience question how they felt and also really engaged each individual. In order to be successful in what you do you must be willing to do the hard yards. This was a great session because she spoke honestly and realistically which I appreciated. Writing is a not only hard work but is also a fulfilling experience which enables individuals to believe that the mind can create many magical concepts when you put them pen to paper.
The audience is greeted by the wonderful Sue Gillett as the interviewer and 3 authors Sam Cooney, Briohny Doyle and Lauren Mitchell. This seminar set the bar high. The audience was enthusiastic and it had a conversational like vibe, which made it appealing, I really admired what Lauren Mitchell had to say. She was the author of “Artist Spaces” which is about 12 creative people and the beautiful places they live and work, it highlights photographs of inspiring homes and studios of the artists. She discussed the importance of constantly making relationships, which makes you gain more opportunities. Even though writing a book is hard at times you must "love the process" as Lauren said. Anything you love takes time, patience and perseverance. In order to be successful you must take risks and do what’s best for you. To me I think, that’s so true because in life you must take some scary risks and just try because you never know what could happen to your career. One of favourite quotes is "If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough" and to me Lauren was conveying that through the session. She had 3 excellent tips for the audience to remember:
 |
| Sam Cooney, Briohny Doyle, Sue Gillet and Lauren Mitchell at the "Make It New" session. |
1.Be brilliant at what you do.
2.Be reliable and professional.
3.Be a nice person.
These 3 elements were extremely important because it made the audience question how they felt and also really engaged each individual. In order to be successful in what you do you must be willing to do the hard yards. This was a great session because she spoke honestly and realistically which I appreciated. Writing is a not only hard work but is also a fulfilling experience which enables individuals to believe that the mind can create many magical concepts when you put them pen to paper.
The beginning of an amateurs writing journey
THURSDAY 11TH AUGUST:
THE BEGINNING
The day I had
anticipated had finally come. Driving down from Kyabram was a one and a half
hour drive so it felt like forever to get to the historic Bendigo but I made it. All I remember
was saying to myself I need to be there on time. 9.00, 9.30, finally I just
made it in time at 10.am on the dot. Phewww. I didn’t want to be the only one that
came late and looked like an idiot. Walking into the Visual Arts Centre (VAC) was a little intimidating it was a nice formal
building and there everyone was. “Excuse me, I’m here for the WIA”, I say
nervously. “Yes this way, your name please?” I walk into a room with everyone
looking very eager to start the next few days. I sit down and wait for Sue to commence
the class. What an enthusiastic woman I thought. Not only motivating, but extremely excited and passionate about the festival to commence. To me she set
the WIA festival on a high.
Sue introduces
all of the content and what will be happening over the weekend. We are shown
our upcoming assessments and are asked if we have any questions. After this,
we’re first given our festival passes in which get us to all sessions and any
sessions of our choice. Secondly we are
handed our own personalized T-Shirts with the print “Bendigo Writers Festival”
in order for us to look more professional and distinguished. “Get ready for a busy weekend” Sue says.
Once Sue finishes
the class it was all on us to get the most out of this jam-packed weekend.
“Here I go”, lets get inspired,” I say to myself.
Monday 26 September 2016
PREPARING FOR WIA
WEDNESDAY 10th of AUGUST: Here I go
I had heard so much hype from this WRITERS IN ACTION FESTIVAL I had to check it out for myself. When I first put it as a subject I was keen to see what all the fuss was about. Boy oh boy was I was in for a delightful treat.
The day before the festival I was at university, my friend had previously attended the festival in which she prepared and gave me a little insight of what would be happening. “Have fun, and get ready to be inspired” I thought to myself gee, she’s really talking this festival up it must be pretty good. I then went to see my English lecturer Marg Hickey and she wasn’t just excited but so happy for me to attend the festival. “You will love it, its fantastic. I think every student needs to do this subject” little did I know what I was in for. The next few days of this festival were going to be so much of a learning experience.
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