Out West Programme 2023

student workshops

thursday 27 july

9.30AM TO 11.00AM

crafting great characters W11 Great characters are the backbone of great stories. Charlotte Barkla will guide students through a series of interactive exercises to develop their own believable, flawed, unique characters, that will propel their next story forward.

For students aged 9+ $30 Venue Workshop Marquee

the edge of limits and consent W12 Join Susanne Gervay in this game-changer workshop as writing becomes a new territory. A survival camp is familiar territory. There’s the rough and tumble jostling, as the boys board the coaches. Sarah the ‘spunky’ guide and Mr Seaton the teacher tell them to settle down. The journey is eight rugged days on a school trek into the wilderness. There are no showers, sleeping on rocks, hard trekking, abseiling, rock climbing, wild rivers, wilderness and there are the flies, thousands of them, and the freezing nights and the sweaty days. There are scenes of exhaustion as the boys collapse after the rock ledge climb. Hilarious scenes at the leech invasion. Great mate ship. Great betrayals. It’s about girls too - getting them, discarding them, wanting them. Ultimately, the camp winds towards the final place of initiation deep in the mountains. It goes to the heart of consent today. For students aged 14+ $30 Venue The Wave Shed

pocket-sized stories W13 Flash fiction has never been bigger; people all over the world are penning very short stories. Caroline Graham runs this session on writing tiny but mighty stories, with tips and tricks for getting the most from a tight word count.

For students aged 12+ $30 Venue near Hardback Cafe

14 / storyfest.com.au