Topic: Writing for Competitions

The May meeting of the Writing Group (Thursday May 8^th) will focus on writing for competitions, as ‘tis the season for short stories. Our guest speaker is Jo Callaghan, convenor of the ACT’s Family History writing group. She has written extensively on her family connections to a village in Tasmania and its convict past, so can speak about local history research, and she is also last year’s winner of the EM Fletcher writing competition. An extract from her winning story ‘Gorn’ can be found on the FHACT website… https://www.familyhistoryact.org.au/writingcompetitioninformation

Jo will tell us about her experience of writing that story, and we will also canvas a range of options for aspiring writers of family history, from factual biography to historical fiction. We have other competition writers and winners in the group, so we look forward to several sharing their wisdom on how such competitions help the family history writer.

NB - SAG’s 2025 Croker Prize for Biography (max 1000 words) accepts entries until May 31. This year’s themeis My Relative's Journey. Get your entry form from https://sag.org.au/Annual-Croker-Prize-for-Biography

The EM Fletcher competition (max 2000 words) accepts entries until July 15.  https://www.familyhistoryact.org.au/writingcompetition

About The Writing Group:

Are you interested in writing about your family history but need a bit more motivation or encouragement? 

Come along to The Writing Group and work on your writing skills in a fun and supportive atmosphere. The group meets via Zoom on the second Thursday of each month and has a varied program of activities and speakers designed to help you progress your project/s - whatever style of writing you are interested in!

In addition to the group meetings there is an optional forum utilising the Basecamp website where group attendees can discuss writing projects and share ideas between meetings. 

Come and join us, new attendees are always welcome.

Skill Level: All    

Group Leads: Elizabeth Capelin & Emily Purser

Each session will be recorded so you can join live or watch the recording later.