Exploring Creative Non-Fiction with Patti Miller
Applications for this program have now closed.
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This new ten-week online course from Patti Miller will explore the rich territory of creative non-fiction, focusing on true stories written from a personal perspective.
The course will look closely at various sub-genres including biography, nature writing, new criticism, new journalism, personal essays, travel memoir, writing place, and journal or diary writing. This course will illuminate the characteristics of each genre, examining issues of writing craft: narrative presence and position, research, detail, and structure, as well as discussing broader issues including the ethics of writing true stories.
Exploring Creative Non-Fiction is for writers interested in combining a personal voice and individual experience with wide-ranging ideas and storytelling from any discipline or activity, including family stories, history, politics, psychology, science, or true crime. This course is not solely for autobiographical writers but is ideal for writers seeking inspiration and guidance as they expand into a new area of life writing.
Throughout the course, the group will discuss extracts from inspiring writers, work through exercises, and, during the last four weeks, each writer will present one chapter (up to 3,000 words) for workshopping in their chosen genre.
Course entry is by application: simply a half-page description of what you are interested in writing about, with a few lines about your writing experience. Writers will be selected based on the creative potential of their work, commitment to craft, openness to collaborating with peers, and the balance in the group.
The course will be taught on Zoom and the class size is limited to eight.
Course fees are $1,495, with a 10% discount for Varuna alumni. Payment terms are negotiable if you cannot pay the whole fee upfront. Feel free to call 02 4782 5674 to discuss your application.
Applications for this class have now closed.
Dates and Course Format
The Writer’s Process: Exploring Creative Non-Fiction will commence 8th July and finish 10th September, and will run from 10 am to midday. The course will be taught online over ten weeks.
Note: The first two classes will be on Thursdays, and the remainder will be held on Fridays.
The group will use the writing platform Wet Ink to share work and engage in extended discussion.
Week 1: Introduction and history
Week 2: The Writer’s Journal/diary/notebook
Week 3: Memory/Research/Interview
Week 4: Narrative non-fiction 1
Week 5: Narrative non-fiction 2
Week 6: Personal Essay
Week 7: Travel Memoir
Week 8: Writing Place and Nature Writing
Week 9: Biography
Week 10: Ethics
Patti Miller
About Patti
Patti Miller is a writer and writing teacher. She is the author of five books of creative non-fiction: The Last One Who Remembers, Whatever The Gods Do, the award-winning The Mind of a Thief, Ransacking Paris, and The Joy of High Places; one novel Child; and three writing texts, Writing Your Life, The Memoir Book and Writing True Stories. Her latest book, True Friends, will be out next year. She is also published in newspapers and journals and magazines around Australia.
Patti has taught writing writing at universities, The Faber Academy (Sydney and London), many writers’ centres and in Paris, Bali and Fiji for over 30 years. Over fifty of her students have had their work published.