Writing
Introduction to Poetry – Approx. 2-3 hours
I’ll cover poetic structure, poetic language, different types of poetry, and publishing your work. This workshop includes interactive exercises and writing prompts.
This workshop is perfect for beginners and skeptics, with a focus on why poetry is for everyone.
Found Poetry – 4 hours
A fun, hands-on workshop where we’ll use magazines and other printed materials to create poems with borrowed words.
It’s the perfect intersection of crafts and poetry, and great for those who want to get into poetry but feel they’re ‘not great with words’. Magazines and other materials provided, but feel free to bring your own!
Querying
Critiquing vs. Beta Reading – 4 hours
We start by looking at the differences between critiquing, proofreading, and beta reading a piece of work. Attendees will learn key techniques for each aspect, as well as get a chance to cut their teeth with a few short examples.
There will be group and solo exercises, as well as advice on creating revenue streams from each of these.
Elevator Pitches
The elevator pitch can be one of the most powerful, yet most intimidating, tools in the querying author’s kit. This workshop will teach you how to craft a precise, compelling elevator pitch, as well as offering opportunities to practice reciting your pitch to others.
Query Letters – 3 hours
Your query letter is often your first impression with literary agents and editors. This workshop will teach you how to make the most of this opportunity with a well-written query letter.
Synopsis Writing – 3 hours
A workshop on the unprecious art of summarising. Attendees will learn to parse their novel down to one to two pages, and have the opportunity to put what they learn into practice.
Querying Masterclass – 8 hours
This well-rounded workshop combines all the aspects of elevator pitches, query letters, and synopses. Attendees will get the chance to create each for their work they hope to publish. Additionally, we will have rounds of mock agent pitching, where attendees can practice their face-to-face cold pitching skills.
Marketing
Marketing for Beginners – 8 hours
8 out of 10 entrepreneurs who start businesses fail within the first 18 months, according to Bloomberg. Fully, 80% of businesses will fail in less than two years. Whilst there are many reasons why businesses, and in particular small businesses, fail, one of the common reasons is because they fail to market themselves. To a business owner, the superiority and necessity of their products or services is obvious, and sometimes it can be difficult to remember that others need to be convinced of what they already ”know”.
Knowing how to market your business is a crucial skill to stand out from the crowd and be an outlier of the above statistics. Therefore, having access to courses like this to learn these valuable skills helps the local economy thrive and helps people realise their dreams of being their own boss. It can also help those looking to go into marketing for a career, by giving them the necessary foundation to succeed in a marketing department.
Social Media Masterclass – 8 hours
Social media is one of the strongest marketing tools a business has in reaching new customers. However, it can be very hard to understand and plan for, due to its fast-paced nature and ever changing algorithms and features. This can leave many small business owners baffled as to how to harness what they’ve been told is a huge, untapped audience.
A friendly, knowledgeable guide to social media and how to utilise it in marketing is indispensable for those who want to create a platform for their business.
Facebook Marketing
Like it or hate it, Facebook is ubiquitous. Everyone’s on there, so chances are, your customers are, too.
This workshop focuses on using Facebook to promote your brand or product.
Instagram Marketing
Instagram is quickly reaching Facebook levels of market saturation, and it’s a perfect platform for visual businesses, such as bakeries, designers, and photographers.
Learn how to make the most of this cheerful social medial tool to promote yourself.
Twitter Marketing
The ultimate in contemporaneous, Twitter can seem like a pointless addition to your already busy life as an entrepreneur.
But this workshop will demonstrate not only why you should be using it, but how to do so efficiently.
Technology
Website Creation with WordPress
Having a website has never been easier. It’s also a perfect way to keep in touch, support a business, share ideas, and build a community. However, getting started can be a daunting task, and it can be difficult to know how to begin. This course can help dispel some of the confusion surrounding website creation and hosting, as well as clarifying outdated information and helping prepare new website users for navigating an internet ruled by GDPR.
Staying Safe Online
The internet has done a staggering amount for humanity, helping us to build communities, exchange ideas, and accomplish more than at any other point in our history. However, it also offers many new opportunities for hoaxers and hackers.
Understanding and using the internet is the only way to stay relevant and connected to today’s world, but it is important to know how to do this safely and confidently. Awareness of common pitfalls is crucial, and will eventually help lead to a decrease in scams and predators online.