The technology debate 

• The age of information technology 
• Writing for the Internet 
• Why readers like the Internet 
• Editing by computer 
• Do writers need to work on computers? 
• How do you edit on-line? 
• Electronic publishing 
• About e-books 
• E-book software 
• How can I convert my own documents to e-books 
• Some worthwhile Internet sites for all writers 

Promote yourself to success 

• The waiting game 
• Networking with other writers 
• Mentors, workshops and conferences 
• Building a reputation for reliability 
• Using a critique/editorial service 
• Keeping records & backup copies; financial records & taxation 
• Your next book 
• How to make a living while you're waiting to be rich & famous 
• Self-promotion - talking about what you do 
• Dealing with rejection; professional DO's and DON'T's 

So you want to write a best-selling novel? 

• Writing best-selling fiction 
• What is a 'best seller'? 
• The characteristics of genre fiction 
• Mainstream and literary fiction 
• How to decide what type of book you should write 
• Some opinions about writing and getting published 
• An editor's view of what will sell - 'Turn-offs' for an editor; categorise your novel 

Plotting your novel 

• The best way to plot your story 
• The beginning; that vital idea 
• Taking an idea and shaking it 
• Your plot at a glance 
• From cluster to outline 
• Your timeline 
• Who is telling the story? 
• Having the end in sight 
• Background, minor characters and subplots 
• Is my idea best suited to a novel or short story? 

The characters in your story 

• Starting with a character 
• Character tags 
• Creating a character file 
• Describing your characters 
• Third person narrator 
• Character motivation 
• What comes first, the characters or the plot? Characters in a situation 
• Don't make your characters all good or all bad 
• he difference between major and minor characters 
• The viewpoint character; the first person narrator 
• Bringing your characters on stage; naming your characters 

Research, setting and mood 

• Putting your characters on-stage 
• The setting of your novel 
• Some tips on researching 
• Your 'contacts' book 
• Writing historical fiction 
• Do your research 
• Researching for novels with a medical background 
• Mood 
• Police procedure; science fiction, fantasy and futuristic 
• A trick to make your background come alive 
• The physical background; what interests readers? 
• Don't give your reader a chance to flip pages 

The self-publishing option 

• Producing your own book 
• The production process 
• Writing, editing, design and printing 
• Structure of a book 
• Australian books in print 
• Selling your book 
• Terms of trade 
• Using a distributor 
• Glossary of acronyms and terms 
• Useful addresses 
• Your rights and responsibilities Copyright 

Structure, pace and suspense 

• The suspense meter 
• How to create suspense right from the start; the difference between suspense and conflict; ways to create suspense 
• How to maintain tension and conflict 
• Checklist for conflict, pace and tension 
• Playing on emotions; anticipation and fear 
• Controlling pace through scenes, writing scenes 
• Four ways to keep your story moving 
• The structure of a scene; tying up loose ends 

First page, first chapter 

• What does a first chapter have to do? 
• Using the 'Five Ws' 
• How to describe your characters 
• Your first chapter checklist 
• How to end a chapter 
• The importance of your novel's opening 

Editing and polishing your novel 

• Is your novel ready to send away? 
• The novelist's ABC: active voice, beginnings, cut, don't assume, endings, facts and your files, group support, info dumping, judgement, keep it simple, lead, middles, natural style, overview, paragraphing, question technique, rewriting, soapboxes, tenacity, understanding, viewpoint, wordiness, 'x' marks the spot, you and your career, and zeal 

Marketing your novel 

• Submitting a manuscript 
• Copyrighting 
• Writing a synopsis 
• A sample query letter 
• Pitfalls in writing for children 
• Writing in an outmoded style 
• Would I make a good children's writer? 
• Writing for teenagers 
• Should I have an agent? Partials v a full manuscript 
• Best-selling fiction for the juvenile market 
• What you should know about writing for children 
• Stories for children can be a variety of lengths 
• General tips for writing children's story books 
• Other ways to make money from being a children's writer 

Writing effective dialogue 

• The importance of good dialogue 
• What is 'good dialogue'? 
• How do you write effective dialogue? 
• Different types of speech tags 
• Building tension through dialogue 
• Dialogue and humour 
• How to check that your dialogue works 
• Accents, slang and cliches 
• How to make dialogue and narrative work well together; interior monologue