Creative Writing

CREATIVE WRITING with Alison Rooke

WRITING FROM SCRATCH: DISCOVER YOUR VOICE AND TELL YOUR STORY

Whether you’re yearning to write a play or test the waters of screenwriting, this is the course for you. Over four weeks we’ll explore the basics of character development, structure, creating dramatic tension and editing your script plus learn a little more about the film and theatre industries.

WEEK 1 – Start from the beginning: who are you writing about? Character development and research

WEEK 2 – Learn the nuts and bolts: film script and play script structures revealed. How do you discover the plot?

WEEK 3 – Create some tension: how do you discover dramatic conflict and why do you need it for your story to work?

WEEK 4 – Discover tips and tricks: dramaturgy and script editing explained. What is constructive feedback? How do you overcome writer’s block? Why is editing so important? What do I do next with my script?

COURSE FEE
$350 (incl GST)
Paid in full prior to course commencement

COURSE STARTS: WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 13th to WEDNESDAY MARCH 6th
630PM – 930PM each night

Alison Rooke is a writer and dramaturg from Sydney. A graduate of NIDA and AFTRS, Alison also has an MA (Creative Writing) from UTS. Her plays include, You Are Here (Sidetrack Theatre), Apples and Onions (New Theatre), Sharks Can Smell Fear (Bare Boards Brave Hearts Festival), Combat Fatigue (Sydney Fringe Festival), In the Key of ‘E’ (Parramatta Riverside Theatre), He Sounds Lovely, She Sounds Right as Rain (Tap Gallery) How to Grow an Orchid (Tap Gallery) and Slow Burn (Storytellers Festival).

Alison completed a dramaturgy internship at Lark Play Development Centre in NYC and was subsequently invited back as a guest writer. She was shortlisted for the Inscription Edward Albee Playwriting Scholarship and her short film Petunia was released in 2016. Her play The Blackbird and The Whale was selected for the prestigious National Script Workshop (Playwriting Australia) and has received support from the Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Fund. The Blackbird and The Whale was a finalist in the 2017 Silver Gull Awards. Her screenplay Firebug was a finalist in the 2017 Smart for a Girl: Roar initiative. She was a founder and artistic director of Somersault Theatre Company and was a recipient of an Australia Council for the Arts JUMP grant. She was also a finalist in the 2016 National Travel Industry Awards for Travel Writer of the Year. Alison currently teaches for NIDA Open and Darlo Drama