Have you ever paused as you’re reading something and thought “Now that is a beautiful sentence” or finished a book and even said out loud “Wow! That was amazing!” and wondered “How did they do that?”

This interactive workshop explores the art of reading like writers so we can identify key elements of craft and learn from excellent writers. Through close reading of excerpts from a variety of literary texts, we’ll examine how highly regarded authors make craft choices at the level of the sentence, scene, chapter and whole-book structure. Together we’ll investigate techniques that shape vivid characters, settings, imagery, dialogue and create narrative tension. 
Throughout the day you’ll experiment with applying these techniques to your own writing through a series of short, practical exercises designed to generate new material and fresh insights.

Whatever genre you’re writing, this workshop will help you expand your creative toolbox, sharpen your reading skills, and discover new possibilities for your own work.

Commencing at 10am and concluding at 4pm, Betty's one-day workshop will be held at Ngununggula - Southern Highlands Regional Gallery, 1 Art Gallery Lane, East Bowral.  Bring along a packed lunch or purchase it along with coffee and snacks from Hearth Cafe located at the Gallery.  Participants are asked to bring writing materials (pen/pencil & paper or fully charged device). 
Limited to 10 participants. Course Fee: $220 Bookings open 1 July 2026: To book click here or on the link opposite.

Bio:
Dr Betty O'Neill has a Doctorate of Creative Arts, Grad. Dip. Music Therapy, M. Bus., Grad. Dip. Employment Relations, B. Sc. (Hons), B.A.(History & Psychology).  She is a Sydney-based author, workshop and retreat facilitator, and university lecturer in Creative Intelligence and Innovation in the TD (Transdisciplinary) School at the University of Technology Sydney. Betty has a passion for learning, as her eclectic range of degrees attests, most recently a Doctorate of Creative Arts and her teaching is underpinned with sound research, interactive processes and creativity. Betty loves facilitating writing workshops and retreats, talking writing, books and creativity and paddling the waterways in my inflatable kayak. 
As a past Director of the Board of the Society of Australian Genealogy (SAG), Betty has a passion for memoir and family history and facilitate regular Introduction to Writing Family History workshops for both SAG and Writing NSW. 
Betty's debut memoir, The Other Side of Absence, was published by Ventura Press in 2020. Betty has also published a range of articles and book chapters (see here) and presented conference papers and workshops in Australia and overseas. Betty is currently researching and writing a memoir/family history on intergenerational homelessness.

Dr Betty O'Neill

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Do you want to write a crime novel that stays with your reader long after the last page? This workshop aims to equip you to write character-driven, compelling crime fiction with a strong voice (the elusive 'know it when you see it' that's the hallmark of a story well told). 
Together we'll explore: 
           The crime: What misdeed is at the heart of your story?
           Characters: main and supporting
           Plot: how will you structure your novel?
           Tension: character desire, reader engagement and the withholding of information
           The process: how does a crime novel actually come together? How do we handle all that    complexity?
           Editing: how do we finish and edit our crime stories?
With readings and discussion, as well as exercises to help you hone your crime novel, this course is open to anyone no matter the stage of their work-in-progress. 

Commencing at 10am and concluding at 4pm, Hayley's one-day workshop will be held at Ngununggula - Southern Highlands Regional Gallery, 1 Art Gallery Lane, East Bowral.  Bring along a packed lunch or purchase it along with coffee and snacks from Hearth Cafe located at the Gallery.  Participants are asked to bring writing materials (pen/pencil & paper or fully charged device). 
Limited to 10 participants. Course Fee: $220.  To book click here or on the link opposite.

Bio:
Dr Hayley Scrivenor is a former festival director and the internationally bestselling author of Dirt Town. Hayley's debut novel won a number of national and international awards, including a prestigious 'New Blood' Dagger from the Crime Writers' Association in the UK. Her second novel, Girl Falling, won a Danger Award in the People's Choice category in 2025 and was nominated for a Lambda Literary award in the U.S. Hayley has years of experience teaching writing and enjoys mentoring emerging writers. Hayley holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Wollongong and is currently working on a crime novel loosely inspired by the lives of her circus-performer grandparents.  Read more about Hayley here. (Photo credit for portrait of Hayley: Emma Leigh Meldrum.)