TAF2024 | WRITERS' RETREAT DETAILS
Sunday 3 to Saturday 9 November
Franklin, Tasmania
Please see below for details of the retreat location, accommodation options, critique groups and a full retreat schedule.
LOCATION
Set on the Huon River, Franklin mixes excellent cafes and restaurants with charming historic buildings, Federation-style architecture, a wooden boat centre and one of Tasmania’s most famous cideries, Frank’s. Close to Hobart, filled with history, Franklin is within an hour of Hastings Caves and thermal pools, the wilderness Tahune Airwalk and Geeveston’s Platypus Walk.
All writers’ retreat sessions, classes and salons will be held at St John’s Church in Franklin.
Please note, contrary to Google maps, the church driveway is accessed via the Frank’s Ciderhouse and Cafe car park, not Church St.
Please turn into Frank’s and drive past it up to the church slowly. Please ensure you talk to us early about any physical accessibility needs - while a ramp for the historic church is planned, it is currently accessed via front stairs and has some internal steps.
Join us this year for a WRITERS’ RETREAT - this is a group tutor session at 2022
St John’s Church in FRANKLIN
A WRITERS’ RETREAT group session in 2022
A map of historic Franklin showing 1) St. John’s Church, homebase for this year’s program, 2) Frank’s Ciderhouse and Cafe and 3) a range of cafes and restaurants along the length of the Franklin village, 200 m from Frank’s. Drive or walk through Frank’s carpark to head up the driveway to the Church.
ACCOMMODATION
Franklin offers a range of accommodation both in the village and nearby, catering for a wide range of budgets.
You’re free to arrange the accommodation and food that best suits your needs, and participate in every event on the program.
A starting point is the list of accommodation options within walking distance in this pinned post on Facebook (click here to go to the post).
Please let us know if you would like the number for our favourite Uber driver for transfers, or to ask about carpooling etc.
CRITIQUE GROUPS
Retreaters may choose to join a critique group as part of the retreat. Critiquing is an excellent way of learning more about your own writing while helping others.
Participants may submit a piece up to 3,000 words long: a chapter, your opening scenes, an outline, a critical dialogue exchange etc. It’s your choice. This will be due at the start of the retreat. You will also be asked to:
- provide some context about the work, e.g. a rural crime novel, a sci-fi TV script,
- advise the stage it is at, e.g. first draft, final draft;
- indicate the type of feedback you’re looking for, e.g. does it have enough hooks to make you keep reading, are the characters likeable etc.
Pieces will be shared online within assigned groups of a maximum of 5 people. Participants will be asked to read and critique each other’s pieces online in accordance with provided guidelines. You will then meet across the week in person to discuss the process, the feedback and your individual pieces.
A live example from the program leaders will be shared to all participants, illustrating the difference between critiquing and editing, and the editing process between a published author and their editor.
To ensure all participants feel safe sharing their work, feedback will be monitored by the retreat team to ensure it is constructive and helps each writer move forward in their work.
In 2024 our retreat is in FRANKLIN, on the banks of the HUON RIVER
ST. JOHN’S CHURCH in FRANKLIN, home of TAF2024, is on a hill overlooking the Huon River
FRANK’s BAR AND CIDERHOUSE, at the bottom of the hill from the church, offers coffee, cakes, lunch and refreshing ciders
SCHEDULE
Saturday 2 November 2024
Travel day
Sunday 3 November 2024
Morning
Writing session First suggested 3 hour writing session, 9 am to 12 pm.
Introduction to the Pomodoro technique, or writing sprints, to set and achieve daily word counts, editing or other goals and stay accountable.
Afternoon
Writing session Attend classes, or suggested 3 hour writing session from 1 pm to 4 pm, before the Writers’ Retreat Session at 5.15 pm.
Optional Masterclass 1: Basic Instincts – How to Get Started on Your Novel, with Poppy Gee 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm
Optional Publishing Salon 1: Lessons from Vanda Symon’s Journey to International Publication, 4 pm to 5 pm
Late Afternoon
Writers’ Retreat Session 1, 5.15 pm to 7 pm
Welcome! Meet your fellow retreaters at your first daily group check-in session.
Welcome to Country with members of the local palawa/Tasmanian Aboriginal community, including Q&A (questions submitted anonymously ahead of time).
Review your personal plan for the week (planning worksheets to be filled out ahead of time) with your goals (e.g. word counts, pages edited etc.) and timetable (your writing hours, classes and free time). May run long. With L.J. Owen, Vanda Symon, Poppy Gee and others.
Writer’s Retreat Extension Activity – Live Critique Example
Sometimes the best explanation is an example. So your retreat organisers are putting some of their own work on the line.
Angela Meyer is a world-renowned editor (as well as writer, former publisher and now university lecturer).
L.J. Owen is a writer known to her editors for M-dash clusters, white room syndrome and stray Welsh grammar.
To highlight the differences between critiquing and editing, and to help explain the differences between developmental, structural, line, copy and proof editing, L.J. will give the writers’ retreat group access to an online version of a short first draft piece.
On day one of the retreat, Angela will critique it. On day two, she will make a first cut of edits. L.J. will respond to the edits; the piece will then be editing again. And so on.
This will allow retreaters to see and ask questions about a publisher’s editorial process and what is expected of the writer.
Dinner
A group table at a local restaurant will be organised for a casual dinner, to include some of the masterclass presenters. Retreaters may join if they wish.
Monday 4 November 2024 (TAS Recreation Day)
Morning
Writing session Attend class, or suggested 3 hour writing session, 9 am to 12 pm.
Optional Masterclass 2: Getting Published: Your Best Line, with Poppy Gee, 10.30 am to 12.30 pm
Afternoon
Writing session Attend classes, or suggested 3 hour writing session from 1 pm to 4 pm, before the Writers’ Retreat Session at 5.15 pm.
Optional Masterclass 3: Characters – How to Write Your Protagonist, with Vanda Symon, 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm
Optional Publishing Salon 2: Lessons from Poppy Gee’s Journey to International Publication, 4 pm to 5 pm
Late Afternoon
Writers’ Retreat Session 2, 5.15 pm to 6.15 pm
Your daily group check-in session to report your key learning, realisation or question for the day; report on your progress against your Monday goals; and confirm your Tuesday goals. With L.J. Owen, Vanda Symon, Poppy Gee and others.
Optional Writer’s Retreat Extension Activity – Chapter Critique Group Preparation, 6.15 pm – 6.30 pm
Retreaters may choose to join a critique group as part of the retreat. Critiquing is an excellent way of learning more about your own writing while helping others.
Participants may submit a piece up to 3,000 words long: a chapter, your opening scenes, an outline, a critical set of scenes - your choice.
Pieces will be shared online ahead of the retreat and, within assigned groups of a maximum of 5 people and in accordance with provided guidelines, participants will be asked to read and critique each other’s pieces. The groups will then meet across the retreat week to discuss the process, the feedback and your pieces.
Feedback will be monitored by the retreat team to ensure it is constructive.
Free night
Retreaters will be put in contact with each other ahead of time if they would like to organise a group booking for dinner.
The magical TAHUNE AIRWALK is less than an hour’s drive into the Tasmanian wilderness from FRANKLIN
The GEEVESTON PLATYPUS WALK is on the way from Franklin to both the Tahune Airwalk and Hastings Caves
The otherworldly rainforest walk at HASTINGS CAVES and thermal pools is an hour by car from FRANKLIN
Tuesday 5 November 2024 (Melbourne Cup Day)
Morning
Writing session Attend full day masterclass, or suggested 3 hour writing session, 9 am to 12 pm.
Optional Masterclass 4: How to Write Action and Fight Scenes, with Alan Baxter, 10 am to 4 pm
Afternoon
Writing session Attend full day masterclass, or suggested 3 hour writing session from 1 pm to 4 pm, before the Writers’ Retreat Session at 5.15 pm.
Late Afternoon
Writers’ Retreat Session 3, 5.15 pm to 6.15 pm
Your daily group check-in session to report your key learning, realisation or question for the day; report on your progress against your Tuesday goals; and confirm your Wednesday goals. With L.J. Owen, Vanda Symon, Poppy Gee and others.
Optional Writer’s Retreat Extension Activity – Chapter Critique Check-in, 6.15 pm – 6.30 pm
A check-in for anyone participating in critiquing - questions, clarification etc.
Dinner
A group table at a local restaurant will be organised for dinner, to include some of the masterclass presenters. Retreaters may join if they wish.
Writers leaving at the end of the three-day retreat say farewell
Wednesday 6 November 2024
Morning
Writing session Suggested 3 hour writing session, 9 am to 12 pm.
Afternoon
Writing session Attend classes, or suggested 3 hour writing session from 1 pm to 4 pm, before the Writers’ Retreat Session at 5.15 pm.
Masterclass 6: Setting – How to Draw Your Reader In, with Vanda Symon, 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm
Optional Publishing Salon 4: Lessons from Angela Meyer’s Journey to International Publication, 4 pm to 5 pm
Late Afternoon
Writers’ Retreat Session 4, 5.15 pm to 6.15 pm
Your daily group check-in session to report your key learning, realisation or question for the day; report on your progress against your Wednesday goals; and confirm your Thursday goals. With L.J. Owen, Vanda Symon, Angela Meyer, Poppy Gee and others.
Writer’s Retreat Extension Activity – Chapter Critique Check-in, 6.15 pm – 6.30 pm
A check-in for anyone participating in critiquing - questions, clarification etc.
Free night
Retreaters will be put in contact with each other ahead of time if they would like to organise a group booking for dinner.
Be inspired by the LOCAL PEOPLE, including local indigenous arts, culture, history and stories. Here, Melukerdee cultural leader Jamie Bantick offers the TAF2022 Welcome to Country
Explore LOCAL COLONIAL HISTORY, such as the history of the family behind Frank’s Cider.
Take writing breaks to wander along the Huon River, taking in the STUNNING VIEWS in every direction
Thursday 7 November 2024
Morning
Writing session Suggested 3 hour writing session, 9 am to 12 pm.
Afternoon
Writing session Attend classes, or suggested 3 hour writing session from 1 pm to 4 pm, before the Writers’ Retreat Session at 5.15 pm.
Optional Masterclass 7: Getting Published: Your Blurb, with Angela Meyer, 3 pm to 5 pm
Late Afternoon
Writers’ Retreat Session 5, 5.15 pm to 6.15 pm
Your daily group check-in session to report on your progress or key learning that day, and confirm your goal for the following day. With L.J. Owen, Angela Meyer, Poppy Gee and others.
Optional Writer’s Retreat Extension Activity – Chapter Critique Check-in, 6.15 pm – 6.30 pm
A check-in for anyone participating in critiquing - questions, clarification etc.
Free night
MYSTERIOUS WOMEN OF CRIME TRIVIA NIGHT
7 to 9 pm, Frank’s Ciderhouse and Cafe, tickets are $20.
Join all four masterclass leaders – Sulari Gentill, Vanda Symon, Poppy Gee and Angela Meyer – for a fast and furious evening event hosted by the Convenor of the Tasmanian Chapter of Sisters in Crime Australia, L.J. Owen.
TARWF is pleased to support this Tasmanian Chapter of Sisters in Crime Australia event.
Friday 8 November 2024
Morning
Writing session Suggested 3 hour writing session, 9 am to 12 pm.
Afternoon
Writing session Attend classes, or suggested 3 hour writing session from 1 pm to 4 pm, before the Writers’ Retreat Session at 5.15 pm.
Optional Masterclass 8: Getting Published: Your First Page, with Angela Meyer, 3 pm to 5 pm
Late Afternoon
Writers’ Retreat Session 6, 5.15 pm to 6.15 pm
Final check-in to celebrate your progress this week, top three things learned, and a plan for how to keep going when you return home. With L.J. Owen, Angela Meyer and others.
Free night
Retreaters will be put in contact with each other ahead of time if they would like to organise a group booking for dinner.
Saturday 9 November 2024
Travel day
We wish you a safe journey and hope to see you next year.
View from THE BOWMONT accommodation in Franklin. This year, you’re free to book the accommodation that best suits you.
Sunrise over the river in FRANKLIN
On the main street of FRANKLIN
Links to:
the week’s program leaders;
the Tasmanian Chapter of Sisters in Crime Australia Mysterious Women of Crime Trivia Night;
the full timetable.
Stay up to date on what’s happening at the festival.
Sign-up for #TARWF Updates
Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which our festival is held, the Melukerdee People of the South East Nation, and pay our respects to Elders past and present.
TARWF’s 2024 professional development program is made possible by partner Frank’s Bar and Ciderhouse and TARWF’s 2024 masterclass series is supported by the Tasmanian Government.
