Secondary schools workshop program
Presented in partnership with the Tasmanian Indie Authors
Friday 29 May, 10am–2pm
The Forest
The University of Tasmania
83 Melville Street, Hobart
Suitable for all secondary students with an interest in writing
Free - bookings required (booking form below)
The workshops have capacity for up to 75 students. We kindly ask schools to nominate students who have a genuine interest in writing.
Students will be divided into three groups and will rotate through three sessions throughout the day. Groups will be allocated based on year level.
Sessions Content
Getting started — the journey begins
Why do we write?
Ways to write — planner/panster
Controlling the urge to edit while you’re writing
Taking it one step at a time
Writing characters, dialogue and action
Creating a character: understand them/use a model/make them real
Dialogue: write as people really speak/would your character really say that?/conversations — timing, crediting characters
Action scenes: act them out/see them in your head/real fights are messy and hard/make it real/feel it
World building — using description to enhance your story
Describe a physical scene without slowing the story down
Use description to enhance character
Create consistency within a world
Don’t overuse adjectives
Show it, don’t say it
Sessions Timetable
Session 1
10.00 — 11.00
Group 1: Getting started — the journey begins
Group 2: Writing characters, dialogue and action
Group 3: World building — use description to enhance your story
Break: 11.00 — 11.15
Session 2
11.15 — 12.15
Group 1: Writing characters, dialogue and action
Group 2: World building — use description to enhance your story
Group 3: Getting started — the journey begins
Lunch: 12.15 — 1.00
Session 3
1.00 — 2.00
Group 1: World building — use description to enhance your story
Group 2: Getting started — the journey begins
Group 3: Writing characters, dialogue and action
Group Facilitators
DK Girl
DK Girl is an Aussie living in Tasmania with her three furkids, cats Luffy, Sweetie and Ren.
Tassie's ancient forests and sea-battered coasts provide the perfect backdrop for writing queer gothic fantasy and fairytale retellings. When she's not listening to Kpop, or reading M/M books, DK Girl is hunting for new mythological monsters to inspire her next series.
Georgina Makalani
Georgina writes mythic, emotional fantasy about memory, identity and magic. Her stories are lyrical, layered and often threaded with romantic undercurrents — perfect for readers who crave beauty as much as plot, and who want to feel something long after the book ends.
Georgina is a discovery writer, uncovering her characters’ truths as they do. Themes of transformation, relationships across lifetimes, and the quiet power of those who refuse to give up shape her work. If a story contains myth, memory, and a touch of heartbreak — she’s likely telling it.
She lives in Tasmania, surrounded by books, tea, and a determined belief that writing can shape worlds — both real and imagined.
Mark Mannock
Mark writes the successful Nicholas Sharp thrillers sold in over 50 countries worldwide. Sharp is a complex character who turned his back on his life as a US Marine sniper to seek solace in his beloved piano. Despite his best efforts, Sharp’s insatiable curiosity combined with his inability to turn his back on those in trouble leads him into situations fraught with danger. Mark’s latest series, The Lachlan Byrn thrillers, explores the fine line between identifying as an assassin, a vigilante, or a serial killer. Byrn’s dark escapades take the reader on an interesting journey into one man’s questionable psychological make-up. Is it possible to do bad things for the right reasons?
Having performed, supported or recorded with the likes of Tina Turner, Joni Mitchell, Irena Cara and David Hudson, Mark’s background as an award-winning contemporary musician and songwriter enables him to paint an authentic background to the Nicholas Sharp stories. As a wordsmith and lifelong fan of thrillers and crime adventures, Mark is well qualified to tell stories that place temptingly engaging characters in the most perilous situations.
Booking request
After we have received your booking request, we will contact you to confirm availability or to discuss your requirements further.
Approximately three weeks before the event, we will contact you again to confirm final numbers and provide additional logistical information.