CREATIVE
WRITING
 Since 2004 Black Rose Media has offered weekend creative writing courses at three different levels;
NB: All courses must be paid for in advance
Please review Nick's Training Course CV
As an international author with two best-selling titles to his name and
a third about to be released, Nick understands the publishing industry,
the marketplace and what it takes to get into print. Through his editing and
mentoring schemes, which start with an appraisal and then guides the author step by step through the recommended changes. He has used that experience to help countless authors prepare their manuscripts for presentation to agents/ publishers. A number have found publishers and two have become best-selling authors.
 Nick has also condensed his experience and knowledge down into a series of practical one and two day workshops focusing on different aspects of writing such as: character development, writing good dialogue, building a story structure, non- fiction writing etc. Nick summarises his courses as “one big reality check” because they aim to change people’s pre- conceived ideas about writing a book and switch them into practical and professional modes of thinking. Nick believes;
In the near future, Black Rose Media will also be running a series of one and two day workshops focusing on different aspects of writing such as: character development, writing good dialogue, building a story structure, non- fiction writing etc. Nick summarises his courses as “one big reality check” because they aim to change people’s pre-conceived ideas about writing a book and switch them into practical and professional modes of thinking. Nick believes;
“Whatever
you do in life must be approached with a professional attitude
and discipline. I
try to instil both in my students right from the start because
they are going to need lots of both in order to write a book.
It is a major life challenge and should not be taken lightly.
I also help them develop a strong theoretical
framework and work on the practical skills they will need
to become a published writer.”
And how is the course structured?
 “I teach a practical, hands- on course
which I use to write all my own material. It’s a mixture
of screenwriting, industry experience and good, solid literary
principles, which, given the modern-day synergy between books,
films and television, is ideal for the modern writer. My
students get a good, solid
theoretical foundation, which is illustrated using teaching
aids like films and classic texts and demonstrated through
practical exercises. We also try to apply these principles
to the student’s material and ideas. Many people are
reluctant to show their work to strangers, but we try to change
that mindset by showing you how to  use criticism to your advantage.
This is one of the best opportunities you are ever going to
get to cop some free constructive criticism and encouragement.
Milk it for all its worth. I would!”
And what kind people will these courses appeal to?
“We get a real mixed bag of all ages…some with
work in progress, have writing experience in another field,
some have been published on a small scale and others have just
always wanted to write but have no experience. I believe what
people want is to know if their ideas are any good… some
have already written their book and want to know if they’re
heading in the right direction. Others haven’t even got
past the ideas stage. They’ve stared into the abyss of
the blank page and have no idea where to begin. That’s
why I run three courses - Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced
- so there’s a course for you, whatever level you’re
at.”
And do these courses actually produce results?
 “I have had two students who I taught and then mentored go on to become successful published authors. Some of my ex-students have gone on to become professional writers and have had stories published and some are working in the broadcast and corporate television industry. I won’t pretend I can put in what God’s left out, but I do believe that I can make people into better writers. I try to give my students a firm foundation on which
to build and a realistic idea of how the publishing industry
works so that they go away with their eyes open and their creative
faculties fully engaged.”
 Where will these courses be taking place?
“All over NSW. We are aiming to start
out in Sydney and gradually expand into regional centres.
But rather than
asking people to come to us, we’re going to go to them.
We’ll be advertising in various suburbs soon, but we’re
interested in hearing from people who’d like us to run
a course in their suburb. Ultimately, demand will dictate,
which suburbs we can hold classes in.”
Why another writing course? There are
plenty of other writing courses on offer. What is Black Rose
Media
offering that other
writing courses aren’t?
 “First up, many students who come
to me have been to other courses. The kind of complaints
I’ve heard are;
the environment wasn’t very stimulating, the courses
were too strictly regimented and they really didn’t
get what they wanted out of the course and the tutor wasn’t
a published writer. Other comments expressed frustration at
the lack of good quality, fully integrated writing
courses in Sydney,
quality of course
notes and value for money.”
 “Twenty years in the media industry
has taught me that the first rule of business is value formoney
and the
second is
leave them wanting more. We will aim to create a pleasant,
informal atmosphere where people can socialise and learn. A
writing course should be fun as well as hard work, a placewhere you can meet other aspiring writers andshare ideas and
information.You should leave feeling inspired, invigorated
and empowered.”
 “We have done extensive research
and feel our fees are very competitive and provide excellent
value
for money.
Included
in our fees are all course materials, refreshments and a delicious
lunch. All you have to do bring is pen, paper and yourself.
Our courses do not run to the clock. We are happy to run on
if people want to discuss their work or require more information.
Also, I teach all courses myself.”
For all course bookings and
enquiries please complete our booking/enquiry form or email
us at visitus@blackrosemedia.com.au.
TRAINING CV
Nick has a long-standing commitment to media training going back some 20 years. He has developed and taught a number of successful, practical, hands-on TV Production and creative writing courses. During the past few years Nick has been teaching film production at Randwick TAFE and mentoring for The NSW Writer’s Centre.
Randwick TAFE (2004- 2008)
 Nick is currently teaching two film/TV production and screenwriting courses at Randwick TAFE at Certificate 4 and Diploma levels. Classes include single camera and multi-camera studio production, budgeting, project management, writing and developing screenplays, post production.
NSW Writer’s Centre (2005- 2008)
For the past few years Nick has been mentoring writers through the NSW Writer’s Centre. A mentorship consists of an extensive critique of the manuscript, notes on development and a one-on-one meeting where the writer can ask questions or seek further guidance.
Grafton Artsfest (2008)
Scheduled to teach a five day creative writing course on all aspects of fiction/ non-fiction writing at the forthcoming Artsfest.
Stuart Summer School (2008)
Taught a four day creative writing course entitled “The Write Stuff” which concentrated on the fundamentals of story structure, plot development, characterisation and dialogue. Students were required to write a piece and read it out at a final arts festival featuring all the arts courses.
NSW Writer's Centre (2003 & 2005)
Guest panellist at two "Making History" festivals where the subject was the use of history in fiction and non-fiction.
 Voices in The Park (2005)
Guest speaker at the Newtown Festival's Writer's tent where I spoke about the difficulty of translating books from paper to the screen, how an author approaches such a task and the differences in writing screenplays and books.
NSW Writers Centre (2004- 2005)
Ran two successful creative courses "Write a Best Seller" (Fiction) and "Pick Up The Pieces" (Non fiction), mentoring a number of aspiring authors and contributing articles on creative writing to its "Newswrite" magazine.
Norfolk Island Writer's Festival (2004)
Guest writer at the annual festival at which authors give masterclasses in different aspects of creative writing, give talks about various aspects of the writing craft and do selected readings from their works.
St. George & Sutherland Community
College, Sydney (2001- 2003)
Creative Writing Tutor
Over the past two years Nick has have established
popular weekend writing courses at both Foundation and Intermediate
levels.
Bankstown Community College, Sydney (2001-2003)
Tutor
Established a series of weekend and evening
creative writing courses at Bankstown. The eight- week
foundation and intermediate
courses in fiction/ non- fiction writing taught students the
fundamentals of; story structure, character, setting, viewpoint
and revision.
Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeen, Scotland (1996- 1998)
 Video Workshop Manager
After two years of doing summer training courses
in all aspects of TV production (camerawork, editing, screenwriting,
direction,
sound etc.) Nick ran Aberdeen Video Access for a six month
period. The post involved running a busy programme of video
production
courses and supervising a variety of independent community
video projects funded by Aberdeen City council.
He also ran in- house media training courses
for local council politicians and in-house workshops for top
corporate companies
including, Shell, Mobil and Yule Glass.
Creative Media Consultancy (1988- 92) London, England.
Tutor
Over a four- year period Nick ran literally
dozens of weekend broadcast media training courses and workshops
in
conjunction
with the University of London. He was a tutor on the news production
and writing courses designed to teach media skills to beginners
and corporate executives and to give them a better awareness
of how the media works.
Studio 9 (1987- 1988) Birmingham, England.
Training Manager
Nick began his media training career in 1987 working as a
manager with young, unemployed people at Studio 9 - a video
and media initiative funded Birmingham City Council. The brief
was to develop a video production training course, provide
training, supervise productions and to assist in the professional/
personal development of the trainees. |
