27 February – 6 March, 2010

A writing workshop is a precious opportunity to forget all your daily responsibilities and be greedy with your writing time. No work; no cooking or shopping – just pens, paper, inspirational teaching and a group of others who share the passion.

Jan Cornall’s Island Writer’s Workshop is a perfect combination of an intensive laboratory atmosphere in a relaxed tropical setting, giving you the kind of focus, energy and inspiration you cannot achieve when working alone or fitting writing around a busy life. Workshops take place every morning and participants are expected to use some of their time in the afternoon to complete specific writing goals. During the workshops, we’ll revise the essential elements of the writer’s craft, and you’ll have a chance to read, critique and receive feedback on any aspect of your writing or writing process.

Then spend the afternoons relaxing or exploring the island – and in the process, find answers to all your writing questions. In a rainforest, on a beach, snorkeling the reef – you’ll learn new techniques for treasuring every writing moment and bring fresh energy to old habits and ideas. Craft becomes pleasure in the process of making your work sing as you get in back in touch with the essence your creative self. Begin a new work, refresh a tired old draft or come as you are. Be prepared to play with maps and clues, nature and art, and go digging for creative treasure.

Throughout this week you have the opportunity to be a serious writer and show yourself and others just what you are capable of. The workshop concludes with celebration drinks and readings.

Jan Cornall is a highly experienced teacher, renowned for motivating writers in all genres to set and complete writing goals while instructing them in essential writer’s craft. Participants in past workshops include many who go on to publish. First time author Marguerite Van Geldermalsen, Married to A Bedouin, received invaluable help from Jan’s workshops. Margo Lanagan, award winning fantasy writer wrote her new novel, Tender Morsels, while attending Jan’s weekends.

Jan has written over 10 produced plays and musicals, a feature film (Talk 1994), a novel (Take me to Paradise, 2006) and three CD’s of songs. Jan’s cabaret musical, Failing In Love Again, (with pianist Elizabeth Drake), was a cult hit of the comedy/cabaret revival in the early 80’s when Jan performed alongside Jeannie Lewis, Margaret Roadknight, Robyn Archer, Wendy Harmer and Gretel Killeen.   www.writersjourney.com.au

Jan Cornall is one of those rare people who can capture the creative thread in someone’s writing and build it into something worthwhile. If you’re stuck, she’s the one. If you’re going gangbusters, she’ll fine tune you. She makes a group come alive – and there’s no better place for it than Daku.
Peter Bishop

I was lucky enough to attend Paradise Courses at Daku Resort in March 2009.  The course is given by Jan Cornall who is an exceptional teacher and motivator.   It was the best course I have been to and the small group of writers were wonderful – we were all very keen to learn and to say that we grew in our writing is an understatement. I found it so empowering to be with like minded people in a divine setting.  We had a lovely bure on a hill as our ‘classroom’.  We looked out onto a marvellous garden which ran right to the sea.  But as good as it was the view did not have our attention. Jan had us enthralled.  She is very good at stimulating our minds and had us doing very interesting writing exercises before we got down to our own work.  Jan really brought the best out in all of us and we enjoyed ourselves. Even though there were other activities each afternoon we actually elected to go back to writing on a number of afternoons!
Celia Bray

Daku was a source of inspiration and energy. Beautiful people, food and environment.  Jan was as always  supportive and her course and  working method highly creative in drawing out the best in us all.
Hilary Linstead

The course runs for 6 days, and includes workshops, local excursions and free time.
Throughout this week you have the opportunity to be a serious writer and show yourself and others just what you are capable of. The lab concludes with celebration drinks and readings.

Programme

Day 1: Saturday 6 March
Arrive: welcome ceremony and dinner.

Day 2: Sunday 7 March
10am – 1pm: Workshop – Introductions, mapping our projects, dreaming up descriptive detail, creating the imagery and atmosphere of our writing, setting writing goals, creating mutual mentoring teams.
6pm – 7pm: Reading and feedback
7pm: Dinner

Day 3: Monday 8 March
10am – 1pm: Workshop – Exercises on narrator voice, character voice (inc. dialogue) and developing engaging characters.
Afternoon: visit to Savusavu town
6pm – 7pm: Reading and feedback
7pm: Dinner

Day 4: Tuesday 9 March
10am – 1pm: Workshop – Playing with building blocks of structure: sentence, paragraph, scene, chapter, story.
Afternoon: Beach outing
6pm – 7pm: Reading and feedback
7pm: Dinner

Day 5: Wednesday 10 March
10am – 1pm: Workshop: Finding dramatic tension in action, plot and opposition. Foreshadowing and suspense techniques.
6pm – 7pm: Reading and feedback
7pm: Dinner

Day 6: Thursday 11 March
10am – 1pm: Workshop – Learning effective editing, busting bad writing habits, going for the jugular, ensuring the impact of our writing with pace, rhythm, timing.
5pm – 6pm: Reading and feedback
6.30pm: Drinks and dinner at Savusavu Yacht Club

Day 7: Friday 12 March
10am – 1pm: Workshop – Finding unity and story cohesiveness, polishing and preening, resetting future writing goals and tasks.
4.30pm – 5.30pm: Village visit and meke (traditional dance)
Final dinner and readings and celebratory drinks

Day 8: Saturday 13 March
Return home.