Hello {name},

A warm thank you to everyone who joined us at our April 12th meeting—what a stimulating session we had! For those who couldn’t make it, there is a stitched-up summary below so you won’t miss a beat.

What would you ask?

Brought up on a comfortable farm in the Riverina, at twenty-two, Jenny Bull fell in love with Rick Old and went to live and work with him on his property, McAllister, in the Gulf of Carpentaria. There, she faced incredible hardship, living in a hut with not even basic necessities. Her only contact with the outside world was a two-way radio. In this vast empty landscape, she battled drought, flood, fire, and cyclones. For eighteen years she and Rick struggled to stay on in the Gulf, eventually triumphantly turning McAllister into a thriving oasis.

What would you ask if you had the opportunity to ask Jenny any question?  Submit your questions to ian@ianharvey.com.au before May 3rd and they will be answered at our next meeting.

Missed the Meeting? We've Got You Covered!

For those of you who couldn’t make it to our last South East Writers meeting — we missed you! But don’t worry, we’ve put together a handy recap so you can catch up on what was discussed and stay in step with our educational workshop topics.

From craft tips to creative insights, our sessions are designed to help you grow as a writer — and we’d love for everyone to stay in the loop.

👉 Click here to view the meeting summary

We look forward to seeing you at the next gathering. Until then, happy writing — and don’t forget to bring your questions, your curiosity, and maybe even a cupcake (we won’t say no).

Tomorrow's Utopia

John let us know about this competition. The prize is $500 and there are 9 days left. If you are interested follow the Tomorrow's Utopia Writing Competition

Like your work reviewed?

Did you know, as a member,  you can submit any piece of your writing (up to 3,000 words) for review.

You'll receive a personalized report that highlights the strengths of your writing and suggests areas where you can make improvements.

It's easy to get started—just email your work as a digital attachment (word doc or the like) to ian@ianharvey.com.au and request a review. We'll have your feedback ready and sent back to you within 7 days!

We can't wait to read your work and help you on your writing journey!

Tip #7 Truthful Writing often upseats people

“If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered.” -Stephen King

The best writing is raw and personal. Readers want real stories from real people.

Real stories mean that we will be writing about real-life events — events that involve other people who may be happy, sad, or frustrated about something that happened in the story.

For example, I’ve written about people I’ve fired, people I’ve turned down for jobs, and people I’ve micromanaged. And those are just my work-related stories.

It’s likely that some of those people aren’t happy about being featured in these stories — even when I’ve changed the names of the people in the story.

Telling the truth is necessary, but it is difficult. Don’t expect everyone to be happy about what you have written.

Cupcakes Galore

A big round of applause to Paige, whose cupcake designs were an unexpected work of edible art.

Seriously, they looked almost too good to eat (but we ate them anyway).

Her creativity and flair went above and beyond—and reminded us all that storytelling comes in many forms!

There was even a cake for Dr Fritz Heckler, which I took home for him.

Not to take any limelight away from Marylin who also provided a great selection of delights for our break.

But this time Paige really took the cake.

Be Part of Our Exclusive Short Story Anthology! 

This year, as we push our writing to new heights, we’re celebrating in the best way possible—by creating our very own short story anthology, featuring YOU!

While the selection process is still being finalized, one thing’s for sure: by the end of this year’s workshops, we’ll have a collection of powerful, high-quality stories ready to shine.

This is your chance to get published, showcase your work, and be part of something truly special. We can’t wait to see the incredible stories you bring to life—so keep writing, keep refining, and let’s make this anthology unforgettable!

When and Where?

We meet at 10:00 every second Saturday of the month at The Labrador Community Centre 57 Billington Street Labrador.  Our meeting lasts for about two and a half hours.

We would love to see you there.

Please call Leah on 0424 832 951 to make a booking