The Life Writing Workshop
The beginner’s guide to write a life story

1. Overview

The Life Writing Workshop is a two-day dynamic workshop for people who want to tell stories about their own lives or the lives of other people.

You’ll learn how to build your narrative from real-life stories, how to do research, how to interview people and how to produce a compelling book.

 2. Is this for me?

Maybe you want to write your life-story for your family and friends. Maybe you are writing just for yourself. Maybe you want a wider audience.  Whatever your reason, we’ll help you develop powerful techniques for writing your stories and help you to structure your work as a book.

These sessions are tailored for people who are just starting out on their life-writing adventure. The whole focus is on helping you to make the right decisions early. 

 3. Who is running these sessions?

Hannie Rayson – award-winning author and playwright. She tells her own life-story in the best-selling Hello, Beautiful!  and in her one-person show which toured Australia in 2018.

Michael Cathcart – award-winning historian, author and ABC Radio National arts presenter.

4. What the workshop covers

How to identify the stories which are the building blocks of your book.

How to structure your book.

How to develop a sense of character.

How to organize your research so that you can find the right information when you need it.

How to invest all your passion and wisdom in the project in ways that draw the reader in. 

Common mistakes to avoid. 

How to think through some common ethical issues, such as

·       How do I avoid hurting other people’s feelings? 

·       Do I need to give the right of reply to people I criticize? 

·       Should I change details if I want to disguise the identity of some people. 

·       Would my book work better as fiction?

·       Am I bound to keep the secrets of people who have died?

 5. What to bring

A writing pad and pen – or a laptop – whatever you feel most comfortable working on. 

There will be lots of opportunities to get some writing done.

A photo of a person who was part of an event which was life-changing for you. If you are writing about another person (not yourself) bring a photo of that person.

An object which was significant to a key person in your life – preferably an object which you associate with a particular event.

Chef and author Annie Smithers in conversation with Corrie Perkin

  As part of our successful @corrieisreading series, Victorian chef Annie Smithers will be at the library, in person and in conversation, to discuss her new food memoir, Kitchen Sentimental, the memoir of a beloved cook, told through the kitchens and recipes that shaped her.  

During the 2020 pandemic when her French-style Trentham restaurant du Fermier was closed and most of Victoria was under lockdown, Annie turned to writing as a way to express her creativity. The result was her first memoir, a beautiful book called Recipe for a Kinder Life – published by Thames and Hudson and an eventual bestseller.  

We invited Annie to the inaugural Sorrento Writers Festival in 2023 to discuss her book and take us through the journey of Babbington Park, the rural property she shares and works with her wife, Susan, and the role of nature in her life.  

Annie’s new memoir, Kitchen Sentimental: A Journey to Self-Discovery, One Recipe at a Time picks up on her food memories and the recipes that have shaped her.  

Don Watson on the US election
In conversation with Corrie Perkin

Two months ago, the US election polls were predicting a narrow win for Donald Trump and his MAGA- manifestoed Republican Party. Fast-forward to the excitement and optimism of August’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago where Kamala Harris became the anointed candidate. Suddenly a tight race became tighter, and a country which has non-compulsory voting was engaged.  

In Melbourne during this time, Don Watson was working on the September Quarterly Essay for publisher Schwartz Publishing. The brief: to discuss and dissect the forthcoming presidential election. While Don crafted his story, an extraordinary series of events unfolded in the US. Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt and appeared at the Republican convention with a bandaged ear and a sure path to the White House.  

Don Watson felt sure he knew how this story would end. But then Joe Biden announced he would not contest November’s election and nominated Kamala Harris as his candidate of choice. The Harris PR and fundraising machine swung into action and a lacklustre Democrat base was energised and excited. Add to the mix Coach Tim Walz, the Obamas, Oprah and Stevie Wonder, and it now seems a Democrat win might be achievable. 

There is still a lot to play out between now and November 5. Don Watson’s piece is with its editors and ready for a late September release.  It will be a fascinating analysis and we look forward to our first event with Don – an “in conversation” at the South Yarra Library, 6pm-7pm on Tuesday October 8. We invite you for what is certain to be an enthralling discission.  

International bestselling crime writer Chris Hammer in conversation

In just a few years former journalist Chris Hammer has become one of Australia’s most-loved crime writers. The author of Scrublands and The Seven is back next month with The Valley, a new thriller that starts as a routine homicide investigation for Detective Nell Buchanan but one which takes her to a small mountain community and an old disused gold mine.  

What happens when Nell discovers she is linked to the murder through family ties?  And how do the secrets of 30 years ago link with the investigation?  

Chris’s novel arrives in October and we are delighted to be part of his national tour.  We hope you’ll join us at the Toorak/South Yarra Library when bookseller, critic and moderator Tim Byrne discusses the art of writing crime novels with one of Australia’s most talented storytellers.  

Lunch with Jock Serong
To celebrate his new novel Cherrywood

Award-winning author and good friend of the Sorrento Writers Festival Jock Serong has a new novel arriving next month. We are thrilled to be hosting an event in Sorrento to welcome the book, and to delve further into the remarkable story of Cherrywood.  

In his new novel, the author of The Rules of Backyard Cricket, On the Java Ridge, Preservation and The Settlement has entered the world of magical realism. This is the story of an old and new world living side by side in a Fitzroy pub. The connector is a magnificent paddle steamer called The Cherrywood – the dream of an early 20th Century Scottish entrepreneur whose plan to ferry passengers across Port Phillip Bay caught the young city’s imagination. Decades later, it also captures the heart of Martha, a young disillusioned solicitor who works with a big Melbourne law firm. On her way to dinner and in need of a bottle of wine, Martha jumps out of her taxi and into another world. And so, the Cherrywood adventure begins.  

HarperCollins publisher Catherine Milne describes Cherrywood as “daring, original, haunting, magical – this novel is a triumph”.  

We look forward to hosting this special lunch in Jock’s honour and hope our Mornington Peninsula and Bellarine Peninsula (via ferry) friends will join us. 

Dinner with Don Watson and Emma Shortis
to discuss the US Presidential election

includes two-course dinner and a drink on arrival.

Additional drinks at bar prices.