The 8-week Clinic includes:

• 6 x 1-hr live online lesson modules – recorded so you can catch up or re-watch later.
• 2 weeks for focused writing (to apply all you’ve learned to your manuscript)
• Weekly exercises to help you develop and edit your own manuscript.
• Resource lists and tip sheets.
• Access to private class forum for discussion and workshopping your manuscript.
• A 1-hr one-on-one mentoring call.
• Editorial feedback on a 5,000-word excerpt from your manuscript.

PLUS:

• Practice your pitch! We’ll be learning how to craft the perfect query letter and how to pitch to agents and publishers.

Outcomes

By the end of the program you will have:

• Explored different writing “rules” and the effects they have on your writing.
• Discovered different techniques to bring your words and characters to life.
• Tested a selection of structures and techniques and found the ones that work best for you.
• Identified your writing strengths and weaknesses – and developed the skills to annalyse and self-edit your future work.
• Learned how to give and receive feedback – and met some potential critique partners or beta readers.
• Taken your manuscript to the next level – and maybe even ready to start submitting or self-publishing!
• Established clear, personal writing targets.

The 8-week Clinic is AU$775 (inc. GST). That’s a fraction of the cost of a full manuscript edit!

I was looking for structure to help me get started again on revising my manuscript, and knowing there were videos and exercises each week were a great impetus to at least start thinking about my work again. Each of the videos was really helpful. The higher level structural ideas were an epiphany for me!

-JUDITH FLANAGAN

Overview

The Writing Clinic is the result of over ten years of research and development. It offers a multi-layered learning environment, designed so you can work on your own and with the support of your tutor and classmates.

You will use your own manuscript throughout the program. Each week’s module will include exercises to help you apply the lessons to your existing work, and you will be expected to workshop for each other throughout the course.

Lesson topics include:

I can’t recommend the Bothersome Words Writing Clinic highly enough. The content covers all the most crucial topics for emerging writers, from planning plot arcs and character development to working with editors and understanding the industry. Combined with in-depth learning and practical exercises, this equips participants with the skills to effectively critique and improve their own work. And it’s not just useful for aspiring writers! As an established author, I found the clinic amazingly instructive – and just what I needed to help me solve problems with a difficult novel manuscript.

-NANSI KUNZE

What is an “intensive”?

It’s an “intense” course or program that involves regular commitment and participation by attendees. The Writing Clinic is effectively a manuscript bootcamp – it involves training and exercises to help you develop and fine-tune your writing.

Is it right for me?

Although this program is fiction-focused, it is suitable for any writer who wants to improve their writing and editing skills. Because you will be working on your own manuscript, it doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or a seasoned author, or whether your goal is to submit to agents and publishers, self-publish, or simply to get your manuscript ready for further development. The only pre-requisite is that you have at least the outline and beginning of a first draft of a manuscript that you will work on during the course. A finished, or near-to-finished draft is even better.

The Clinic includes both writing exercises that you can use to expand or explore your work, and editing exercises that you will use on your existing manuscript.

This is not a graded workshop and there is no pass or fail. You will get out of the Clinic whatever you put in.

Is the workshop aspect compulsory?

It is really hard to see issues with your own text, but working with other people’s can be eye-opening – not because they make mistakes, but because you are reading with a different perspective.

Learning to analyse a piece of writing is key to cementing the different rules and advice in your own head. Giving someone else feedback forces you to clarify what isn’t working for you and why. Being a recipient of the same kind of advice teaches you what to look out for in your own writing and it teaches you how best to phrase feedback so that it is clear, constructive, and supportive. This is important if you are ultimately going to work with editors, either while self-publishing or traditionally publishing: receiving feedback is an art and skill in itself. If you’ve never been edited before, workshopping is a good way to break the ice of that experience.

What does it cost?

The 8-week Clinic is AU$775 (inc. GST). This includes:

• 6 hours of live online lessons (plus tip sheets and resources) – recorded so you can watch again or catch up during the course.
• 2 weeks for focused writing (to apply all you’ve learned to your manuscript)
• 1 hour individual, private mentoring.
• 1 x 5,000-word edit and feedback.
• Unlimited forum discussion and workshopping for the duration of the Clinic (plus access to a private Facebook group after the Clinic concludes).
• Access to your editor/agent tutor (me!) for questions throughout the course.

That’s a fraction of the cost of a full manuscript edit!

How do I book?

Clinic places are by application only. Numbers are limited to encourage a collegial and productive space.

The next Bothersome Words Writing Clinic will begin 10th March 2025. Bookings are open NOW until February 28.

You’ve really provided great motivation for finishing the darn manuscript. Your editing is AMAZING and I really took A LOT from your comments. I’ve never had a professional look over my work with such detail or enthusiasm. I will keep in mind everything you’ve said and everything I’ve learned during the Bothersome Words Writing course – the whole experience has been invaluable!

-MICHELLE LEWRY