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Zena has been talking about the power of storytelling and inspiring readers and writers since 1991, when she started a weekly writers’ group for creative teenagers. She’s worked with words ever since, and in the publishing industry since 1996. She’s now a multi-award-winning author, writing mentor, editor, and writing competition judge. Zena loves sharing her experience of creativity with anyone who’ll listen – readers, aspiring writers, fans of any age, and young writers seeking to extend themselves. She’s also an inclusive creativity advocate, having founded and led accessible community creativity projects for writers such as the ‘Art & Words Project’ and the award-winning Northern Beaches Writers’ Group, where she guides members in the completion of their individual writing projects on a monthly basis.
Whether it’s a room or hall packed full of listeners or an intimate group, Zena can grab your attention, expand your appreciation, and demystify your understanding. She has a passion for words and their power to connect.
She has spoken at: Writing NSW, the Society of Women Writers NSW, the Fellowship of Australian Writers, the Mid North Coast Writers Centre, Mosman Community College, Northern Beaches Community College, Sydney’s Freecon, Conflux, Natcon, Carers Australia NSW, CCNB, the Belong Club, the Bridge Housing Scholarship, the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild, Mosman Council, Northern Beaches Council, as well as many high schools, libraries and festivals across NSW.
Please just get in contact to suggest your date, venue, and talk type – choose between the set presentations below, which Zena can tailor according to time availability; or Zena can design something completely new to suit your specific needs and budget. She is based in Sydney, but more than happy to travel, and can also offer virtual presentations. Costs generally align with the standard rates of pay as recommended by the Australian Society of Authors over here. For appearances in QLD and northern NSW, Zena is represented by Speakers Ink.
PLEASE NOTE: all Zena’s seminars, talks and workshops are passionately friendly, supportive and inclusive. Just read some testimonials over here.
For Adults:
Author Talk or Keynote Speaker – 1hr talk
For Zena Shapter, writing is almost as necessary as breathing. She has been a creator all her life and loves sharing what she’s discovered about creativity with readers, writers, and fans of any age. In this intimate author talk, Zena shares personal and professional insights from her incredible author adventures, such as how a theft-from-her-person one night in Birmingham and a close-call one day in Java taught her to listen to her heart; how Steve Jobs was right about connecting the dots between past, present, and future; and how Zena’s drive-to-write almost had her giving birth mid-chapter. She talks about life as an Australian author in today’s publishing world; how she manages her writing career, creative support business and lifestyle; the differences between writing for adults, young adults and children; why bookshops buy what they do, and how this works with online retailers of both ebooks and print-on-demand titles. She will share the inspiration behind many of her books, as a sole author or co-author; plus, anything else you’d like to ask her about writing or books!
Introduction to Creative Writing – 1-3hr seminar
Where do writers find their ideas? How do you write something readers will want to read, and establish a fun and sustainable writing practice? Whether you intend to write for pleasure or are looking to create a body of work for publication, this insightful introductory seminar will energise your imagination, help you establish your personal writing goals, and introduce you to creative writing conventions and techniques so you can understand what makes an interesting setting, theme, narrative structure and characters. Get started in class, then keep going! Creative writing is an engaging and invigorating craft, embrace what it has to offer and let it enrich your life!
Starting From Scratch – 1-3hr workshop
In this vibrant imaginative ‘drawing board’ workshop, you’ll discover how to start a story from scratch. Through the power of hands-on writing exercises, you’ll leave not only ready but raring to go! No matter how you’ve created or tried to create story before, this practical workshop will inspire you with how to find fresh and enthralling story ideas, weave compelling themes through your story to make it cohesive, plan ahead to identify pivotal narrative problems, craft authentic and captivating characters who matter, and make your writing innovative and engaging. Also: seasoned writing tips, tricks and techniques, and industry advice about starting out.
Creative Writing: Essential Skills – 1-6hr workshop
Awaken your creativity and discover how to turn your thoughts into words and scribbles into stories. No matter what your level or preferred genre, this full-day writing workshop will deconstruct, improve and stimulate the way you write. You’ll leave this class feeling renewed and confident in your technical writing abilities, and keen to apply what you’ve learnt to your own projects. Discover how to craft fascinating yet realistic characters, create vivid settings that transport your reader, deepen your writer’s voice, understand story structure, and practise your editing skills. Explore your individual writing style and discover what’s needed to strengthen it further. Enjoy writing a micro-story to a set structure and develop your characters with imagination and lateral thinking. Shape up your writing skills with exercises to take you from idea to final draft. Discover how to draw readers into your story and keep them turning the pages. Learn writing tools and techniques such as contrived or false suspense, info-dumping and backstory, narrative arc, character development, and poetic flourishes. Be ready to fuel your creativity and enhance your technical writing skills!
Exquisite Storytelling: Advanced Techniques – 1-3hr workshop
This next-level detail-focused workshop is for those who have been writing for a while, and are now ready to progress and learn the techniques and skills of professional writers. It is designed to extend storytelling skills and nuance, enrich existing writing techniques with extension exercises, broaden knowledge of across-format story structure, develop settings with a sense of place, ensure characters are both diverse and relevant, deepen understanding of conflict as fuel for the human condition, and revisit how writers craft imagery. Discover the common pitfalls and mistakes that could be holding you back. Writing exercises, workshop activities, and industry advice about publication included.
Make Talk Matter: Dialogue Masterclass – 1-2hr workshop
Speech breathes life into the written page, breaking up long passages of action and description, humanising stories, and giving characters a voice. In this Dialogue Masterclass, you’ll learn how to create dynamic dialogue with conflict, make your dialogue work for its place on the page, avoid common dialogue pitfalls, and deepen your understanding of how spoken words can carry a plot – a transferable skill for those with scriptwriting aspirations for screen or television. With both group and individual writing exercises, you’ll gain confidence in how you write and use dialogue, ensuring you make talk matter!
Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy – 1-6hr workshop
Travel to planets light-years away or dive into a far-distant yet magical past with this exciting writing workshop. Conjure magic, play with science, invent futuristic societies, imagine mystical creatures, explore secret skills and hidden treasures, open any door you like and set your imagination free! Discover how to transform your speculative ideas into actual stories, and craft tales of wonder that will amaze readers. Develop effective worldbuilding tools. Set the stage with worlds that are convincing, authentic and original. Create memorable characters relevant to your world, whose compelling stories stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading. Discuss modern publishing, industry insights, and tips on pitching to publishers. This transformative workshop is designed for writers of all ages and levels, and includes an overview of speculative fiction as a genre, plotting pitfalls to avoid, and how to write for your audience.
Vividness & Voice – 1-2hr workshop
In this hands-on writing workshop, Zena focuses on making your writing vivid, engaging, and full of meaning. Ensure your readers get pulled into the world of your story, then don’t let them out! Discover why describing an exciting scene sometimes isn’t enough to engage readers. Practice tools to find your writing voice. Whether the world you’re creating is set on today’s Earth or tomorrow’s universe, Zena will share with you the secrets of writing prose that comes alive as you read it and transports you in time and place. Want your writing to stand out from the rest? Want to develop or polish your writing voice? Zena will show you how to use everything you’ve got to make your writing unique and original.
Poetry & Lyrics – 1hr workshop
Poems can be brave, cathartic, conceptual, experimental, reflective; and today you’re going to write one! In this relaxed and friendly poetry workshop, you’ll discover the power of words and their expression, then how you can use them to represent your own experiences of the world. That world might be an ‘outside’ world – people, places, nature. It might also be an ‘inside’ world – emotion, behaviour, identity. We’ll explore the different forms of poetry, techniques poets commonly use, how poets observe the world, how they use tone, subject matter and style to communicate meaning, and how to both start and polish your writing.
Stories Are About Change – 1hr workshop
Stories are about change. We read to understand how others encounter change, so we can better handle changes in our own lives. This unique approach to story structure can help ensure your writing reflects this and resonates with readers. In this workshop you’ll discover how theme, conflict and character can all benefit from a structural review, you’ll examine your purpose in writing stories and develop your understanding of why writers write, and you’ll create a story reflective of a specific idea and intention. Story structure can help you plan, edit, and strengthen your writing! Please watch ‘Happy Feet’, ‘Star Wars IV: A New Hope’ or ‘Frozen’ in advance of this class.
Writing for Young Adults – 1hr talk
In this fascinating ‘behind the scenes’ author talk, Zena talks about how and why she writes for young adults, the process behind writing her latest YA release When Dark Roots Hunt, and insights into the uniquely distinguishing features of YA – its authenticity, inclusivity, emotional resonance, characterisation, and valued input. Whether you’re a reader, a fan, or a writer keen to represent the experience of young people in stories, this is one author talk not to be missed!
Writing for Different Ages – 1hr talk, with Kris Darell
Kris Darell and Zena Shapter write for all ages. From their co-authored middle-grade adventure ‘Into Tordon’, to Kris’s recent junior fiction series ‘Football Fever’, Zena’s 2023 YA science fantasy ‘When Dark Roots Hunt’, and their individual stories and articles written for adults in Australia, Europe and the US, they know how to adjust their writing style to suit the audience. They even know how to adjust their writing style to suit each other. How do they do it? What considerations and adjustments do they have to make? Join them as they share their insights and experience, spanning decades and continents.
Write Your Life Story – 1-6hr workshop
What story could be more important than the story of your life? Whether it’s for your family, friends or yourself – this workshop will guide and inspire you to write your life story. Awaken your memory and creativity! Tell readers about your experiences and inspire them! Irrespective of age, this course will help you record and weave your life story together. No writing experience is required, as there will be plenty of techniques and exercises you can use to get the essence of your life down on paper. Discover how to make your story both powerful and absorbing, how to create the road map that got you where you are today, and how to bring details to life. Find the focus of your life story, then learn how to turn it into a workable structure for your memories. Outline a plot skeleton in class! By the end of this workshop you will have a clear idea of what and how much you need to write. With in-class writing and editing exercises you’ll discover how to turn your memories into stories, and where best to start telling your tale. Your story is worth telling. Explore and share it!
Turning Life Into Fiction – 1-6hr workshop
Have you led an interesting life, which would make the good basis of a fictional book? Get started with a workshop to inspire and guide you! No writing experience necessary! Designed for all ages and levels, this workshop will show you how to take fascinating details from your life, spin them around, and weave them into a work of fiction that readers will absolutely love. Learn from an author who has turned her life into fiction to win multiple awards! By the end of this workshop you will have a clear idea of the life passions that can drive your story themes, elements of events and landmarks that will motivate your characters, and a wealth of life stages that will create a resource from which stories can evolve. With in-class exercises you’ll discover how to turn your memories into stories, and where best to start telling your tale.
The Year Your Book Gets Written – 22hr workshops + 10hrs mentoring
Writing a book is an enormous undertaking. Don’t do it alone! This year-long course will lead you through the task of planning, writing, developing, and editing a full-length book. If you value bespoke professional guidance, one-on-one support, and the encouragement a personal writing mentor can provide, then this course is for you! Group classes will develop your writing knowledge and teach you practical exercises to improve your techical skills. Private sessions will help you understand what makes your story work and help you advance personally as a writer. Peer camaraderie will keep you motivated along your journey and allow you to meet like-minded people. You’ll have the opportunity to accelerate your learning through explorations of genre, theme, character, point of view, conflict, voice, setting, dialogue, structure, self-editing, pacing and worldbuilding. Get critical feedback on your writing, the expertise of a professional writer overseeing your work step-by-step, and advice on what you’ll actually publish. All your one-on-one mentoring allocations are tailored to your individual needs across the year, and can cover any groups sessions missed due to illness or holidays. Stop procrastinating! Gift yourself this commitment and make this your year to write!
How to Self-Publish a Book – 1-3hr seminar
Ready to share your story with the world? Your publication options can be overwhelming. Fear not! This seminar will give you the tools, advice, and resources you need to publish your very own book, in print or as an ebook. You’ll gain an overview of costs, formatting necessities, useful jargon and timeframes, information about print runs, taxes, print-on-demand, and how to get noticed (if that’s what you want!). You’ll learn what’s needed to make and distribute your book privately, online, or in bookshops. We look behind the scenes with a case study book and learn how to use a distribution platform to gain international exposure. Alternatively, if your goal is simply to print a book for family and friends, then this course will show you how. We cover goals, rights, design, formatting, distribution, online aggregates, launching, marketing, finances, and websites. Gain an overview of the most popular self-publishing options and decide which is best for you. Explore the self-publishing landscape as it is today and identify where you fit. Develop a to-do list to get your book from desktop to your preferred readers. Interested in self-publishing but don’t know where to start? Then this workshop is for you! PLEASE NOTE: although participants will not be expected to access the internet or use a computer during this seminar, to get the most out of it you should be familiar with and comfortable using both the internet and a home computer.
For Young Writers:
WWC number: WWC1293942E
Author Talk or Keynote Speaker – 1hr talk
Zena Shapter has won over a dozen national writing competitions, has had short fiction published in over 40 magazines and anthologies across the world, and has had multiple novels and novellas published. Having written since she was a tween, she now judges writing competitions, and has spent the last decade teaching and tutoring students of all ages in English and creative writing. In this intimate author talk, Zena shares personal and professional insights from her incredible author adventures to inspire young writers to get creating themselves. Discover how a theft-from-her-person one night in Birmingham and a close-call one day in Java taught Zena to listen to her heart; how Steve Jobs was right about connecting the dots between past, present, and future; and how Zena’s drive-to-write almost had her giving birth mid-chapter. She talks about life as an Australian author in today’s publishing world; about her writing process, the importance of creativity and how to incorporate it into all stages of life; about the value of the teenage brain/experience, and much more.
High School
‘Mod C’ Craft of Writing – 1.5hr workshop
Stage 6 Writers (Years 11 & 12 Only)
This workshop addresses the very particular and nuanced writing skills needed to succeed in the English HSC (Standard or Advanced) ‘Module C’ component. It challenges students’ perspectives of creative writing, inviting them to understand what the HSC exam will require of them, and how best to showcase their skills in the limited time available for crafting an imaginative, discursive or persuasive text, as well as a possible reflection. It reveals common pitfalls to avoid, enables students to test their knowledge of language devices for practical application, and offers a different approach that supports in-class development, voiced by an experienced personal tutor.
Exquisite Storytelling: Advanced Techniques – 1-4hr workshop
For Stage 5 & 6 Writers (Years 9 to 12)
An advanced technique-focused workshop to enrich young writers already confident with storytelling skills and writing techniques. Develop story precision, write culturally diverse characters, innovate with text structure and language forms, explore the human experience, universal themes and social contexts, and experiment with setting. Students deepen their understanding of technique and how to better craft imagery. Aimed at young writers who already know the basics, who want to advance their skills, or who want to write creatively beyond their high school experience.
Make Talk Matter: Dialogue Masterclass – 1-2hr workshop
For Stage 5 & 6 Writers (Years 9 to 12)
Speech breathes life into the written page, breaking up long passages of action and description, humanising stories, and giving characters a voice. In this Dialogue Masterclass, students learn how to create dynamic dialogue with conflict, make their dialogue work for its place on the page, avoid common dialogue pitfalls, and deepen their understanding of how spoken words can carry a plot – a transferable skill for those with scriptwriting aspirations for screen or television. With both group and individual writing exercises, students will gain confidence in how they write and use dialogue, ensuring they make talk matter!
Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy – 1-6hr workshop
For All High School Writers (Years 7 to 12)
Travel to planets light-years away or dive into a far-distant yet magical past with this exciting writing workshop. Conjure magic, play with science, invent futuristic societies, imagine mystical creatures, explore secret skills and hidden treasures – students open any door they like and set their imaginations free! They’ll discover how to transform their speculative ideas into actual stories and craft tales of wonder that will amaze readers. They’ll develop effective worldbuilding tools; set the stage with worlds that are convincing, authentic and original; and create memorable characters relevant to their world, whose compelling stories stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading. This transformative workshop is designed for writers of all ages and levels, and includes an overview of speculative fiction as a genre, plotting pitfalls to avoid, and how to write for your audience.
Writing Technique Development Day – 1-6hr workshop
For All High School Writers (Years 7 to 12)
This workshop enables all young writers to reach their true potential by advancing their story structure technique, scene-setting skills and writing voice so their words connect easily and expertly with readers and examiners alike. Why does theme matter in literature? What do you want to say to readers through your characters? What makes writing resonate across generations? Why do we need emphasis? Using carefully designed exercises, young writers explore the full range of creative writing techniques to challenge and develop theme, character, setting, and imagery. In learning how to apply such skills to their own projects, they also gain insight into how published authors apply theirs, and the effects created.
Write Your Own Book – 1-6hr workshop
For All High School Writers (Years 7 to 12)
This full-day workshop gives young writers a true-to-life writing experience by enabling them to plan, structure, write, edit, polish, and produce their very own book. It develops their writing skills, inspires, enriches and engages them by guiding them through the book creation process from start to finish. Story-creation is an intangible art. By turning that creativity into a physical product, young writers can learn to appreciate the importance of every step of production and publication – from careful planning and learning how to turn specific ideas into a book plot with chapters, to story structure revision and application, to challenging personal writing style with creative flourishes, to meticulous proofreading and layout. Can include an experience of peer review and critique on request. Please bring a laptop with Word and a USB port.
Poetry & Lyrics – 1hr workshop
For Stage 4 & 5 Writers (Years 7 to 10)
Poems can be brave, cathartic, conceptual, experimental, reflective; and in this meaningful yet relaxed and friendly workshop students will each write a poem of their own! They’ll discover the power of words and their expression, then how to use them to represent their own experiences of the world. That world might be an ‘outside’ world – people, places, nature. It might also be an ‘inside’ world – emotion, behaviour, identity. We’ll explore the different forms of poetry, techniques poets commonly use, how poets observe the world, how they use tone, subject matter and style to communicate meaning, and how to both start and polish poetic work. This workshop could generate some fantastic poems for sharing in the school newsletter!
Stories Are About Change – 1hr workshop
For Stage 4 & 5 Writers (Years 7 to 10)
Stories are about change. We read to understand how others encounter change, so we can better handle changes in our own lives. This unique approach to story structure can help ensure students’ writing reflects this and resonates with readers. In this workshop they’ll discover how theme, conflict and character can all benefit from a structural review, they’ll examine their purpose in writing stories, develop an understanding of why writers write, and create a story reflective of a specific idea and intention. Please watch ‘Happy Feet’, ‘Star Wars IV: A New Hope’ or ‘Frozen’ in advance of this class.
Imaginative Creations: Story Development – 1-3hr workshop
For Stage 4 Writers (Years 7 to 8)
A vibrant imaginative workshop to deepen understanding of writing techniques and storytelling from the practical hands-on perspective of a publisher author. Explore literary writing conventions, learn how to create captivating and representative characters beyond a writer’s immediate experience, discover how such characters can then support your climax, develop fresh enthralling story ideas, pivotal narratives, conflicts and tension. Young writers expand their understanding of setting responses, discover monologue and dialogue techniques (a transferable skill to scriptwriting for screen or television), and innovate with individual writing voice and style.
Upper Primary
Build A Detailed World – 1-3hr workshop
For Stage 3 Writers (Yrs 5 to 6)
This workshop helps young writers develop their pre-high school creative writing skills. This is the ideal time to explore and develop young writers’ perceptions of story. While plots do involve a series of events, that’s not all there is to plot – readers need to connect with your main character too. While stories can entertain, they’re not just about entertainment – they should mean something to both writer and reader. Your characters move around your story world, yet that’s not the only place they should exist. Find out more in this creative technique-based workshop on story detail.
Objects: the Magical & Meaningful! – 1-2hr workshop
For Stage 3 Writers (Yrs 5 to 6)
Objects can be precious, powerful, magical, meaningful, good for us and bad! In this fun, vibrant workshop, young writers stimulate their creative thinking, delve deep into character creation, explore the value of things beyond the familiar, create a story, learn how best to express it, and enjoy the might of imagination! All this and more while we experience how and why characters feel the way they do about the objects within their grasp, and through that better appreciate what it means to be human!
Lower Primary
Problems In Wonderland: Stories That Matter – 1.5hr workshop
For Stage 1 & 2 Writers (Yrs 1 to 4)
Anyone can write a story. But how do you write a story that readers will want to read? While most young writers are probably familiar with the who/what/where/when/why of narrative structure, a series of arbitrary events doesn’t make for good storytelling. Young writers may also be familiar with the idea of integrating problems, or conflict, into narrative structure. How, though, do you get readers engaged with that conflict? The best stories are written with ‘tension’. The best stories involve ‘high stakes’, and events that really mean something to the characters involved. In this workshop, young writers get to understand and explore these concepts by writing a story of their own. Using action plans and worksheets, they get to think not just about story structure, but the essence of story itself.
Testimonials:
Please just click over here to read some testimonials!
Want to arrange an event of your own?
To arrange a talk, workshop or seminar, please just get in touch with what you have in mind.
SavOr perhaps you’re ready to publish?
Zena can turn your words into a print book or ebook! No matter what your age or ability, if it’s time to get your work out there, then Zena can make it happen. There are sample book layout designs here, publishing services over here, even promotional assistance here. Want someone to check your work first? Zena offers editing services and mentorship. Simply let her know what help you need via the contact form.
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