Faber Academy Alumni: Jayne Newling
We recently showcased some of the successes from our Faber Academy students, including Jayne Newling who did Faber Academy’s 2013 course True Stories: writing memoir and narrative non-fiction with Patti Miller and guests.
Later this year, we’ll be publishing her memoir, with Elizabeth Weiss, her publisher, saying the manuscript is ‘wonderfully well written’ and a ‘powerful story’. We caught up with Jayne to find out more about her writing and the True Stories course.
What’s your writing background and what attracted you to the True Stories course?
I was a print journalist for 25 years. I completed my first draft a few years ago and stuffed it in the back of the drawer. I read an article about another writer in the same predicament, who couldn’t get motivated. He or she had done the “True Stories” course and was able to finish the second draft and to get published.
Tell us about your memoir
The memoir is called Missing Christopher and it is about the suicide of my 17-year-old son and the survival of another son who had bipolar disorder.
What was the single best piece of advice you received during the course?
Ensure there is always narrative flow.
How was your group of students?
Great. Most of us had very personal stories, some very sad and painful. I felt safe in the group and because of that was able to receive feedback which was often very helpful.
Thanks to Jayne for sharing her thoughts, Missing Christopher will be published by Allen & Unwin in June 2014.
The next True Stories course runs from 21 February – 6 June 2014 in Sydney. We’re offering an early bird discount for this course for those booking before January 10 2014, and are hosting information nights where you can meet some of our course tutors – find out more, and hear Patti Miller discuss the course on the Faber Academy website.
For a Melbourne alternative see our Facts to Fiction day course on 14 June 2014.
We have a number of early bird offers available, with $150 off if you apply before January 10 2014.