Affordable Writer Retreat Olinda Vic May 2019

Hi everyone, we have banded together with our good friend David Collis to create our very own writer retreat.

May 2019

Two nights

Meals included

Details: www.worldwriterscollective.com/writer-retreat-2019

(Three rooms available only)

Mat wrote a show - TheatreStreet

If you're free Saturday and enjoy seeing live shows that have something incredibly new in mind, you'll want to come along to TheatreStreet.

Click on the link above to find out more!

If you want a 10% discount (who wouldn't!), then type in dayout when you buy your ticket.

What happens on TheatreStreet. You'll turn up at an undisclosed place in the centre of Melbourne city - undisclosed until the day before when you'll get an email with details - and the show will begin shortly afterwards.

You'll laugh, you'll explore Melbourne, and you'll discover the secret that is TheatreStreet.

See you there!

NYE bash, Melbourne, Australia - Big fun night!!

St Brigids Hall378 Nicholson Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne

Buy your ticket below
(early bird tickets need to be bought to get the discount ASAP)

http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=69706 (30 cents booking fee) 

Ladies and Gentlemen, the much awaited, eagerly anticipated, gloriously spectacular, decadently indulgent...Mad Hatters Ball!!!
Jugglers, Acrobats, Stiltwalkers, Dancers, Burlesque Starlets, Songstresses, Unicyclists, Madness and Mayhem...and as always, Surprise! 

To partake in our celebration of the last day of the year, all you need to do is wear a Hat...any Hat...prizes in the categories of Most Elegant, Most Decadent, Most Funniest and Most Gloriously Politically Incorrect...

Circus, Sideshow, Vaudeville, Burlesque and Dance...

...and there will be a dance floor in between sets! 

In a wonderful old Victorian dance hall in Fitzroy, tram stop right outside, and lots of free carparking in the grounds and nearby streets, trams run all night on New Years Eve.

18 of Melbournes most talented, funniest performers booked for the night! 

More details, updates and photos from the last show on the Facebook page www.facebook.com/popupeventsmelbourne 

...and our usual Pop-Up Bar on the night with very reasonably priced drinks...

Doors open at 8pm, first show starts at 9 and performer sets and dance music run till 1am. 

 
Early Bird tickets at $45 available until Monday 9th December or until sold out!
General Admission $55
Extra Mad Mad Hatter $75 Front row seats, cheese platter, cocktail on arrival 

http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=69706 (30 cents booking fee) 

Tunnel-Bridge across lower Port Phillip, Melbourne

What is a Tunnel-Bridge?

I’ve seen bridge-tunnels that run across the water and then dip down below a channel crossing to allow ships to pass, but I’ve never heard of a Tunnel-Bridge. It’s the other way around, right?
And is that a good enough reason to start building one?
No? Well, hmm, okay, how can I talk you into it... What if the reason was to conserve the areas around beaches, homes and national parks. Interested yet?

Yes or no, I’m still going to explain the premise and then where one needs to go.

For decades there has been talk of building a bridge to connect east and west Melbourne down Portsea and Queenscliff way. Maybe they will one day, or maybe they’ll build a tunnel.
But tunnels are boring, more expensive, won’t show off a brilliant new icon of Melbourne (like the Golden Gate Bridge), and can’t carry as much traffic as a long bridge.
Yes, I hear you say, but putting in a bridge means we have to build on-ramps and-off ramps and dredge up the earth across our beach. Not to mention there is no road which leads to the water’s edge that can sustain that much traffic!
Well, if the penny has dropped yet, you’ll see that the Tunnel-Bridge is the perfect option.
At present there are already plans to run the freeway (motorway) from the Mornington Peninsula Freeway to Melbourne Road. Then widen Melbourne Road all the way to Portsea. Once that is done, the work on the Tunnel-Bridge can begin.

A possibly likely beginning point would be at the intersection of Hotham Road in Portsea, just before the Golf Course. Here, once the tunnel is built, we travel under the earth and under the golf course until we’re then traveling under water.
Suddenly your car bursts out of the ocean on a road approximately 500 metres from shore and climbs into the air that will be Melbourne’s new iconic bridge.
It veers west and follows the route the ferry takes.
(The ferry will then be a good way tourists can see the bridge from another side).
As the car on the bridge closes on the shipping channel they rise further into the air until towering over everything. Then finally as the west coast comes into view it descends to join - not the shore of Queenscliff, but instead Point Lonsdale and the Bellarine Highway.

Now traffic between these areas will swell, not just because of the people wanting to see the bridge, and not just because there’s now easy access to Geelong, but because the city of Geelong will now want to share in that side of the coast. Housing will suddenly boom over the west and the two sides will be linked and population and traffic will be explosive.

Hang on, that much traffic travelling through! The roads won’t be able to support it. Sure, the new bridge and tunnel will be able to if the engineers allowed for the right amount of cars not just for today, but 20 years into the future, but the surrounding roads will boil and pop.
Hmm, so what do we do when there are so many cars on the roads that pollution, road rage, and traffic jams become a problem. Well, we put in train lines. Something the Victorian Government is loath to do.
Crazy that they don’t.
My thought is that whenever a bridge, tunnel, freeway, or tollway is built, then a trainline should be built alongside. Or over, or in between, or somewhere. You can’t just keep building more roads everywhere, you need to introduce more trains.
The artery of the commuter and the tourist.

All existing freeways should also have a train line built alongside it.

Frankston and Geelong should then be linked with a train line. If the government doesn’t do it then it will be at their own peril.
Instead of taking money from people because they use a necessity, which is electricity, politicians should use the grey matter in their head and develop new ideas that reduce pollution without robbing people blind. Yes, that’s right, trains. Trains move many people from one place to the next and do it well. Suddenly because the government has built more trainlines they don’t need to spend millions on other ways to reduce pollution. You’ve already got the basis there. You don’t need an invention. The technology has been around for ages. Put down train lines!

So there you have it, a good reason to build a magnificent bridge for all Australian people to admire. And a side note was that the public need more trainlines. Not just for travel sake, but to also reduce pollution and congestion on the roads.

Anthology of short stories III - Writers wanted!

Anthology III 2012

Themed: April Fools

Brought to you by the Melbourne Writers’ Social Group

Sponsored by the Story Mint

WRITERS WANTED!

Read on to be a part of this amazing anthology of short stories.

All styles of writing are eligible for the anthology. Register between now and February 1st 2013. Create a great story and get it to a fully edited stage before March 2013.

All guidelines will be emailed to you after you register.

This is our third anthology of short stories and will be published on April 1st 2013. Themed April Fools.

Our anthologies are born from a different theme with each publication. The first being, Valentine’s Day (2012). As you would expect many of the tales were quite sweet. Yet, we also had stories that endevoured to chill the hearts of our reader’s.

Our following anthology was published December 2012, The Holiday Season in Melbourne. Each unique Melbourne tale satisfyingly different and touching on a wide variety of holiday seasoned themes.             

You can download either of these anthologies online:

Anthology I:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/130549

Anthology II:

www.amazon.com/MWSG-Anthology-II-Melbourne-ebook/dp/B00AMPC70O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1355349010&sr=8-3&keywords=anthology+melbourne

We don’t mind what genre you choose, but you must include some reference to April Fools, no matter how small. And a reference to Melbourne (Australia) must be included, even if in passing.

One submission per person only.

Word count for you story (fiction or non-fiction): 1000-2000 words. Unfortunately we can not have any exceptions to this rule. Even if it is one word outside of this limit your story will not be considered.

If you intend on submitting a poem, then the word count is different: 500 words maximum. No minimum.

Please register your interest to be involved with this anthology by emailing Mat Clarke: matclarke.author@gmail.com

Registration opens December 14 2012 and closes February 1st 11.59pm.

After you have emailed Mat Clarke you willll be contacted within 3 business days and emailed an easy to fill in form to read and complete.

The information emailed to you includes the process we go through to ensure we publish quality work. Please make sure you read the information carefully.

You can of course email Mat back if unsure about anything.

All money earned from the sales of the anthologies (a very small amount) is put back into running the next one and holding the weekly meetings and other events with the Melbourne Writers’ Social Group - which are free to attend :)Anthology II

April Fools

Brought to you by the Melbourne Writers’ Social Group

Sponsored by the Story Mint

Beauty, style, fashion - get it here!

Okay, so I'm stepping outside my usual blogging stuff and helping to advertise an amazing fashion show at the exhibition building (Jeff's Shed) for 2013. The person running it has set up a great website with fantastic offers for every kind of person no matter what you're after.
Check it out and have a read of the ABOUT page. Women readers, you are going to get terribly excited!
http://www.thebeautyshow.com.au/

Tell your friends and get your tickets ASAP, it's going to be a great show!

Anthology of Short Stories II

Tuesday 11th December at 6pm, come along to the Wharf Hotel Melbourne for the Short Story Anthology Launch, by the Melbourne Writers' Social Group.
Have a chat about writing and everything else. Listen to a few short excerpts from the anthology and support us silly creative people :)

Why not come along and show off your creative work as well! There'll be lots of people interested in new or established authors.

Also we will announce the next anthology. To be completed by end of March 2013. WRITERS WANTED!
http://www.meetup.com/The-Melbourne-Writers-Meetup-Group/events/91770542/

Also, for you meat eaters it's $15 steak night!
Discount drinks too! Become a member for free on the night. Takes 30 seconds.

Anthology II 2012 - Writers wanted!

Anthology II 2012

Holiday Season in Melbourne (Australia)

Brought to you by the Melbourne Writers’ Social Group

Sponsored by The Story Mint

Last year we developed a small book of short stories for Valentine’s Day. Some of those stories were sweet and others not so sweet. This year we are kicking off another anthology with all stories themed for the coming holiday season in Melbourne, Australia.

You are not ruled by any genre and you are certainly not limited to just the more merry times over December; feel free to use the horror genre, for example.
You are however limited by word count and time.
Word count for stories (fiction or non-fiction): 1500 words maximum.
There is no minimum. However we would prefer you try and aim for approximately 1500 words.
If you intend to submit a poem, then the word count is different: 500 words maximum.

Start submitting your story to the Writer’s Pad before the end of October so you can receive feedback and act on it before submissions close. Please also make sure it is at least your third draft.
The Story Mint website: http://www.thestorymint.com/writers-pad

For full details and conditions please visit: http://melbournewriters.wordpress.com/2012/10/12/anthology-ii-2012-writers-wanted/

Click here - writers wanted

Melbourne Earthquake - Write all about it

So you felt the earth shake rattle and roll too?
I was sitting in my warehouse office working away at my computer when it felt like a truck had hit the building.
I had some new work done, new rooms being built, so thought they were coming crashing down. I got my ass out of there and watched and waited for the timber to splinter and for it all to suddenly crumble and collapse. Crazy stuff.
I tried getting on the Govt website to check out the readings for the earthquake but the servers have crashed, I guess every man and his dog had the same idea.
Scary but funny.
Added note, we are getting close to the end of the Mayan calendar ;)