If you're at a loose end in mid-January and feel like doing something productive, head over to the University of Auckland's Summer Writing Workshops.

There are eight workshops to choose from, including 'Five Days to Writing Your First Novel' and 'Short Fiction: The Crooked Mile of Narrative'. The courses vary in length, but run from 9.30am – 4.30pm between 10 and 16 January 2005.