Lurid world of Australian pulp fiction revealed
From press release: Scantily clad cover girls, titillating titles and cheap thrills are just part of the riveting tale of Australia’s fast-paced pulp fiction industry
"I got published!": Rebecca Curtin
We love hearing from our students no matter what they have to say, but when we hear of a student being published, we just want
Blogging to books – Toby Jenkins is a fan.
Toby Jenkins and Adam Franklin wrote a business book about web marketing together. They did a business writing course at Australian Writers’ Centre together. And
"I got published!": Jo Hartley
We love hearing from our students no matter what they have to say, but when we hear of a student being published, we just want
You don’t need to plan a book: here’s what works better
A confession: I never have a plan when I sit down to write a new book. And that is the most liberating thing, once you get
Ep 47 Meet Nigel Bartlett, author of ‘King of the Road’
In Episode 46 of So you want to be a writer: What’s in a name? Mapmaker Chronicles cover reveal, why Allison is not sponsored by her
How to avoid a saggy middle
Saggy Middle Syndrome. We all know what it is. A novel that starts brilliantly well – vivid, intriguing and compelling – yet somehow, around the
What publishers look for: Bernadette Foley tells us.
Bernadette Foley has worked as an editor and publisher in the Australian publishing industry for over 25 years. Her career had also taken her to
Q&A: Australianisms and their origins
Each week, we chat about the quirks and anomalies of the English language. This week, it’s Australia Day, so we put on our cork hat and
18 authors share their writing routines…
So you’re working on the next great novel. How do you approach it? An intense burst of 5000-words-a-day locked in a dark room with no
Ep 46 Meet crime thriller author James Phelan, writer of ‘The Hunted’
In Episode 46 of So you want to be a writer: Become an enthusiastic respite in the lives of your readers, Elizabeth Gilbert to release a
Romance to Mainstream – ‘The Tide Watchers’ author Lisa Chaplin shares her journey to date
2015 is set to be an exciting year for Lisa Chaplin, Australian Writers’ Centre graduate and author of The Tide Watchers – to be released in June.
Novels – the long and the short of it
At the new year, there was a quote doing the rounds. It went something along the lines of “today is the first page of a
"I got published!": Megan Blandford
We spotted Megan in Sunday Life recently! Congratulations Megan! If you have a success story to share with us, you can do so right here. We’ll share
Win with the new ESU Roly Sussex Short Story Award
We love it when new annual story competitions are announced, and this one – from the English Speaking Union (ESU) in Queensland – is particularly
Q&A: Invoke vs Evoke
Each week, we chat about the quirks and anomalies of the English language. This week, we’re extinguishing any confusion between two similar words… Q: Hi, I
Need more help with “Show, don’t tell”?
One of the key concepts any writer needs to understand is “Show, don’t tell”. If you haven’t already read our explanation of this, check it
Ep 45 We chat to Lisa Heidke, author of ‘It Started With a Kiss’
In Episode 45 of So you want to be a writer: Hello 2015! A new storytelling platform, write 93,000 words in six weeks, the Thiel grant
The perils of writing good dialogue
Dialogue can be one of the most challenging parts of the writing process. It takes skill to write dialogue that is convincing and which takes
King of the Road book launch with Nigel Bartlett
You probably know Nigel as our presenter for Writing About Interiors, Style and Design, but he’s more than just an expert on freelance writing –
Q&A: Adviser vs Advisor
Each week, we chat about the quirks and anomalies of the English language. This week, quiet please, we get advisory… Q: So time for another Q&A
"I got published!": Wangmo Whitethorn
We love hearing from our students no matter what they have to say, but when we hear of a student being published, we just want
Q&A: New Year’s vs New Years
Each week, we chat about the quirks and anomalies of the English language. This week, it’s a new year… Q: Happy New Year AWC! A: Thanks,
The 2015 Text Prize for Young Adult & Children’s Writing
If you have a young adult or children’s book story in the works and want a deadline to work towards – today is your lucky day! Perhaps unlucky
Have you considered these freelance writing revenue streams?
Valerie Khoo and Allison Tait ran a masterclass at this year’s Storyology conference, run by The Walkley Foundation. Called “Turn Your Passion into Productivity and
Lurid world of Australian pulp fiction revealed
From press release: Scantily clad cover girls, titillating titles and cheap thrills are just part of the riveting tale of Australia’s fast-paced pulp fiction industry of the 1940s and 50s, set to be revealed in a new exhibition at the State Library of NSW from 7 February 2015. ‘Pulp Confidential:
"I got published!": Rebecca Curtin
We love hearing from our students no matter what they have to say, but when we hear of a student being published, we just want to shout it from the rooftops! We’re a little scared of heights, so we’ll go with a blog post instead. Rebecca says: I completed Magazine
Blogging to books – Toby Jenkins is a fan.
Toby Jenkins and Adam Franklin wrote a business book about web marketing together. They did a business writing course at Australian Writers’ Centre together. And before that they went to primary school together. So it made perfect sense for Valerie Khoo to interview just one of them. She spoke to
"I got published!": Jo Hartley
We love hearing from our students no matter what they have to say, but when we hear of a student being published, we just want to shout it from the rooftops! We’re a little scared of heights, so we’ll go with a blog post instead. We spotted graduate Jo Hartley
You don’t need to plan a book: here’s what works better
A confession: I never have a plan when I sit down to write a new book. And that is the most liberating thing, once you get over the fear of not knowing where you’re headed. All you need is one idea for one scene. One idea. Simple right? How ideas fit
Ep 47 Meet Nigel Bartlett, author of ‘King of the Road’
In Episode 46 of So you want to be a writer: What’s in a name? Mapmaker Chronicles cover reveal, why Allison is not sponsored by her husband, getting the most out of writing competitions, how not to write an obituary, why writers have such a hard time writing about sex, what
How to avoid a saggy middle
Saggy Middle Syndrome. We all know what it is. A novel that starts brilliantly well – vivid, intriguing and compelling – yet somehow, around the middle of the book, you find yourself beginning to yawn. You check the pages to see how many are left before the end of the
What publishers look for: Bernadette Foley tells us.
Bernadette Foley has worked as an editor and publisher in the Australian publishing industry for over 25 years. Her career had also taken her to New York to work with the Penguin Putnam publishing company. She has spoken at writers’ festivals and conducted editing and writing workshops around the country.
Q&A: Australianisms and their origins
Each week, we chat about the quirks and anomalies of the English language. This week, it’s Australia Day, so we put on our cork hat and decipher some local language… Q: Hi AWC, have you finished your last minute Australia Day gift shopping? I’m hoping the shops will be open till
18 authors share their writing routines…
So you’re working on the next great novel. How do you approach it? An intense burst of 5000-words-a-day locked in a dark room with no Internet connection? A scrawled dozen words here and there on trains, waiting at the bank or in between sets at the gym? Or a leisurely
Ep 46 Meet crime thriller author James Phelan, writer of ‘The Hunted’
In Episode 46 of So you want to be a writer: Become an enthusiastic respite in the lives of your readers, Elizabeth Gilbert to release a book on creativity, ask the HarperCollins editor part three, the basics of endings, winter weekends, Writer in Residence crime thriller author James Phelan, how you
Romance to Mainstream – ‘The Tide Watchers’ author Lisa Chaplin shares her journey to date
2015 is set to be an exciting year for Lisa Chaplin, Australian Writers’ Centre graduate and author of The Tide Watchers – to be released in June. Not that the years that have come before have been particularly dull. We asked Lisa some questions recently, and here’s what she had to say…
Novels – the long and the short of it
At the new year, there was a quote doing the rounds. It went something along the lines of “today is the first page of a 365 page book – make it a great one.” (Hang on, hasn’t that just described a diary?) Anyway, after clicking “like”, I started wondering just
"I got published!": Megan Blandford
We spotted Megan in Sunday Life recently! Congratulations Megan! If you have a success story to share with us, you can do so right here. We’ll share it with the world! For more success stories, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Win with the new ESU Roly Sussex Short Story Award
We love it when new annual story competitions are announced, and this one – from the English Speaking Union (ESU) in Queensland – is particularly noteworthy.< Named for its emeritus professor, Roland (Roly) Sussex, the contest is on the hunt for original, previously unpublished short stories – and will award
Q&A: Invoke vs Evoke
Each week, we chat about the quirks and anomalies of the English language. This week, we’re extinguishing any confusion between two similar words… Q: Hi, I have a quick question. A: Well you’ve come to the right place. Q: Seriously? But we usually ramble on. I need this to be answered
Need more help with “Show, don’t tell”?
One of the key concepts any writer needs to understand is “Show, don’t tell”. If you haven’t already read our explanation of this, check it out here. For many, this explanation just clicks. But let’s recap. “Telling” is like a statement of fact. Here’s a “telling” sentence: John was bored.
Ep 45 We chat to Lisa Heidke, author of ‘It Started With a Kiss’
In Episode 45 of So you want to be a writer: Hello 2015! A new storytelling platform, write 93,000 words in six weeks, the Thiel grant for online writing, are you at the right age for your breakthrough book? Think small for freelance writing success, the book ‘The art and craft
The perils of writing good dialogue
Dialogue can be one of the most challenging parts of the writing process. It takes skill to write dialogue that is convincing and which takes your reader on a seamless journey through your story. When you’re writing direct dialogue (the exact words spoken) here are some important factors to consider:
King of the Road book launch with Nigel Bartlett
You probably know Nigel as our presenter for Writing About Interiors, Style and Design, but he’s more than just an expert on freelance writing – in 2012 he completed a research masters in Creative Writing (as you do) and this year he’s launching his first novel: King of the Road.
Q&A: Adviser vs Advisor
Each week, we chat about the quirks and anomalies of the English language. This week, quiet please, we get advisory… Q: So time for another Q&A huh? A: Yup. Hey, what’s that on your head? Q: Don’t I ask the questions? A: Right, okay. Off you go then. Q: What’s this
"I got published!": Wangmo Whitethorn
We love hearing from our students no matter what they have to say, but when we hear of a student being published, we just want to shout it from the rooftops! We’re a little scared of heights, so we’ll go with a blog post instead. Wangmo says: Hi everyone; I
Q&A: New Year’s vs New Years
Each week, we chat about the quirks and anomalies of the English language. This week, it’s a new year… Q: Happy New Year AWC! A: Thanks, and you too. May 2015 be filled with many more questions and answers. Q: Absolutely! And on the subject of New Year’s – do I
The 2015 Text Prize for Young Adult & Children’s Writing
If you have a young adult or children’s book story in the works and want a deadline to work towards – today is your lucky day! Perhaps unlucky day if you wanted that deadline to not be in the first half of 2015… But the good news is that submissions for the Text
Have you considered these freelance writing revenue streams?
Valerie Khoo and Allison Tait ran a masterclass at this year’s Storyology conference, run by The Walkley Foundation. Called “Turn Your Passion into Productivity and Profit”, they spoke to a packed room about finding new opportunities in the world of freelancing writing. “Many freelancers complain that editorial pages are shrinking,
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