Australian Writers' Centre blog

Inaugural Shoalhaven Readers’ & Writers’ Festival coming in August

NSW South Coast’s Shoalhaven region, about two hours south of Sydney, is popular all year round with holidaymakers and anyone wanting to escape to the beach, bush and beautiful scenery. But now it’s also home to Australia’s newest literary festival – the Shoalhaven Readers’ & Writers’ Festival, set... read more

Q&A: Bags, dibs and calling shotgun

Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, we bags calling... read more

The Shortest Day Short Short Short Story Challenge

To celebrate the shortest day of the year today, 21 June, we’ve decided to celebrate short short short stories – and challenge you to write something short for us! Your story must be no more than 21 words long. Your story must include the words “short” and “day”. Your story... read more

Furious Fiction June 2018 winner

It’s time to announce the winning story and shortlist for June’s Furious Fiction! This month, we did something quite different from previous months. A picture prompt. (The image of the dinner table above.) There was just ONE criteria this month: Your story had to begin with the scene... read more

Give us your best headline and win this new memoir

This week we are giving away three copies of The Bootle Boy: An Untidy Life in News. It’s a brilliantly evocative memoir from the golden age of newspaper publishing, from a man who helped define our modern media, Les Hinton. The book recounts Hinton’s early years, born amid... read more

Q&A: Lead vs led

Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, we're taking... read more

Content writing opportunities for freelance writers: Part 2

In the first part of this series, I gave you an idea of the landscape for content writing for big businesses. In this post, we’re looking at opportunities for content writing for smaller businesses. This sector is booming as more small business owners understand the power of content. This... read more

Content writing opportunities for freelance writers: Part 1

So you’ve heard about the wonderful world of content. And, as a freelance writer, you want in. You understand that the world of content marketing has exploded and you’d like to ride this wave. Before you launch into this space it’s important to understand where this explosion... read more

COMP CLOSED: Caption this – WIN new picture book!

This week, we have the delightful new picture book by Katie Poli and Giuseppe Poli to give away. It’s called Marvellous Mummy and it’s not afraid to address the elephant in the room that is just how marvellous mums really are. (Well, that, and the characters happen to... read more

Q&A: Capitalising aunts and uncles

Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, it's all... read more

Playwright residency opportunity with the Melbourne Theatre Company

Playwrights, enter stage right! The Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC) has three writer-in-residence opportunities in their Next Stage writer’s program up for grabs. Includes a stipend of up to $25,000 per year for successful applicants. The residencies are available for those writers who have a background in... read more

Q&A: Regardless vs Irregardless

Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week, we're sending... read more

COMP CLOSED – invent a new Nobel Prize category!

This week we’re giving away three copies of How to Win a Nobel Prize by actual 2005 Nobel Prize winner, physician Barry Marshall. It’s a funny, fascinating adventure story for ages 9 to 12, and includes experiments that young scientists can do themselves at school or at home... read more

Shelly Unwin blasts off with another winning children’s book!

AWC courses completed: Writing Picture Books How to Write for Children and Young Adults Prolific children’s author Shelly Unwin is blasting onto bookshelves with her new picture book Blast Off!, which rockets through the solar system in a funny, fact-filled space trip around the planets. Inspired by her... read more

Q&A: Eon vs era vs epoch

Each week here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we dissect and discuss, contort and retort, ask and gasp at the English language and all its rules, regulations and ridiculousness. It’s a celebration of language, masquerading as a passive-aggressive whinge about words and weirdness. This week you'll be... read more

Furious Fiction May 2018 winner

This month, Furious Fiction (our monthly $500 short-short story competition) found itself launching on May the fourth. So, we threw in some Star Wars fun – being very clear that entrants did not have to write in the sci-fi genre. (Find out more about how our free monthly Furious... read more