This is a post by Allison Tait, who is a presenter at the Australian Writers’ Centre and author of the successful series The Mapmaker Chronicles. One of the things I love most about So you want to be a writer, my podcast with Valerie Khoo, is the opportunity to speak
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 we’re making discreet enquiries
Here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we love inspirational and motivational quotes – if you don’t believe us, check out our Instagram feed! Once the domain of framed glass pictures on corporate office walls, such quotes are now more accessible than ever – thanks mainly to the rise of the
Ah February. Some people count down the days to February 14th with amorous impatience, some hate it with a fiery passion, while others adjust their hipster glasses and scoff, “Hallmark day”. Whatever your views on February 14th, if you’ve got a manuscript exploring love in any of its forms (romantic, parental, platonic
In Episode 95 of So you want to be a writer: The number one problem with backstory and how to fix it, old English insults, and writing tips from the indomitable Chuck Palahniuk. Plus: 10 questions to ask yourself before launching your author website, the 100 best websites for writers, and how
“Compelling, moving and memorable.” That’s what Graeme Simsion (author of The Rosie Project) had to say about this new novel from Leah Kaminsky. The Waiting Room takes place in Haifa, Israel, in 2001 – following Dina, a family doctor living against the backdrop of high terror alerts, occupational hazards and
Ah, the novella — the oft forgotten relative of the novel. But historically novellas have shaped the literary landscape — think Kafka’s The Metamorphosis or Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. So we were excited to hear about a novella competition run by Busybird Publishing. They are looking for novellas between 20,000 words and
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 really couldn’t care less…
If there was ever an author that DIDN’T need a leg up, it would be athlete, motivational speaker and amputee Don Elgin. His story of disabled boy turned elite athlete has been brought to the page through his memoir, One Foot on the Podium. And we recently asked him all
In Episode 94 of So you want to be a writer: Go inside the world of things that look like books but aren’t, writing in a foreign language, a re-usable notebook, how to avoid distractions from writing, and meet slayer of weasel words Don Watson. Also: an app that distills non-fiction works
Australian and New Zealand writers, is your manuscript the next incredible book for kids or young adults? Would you love a publishing contract and a $10,000 advance? Then read on! The $10,000 Text Prize aims to discover incredible new books for young adults and children by Australian and New Zealand writers.
This week it’s your chance to get your hands on the much acclaimed young fiction novel Withering-by-Sea, written by Judith Rossell. (Judith is a talented illustrator and writer, who also presents courses at the Australian Writers’ Centre!) Set in Victorian times, the book is billed as a “Stella Montgomerie Intrigue”
Libby Hakim had a simple goal: to see her byline in a magazine or newspaper. After completing a course at the Australian Writers’ Centre, she not only achieved that – she’s now been published in many top publications.
Working as a part-time lawyer, Libby first completed a five-week online course in Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1. That changed the course of Libby’s life. “Before I started the course I actually had the goal of getting published, I wanted to see my byline in a magazine or a newspaper,” says Libby, who was working part-time as a lawyer.
Portmanteau words are a common occurrence in the English language. They’re formed when you take two words and smash them together to make a brand new one – typically losing a few letters off one or both. There are hundreds of a real life examples across a range of areas.
In Episode 93 of So you want to be a writer: What writers need to know about defamation when writing memoirs, win a writer’s residency in a bridge, a writer is arrested after winning illegal narcotics in a writing competition and a tax return is hailed as a masterpiece of contemporary
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 in a galaxy far far
We’re triply excited this week, with not one but THREE books to give away. They form the trilogy of The Mapmaker Chronicles – A.L. Tait’s hugely successful adventure series for middle grade readers (and older!). In a nutshell, the books follow the fate of Quinn, a reluctant player in a
Catherine Rodie never thought she would become a writer. This limiting belief, coupled with her experience with dyslexia, meant that she hadn’t considered that writing could be a real career for her. But after completing a course at the Australian Writers’ Centre, that all changed. And now, she’s not only become one of the most prolific freelance writers in Australia, she’s laid the foundations to pursue a career in publishing, recently scoring a coveted part-time role at Bauer Magazines.
The new year is the perfect time to stretch your creative legs and enter a writing competition. Perhaps you have a little extra time on your hands and a long list of writing goals to smash for the coming months. When we asked you, our community, a few months ago what your
In Episode 92 of So you want to be a writer: CLEO magazine is closing, Penthouse drops print magazines, copyediting and grammar mistakes to avoid, the book The Thing Explainer by Randall Munroe, and Allison’s top blog posts about blogging. Meet journalist-turned-author Holly Seddon, whose new book is the psychological thriller Try
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