Amanuensis (noun) [uhmanyooh’ensuhs] Did you know this is a fancy word for “secretary”? It comes from Ancient Rome when an amanuensis was employed to take dictation or copy manuscripts. These days it can refer to any kind of secretary or assistant that helps with words. So you might say: “My manuscript
In Episode 191 of So you want to be a writer: The freelancing life and mental health. Writing movie ‘tie-in’ books as a path to publication. Creating a CV for your protagonist and tips on how to be prolific. Introducing a brand new Facebook group. Why you should make it easy
A great prize this week for dog lovers (or simply lovers of a good story). Thanks to Entertainment One we have three book+DVD packs of A Dog’s Purpose to give away. The book was written by W. Bruce Cameron and is the heartwarming story of a devoted dog who finds
In this minisode of So you want to be a writer: meet Tamsin Janu who talks about her third novel Blossom and how she has a flourishing career as an author working on it one day a week. Got a question for Val and Al? Ask at podcast [at] writerscentre [dot]
Eponymous (adjective) [uh’ponuhmuhs] This comes from the Greek word “eponym” (meaning “significant name”) and is the name of the person after whom a label or place or product or invention is named. So you refer to “Ivanka Trump’s eponymous label that was dropped by the department store Nordstrom.” Listen to Valerie
You see it in boardrooms across the nation. People marking off words during meetings in a surreptitious game of bullsh*t bingo. They are noting down classic phrases like: “game-changing innovations”, “corporate synergy”, “deep dive”, all while they “incentivise” people to “pick the low-hanging fruit”. In honour of this popular pastime,
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 bought vs brought…bring it
In Episode 189 of So you want to be a writer: Walkley mid-year award winners have been announced, Keanu Reeves co-founds indie poetry press, and narrative arcs explained. Valerie gives her tips for writing across multiple devices. And meet author Louise Park, who writes under three pseudonyms. Click play below to listen
Yes, it’s that time again. Where we delve into the shelves, explore the doors and investigate the desk space of authors. Today it’s award-winning Australian crime writer Emma Viskic – winner of the 2016 Ned Kelly Award for her critically acclaimed debut novel, Resurrection Bay. That same book also won
This week we have two books to give away to one lucky winner – The Crime Writer by Jill Dawson and On the Blue Train by Kristel Thornell. Both novels are based on the lives of female literary figures. The Crime Writer is a riveting novel that folds a brilliant
Today it’s a quick chat with rural romance author and dual-timeline specialist Kimberley Freeman, on her latest book – Stars Across the Ocean. So Kimberley, we know that the main character’s name is Agnes, but perhaps you could tell our readers a smidge more about her and her story? “Agnes
We’re well into the year now and your resolution to fulfil your writing dreams may have slowed under the weight of other priorities. But don’t let that goal to write slip away – instead start slow and stretch your creative muscles by entering short story competitions. Short stories are a
Lacustrine (adjective) [luh’kustruyn] Thanks for Matthew Morrison @acutemattiosis for pinging us this word which he, in turn, read in a tweet by Rob Macfarlane. “Lacustrine” usually refers to things like plants or animals that live or occur on or in lakes. So you must say “That’s a lacustrine plant” if it’s
In this minisode of So you want to be a writer:Is Wattpad useful? Should you send interviewees your article to approve? Got a question for Val and Al? Ask at podcast [at] writerscentre [dot] com [dot] au Click play below to listen to the podcast. You can also listen on Apple
Do you have a completed, unpublished manuscript living in your bottom drawer (literally or figuratively)? Does it have a connection to Western Australia? The Dorothy Hewett Award is for unpublished manuscripts and the winner gets a cash prize of $10,000. Plus, the winner will be offered a publishing contract. Woohoo!
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 making quite an impression…
Okay, so you know how it’s great to GET INSIDE your favourite book and hang out there? Well this week we’re giving you the opportunity to literally (litorally?) do that with a very cool prize – thanks to the folks at Litographs! “What’s a litograph?” you ask? Well, it’s the
In Episode 187 of So you want to be a writer: Discover how you could win $20,000 for writing 100 words, plus the story of how Stephen King’s pen name was revealed. What your website should include as a freelance writer. Your chance to win a t-shirt with the words from
Abstruse (adjective) [uhb’stroohs] If you think this word is hard to understand then you would be right! It actually means “difficult to understand or esoteric”. So you might say that “He had an abstruse approach to solving the problem.” Listen to Valerie and Allison chat more about this and more on the
Back on the shortest day of the year, we put out a simple challenge to you – write us a 25-word story. The only rule was that it contain the words “violin” and “victory”. The rest was up to you. The one we judged our favourite would win free access
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