Year: 2020

Freelance and copywriting
Australian Writers' Centre Team

8 signs you’d be a great freelance and content writer

Freelance writing is a career with lots of upsides – flexibility, autonomy, the chance to be creative, and opportunities to do something new regularly – but it can’t be done by just anyone. If you’re considering branching out into freelance writing but you’re not sure whether you should, here are

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Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Want to improve your writing? Do this one thing

If we told you there was one simple thing you could do which would take your writing to the next level – and you already knew how to do it, it was enjoyable, and could often be done for free – would you believe us? It’s one of the top

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

From newsreader to published author: Nicole Webb publishes debut memoir ‘China Blonde’

Courses taken at AWC:
Life Writing
Plotting and Planning
Fiction Essentials: Characters

Nicole Webb was a trained journalist and newsreader, with a wealth of writing talent. But when she sat down to write her memoir of life in China, she knew she needed to learn and utilise a whole new set of skills. After taking three courses at the Australian Writers’ Centre, doing hundreds of interviews, writing thousands of words, and doing many rewrites, her debut China Blonde is out now with Brio Books.
“Without doing those courses, I really don’t think I would have had the knowledge or know-how to start a book properly, let alone finish a book,” Nicole says.
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Our famous Q&As!
Dean Koorey

Q&A: What or which?

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 finding which/what answer will

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Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Decision 2020: VOTE Plotters vs Pantsers

This is it – the biggest decision of the year is taking place this week and we want YOU to cast your vote and elect the best way to approach writing a novel. Is it by being a PLOTTER (planning your novel in advance) or is it by being a

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Podcast: So You Want to be a Writer
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Ep 357 Meet Malcolm Knox, author of ‘Bluebird’.

In Episode 357 of So You Want To Be A Writer: Are you a morning writer? Meet Malcolm Knox, author of Bluebird. Learn how dogs are helping kids to read. Discover how to get motivated for NaNoWriMo. Plus, we have 3 copies of What Cats Want by Dr Yuki Hattori up for grabs.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

The turning point that led to James Antoniou becoming a published picture book author

Courses taken at AWC:
Writing Picture Books

James Antoniou was in the middle of a haphazard gap year when he decided to enrol in Writing Picture Books at the Australian Writers’ Centre. He had always wanted to be a published author, had studied English at Oxford, and was ready to launch his writing career. But it was the course at the AWC that gave James the practical tools he needed to finish his manuscript. 
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Competitions and Opportunities
Australian Writers' Centre Team

COMP CLOSED ‘What Cats Want’ by Dr. Yuki Hattori

This week’s giveaway is What Cats Want by Dr Yuki Hattori – Japan’s leading cat doctor, sharing EVERYTHING you need to know about feline behaviour. We have three copies to be won. Cats are so mysterious. Why do they feel the impulse to climb into tiny spaces? Why do they

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Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

5 ways writing can help reduce your teen’s anxiety

Anxiety is better recognised and understood than ever before, but for parents of teenagers struggling with anxiety it can still be hard to know how to help. One great way is to encourage them to express themselves via writing.  Bestselling parenting book author Michael Grose shares with us some practical

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Non-fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

10 top tips for writing creative non-fiction

Creative non-fiction is an increasingly popular genre for readers and writers alike. The real world can be stranger than fiction, and audiences are eager to learn and be entertained at the same time. If you’re searching for tips to make your creative non-fiction writing stand out, look no further: we’ve

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Our famous Q&As!
Dean Koorey

Q&A: Celebrate or commemorate?

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 a celebration… Q: Hi

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Competitions and Opportunities
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Furious Fiction October 2020 winner and shortlist

One of the great things about Furious Fiction is that for one weekend, writers all around the world are working on the same brief at the same time – and this month, they did so with a full moon out the window. Here were the criteria: Each story had to

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Memoir writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

4 biggest mistakes to avoid when writing creative non-fiction

Creative non-fiction – whether it’s retelling stories from human history or publishing a compelling memoir – is a genre of writing which is more complex than it may first seem. When combining truth and facts with writing style and techniques, there are plenty of potential obstacles for writers to run

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Podcast: So You Want to be a Writer
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Ep 355 Meet Rose Carlyle, author of ‘The Girl in the Mirror’.

In Episode 355 of So You Want To Be A Writer: Meet Rose Carlyle, author of The Girl in the Mirror. Learn about the rise and rise of ‘stealth help’ books. We congratulate the Ned Kelly award winners! Plus, we have 3 copies of The Windsor Diaries by Alathea Fitzalan Howard to give away.

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Competitions and Opportunities
Australian Writers' Centre Team

COMP CLOSED ‘The Windsor Diaries’ by Alathea Fitzalan Howard

This week’s giveaway is The Windsor Diaries – the never-before-seen diaries of the late Alathea Fitzalan Howard, who lived alongside the young Princess Elizabeth and Margaret at Windsor Castle during the Second World War. Alathea Fitzalan Howard was born in 1923. Had she been a boy, she would eventually have

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Danielle Norton’s journey from teacher to travel and food writer

Courses taken at AWC:
Travel Writing
Food Writing
Freelance Writing Stage 1
Copywriting Essentials
Freelance Writing Masterclass Program
Creative Writing Stage 1

Danielle Norton was half way through the AWC’s Food Writing course when she managed to sell her first two recipes to an online magazine. Not bad for a former school teacher who, by her own admission, was naive about the media industry. Now a veteran of six AWC courses, Danielle is an established freelance writer and copywriter, and she is sought after by editors for her travel and parenting articles.
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Memoir writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

The rise and rise of ‘stealth help’ books

‘Stealth help’: everything you need to know about the new genre that’s snuck up on us. The phrase ‘stealth help’ might not be one you’ve heard of before – but in the literary world, it’s one that’s gaining popularity. It refers to a growing category of books which don’t fit

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