By Allison Tait. “Write as though no-one’s watching.” “Your first draft doesn’t need to be perfect.” “Your first draft is just you telling the story to yourself.” There’s a lot of information around about first drafts and how they can be messy embryos of a polished idea. What’s more difficult
The best stories engage the reader – making you FEEL something. That emotion might involve being nervous for the fate of a character, angry at a detective missing a vital clue, sad at a loss, or rolling in fits of laughter. While most of these emotions must be earned through
By Allison Tait. If you are searching for writing tips, it doesn’t take long to discover that one of the (if not THE) top tips offered over and over is this one: “Read!” It makes sense, if you consider writing to be a “words in = words out” equation. The
By Angela Slatter. To paraphrase Jane Austen (poorly), it is a truth universally acknowledged, that once you’ve got a publishing contract, you’ll have a book coming out every year! Right? Sorry, no. Wrong. You might be one of the fortunate few who do have this sort of regularity in their
By Allison Tait. One of the most difficult pages to write in any book is the dedication. Sounds silly, right? By definition, a book dedication is a personal note from the author to someone of importance. At its simplest, a book dedication is no more than two words. For [insert
By Allison Tait. Rejection is part of every writer’s life. Published or unpublished, beginner or established, every writer experiences the crushing emotion that accompanies a “sorry, not for us” or a “thanks, but no thanks”. The difference between writers who go on to have successful careers and those who don’t
Courses taken at AWC:
Writing Picture Books
Writing Chapter Books for 6-9 year olds
Laugh Out Loud
Millie Lewis had an unexpected birthday treat when she received an ‘I’m interested’ email from publisher James Layton at Larrikin Books. While on maternity leave from her job as a paediatric psychologist, Millie had turned to writing to reclaim her pre-mummy identity, enrolling in courses at the Australian Writers’ Centre. And just a short time later, she had a positive response to her manuscript for Mr Price’s Pet Emporium.
We know what you’re thinking. Ask a writer for writing tips and chances are they’ll say “read more” and “write more”. There’s a good reason for that. Reading widely and getting the words written are two cornerstones of every successful author’s career. But every week on the So You Want To
By Angela Slatter So, you’ve got an idea that won’t leave you alone – not the one about how winning Lotto would make your life so much easier, no, the other one. That story with those characters and that immersive setting, with all the action and the witty dialogue. The
By Angela Slatter. Fantasy novels seem to be everywhere at the moment! As a fantasy author, I’m not complaining. We’re also seeing a knock-on effect in the number of screen adaptations: Game of Thrones, Shadow and Bone, Good Omens, and of course The Lord of the Rings. I’m not here
Courses taken at AWC:
Writing Picture Books
Reinvent Yourself
“I knew it was worth taking the time to workshop it a bit and, serendipitously, an AWC Writing Picture Books course was starting the following week. I took the leap and signed up straight away,” Rebecca says.
That manuscript became Facing the Wave and it has now been published by Larrikin House.
“I was very excited to be published from my first pitch and I know that the things I learned through the AWC helped me be as prepared as possible.”
Congratulations to all the wonderful authors, illustrators and publishers who have made it onto the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s (CBCA) shortlisted books for 2022. We’re particularly chuffed for the talented graduates from our Writing Picture Books course – children’s authors Vikki Conley, Sandhya Parappukkaran and author/illustrator Freda Chiu –
Courses taken at AWC:
Writing Picture Books
Presenting to Kids
“Enrolling on the course meant I had actually invested in myself and my dream,” Jeanette says. “While I was taking the course, I felt a strong sense of ‘this is what I should be doing’.”
Jeanette’s decision to invest in herself paid off and she can now call herself a published author. Her debut picture book Shadow and the Girl has been released by Red Paper Kite with illustrations by Demelsa Haughton.
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has released its list of Notable books for 2022 and we’re giving a standing ovation to our talented presenters and graduates who have been recognised – as well as the wonderful authors we’ve had on our So you want to be a writer
It’s no exaggeration to say that author Nicola Marsh is a doyenne of romance writing. In fact, she’s published more than 75 books, including rural romance for Harper Collins Australia, domestic suspense for Hachette UK’s Bookouture and Grand Central Publishing USA, and contemporary romance for Penguin Random House’s Berkley imprint
Recently in our newsletter, we were celebrating the wonderful ways in which we surround ourselves with books in our own homes. From vast walls of bookshelves to small piles next to the bed, it’s always a good sign of a thriving, thinking home! And hey, we were CURIOUS – so
If you’ve been swept up in the spectacle of Netflix’s Bridgerton, you’re not alone. More than 63 million households have tuned in to the pomp and romance, and many people who’d never heard of a ‘Regency romance’ before are now addicted. So what exactly is a Regency romance? And how
This article was written by Sharon Givoni. We’ve all been there. At a party, at a dinner table, out for coffee with the gang—you are telling a story. You’ve told this story so many times and it’s a winner. You embellish here, cut out a few boring bits there, and
Here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we’re in the privileged position to chat regularly with successful authors, talented freelancers, world-class presenters and our amazing students. And although everyone approaches writing differently, it’s clear that there are common truths that can be helpful for all. Most importantly, if you want to
Zanni Louise, author of Too Busy Sleeping and Archie and the Bear, has launched a picture book series designed to help preschool and early primary readers engage with values. Feeling a personal draw to themes of friendship, family and kindness, Zanni says she wanted to create books which were useful
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