Finishing your book will feel like a huge achievement, and it is. You’ll have learnt a lot along the way. But the learning doesn’t stop there! If you’re submitting your book to get published, or you already have a book deal, there’s still plenty for you to learn. Here, five
A good romantic thriller is more than the sum of its parts. More gripping than a romance novel and with more emotion than a thriller, mastering the genre is no easy feat. You can’t just add a menacing character to your love story, or a love interest to your crime
So you’ve joined a local writing group or enrolled in one of our creative writing courses. Bravo! You’ve made the first and most crucial step on your way to becoming a writer. There’s just one thing that’s giving you pause: actually sharing your writing with other people. Eek. Fear not!
Australia produces some fantastic, bestselling authors; and they’re a supportive bunch, always keen to lend a helping hand. We’ve collected 20 top writing tips from Australian authors to help you with your own creative goals. 1. Never give up Susan Francis, author of memoir The Love that Remains, says other
Writing is a rollercoaster. To an outside observer, it looks like you’re sitting quietly in your chair tapping or scribbling away. But on the inside, you’re riding highs and lows of inspiration and despair, taking on loop-the-loops of panic and frustration, holding on for dear life while wondering when on
Historical fiction novels frequently top bestseller lists because readers love the chance to time-travel. A good historical fiction book allows the reader to escape and immerse themselves in a setting which is more glamorous, more dangerous or just more interesting than their own. It’s safe to say author Kirsten Alexander
So you’ve followed all the advice you’ve heard from published authors and smashed out your first draft. You’ve struggled through various pits of despair and soared to lofty heights of ecstasy and finally reached the end of your manuscript. Now what? It’s time to sharpen your pencils and pull out
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
British-Australian crime and thriller writer L.A. Larkin – who teaches the Australian Writers’ Centre’s popular Crime and Thriller Writing course – is an expert in the art of building suspense and high stakes in a thriller novel. Read on for her top 5 ways to turn your thriller into a
By award-winning author, Allison Rushby. We’ve all been there. It’s Sunday. Your chores are done. Everyone else in the house has gone out. The dog/cat/ferret has been walked/played with/whatever you do with a ferret. You’ve got a few hours up your sleeve. Uninterrupted time! You were all set to write
For writers, self-editing is a crucial skill, especially if you’re planning to send your finished manuscript off to a publisher or enter it in a competition. Whether or not you have friends who can help you as beta readers, you need to be able to edit yourself well. The Australian
Courses taken at AWC:
Write Your Novel program
Freelance Writing Stage 1
Writing for the Web and Mobile
2 Hours to Scrivener Power
Build Your Author Platform
Writing a novel: There’s no one right way to do it. One of the biggest points of difference among writers is whether to plan in advance or not, with those who do referred to as ‘plotters’ while those who don’t earn the moniker of ‘pantsers’ – as in, by the
Some teenagers grit their teeth to get through English at school, while others find it a fulfilling outlet – particularly creative writing. If you’ve got a teenager in your life who’s showing interest in creative writing, and you want to help them take it to the next level, our experts
The vast majority of authors who are starting out juggle their passion for writing with a day job. If you want to write a novel, you might wonder how to get that done when you’ve already got a bunch of other commitments. The authors we spoke to all combined day
Heather Rose’s novel Bruny, which won the 2020 ABIA for General Fiction Book of the Year, is not easily classified: it combines political satire with thriller, and adds elements of romance as well as complex family dynamics into the mix. For Heather’s part, she says she never set out to
So you’re creative, inspired and want to write fiction? Great! For all writers, from first-timers to those with multiple novels under their belt already, the process can present some surprising challenges. Perhaps you’re struggling to get the first sentence onto the page, or maybe you’re part-way through and worried you’re
Natasha Lester is the bestselling author of five historical novels, including The Paris Secret, The French Photographer, The Paris Seamstress, Her Mother’s Secret and A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald. She’s also one of our wonderful presenters here at the Australian Writers’ Centre with her online courses 2 Hours to Scrivener
Are you searching for something to focus on? Tasmanian author Kate Kruimink explained that was what she was doing when she decided to write and enter her manuscript into The Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award 2020. A great creative focus indeed, as Allen and Unwin have announced Kate’s A Treacherous Country the
This is a guest post by Leah Swann You open a novel, you open a door. I learned this from my first chapter book – Blyton’s The Naughtiest Girl in the School. Although shocked by the ‘spoiled’ Elizabeth Allen, deliberately behaving badly enough to be expelled from the school she’s
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