Kate Forsyth on Studio 10

Did you catch bestselling author and Australian Writers’ Centre presenter Kate Forsyth on TV recently? She was speaking about fairy tales – something of a

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Tim talks screenwriting

Recently spoke with screenwriter Tim Gooding for episode 67 of our top-rating podcast So you want to be a writer. Tim has nearly 30 years’ experience in

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AWC graduate Megan Blandford: From human resources to successful writer

After becoming a first time mum, Megan Blandford, then 34, surprised herself. She didn’t feel compelled to return to her human resources role in the corporate world.

Her company wanted her to return to work full time. “I remember sitting in front of my computer one day and thinking: ‘what do I do?'” she says. “I always wanted to try writing since I was a little girl and I got caught up in this sort of sensible path of the mainstream thing people do. So I sat there and thought, right it’s now or never.”

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COMP CLOSED: Win your own ‘Prick with a Fork’…

Here it is – the one you’ve all been ‘waiting’ for. (See what we did there?) This week’s giveaway is the perfectly titled Prick with a Fork, a memoir by the self-confessed ‘world’s worst waitress’ Larissa Dubecki. Now one of Australia’s respected food critics, Larissa writes an honest and funny

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Agatha Christie wishes AWC a happy 10th birthday

We received an unexpected message from beyond from famous whodunnit author Agatha Christie. She wanted to congratulate us on our excellent milestone here at the Australian Writers’ Centre (we turned 10!). “I have gathered myself here to the drawing room to announce the conclusion I have come to. It is

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William Shakespeare wishes AWC a happy 10th birthday

Credit for image above: Frank Kovalchek from Anchorage, Alaska, USA – Couple in love at the 2010 Carnevale in Venice (IMG_9534a) CC BY 2.0 Birthday wishes don’t get much more eloquent than this one from famous playwright William Shakespeare. Yes, he took time away from the afterlife to congratulate us on reaching our 10th birthday milestone here at

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Our Big Birthday Book Box Giveaway winner!

It’s finally time to announce who has won our incredible 10th birthday giveaway of 23 books written by our amazing Australian Writers’ Centre presenters. The books cover the gamut of genres from children’s adventures and holiday romances to historical novels, travel memoirs, fantasy trilogies, crime, thrillers, and more! We were

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So you want to write a picture book …

This post is by Cathie Tasker, fiction editor and expert in children’s and picture books. The Hungry Caterpillar. Hairy Maclary. The Gruffalo. All popular picture books. Not only do they mesmerise generations of young readers, they also inspire many adults to pen their own picture book. But it’s important to

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Ep 84 Meet Tristan Bancks, author of ‘Two Wolves’

In Episode 84 of So you want to be a writer: The rise of freelance writers, is a co-working space better than working from home? How to trim your manuscript to a workable size, the book Story by Robert McKee, writing advice from AWC presenters, Writer in Residence children’s author Tristan Bancks,

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Q&A: Past tense vs Past participle

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, things get tense… real tense…

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Literary agents – and what not to do…

Most aspiring authors looking to publish their manuscript traditionally can envisage a finish line with a publisher and a contract. But the path to that line is often arduous, which is where agents can help. After more than 25 years in the book industry, Melbourne-based Jacinta Di Mase started her

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Kate Forsyth on Studio 10

Did you catch bestselling author and Australian Writers’ Centre presenter Kate Forsyth on TV recently? She was speaking about fairy tales – something of a source of inspiration to so many of her own stories. Take a look!

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COMP CLOSED: Win a Money Tree! (Sort of.)

This week’s AWC giveaway is called Maxi and the Magical Money Tree by Tiffiny Hall. And if that name rings a bell, then it’s possibly a dumbbell – because Tiffany is in fact one of the trainers on TV’s The Biggest Loser Families here in Australia! (Not only physically fit,

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Jane Austen wishes AWC a happy 10th birthday

Pride and Prejudice author Jane Austen wrote us a very elegant note delivered in a ghostly (but very proper) fashion. She wanted to wish us happy birthday (we’re 10!) “From the very beginning— from the first moment, I may almost say — of my acquaintance with Australian Writers’ Centre, your manners,

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10 nuggets of writing advice from 10 AWC presenters!

We love our presenters here at the Australian Writers’ Centre – all of them are either writers or industry experts, meaning you’re getting schooled by people who don’t just talk about the ‘biz’ – they’re out there in it. To illustrate this point, here are 10 of our presenters (that’s

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Meet the 10 new dictionary words of 2025

Recently Oxford Dictionaries released this year’s list of new words that due to popular use had made their way into the dictionary; a validation of their mainstream (or at least very fervent niche) existence. We’re talking about terms such as “manspreading”, “wine o’clock”, “mic drop” and “awesomesauce”. It can be hard

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Q&A: WHICH vs THAT? And a zebra.

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, a real crowd favourite… WHICH

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Ernest Hemingway wishes AWC a happy 10th birthday

The irrepressible Ernest Hemingway gulped a dry martini at the bar of the Afterlife then stood at his typewriter to write this congratulatory note to us. He wanted to wish us a happy 10th birthday from beyond … “I’ve always loved the moveable feast of tutored courses all year round –

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The 27 habits of highly successful copywriters

If you want to make it as an uber-successful copywriter, here are 27 habits you should nurture … Put yourself in the shoes of the person you want to buy the product. Why should he or she want to buy it? What are their interests, their worries? Tap into them. Be

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“I got published!”: Bettina Deda

We love hearing from our students no matter what they have to say, but when we hear of a student being published, we just want to shout it from the rooftops! We’re a little scared of heights, so we’ll go with a blog post instead. Bettina says:  After attending Nigel

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Tim talks screenwriting

Recently spoke with screenwriter Tim Gooding for episode 67 of our top-rating podcast So you want to be a writer. Tim has nearly 30 years’ experience in the industry – creating the ABC TV series Sweet and Sour and writing for shows including The Aunty Jack Show, The Norman Gunston Show, Blue

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COMP CLOSED: Win Swimming Home by Mary-Rose MacColl!

This week’s book giveaway at AWC is Swimming Home, the fifth novel by Mary-Rose MacColl. It’s about a young Australian and her aunt … each on a journey of self-discovery – one by attempting to swim the English Channel, the other to rediscover the woman she used to be. You’d

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Enid Blyton wishes AWC a happy 10th birthday

Remember reading the Secret Seven and Famous Five books? Well, the author Enid Blyton heard we are big fans of her work. So she sent us a congratulatory message from beyond when she heard it was our 10th birthday! “I don’t believe in things like fairies or brownies or magic.

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AWC graduate Megan Blandford: From human resources to successful writer

After becoming a first time mum, Megan Blandford, then 34, surprised herself. She didn’t feel compelled to return to her human resources role in the corporate world.

Her company wanted her to return to work full time. “I remember sitting in front of my computer one day and thinking: ‘what do I do?'” she says. “I always wanted to try writing since I was a little girl and I got caught up in this sort of sensible path of the mainstream thing people do. So I sat there and thought, right it’s now or never.”

Read More »
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