“Don’t Talk To Me About Love” poetry competition now open
Is writing poetry your jam? Does the topic of “love” get you waxing lyrical? Then you should enter this awesome poetry competition – Don’t Talk
Ep 143 Smutty fiction and bank accounts
In Episode 143 of So you want to be a writer: Anna asks whether her smutty fiction past will help or harm her prospects. And we answer
Ep 142 Meet Jarett Kobek, author of the runaway hit ‘I Hate the Internet’
In Episode 142 of So you want to be a writer: Vote for your favourite Australian author, hear about the latest plagiarism scandal, and discover the worst
Q&A: Vicious cycle or circle?
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
Word of the week: Fascinate
Fascinate (verb) [fas-uh-neyt] “Did you know that the word ‘fascinate’ comes from the Latin word ‘fascinatio’ which actually means ‘casting a spell’? Fascinating!” To hear Valerie
AWC book covers quiz
Here’s something to test your recall and literary skills. We’ve assembled 20 books below – a mix of children’s and adult titles that have actually
Q&A: Canvas vs canvass
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
AWC graduate Liz Anelli: Illustrator adds writing skills
When picture book illustrator Liz Anelli wanted to moving into writing books instead of just illustrating them, she realised she had to learn a completely
Ep 141 Meet Kristel Thornell, author of ‘On the Blue Train’
In Episode 141 of So you want to be a writer: Awesome hacks that will give you more time to write, famous typos from first editions,
Q&A: Broach or brooch?
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
COMP CLOSED: Win “The Girl on the Train” book + DVD
To kick off the new year, we have a great prize for you – FIVE copies of The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Ep 140 Meet Beatrice Colin, author of ‘To Capture What We Cannot Keep’
In Episode 140 of So you want to be a writer: Holiday packing tips for writers, top punctuation mistakes, the science behind reading print books for
$10,000 up for grabs in the 10th Annual 2017 Text Prize
Do you write for young adults or children? Live in Australia or New Zealand? You don’t want to miss this competition. To celebrate their tenth
AWC alumna Anna Spargo-Ryan wins The Horne Prize
We’re so thrilled that AWC alumna Anna Spargo-Ryan has recently been announced as the winner of The Horne Prize. This year, Anna’s debut novel The
Shortlist for the inaugural XO Romance Prize announced
The shortlist for the inaugural XO Romance Prize has been announced! The XO Romance Prize is held by the fastly growing independent publisher Xoum Publishing.
NY Literary Agent on platform building
Today we’re chatting with Mark Gottlieb, a Literary Agent with New York’s Trident Media Group. Given that so many of us know all about writing
MURDER EP 30 Bronwyn Parry has published 10 books, and shortlisted for the 2016 Davitt Award
Bronwyn Parry is an Australian author who has published 10 books, including As Darkness Falls and her most recent Storm Clouds. Her most recent novel
Aid worker Brett Pierce reveals the beauty, horror and humour of life in new book
Writing a travel memoir involves having a unique experience to share with your readers. And in this regard, Australian author Brett Pierce had no shortage
MURDER EP 29 Liane Moriarty is the only Aussie author to debut at #1 on the NYT bestseller list
Liane Moriarty is the only Australian author to have a novel debut at number 1 on the New York Times bestseller list – her wildly
Winner of the 2016 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers announced
A huge congratulations to Susie Greenhill for winning the 2016 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers! Susie won with her Australian novel, The Clinking. According to
Rock & Roll Writers Festival returns for 2017
If the recent awarding of Bob Dylan with the Nobel Prize for Literature is anything to go by, songwriting is a bona fide segment of
AWC graduate Penny Morrison: Published picture book author
It wasn’t so long ago that Sydney mum Penny Morrison would have laughed off suggestions that she could be a published picture book author. She never thought of herself ever writing books. However, now with half a dozen books to her name, including an industry recognition, she has no plans to stop anytime soon.
Q&A: An awful lot to write about
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
Judith Rossell discusses her new book “Wormwood Mire”
Unless you were under a rock in 2015, you would have been well aware of Judith Rossell’s multiple award-winning book, Withering-by-Sea. It was subtitled “a
Ep 139 Meet Mark Tedeschi QC, author of ‘Murder at Myall Creek’
In Episode 139 of So you want to be a writer: Discover how you can use your holidays to prepare for 2017. Do you have bibliophilic
“Don’t Talk To Me About Love” poetry competition now open
Is writing poetry your jam? Does the topic of “love” get you waxing lyrical? Then you should enter this awesome poetry competition – Don’t Talk To Me About Love. First prize is a handsome $1,000. From the Don’t Talk To Me About Love Website: “What does LOVE mean to you?
Ep 143 Smutty fiction and bank accounts
In Episode 143 of So you want to be a writer: Anna asks whether her smutty fiction past will help or harm her prospects. And we answer a question about whether different types of writing income (book writing and copywriting) can go into the same bank account. Got a question for Val
Ep 142 Meet Jarett Kobek, author of the runaway hit ‘I Hate the Internet’
In Episode 142 of So you want to be a writer: Vote for your favourite Australian author, hear about the latest plagiarism scandal, and discover the worst words of last year. Get more writing done in 2017 with some useful writing tips. Find out the benefits of Facebook groups to build your
Q&A: Vicious cycle or circle?
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 find ourselves cycling in a
Word of the week: Fascinate
Fascinate (verb) [fas-uh-neyt] “Did you know that the word ‘fascinate’ comes from the Latin word ‘fascinatio’ which actually means ‘casting a spell’? Fascinating!” To hear Valerie and Allison chat more about this and more on the world of writing, blogging and publishing, check out the podcast.
AWC book covers quiz
Here’s something to test your recall and literary skills. We’ve assembled 20 books below – a mix of children’s and adult titles that have actually had their titles conveniently removed. So, can you guess the book from just the cover design? See how you go – the answers are printed
Q&A: Canvas vs canvass
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 wish we’re touching on
AWC graduate Liz Anelli: Illustrator adds writing skills
When picture book illustrator Liz Anelli wanted to moving into writing books instead of just illustrating them, she realised she had to learn a completely new set of skills. Liz had been successful in gaining Australian picture book illustration commissions from publishers such as Walker Books, Penguin Random House, Reader’s
Ep 141 Meet Kristel Thornell, author of ‘On the Blue Train’
In Episode 141 of So you want to be a writer: Awesome hacks that will give you more time to write, famous typos from first editions, and discover how to set your writing goals for 2017. Meet Kristel Thornell, author of On the Blue Train. Also: why you need to do
Q&A: Broach or brooch?
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 wish to broach the
COMP CLOSED: Win “The Girl on the Train” book + DVD
To kick off the new year, we have a great prize for you – FIVE copies of The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins along with the DVD of the film adaptation starring Emily Blunt. The perfect pair to add to your collection! The story centres on Rachel, struggling
Ep 140 Meet Beatrice Colin, author of ‘To Capture What We Cannot Keep’
In Episode 140 of So you want to be a writer: Holiday packing tips for writers, top punctuation mistakes, the science behind reading print books for kids. Our word of the week is “fart”. Discover how you could win a copy of The Girl On The Train book and DVD pack.
$10,000 up for grabs in the 10th Annual 2017 Text Prize
Do you write for young adults or children? Live in Australia or New Zealand? You don’t want to miss this competition. To celebrate their tenth anniversary of the Text Prize, Text Publishing are offering $10,000 plus a publishing contract. Wow! From the Text Publishing website: Awarded annually to the best
AWC alumna Anna Spargo-Ryan wins The Horne Prize
We’re so thrilled that AWC alumna Anna Spargo-Ryan has recently been announced as the winner of The Horne Prize. This year, Anna’s debut novel The Paper House was also released to critical acclaim. Australian Writers’ Centre CEO Valerie Khoo says: “When I first started reading Anna’s blog, I knew that
Shortlist for the inaugural XO Romance Prize announced
The shortlist for the inaugural XO Romance Prize has been announced! The XO Romance Prize is held by the fastly growing independent publisher Xoum Publishing. The competition was open to all Australian writers aged 18 and over with a completed, unpublished contemporary romance manuscript. According to guest judge Alexandra Nahlous,
NY Literary Agent on platform building
Today we’re chatting with Mark Gottlieb, a Literary Agent with New York’s Trident Media Group. Given that so many of us know all about writing but are often in the dark about the agent process, we thought we’d find out more about the world from an agent’s point of view…
MURDER EP 30 Bronwyn Parry has published 10 books, and shortlisted for the 2016 Davitt Award
Bronwyn Parry is an Australian author who has published 10 books, including As Darkness Falls and her most recent Storm Clouds. Her most recent novel has been shortlisted for the 2016 Sisters in Crime Davitt award. Bronwyn talks about the extent of her research when attempting to set up the
Aid worker Brett Pierce reveals the beauty, horror and humour of life in new book
Writing a travel memoir involves having a unique experience to share with your readers. And in this regard, Australian author Brett Pierce had no shortage of material when he came to writing about his adventures as an aid worker around the globe. Hi Brett. So, your book is called Beyond
MURDER EP 29 Liane Moriarty is the only Aussie author to debut at #1 on the NYT bestseller list
Liane Moriarty is the only Australian author to have a novel debut at number 1 on the New York Times bestseller list – her wildly successful novel Big Little Lies. The same novel has been optioned for a film featuring the likes of Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Alexander Skarsgard.
Winner of the 2016 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers announced
A huge congratulations to Susie Greenhill for winning the 2016 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers! Susie won with her Australian novel, The Clinking. According to one of the judges, Susie’s writing was “electric, and profoundly affecting”. Thanks to Hachette Australia, winners receive prize money, publishing mentoring, and their finished manuscript
Rock & Roll Writers Festival returns for 2017
If the recent awarding of Bob Dylan with the Nobel Prize for Literature is anything to go by, songwriting is a bona fide segment of the larger storytelling canon. To build on this, a writing festival with a difference is returning in 2017 following its successful inaugural event. It’s called
AWC graduate Penny Morrison: Published picture book author
It wasn’t so long ago that Sydney mum Penny Morrison would have laughed off suggestions that she could be a published picture book author. She never thought of herself ever writing books. However, now with half a dozen books to her name, including an industry recognition, she has no plans to stop anytime soon.
Q&A: An awful lot to write about
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 have an awful lot
Judith Rossell discusses her new book “Wormwood Mire”
Unless you were under a rock in 2015, you would have been well aware of Judith Rossell’s multiple award-winning book, Withering-by-Sea. It was subtitled “a Stella Montgomery intrigue” – and now Stella is back for another intriguing installment. So Judith, the second book of this series has finally hit the
Ep 139 Meet Mark Tedeschi QC, author of ‘Murder at Myall Creek’
In Episode 139 of So you want to be a writer: Discover how you can use your holidays to prepare for 2017. Do you have bibliophilic tendencies? We think you might! You’ll also meet Mark Tedeschi QC, author of Murder at Myall Creek. Plus, we reveal our favourite episodes of 2016
Browse posts by category
Courses starting soon
