Category: Fiction writing

Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

From police force to published author

Kerryn Mayne was on maternity leave from her job on the police force when she returned to her high school love of writing. She soon realised that her professional experiences of crime and policing could be useful when penning her own stories, so she fired up her computer and got down to work. With an outline for a new book idea, Kerryn enrolled in Creative Writing Stage 1 online at the Australian Writers’ Centre, so she could learn about the writing process and connect with other aspiring writers.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Astrid Scholte: Now an award-winning author of young adult fiction

Astrid Scholte had always hoped to be published. In fact, she had the lofty goal of being published before she was 18. “I was a little ambitious! While it took me a lot longer I’m so happy to have achieved this dream of mine. I cannot wait to hold my book Four Dead Queens in my hands early next year, I’m sure there will be plenty of tears!” says Astrid.
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Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

7 Tips for Success as an Indie Author

by Jodi Gibson There’s more to success as an Indie author than simply writing your book and hitting publish. As an indie author, you’re not only the author but the publisher, marketing specialist and bookkeeper. And with all of those roles comes many responsibilities. With three indie published books under

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Judy Wollin’s creative collaboration leads to her middle grade novel

When Judy Wollin heard young family members say they didn’t like reading, she decided to write something they would love! As an education professional, she knew that she could benefit from learning the practicalities of how to write a novel, and so she turned to the Australian Writers’ Centre.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

AWC alumna Brooke Graham’s picture books helps kids with anxiety

AWC courses completed:
Writing Picture Books
Writing Picture Books Masterclass
How to Write for Children and Young Adults
Build Your Author Platform

As a mum and a primary school teacher, Brooke Graham knew the value of good children’s books. Reading to kids was one of the most enjoyable parts of her job. Then after completing the Writing Picture Books course at the Australian Writers’ Centre, Brooke became hooked on writing and was determined to write her own. Her debut picture book Go Away, Worry Monster! has now been published by EK Books.
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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Amy Hutton scores two book deals

When television producer Amy Hutton decided she wanted to switch careers and become a writer, she went all in.
After making such a decisive move, Amy knew she had to learn the craft of writing if she were to succeed. She liked the variety of courses on offer at the Australian Writers’ Centre and she jumped in, learning the essentials of Fiction and Grammar, Plotting and Planning and how to Pitch Your Novel.

Fast forward a few years and Amy is now a published author, with her debut novel Sit, Stay, Love released in 2023 and the follow up Love From Scratch out in 2024, both published by Simon & Schuster.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Liz Foster on the steps she took to get published

Liz Foster always imagined being a published author one day. She says: “Imagine being the key word there.” But it was while doing courses through the Australian Writers’ Centre that she learned the difference between writing well and writing well for an audience. “I literally would be nowhere without AWC’s

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Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Getting back to writing after a break

Are you ready to get back into writing? Gearing up to return to your writing practice after a break is never easy, no matter whether you’ve been away from your computer/typewriter/notebook for a few days, a few weeks or a few months. Sometimes you’re mid-manuscript and you need to pick

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Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

VIDEO: Allie Reynolds on her novel ‘The Bay’

Allie Reynolds is the author of The Bay and Shiver. She’s also a former professional freestyle snowboarder who spent five winters in the mountains of France, Switzerland, Austria and Canada. Her short fiction has been published in magazines in the UK, Australia, Sweden and South Africa. Allie swapped her snowboard

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Fiction writing
Australian Writers' Centre Team

5 lessons from publishing 3 books in 15 months

There’s nothing quite like having three traditionally published books in 15 months to give you a crash course in the world of book publishing! Things I had no idea about just over a year ago are now like second nature to me. Here are my five biggest takeaways so far:

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Michelle Upton goes from school teacher to successful author

A few years ago, Michelle Upton made the life-changing decision that she wanted to be a writer. So she focused her efforts on learning about the craft and getting as much practical experience as possible. This included entering literary competitions, enrolling in the Romance Writing course at the Australian Writers’ Centre and taking part in the Centre’s Furious Fiction competition.

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Author Madeline Te Whiu working at her desk, surrounded by editorial notes and bookcases.
Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

How Madeline Te Whiu became a fantasy author

Her perseverance paid off with the completion of her first draft for The Assassin Thief. But over 50 rejections later, she knew she needed to try a new approach. Madeline enrolled in Creative Writing Stage 1 at the Australian Writers’ Centre to nail the basics of her story, then went on to edit her manuscript with Cut, Shape, Polish. After taking Pitch Your Novel: How to Attract Agents and Publishers, she was ready to send out her novel again – and this time she was snapped up by New Dawn Publishing.

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Alumni/Student success stories
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Zewlan Moor launches her career as an author with two picture books!

When Dr Zewlan Moor started her training to become a general practitioner, she had two goals: to complete her GP fellowship and to write a novel for National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo). It might seem like an unusual combination, but Zewlan was determined to follow her passion for writing alongside her medical career. She was drawn to Writing Picture Books at the Australian Writers’ Centre and is now delighted to announce that she will be publishing two picture books in 2023.

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Build your profile and promote your book
Australian Writers' Centre Team

The secret ingredient in a book’s success: Part 2

Welcome to part two of my short series on book distribution. If you read part one, you’ll know that distribution is an integral part of a book’s success – but it’s also an area that many emerging authors don’t know much about. Book distribution is essentially what it says on

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Build your profile and promote your book
Australian Writers' Centre Team

The secret ingredient in a book’s success: Part 1

Write the book, edit the book, market the book… there’s a lot for a new author to think about when publishing a book. But there’s something else in the mix when it comes to a book’s success. Distribution is something that most emerging writers never think about – and many

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Competitions and Opportunities
Australian Writers' Centre Team

Scarlet Stiletto Awards shortlist announced

Sisters in Crime have announced the shortlist for the 30th Scarlet Stiletto Awards, and we’re so thrilled that a whopping 13 out of the 25 writers on the shortlist are AWC graduates! Here are the details from the Sisters in Crime website: Sisters in Crime Australia is proud to announce

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