Category: Fiction writing

Our amazing Pamela’s ‘Amazing Australian Women’

Pamela Freeman, Director of Creative Writing Faculty at AWC has been busy and published another book this year, a children’s book, Amazing Australian Women (Hachette Australia). This bright and colourful book looks at 12 incredible Australian women who have helped shape our country, from politics and the arts, to... read more

Sarah Bailey wins Ned Kelly Award for Best First Novel

A HUGE congratulations to AWC Creative Writing Stage 1 graduate, Sarah Bailey  who has won the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Novel, The Dark Lake (2017 Allen & Unwin). The Dark Lake was a bestseller around the world and her suspenseful storytelling about a police procedural set in country... read more

National Young Writers’ Festival announces its 2018 artist lineup

The National Young Writers’ Festival has given us a sneak peek at their 2018 artist lineup and it’s exciting! Guests for the festival, which runs from 27-30 September 2018 in Newcastle, NSW, include: Alison Evans, author of Ida, (who we interviewed) Hella Ibrahim, Egyptian-Australian Muslim editor and... read more

Independent fantasy publishing house now open for submissions

Do you have a fantasy manuscript gathering dust in a drawer? Or maybe you’re currently working on a manuscript and are wondering how on earth you’re ever going to get it published. Well we’ve got great news for you!  Fantasy fiction publisher, Talem Press, an imprint of... read more

Attend the 2018 Romance Writers of Australia Conference

The hottest date in a romance writer’s calendar is fast approaching - the Romance Writers of Australia Conference from 17-19 August 2018. This year the conference is in Sydney’s Sofitel Wentworth Hotel and registrations are open to the public. With workshops from bestselling author Rachel Bailey on The... read more

The short long list of YOUR 21-word stories

To celebrate the recent Shortest Day of the Year (21 June 2018), we asked you to write us a story in 21 words or fewer. It simply had to contain the words “short” and “day” in it. On the day, we received nearly one thousand stories! What follows is a... read more

From illustrator to author: Giuseppe Poli

Giuseppe Poli began his career in the picture book industry as an illustrator. However, with a keen interest in writing the words as well as creating the images, he’s now released his first book Young MacDonald as an author. Tell us what Young MacDonald is about If Old MacDonald... read more

19 haiku poems about Autumn

April 17 was International Haiku Poetry Day and in our recent AWC newsletter, we threw out a challenge for our community have a go at writing one, on the subject of AUTUMN. What is a “haiku”? Well, there are many forms and they have a lot of complexities – but at... read more

Astrid Scholte: Now a successful author of young adult fiction

AWC Courses completed: Creative Writing Stage 1 Advanced Fiction Writing Techniques (Creative Writing Stage 2) Start Your Novel History, Mystery and Magic Blogging for Beginners What Publishers Want Lofty ambitions pay off Astrid Scholte had always hoped to be published. In fact, she had the lofty goal of being published... read more

Announcing the CBCA Book of the Year Notable Books!

Congratulations to all the wonderful authors who have made it onto the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s list of Notable books for 2018. Huge accolades to these Australian Writers’ Centre presenters: Nicole Hayes for A Shadow’s Breath   Zanni Louise for Archie and the Bear Judith Rossell for... read more

Top 10 fiction writing posts of 2017

Writing fiction is one of the most fulfilling and demanding things you can commit to, and at every stage you will have questions – about the process and about yourself! We understand that it can be both exciting and exasperating, and sometimes you want to just have a cup of tea... read more

Top 10 most popular online courses

One of the great perks of writing is that you can do it while wearing your pjs at home, or sipping your latte at a cafe, or during your daily commute. It’s such a portable skill! So it’s no surprise that learning online is such a popular choice... read more

Six courses to start this summer

As we come to the pointy end of December, you may be feeling particularly inspired to kick some goals in the new year. The holiday period is a fantastic time to ride that burst of motivation. We’ve lined up six writing courses that you can start RIGHT NOW. All... read more

AWC alumnus Sarah Bailey makes the 2018 Indie Books Awards Longlist

We were so excited to see Australian Writers’ Centre alumnus Sarah Bailey on the 2018 Indie Book Awards Longlist for best debut novel, The Dark Lake. According to the media release: “Established in 2008, what makes the Indie Book Awards unique is that it’s the Australian independent booksellers themselves... read more

What is middle-grade fiction and should you write it?

Middle-grade fiction has seen a surge in popularity over the past several years, with writers such as Jeff Kinney and Mary Pope Osborne frequently topping both bestseller and top earning author lists. Australia has also produced its fair share of bestselling stories. Think Andy Griffiths' colourful Treehouse books, or... read more

#whereiwrite: Rural fiction author Fiona Palmer

Today we’re chatting with Aussie author Fiona Palmer – about what’s on her desk and what’s on her mind regarding her latest book, Secrets Between Friends. She’s written eight previous bestsellers, all set on a rugged rural backdrop, but for this one, she headed to the WA... read more

Win $5000 and a publishing deal for your romance manuscript

Australian romance writing is heating up. And with the return of the XO Romance Prize for 2017, it’s going to get even more exciting. If you’re an Australian romance writer with an unpublished manuscript, the XO Romance Prize will be right up your alley. What’s up for... read more

The secrets to writing successful short stories

Back in 2002, an author you may have heard of by the name of Stephen King said that “there are few pleasures so excellent as sitting in my favorite chair on a cold night with a hot cup of tea, listening to the wind outside and reading a good story... read more

Shankari Chandran: From lawyer to published author

When Shankari Chandran took time out of her career as a lawyer to have her fourth child, she turned her hand to writing in between baby feeds and family demands. This pastime has turned into a new career and Shankari has now released her first novel The Barrier, a futuristic... read more