COMP CLOSED: Short story challenge: June 2017
Wednesday 21 June 2017 marked the shortest day of the year here in the Southern Hemisphere – the winter solstice. We’re currently having four and
Writing Podcast Episode 180 Meet Ben Hobson, author of ‘To Become a Whale’
In Episode 180 of So you want to be a writer: How to choose and set up a pen name. Should you talk about your book before
COMP CLOSED: Win Caroline Baum’s “Only: A Singular Memoir”
This week’s giveaway is Only: A Singular Memoir by Caroline Baum. Caroline is an incredibly experienced journalist and was the founding editor of Good Reading
Word of the week: Anomia
Anomia (noun) [uh-noh-mee-uh] This is the loss of the ability to name objects or recall names. So you might say “As he got older he began
Writing Podcast Episode 179 Do publishers like rhyming picture books?
In this minisode of So you want to be a writer: do publishers like rhyming picture books? How to break into the industry and techniques to
Shelly Unwin: “I LOVE that I can call this my job.”
Shelly Unwin was a stay-at-home mum with a young family when she decided to take the leap of faith and try her hand at writing picture books. “I was reading to my daughter one night and suddenly I knew 100% that was what I wanted to do,” recalls Shelly.
Q&A: Phenomenon vs phenomena
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
Writing Podcast Episode 178 We chat to Emily Gale, author of ‘The Other Side of Summer’
In Episode 178 of So you want to be a writer: Valerie launches Shelly Unwin’s book! Discover how to get annotated books from your fave authors
COMP CLOSED: Win 10 double passes to Emily Dickinson biopic “A Quiet Passion”!
This week, thanks to our platonic friends at Palace Films, we have 10 double passes to new film A Quiet Passion (PG) to give away.
Word of the week: Sophistry
Sophistry (noun) [soff-uh-stree] This generally means “a false argument or reasoning”. So you might say: “John tried to use sophistry to hide his illegal actions from
National Library of Australia Creative Arts Fellowship 2018: Applications now open
Love the idea of wandering through the National Library of Australia’s collections PLUS $10,000 to support a creative writing project? Yes? Then you’ll want to
Q&A: “Binging” or “bingeing”
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
Writing Podcast Episode 177 How to self-publish?
In this minisode of So you want to be a writer: how to self-publish, author branding when you write for multiple genres, are you writing “new adult”
COMP CLOSED: Win beautiful and clever Book Maps!
We have something a little different this week for our giveaway which we just know you’re going to love. It’s from the clever UK-based design
Word of the week: Nomenclature
Nomenclature (noun) [noh-MEN-kla-cher] I love this word and actually use it all the time. According to the Macquarie Dictionary it is: “a set or system
Q&A: Anytime vs any time
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
Eliza Henry Jones has an ‘Ache’
When Australian author Eliza Henry Jones hit the shelves in 2015 with her debut novel In the Quiet, it was anything but quiet – earning
Writing Podcast Episode 176 Meet Lauren Child, author of the ‘Charlie and Lola’ series
In Episode 176 of So you want to be a writer: How an author wrote a novel via email and what to do when your story
Alumni news: ‘The Saturday Paper’, SBS, ‘SMH’ and ‘Jetstar Magazine’
The AWC alumni are kicking some serious goals lately. Our hearts swell with pride when we spot a familiar name in the byline of print and
COMP CLOSED: Win All SIX books in Lauren Child’s Ruby Redfort’s series!
A colourful treat for you this week, on the back of British author Lauren Child’s visit to Australia (Valerie interviewed her for episode 176 of
Sally Fawcett takes us up the garden path and “Through the Gate”
We’re chatting today with an AWC alumna in the form of Australian children’s book author and illustrator Sally Fawcett. Sally did our Writing Picture Books course in 2013, subsequently finding publishing success with her first book, What Could it Be, in 2016. And now she has a new book out – written and illustrated by hers truly.
Claire Corbett discusses her new wartime novel, “Watch Over Me”
Today we’re chatting to Australian author Claire Corbett about her new book, Watch Over Me. Described by Tom Keneally as “a tale of pilgrimages and
Word of the week: Farrago
Farrago (noun) [fuh-rah-goh] This comes from the Latin meaning “cattle feed” and, according to the Macquarie Dictionary means “a confused mixture; a hotchpotch”. So you
‘Have you always wanted to write a book?’ Debut author Sarah Bailey tells all
Melbourne author Sarah Bailey’s debut novel The Dark Lake has been described as “an addictive crime thriller, a mesmerising account of one woman’s descent into
Ask Valerie: How can I get into corporate writing?
There are many genres in writing. Crime and thriller writing. Memoir writing. Travel writing. Some of these can conjure images of exciting plots or exotic
COMP CLOSED: Short story challenge: June 2017
Wednesday 21 June 2017 marked the shortest day of the year here in the Southern Hemisphere – the winter solstice. We’re currently having four and half fewer hours of daylight than we’ll get on 22 December (the longest day). Four and a half hours! But it’s okay, because winter is
Writing Podcast Episode 180 Meet Ben Hobson, author of ‘To Become a Whale’
In Episode 180 of So you want to be a writer: How to choose and set up a pen name. Should you talk about your book before it’s published? Discover how you could win a copy of ‘Only: A Singular Memoir’ by Caroline Baum and find out how AWC alumna Cat Rodie writes
COMP CLOSED: Win Caroline Baum’s “Only: A Singular Memoir”
This week’s giveaway is Only: A Singular Memoir by Caroline Baum. Caroline is an incredibly experienced journalist and was the founding editor of Good Reading magazine. She has interviewed many of the world’s top authors and now it’s her turn. Only is a painfully honest and entertaining story revealing what
Word of the week: Anomia
Anomia (noun) [uh-noh-mee-uh] This is the loss of the ability to name objects or recall names. So you might say “As he got older he began experiencing anomia.” We occasionally experience it in day-to-day situations too – when a word or name is “on the tip of our tongue” but we
Writing Podcast Episode 179 Do publishers like rhyming picture books?
In this minisode of So you want to be a writer: do publishers like rhyming picture books? How to break into the industry and techniques to edit and revise without going through hell. Got a question for Val and Al? Ask at podcast [at] writerscentre [dot] com [dot] au Click play
Shelly Unwin: “I LOVE that I can call this my job.”
Shelly Unwin was a stay-at-home mum with a young family when she decided to take the leap of faith and try her hand at writing picture books. “I was reading to my daughter one night and suddenly I knew 100% that was what I wanted to do,” recalls Shelly.
Q&A: Phenomenon vs phenomena
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 it’s something like a phenomenon… Q:
Writing Podcast Episode 178 We chat to Emily Gale, author of ‘The Other Side of Summer’
In Episode 178 of So you want to be a writer: Valerie launches Shelly Unwin’s book! Discover how to get annotated books from your fave authors and how to get back into writing after a long break. Plus: the changing expectations of emerging writers. And we chat to Emily Gale, author
COMP CLOSED: Win 10 double passes to Emily Dickinson biopic “A Quiet Passion”!
This week, thanks to our platonic friends at Palace Films, we have 10 double passes to new film A Quiet Passion (PG) to give away. It opens in selected cinemas 22 June. The film is directed by Terence Davies (named by The Guardian as ‘Britain’s greatest living director’) and stars
Word of the week: Sophistry
Sophistry (noun) [soff-uh-stree] This generally means “a false argument or reasoning”. So you might say: “John tried to use sophistry to hide his illegal actions from the tax agency.” (From wordsinasentence.com) Listen to Valerie and Allison chat more about this and more on the world of writing, blogging and publishing.
National Library of Australia Creative Arts Fellowship 2018: Applications now open
Love the idea of wandering through the National Library of Australia’s collections PLUS $10,000 to support a creative writing project? Yes? Then you’ll want to get cracking on an application for the National Library of Australia Creative Arts Fellowship (Writing) 2018. From the NLA website: The Fellowship offers a grant
Q&A: “Binging” or “bingeing”
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’re bingeing on our binging Q&A…
Writing Podcast Episode 177 How to self-publish?
In this minisode of So you want to be a writer: how to self-publish, author branding when you write for multiple genres, are you writing “new adult” fiction? Got a question for Val and Al? Ask at podcast [at] writerscentre [dot] com [dot] au Click play below to listen to the podcast.
COMP CLOSED: Win beautiful and clever Book Maps!
We have something a little different this week for our giveaway which we just know you’re going to love. It’s from the clever UK-based design studio Dorothy and it’s a street map made up from the titles of over 600 books from the history of English literature (and a few
Word of the week: Nomenclature
Nomenclature (noun) [noh-MEN-kla-cher] I love this word and actually use it all the time. According to the Macquarie Dictionary it is: “a set or system of names or terms, as those used in a particular science or art by an individual or community”. So you might say something like “Make
Q&A: Anytime vs any time
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 like learning about “any time”
Eliza Henry Jones has an ‘Ache’
When Australian author Eliza Henry Jones hit the shelves in 2015 with her debut novel In the Quiet, it was anything but quiet – earning the then-25-year-old a clutch of awards, kudos and positive press. Now back for her ‘tricky follow-up album’ second book, Eliza is drawing on recent studies
Writing Podcast Episode 176 Meet Lauren Child, author of the ‘Charlie and Lola’ series
In Episode 176 of So you want to be a writer: How an author wrote a novel via email and what to do when your story stalls. Discover how to get into corporate writing. Meet the spectacularly successful Lauren Child, author of the Charlie and Lola and Ruby Redfort series! Plus:
Alumni news: ‘The Saturday Paper’, SBS, ‘SMH’ and ‘Jetstar Magazine’
The AWC alumni are kicking some serious goals lately. Our hearts swell with pride when we spot a familiar name in the byline of print and online publications. Have a look at some of the stellar articles below, penned by our amazing freelance writing alumni. They’re all a great example of
COMP CLOSED: Win All SIX books in Lauren Child’s Ruby Redfort’s series!
A colourful treat for you this week, on the back of British author Lauren Child’s visit to Australia (Valerie interviewed her for episode 176 of the podcast – you can hear that here). As an author and illustrator, Lauren is the creator of many famous characters including Charlie and Lola, Clarice
Sally Fawcett takes us up the garden path and “Through the Gate”
We’re chatting today with an AWC alumna in the form of Australian children’s book author and illustrator Sally Fawcett. Sally did our Writing Picture Books course in 2013, subsequently finding publishing success with her first book, What Could it Be, in 2016. And now she has a new book out – written and illustrated by hers truly.
Claire Corbett discusses her new wartime novel, “Watch Over Me”
Today we’re chatting to Australian author Claire Corbett about her new book, Watch Over Me. Described by Tom Keneally as “a tale of pilgrimages and adventures, all beautifully textured and lovingly narrated”, this is a story that Claire feels very strongly about telling. Hi Claire, can you describe your new
Word of the week: Farrago
Farrago (noun) [fuh-rah-goh] This comes from the Latin meaning “cattle feed” and, according to the Macquarie Dictionary means “a confused mixture; a hotchpotch”. So you might say “The police were fed with a farrago of lies from the mafia family members.” To hear Valerie and Allison chat more about this
‘Have you always wanted to write a book?’ Debut author Sarah Bailey tells all
Melbourne author Sarah Bailey’s debut novel The Dark Lake has been described as “an addictive crime thriller, a mesmerising account of one woman’s descent into deceit and madness, and a stunning debut that is already causing a stir around the world.” We’re thrilled for Sarah as she’s a graduate of
Ask Valerie: How can I get into corporate writing?
There are many genres in writing. Crime and thriller writing. Memoir writing. Travel writing. Some of these can conjure images of exciting plots or exotic locales. But not all genres evoke this same kind of romance or glamour. Like corporate writing. But wait. Before you screw your nose up at
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