This could be you

AWC graduate Tamsin Janu on writing and publishing her first book

Australian Writers' Centre graduate Tamsin Janu completed the Writing Books for Children and Young Adults course in 2012 and immediately afterwards started work on her book Figgy in the World. That book is now being published by Scholastic Omnibus and will hit bookstores in June 2014.

Despite feeling she was ‘too young' to write for children, Tamsin undertook her Australian Writers' Centre course while also studying law. She had spent some time in Ghana on a volunteer program and it was that experience that inspired her to write for children. She now works in a remote community in the Northern Territory as a youth worker.

Georgia Rickard: Transformed her life

Georgia, 25, is a successful freelance writer who transitioned from recruitment into full time writing via the Australian Writers' Centre course Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1. She now writes for a range of glossy magazines and has had articles syndicated all around the world. Georgia was 21 and, after graduating from her communications degree, worked […]

Jocelyn Pride: Finding the perfect travel writing formula

Jocelyn Pride completed the Australian Writers' Centre Travel Writing course in the summer holidays of 2011. She grew up in a home where storytelling was prominent. Her mother’s skill of taking people on a journey with her love of words filtered down a generation. With a background in education, evolving success as a travel writer […]

Victoria Birch: From corporate world to freelance writer

Victoria Birch always wanted to be a writer. She just didn’t know it was a viable option. Until now. The Sydney-based mother has always been interested in music. While living in the UK, Victoria would write music reviews, develop music websites and immerse herself in this artistic world. This passion ran parallel with her life […]

Sue White: The ultimate success story

Sue White, is now one of Australia's busiest feature and travel writers. She has an enviable portfolio that includes the country’s most respected publications including The Good Weekend, The Sydney Morning Herald, Vogue Australia, Travel + Leisure (Australia), Sun Herald Travel and Women’s Health, to name just a few. Sue had flirted with the idea […]

Aoife McGee: Getting paid to do what she loves

Aoife, 44, is now a freelance writer living in Sydney. She completed the Australian Writers' Centre online course Magazines and Newspaper Writing Stage 1. Aoife has written for Body+Soul (The Sunday Telegraph), Echo Paper and TNT magazine. She is also a regular contributor to Australia and New Zealand Magazine in the United Kingdom. A love for writing […]

Susannah Hardy: Combining acting with freelance writing

Susannah Hardy is an actor who always knew she could write, but wondered how she could improve her skills, and if it was possible to make a living from her writing. She had always had a love for writing, often creating material for her performances. But she admits, “I wrote from instinct, and I realised I needed tuition”.

Unsure of how to get that tuition, she says her mother noticed an ad in the local newspaper in 2006 advertising the Australian Writers’ Centre Newspapers and Magazine Writing Stage 1 course. She decided then and there that the course would be the perfect way to polish her nascent skills, and so she enrolled immediately.

Cassy Small: Writing is her first love

Cassy Small, 32, is a Sunshine Coast health and wellbeing writer. She completed the Australian Writers' Centre Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1 course online in January 2012. The confidence to get started Like many teenagers, Cassy Small spent hours journaling and writing short stories but the memory was packed away once she entered the workforce. Cassy […]

Jessica Shirvington: Living her dream

A true example of turning a writing dream into reality, Jessica Shirvington’s career continues to go from strength to strength. Author of the popular young adult series, The Violet Eden Chapters, Jessica has also delved into the world of picture books recently with Just the Way We Are (HarperCollins, 2015). Her incredible journey has seen her […]

Angela Steyn: Successful career change

Angela Steyn, 33, left her job as a lawyer to become an interior stylist and writer specialising in interiors, homes and design … with some help from the Australian Writers’ Centre. In 2007, Angela walked away from her job as a lawyer to follow her passion for interiors. She knew she wanted to become an […]