In order to convince your reader that the world of your story is ‘real’ or ‘true’ – no matter whether it’s high fantasy, a crime novel, a rom-com, and so on – you need to create a sense of ‘verisimilitude’. Now, that’s a word that comes from a bunch of
Do you need to write every day? I was scrolling through Facebook this week when a post stopped me in my tracks. It was by Pamela Freeman, bestselling author and Director of Creative Writing at the Australian Writers’ Centre. Pamela wrote: “I was thinking today about the ‘you must write
How often do you wish you could corner a publisher and ask them exactly what they want? What are they looking for? How do they know when they’ve found it? Well, never fear, for I’ve done it for you. I asked Laura Sieveking, Publisher, Children’s Books at Scholastic Australia, for
I’ve been working as a writer since I was 19 years old, which is … well, a lot of years. One thing I’ve never had any trouble with is ideas. As a magazine journalist, then a freelance writer, my whole job was predicated on new ideas. And I learnt very
Learning to edit your own writing is an essential part of every author’s life. Even if you plot every sentence out in advance, you will still need to edit your first complete draft to ensure it’s as good as it can be. If you’re more at the ‘pantser’ end of
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.
Fleur Ferris is the author of Seven Days, Found, Risk, Wreck, and Black. She spent the first 17 years of her life growing up on a farm in Patchewollock, north-west Victoria. She then moved twenty times in twenty years.During this time, Fleur sometimes saw the darker side to life while
Hannibal Lecter. Voldemort. Nurse Ratched. Kylo Ren. Cruella De Vil. All memorable villains who not only stand the test of time but who also play a huge part in turning a good story into a great one. Creating a memorable villain is one of the keys to a successful novel.
When we think about writing and then promoting a novel, sometimes it’s easy to overlook one of the greatest marketing strategies at your fingertips: a great title. Writing a title for your novel can be the first thing you do – or the very last. Some authors will come up
I recently had the opportunity to interview bestselling author (and AWC presenter) Dr Kate Forsyth about her novel The Crimson Thread. We took a deep-dive into Deep Point Of View – and the conversation was so good, I simply had to share. How would you define deep point of view?
Kate McCaffrey is author of Double Lives, her first novel for adults. She is already experienced at writing young adult novels, which include Destroying Avalon, In Ecstasy, Beautiful Monster, and more. Kate is also working in several different genres from contemporary women’s fiction to historical and middle grade books. She
“Character drives story.” It’s one of those writerly maxims you hear over and over, and something I teach regularly to writers of all ages. But to make it work, you need to create a character your readers will care about enough to go along for the ride. For me, compelling
Katie McMahon is a medical doctor and author of The Accident. Her first novel, The Mistake, was published internationally in 2021. Katie has also written articles for The Age and The Quarry. She grew up in Frankston, and now lives in Hobart with her family. Katie chats to Valerie Khoo,
Jess Horn was a busy working parent with no time for hobbies, but she decided she could just squeeze in a few minutes to enter the Furious Fiction competition at the Australian Writers’ Centre. After that, she was hooked. With her childhood love of writing rekindled, Jess enrolled in Creative Writing Stage 1 and then dived into Writing Picture Books.
It takes a lot of work and know-how to write a book that appeals to a wide audience – so much so, that we decided 5 top tips were simply not enough! So here are six more top tips for writing commercial fiction, direct from authors we spoke to on
Belinda Murrell is an award winning, internationally published author with a history of writing in her family that spans over 200 years. Belinda has written more than 35 books including ‘The Silver Sea’ and ‘The Golden Tower’, a time slip fantasy series set in a Renaissance Italian inspired world, The
What does it take to write a book that sells to a wide audience? Is there a secret to creating popular, accessible stories? We’ve curated this selection of writing tips direct from authors who have been featured on the So You Want To Be A Writer podcast – click the
Reece Carter is the author of A Girl Called Corpse, which was published after an international bidding war between publishers vying for the book. He grew up on his family farm in Tammin, Western Australia. There was an unfortunate lack of witches and ghosts though, so Reece had to find
Shannon Meyerkort has been riding high since the release of her first book Brilliant Minds: 30 Dyslexic Heroes Who Changed Our World. While the idea initially started as a personal research project, it turned into a hugely popular book when Affirm Press offered her a book deal.
We’re heading into my favourite time of the year and it has nothing to do with tinsel and ham or any other festive celebration. Nope, the best period of any year, for me, is that weird period between Christmas and New Year. Long days with nothing much to do except
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