Here at the Australian Writers’ Centre, we’re in the privileged position to chat regularly with successful authors, talented freelancers, world-class presenters and our amazing students. And although everyone approaches writing differently, it’s clear that there are common truths that can be helpful for all. Most importantly, if you want to
Zanni Louise, author of Too Busy Sleeping and Archie and the Bear, has launched a picture book series designed to help preschool and early primary readers engage with values. Feeling a personal draw to themes of friendship, family and kindness, Zanni says she wanted to create books which were useful
Most people are aware of the idea of royalties, where writers get paid a percentage of the sale of their books. But there are other ways to earn money, and it’s important for authors to know about them! In this post, bestselling author Pamela Freeman explains how authors can make
By author, Nat Newman Following the traditional route to publication can be hard work. Not only do you need to write a fantastic book, but you also need to resonate with an agent or publisher at just the right moment. For some people, self-publishing is a Plan B – the
We’re so thrilled that our Director of Creative Writing Pamela Freeman and acclaimed illustrator Liz Anelli have won the Eve Pownall Award for their book Dry to Dry at the CBCA Book of the Year Awards. Congratulations to this dynamic duo! We chatted to Pamela about the win… 1. What
Turning ten is a big deal – once you hit double digits, there’s no going back. And this is exactly the milestone author and AWC presenter Lesley Gibbes is celebrating with the publication of her 10th picture book. Dinosaur Dads illustrated by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall, is out now with Scholastic Australia.
Picture book author – and AWC alumna – Victoria Mackinlay has had an extraordinary month. She has published not one but TWO new picture books, The Lion Who Came To Stay and The Bark Book. As if that wasn’t achievement enough, her first picture book Ribbit Rabbit Robot has been
Mandy Foot has illustrated dozens of picture books with Hachette Australia. But when she decided to write her own story, she knew she had to gain new skills. After completing the Writing Picture Books course at the Australian Writers’ Centre, Mandy published her debut picture book as an author, Joey
Pamela Freeman (also known as Pamela Hart) never ceases to amaze me. I’ve known her for the past 16 years, first as a brilliant author, then she became a presenter of our creative writing courses at the Australian Writers Centre. And then she took on the role of Director of
Running an online workshopping group is a great way to stay accountable while watching your writing improve in leaps and bounds. And finding your tribe will keep you motivated and encouraged. Students in our Write Your Novel program enjoy such benefits as they workshop each other’s writing across six or
We love indie authors at the Australian Writers’ Centre (well, we love ALL writers)! These days, many authors prefer to go indie rather than signing up to a traditional publisher. Some indie authors like having control over their writing, while others want to publish without pressure. Some make a modest
Most writers like to snoop and eavesdrop – that’s how you pick up juicy snippets and tidbits to use in your stories. And when writing dialogue, there’s nothing like listening to real conversations to tune your ear and discover interesting phrases. Whenever you’re on a bus or train journey, always
There’s no better way to improve your writing than to share and workshop it with other writers. This idea can terrify some people, but once you conquer your fear, you’ll find it invaluable. However, you need to find the right group for you, and your writing group should have clear
In the world of publishing, new houses occasionally pop up to fill a niche. One such new publisher is Larrikin House, created by James Layton after he identified a need for more Aussie picture books. Like any traditional publishing house, Larrikin’s focus is on high-quality stories that resonate with readers.
It took me a while to find my people, but when I did things really started happening…fast!
I went from my world of “one” where no one other than my non-writing family and friends knew about my creative writing projects – to sharing my work with a community of like-minded writers. Here’s how you can fast track your way to finding your people…
Scenes are the building blocks of stories. No matter how much planning or plotting or character development you do, sooner or later you have to dramatise that story via scenes. We sat down with bestselling author (and creator of our Fiction Essentials: SCENES course) Pamela Freeman to find out more,
Finishing your book will feel like a huge achievement, and it is. You’ll have learnt a lot along the way. But the learning doesn’t stop there! If you’re submitting your book to get published, or you already have a book deal, there’s still plenty for you to learn. Here, five
A good romantic thriller is more than the sum of its parts. More gripping than a romance novel and with more emotion than a thriller, mastering the genre is no easy feat. You can’t just add a menacing character to your love story, or a love interest to your crime
So you’ve joined a local writing group or enrolled in one of our creative writing courses. Bravo! You’ve made the first and most crucial step on your way to becoming a writer. There’s just one thing that’s giving you pause: actually sharing your writing with other people. Eek. Fear not!
There are a lot of adjectives you could use to describe the year that was 2020, but our favourite is ‘superlative’. Why? Because so many of our amazing alumni and priceless presenters have been published, some for the first time. In fact, 2020 saw more than 70 books come out
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