It can be hard to stop reading a good story. Chapter after chapter, there’s always something to keep you turning pages. With the very best books, you may find yourself wondering: how do they come up with these great ideas? Well for many it means careful planning and outlining followed
There are loads of books out there about writing and it can be hard to find one that really connects with you. They can offer advice or exercises, rules or suggestions, or just provide inspiration. We’ve brought together recommendations from some top authors, writers and publishers on what they believe
I talk often about how much I love Scrivener so I won’t waste time effusing here. Instead, I’ll dive straight into how Scrivener helped me to write The French Photographer. There were three particular features of Scrivener that I found most useful. The Coloured Binder This is probably my favourite
We often talk about people being on a ‘writing journey’. Even the most established, prolific and famous writers are still honing their craft, learning new skills, trying new things, and progressing along their writing path. Basically, it’s never over! So wherever you are on your writing journey, here are nine
It’s the time of the year where you look at that ambitious list of resolutions from January and wonder – where on earth have the days gone? Why haven’t I achieved anything? The good news is, there are still plenty of opportunities to get started on your writing and improve
You’ve probably heard all about podcasts, and maybe everyone you know is listening to them. A friend has told you that you should totally listen to This American Life with Ira Glass. Or a colleague says you absolutely have to listen the true crime podcast phenomenon Serial. Or your writer
By Kylie Westaway, author Whale in the Bath and Why Can’t I Be A Dinosaur? www.kyliewestaway.com To write for kids I have to put myself back into the mindset of my four or five year old self, and remember what it was like to really be a child. I’ve put
By Allison Rushby I had one of those dilemmas only writerly-types can have. I knew what I wanted my next story to be about. I had a loose plot and a list of all the things I couldn’t wait to include (tea! buns! ivy! Victorian cemeteries! a talking fox!). I
By Nicole Hurley-Moore The 5 essential elements in a successful rural fiction novel So, I’ve mulled over the question what are the 5 essential elements you need for a successful rural fiction novel, and I’ve come up with these points. I’m not sure if everyone will agree but I think
You can’t beat the freedom and flexibility that come with being a freelance writer – but that doesn’t mean that freelance writing is an easy job. Some people, particularly those who wouldn’t generally be considered self-starters, often feel overwhelmed by the amount of work they have to handle. It’s possible
This post is by Sue White, successful freelance writer and Australian Writers’ Centre presenter. This last fortnight at least half a dozen friends – mostly of the journo and/or blogger variety – have complained to me about their absolute lack of ability to work effectively from home. One friend started
This post is by Sue White, successful freelance writer and Australian Writers’ Centre presenter. It’s a freelancing paradox. On one hand, if you’re self employed, existing friends pop out of the woodwork at all hours of the (traditional) work day. “I’m having a day off, want to hang out?” or
This post is by Pamela Freeman, author of more than 30 books and director of the creative writing faculty at the Australian Writers’ Centre. After a recent class where I discussed my ‘four-colour printing process’ approach to writing scenes, one of my students asked me to do a blog post
This post is by Sue White, intrepid travel writer and Australian Writers’ Centre Travel Writing and Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1 course presenter. WOOEE. You’re on the road. You’ve planned a great travel writing itinerary, maybe even sold a story or two, and you’re out there doing it. Nice
This post is by Pamela Freeman, author of more than 30 books and director of the creative writing faculty at the Australian Writers’ Centre. I’ve been thinking a lot lately, for family reasons, about how and why someone makes the decision to follow a creative life, rather than one more
I could procrastinate for Australia. I could. If it were an Olympic sport, I’d be the Torah Bright of Procrastination – only without the fantastic teeth … and I’d probably find a reason to put off the dancing… Having said that, I am also a surprisingly productive person. I know.
One of the great pleasures of writing a fantasy novel is creating the secondary world in which your story will inhabit. In the contemporary fiction genre, the writer knows the religious, political, historical, and cultural background of the society already A fantasy writer must construct the society from the very
When you are a writer, you meet a lot of people who want to be writing. The guy in my local cafe has a fantasy novel that he’s been researching for about seven years. A friend of mine has been working on a novel for 20 years. The beautiful girl
It’s tempting to think that to write a book you need a shiny new laptop, or to indulge your love of stationery by buying a brand new notebook or pen, or a book about the craft of writing that will reveal all of the secrets of being a writer. But
Writing is an art, which means it is mysterious. It rises from the deep bog of our subconscious and is guided by impulse and intuition and imagination. However, writing is also a craft. A writer must learn how to shape and control the artistic impulse, to bring logic and structure
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