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We’ve received many messages from people around Australia and the world to congratulate us on our excellent milestone here at the Australian Writers’ Centre. (We turned 10!) But a couple of them were quite unexpected, such as this one from famous 19th-century authoring sister, Emily Bronte… “Congratulations Australian Writers Centre

2015 marks the Australian Writers’ Centre’s 10th birthday, and it got us thinking… what were we all doing 10 years go? We turned back the clock to share these stories with you. Finish this sentence: 10 years ago, I was… …helping Valerie prep for the first class at the, back

The much-loved children’s author Roald Dahl sent us this birthday message from the Giant Peach of the Afterlife. He wanted to wish the Australian Writers’ Centre happy 10th birthday! Here’s what he said. “You have taught us that publishers are merely Big Friendly Gatekeepers and that we can all create marvellous medicines to

Are you an unpublished writer just starting out and wanting some capital to help build your profile? Well, writer Matthew Loomis wants to give you it, as part of his New Writer Scholarship. “Matthew who?” you say. No, you probably haven’t heard of him – he is simply a blogger

BOOK NOW Who is speaking at this event: Candice Fox is the bestselling crime and thriller writer behind the novel Hades, which won the prestigious Ned Kelly Award in 2014. Its sequel, Eden, was published in January 2015 and won the Ned Kelly Award in 2015. Book three in the

In celebration of 10 years of the Australian Writers’ Centre, we thought we’d source 10 really great quotes to motivate and inspire you to succeed. There are thousands of writing-related quotes out there, but these quote don’t mention books, words, or writing but help us communicate 10 important messages. If even just

When I’m using my smartphone, I almost develop a facial tick whenever I’m typing a word that needs an apostrophe. Usually, I’m on the go and want to minimise keystrokes and tap out a super quick message. But then comes a word that needs an apostrophe like: I’ll He’ll We’re

The world of vanity publishing can be very murky. For the uninitiated, vanity publishing sits somewhere between self-publishing and traditional (commercial publishing). However, some vanity publishers are blurring the lines and preying on aspiring authors who would do anything to see their books in print. It’s important to note that

I’ve written before about my love of Scrivener. And just when I thought I couldn’t love it any more, I find out something else about the program that makes me swoon! I’ve been playing around with Scrivener’s Outliner and I’ve discovered that, especially for a non-planner like me, it’s an

Aspiring food writers and hungry readers, the Food & Words festival is kicking off in Sydney later this month. If you’re thinking about getting serious about food writing, you don’t want to miss this event filled with food celebrities, established food writers and, of course, great grub. From the press

Want to be a smarter writer? Of course you do. Well, it’s going to mean more than knowing the difference between “its” and “it’s” (although, kudos for that too, by the way). These days, apps are where it’s at. Once you get beyond crushing candy, blitzing jewels and Kate-Uptonesque games

Do you have a nerdy, unabashed passion for all things espionage? Perhaps you’re a die-hard Ian Fleming fan? Maybe you have a secret pocket in your trench coat to carry your favourite Ludlum novel?  Or maybe you just want an “appropriate” reason to dress up as Austin Powers? If this has

I recently blogged about how Scrivener was helping me to imagine all kinds of structural possibilities for my novel, because of the way it made setting up and manipulating the ordering of the scenes in my book so easy. In this post, I’m going to cover off three other features of

We’re thrilled for Australian Writers’ Centre presenter Candice Fox for being announced as the winner of the 2015 Ned Kelly Award for Best Australian Crime Fiction with her novel Eden! Her debut novel Hades won last year’s Ned Kelly for Best First Fiction. Candice presents our popular course Anatomy of

Do these awards sound familiar to you? It’s probably because you’ve read most of the winners as a kid (or to your own children!) thanks to their shiny round stickers: Whether the sticker was Silver, Blue or Bronze – you knew you’d be in for a good read. Today the

It may still be winter, but if you’re in Melbourne you’ll want to leave the comfort and warmth of your blanket fort for the Melbourne Writers Festival (MFW). This year’s festival runs from the 20th of August to the 30th of August and embraces all forms of writing from Nobel prize

The Ned Kelly Awards are Australia’s oldest and most prestigious prizes honouring our crime fiction and true crime writing, and this year they’re celebrating their big 2-0! The winners of the 2015 Ned Kelly Awards will be announced at the Melbourne Writers Festival on Saturday August 22 – and they’ve just

Monday 12 October 2015 Time: 6.30–8.00pm Although the official time is from 6.30pm to 8.00pm, you are welcome to stay as long as you like – and we imagine many of you will! Who: Natasha Lester had always wanted to be a writer but somehow found herself studying Commerce when

The new love of my life is not tall, dark and handsome, nor is it likely to bring me flowers every day. But it does something even better – it makes writing a book a breeze. And it’s name is Scrivener. Scrivener is a program especially designed for novel writing,

We waited with bated breath all day long… only to remember that the announcement happens at 12pm British Standard Time. Finally, the clocks have ticked over in the UK, and the longlist is here! From the official announcement: The longlist, or ‘Man Booker Dozen’, for the £50,000 Man Booker Prize is