This could be you

How Emma Pignatiello went from teacher to romance author

The Australian Writers' Centre’s Romance Writing course came at just the right time for school teacher Emma Pignatiello. She had written three YA manuscripts and was working on a crime novel, but she realised that what she really loved was romance.

Samantha Valentine fulfils her writing dreams

Samantha Valentine has two degrees in English, but when she decided to try out fiction, she knew she had to work on her creative writing skills. She was drawn to Creative Writing Stage 1 at the Australian Writers' Centre because she could fit it in around her busy life and the assignments were short and not too onerous.

AWC alumna Brooke Graham’s picture books helps kids with anxiety

AWC alumna Dinuka McKenzie is an award-winning published author with her crime thrillers

Dinuka McKenzie was a busy working mum when she decided to start writing as a creative outlet. The more she wrote, the more she loved it, so she decided to complete a few courses at the Australian Writers' Centre to hone her craft. After finishing her first crime manuscript, she entered it in the Banjo Prize for unpublished fiction – and then came the extraordinary news that she had won!

Liz Foster on the steps she took to get published

Liz Foster always imagined being a published author one day. She says: “Imagine being the key word there.” But it was while doing courses through the Australian Writers' Centre that she learned the difference between writing well and writing well for an audience. “I literally would be nowhere without AWC’s courses,” Liz told us.  And […]

From research scientist to author: Nancy Cunningham’s debut novel

She found inspiration from Reinvent Yourself, motivation from Creative Writing 30-day Bootcamp, and technical tools from Fiction Essentials: Structure. And now she is a novelist with the publication of her debut novel Crossing the Bridge, out now with Harlequin Escape Publishing.

Vikki Conley’s path to becoming an award-winning children’s author

Vikki Conley dreamed of writing for children and, over the years, that little voice telling her to write books got louder until she simply couldn’t ignore it. She threw in her marketing job, enrolled in an Australian Writers' Centre course and started writing. Within two years, she has already established herself as a prolific author, with the publication of seven picture books and contracts with four publishers. Her most recent book is the CBCA shortlisted Amira's Suitcase, while Milly and the Mulberry Tree and Where the Lyrebird Lives will be released in 2022. Vikki's other publications include Tomorrow Girl, Little Puggle's Song, The Lost Moustache and Ella & Mrs Gooseberry.

How Reece Carter became a full-time children’s novelist

“I enrolled in Writing Children's Novels and became a much better writer for it,” Reece told us. “I took everything I’d learned and wrote a fourth manuscript, A Girl Called Corpse, and the rest is history!”

Michelle Upton goes from school teacher to successful author

A few years ago, Michelle Upton made the life-changing decision that she wanted to be a writer. So she focused her efforts on learning about the craft and getting as much practical experience as possible. This included entering literary competitions, enrolling in the Romance Writing course at the Australian Writers' Centre and taking part in the Centre’s Furious Fiction competition.

How Madeline Te Whiu became a fantasy author

For veterinary nurse Madeline Te Whiu, her writing dreams started with a simple scene. As an avid reader, she thought she’d give writing a go by sketching out a few scenes for her own story. She wasn’t quite sure what to do next, but committed to writing 4000 words a week.
“After that, I really threw myself into writing. I was very strict with myself to try and reach my word count every week; I spent many of my days off at my local library in an attempt to keep myself distraction-free.”