You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.  

Links mentioned in this episode

• Buy So You Want to be a Writer – the book!
• Facebook group for So You Want to be a Writer

Writer in residence: Bec Nanayakkara

Bec is a children's author and, having spent twelve years supporting student learning and wellbeing, she is certain that the best way to teach anything is with a good story. Bec lives in the New England region of New South Wales with her husband and five children. She spends her days being inspired by ordinary, everyday pieces of life and her nights trying to weave that inspiration into picture book manuscripts.

Follow Bec on Instagram.

Follow Affirm Press on Twitter and Instagram.

Amanda Willimott was working in marketing, a job she enjoyed but saw as just that – a job, not a career. Her true passion lay in writing, but she wasn’t sure where to start. After discovering the Australian Writers' Centre, Amanda went on to complete ten courses over eight years, and ultimately became a published author.

Amanda's debut novel Winter of the Wolf has now been published by Penguin Random House.

“I'd always hoped I would become a published author one day, but I never dreamed it would actually happen! It felt so far out of my reach and about as likely as me wanting to grow up and become a unicorn,” Amanda told us.

Bridging the knowledge gap

Amanda had long harboured a dream to write, but felt she lacked the necessary skills and knowledge. “Although I did go to university, I studied anthropology and history, not creative writing or literature. I'd been a voracious reader my entire life, but I didn't know how to write,” Amanda says.

That's when she decided to invest in herself and her writing dream. She started by completing History, Mystery and Magic followed by nine more courses. “AWC has a wide variety of courses, so I was able to pick and choose which courses best suited my needs at the time,” Amanda explains. She found the self-paced courses particularly useful, allowing her to listen to lessons and complete exercises at her own pace.

“The information was practical and easy to follow. It explained both what you needed to do and why you needed to do it, which really helped it stick,” Amanda says. “Because I had tried and failed to write an entire book so many times in the past, I knew this time I needed to do something different. I decided to play to my strengths. In my day job, I’m known for my organisation and structure – and my passionate love of spreadsheets. The first thing I did was create a plan. I already knew that I wanted to write a historical fiction novel, and I set a target word count of 100,000 words. I set aside a chunk of time to research my book, relying on books, journal articles, maps, artwork, anything I could get my hands on.”

After completing the research and plotting her novel, Amanda created a writing routine – 500 words on a weekday and 2,000 words on Saturday and Sunday – and followed it until she reached her goal. “When I reached the end and hit those 100,000 words, I printed out a copy of my manuscript to celebrate! And then I completed the AWC Cut, Shape, Polish course and self-edited my book. I spent six months doing my own structural and copy edits and proofreading. After that, I sent the manuscript to two friends for their feedback.”

A new way of life

Amanda's debut novel, Winter of the Wolf, is inspired by a real werewolf trial in 16th century France. “It blends history with paranormal and feminist themes and has a moving queer romance at its core,” Amanda explains. “Set in a time when women’s lives were not their own, and to be different was to be suspect, Winter of the Wolf is a sweeping tale of family secrets, betrayal and the abuse of power, the redeeming power of friendship, and finding your true home.”

The journey to publication was not without its challenges. Amanda faced numerous rejections but persevered, even completing a mentorship to improve her manuscript's structure. 

Her hard work paid off when Penguin Random House Australia accepted her novel for publication.

Now, writing forms an integral part of Amanda's life. “I work full-time as a communications specialist for an international disability charity. I'm lucky that I can work from home, which means that the time I would normally spend commuting I can instead spend writing,” she says. “I needed to make writing a part of my everyday routine, so that it would become absorbed into the regular rhythm of my life.”

Amanda credits the Australian Writers' Centre for her success. “The AWC courses literally taught me how to write! With every course I took I gained not only knowledge but also confidence in my own ability. I was learning and growing as a writer. There's no doubt in my mind that if it wasn't for the courses I took through the AWC I would not be a published author today.”

Courses completed at AWC:

• Plotting and Planning
• Fiction Essentials: Characters
• Fiction Essentials: Scenes
• Fiction Essentials: Structure
• Build Your Author Platform
• Inside Publishing
• Cut, Shape, Polish
• Historical Fiction
• Creative Writing Stage 1
• History, Mystery and Magic

You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.  

Links mentioned in this episode

• FOCUS ON… Avoiding Infringement
• WIN The Oxenbridge King by Christine Paice
• Buy So You Want to be a Writer – the book!
• Facebook group for So You Want to be a Writer

Writer in residence: Sandie Docker 

Australian author, Sandie Docker grew up in Coffs Harbour, and first fell in love with reading when her father introduced her to fantasy books as a teenager. Her love of Women’s Fiction began when she first read Jane Austen for the HSC, but it wasn’t until she was taking a translation course at university that her Mandarin lecturer suggested she might have a knack for writing – a seed of an idea that sat quietly in the back of her mind while she lived overseas and travelled the world.

Now back in Sydney, Sandie writes about love, loss, family and small country towns. Her debut novel, The Kookaburra Creek Café, was released in 2018, The Cottage At Rosella Cove in 2019, the German edition of The Kookaburra Creek Cafe – Das kleine Café der großen Träume, was released in Jan, 2020, The Banksia Bay Beach Shack in 202O, The Wattle Island Book Club in 2021 and The Redgum River Retreat in 2023. Her new novel, The Lyrebird Lake Ladies Choir, will be released in June 2024. Sandie is also the founder and director of The Northern Beaches Readers Festival.

Follow Sandie on Instagram.

Follow Penguin Books Aus on Twitter and Instagram.

This comes after the publication of her two previous novels. And Sarah says she couldn’t have done it without the Australian Writers’ Centre.

Sarah’s debut novel, Good Little Liars, was published by Hachette UK imprint Bookouture in 2019; Bookouture also published her second novel, The Daughter’s Promise in 2020.

Practical help
Before taking courses with the Australian Writers’ Centre, Sarah had worked as a commercial lawyer and then moved to a rural town and became a full-time mum. She wanted to become a writer, but didn’t know how to get started, and says the Australian Writers’ Centre’s courses helped her where a previous online writing course through a major university had been underwhelming.

“The Write Your Novel course was critical to me getting a book deal,” Sarah says. “I had written about 40,000 words of my first novel when I suddenly realised I had no idea how to write a novel! That course popped up on my feed on the Friday afternoon and by Monday I was enrolled and by Tuesday, I had started.

“All of the wonderful readings and resources in that course were brilliant. And I continue to follow resources online and to make sure that I give myself the best possible chance of writing well.”

Working together
The course offered plenty of detailed, usable help, Sarah says, and she valued the network it provided.

“To write a novel… It's a bit like raising a child. It can take a village,” she says. “You're sometimes too close to your own work and taking away the ego from your work and having it stripped down to all its flaws, and workshopped can make it so much better. So I've learned that workshopping is critical.”

The feedback and online friendship with other writers has continued to help Sarah in her writing career, she says.

“I’m still in touch with some of them, and my novel ‘partner’ in the course has been a beta reader for both my novels.”

“I've also learned that I respond really well to deadlines – without them, I do struggle. It was brilliant for getting the work done and finished.”

Beyond the novel

As well as Write Your Novel, Sarah has taken Freelance Writing Stage 1, Writing for the Web and Mobile, 2 Hours to Scrivener Power and Build Your Author Platform. She says all the courses helped get her to where she is today – a novelist and freelance writer. 

“I have been happily impressed by how useful and practical the AWC courses are. They get down to the nitty gritty and offer real opportunities to workshop and network.”

Now, Sarah has a varied freelance career which works for her.

“I think the key to getting work as a writer is just to say ‘yes’ to any opportunity that comes along, then enrol in a course if you need to!  As a freelance writer, everything I have learned has been useful. And fun!

“I’ve done everything from write a private memoir with antiquarian book doyen, Leo Berkelouw, to writing menus and signs for restaurants, to writing real estate copy, to writing websites for various kinds of businesses. It’s all a learning curve.”

You can go your own way
Before taking the Write Your Novel program, Sarah says she never thought of herself as the type of person who could do it – but she’s learned that there’s no one way to be a writer.

“I always imagined writing as part of my work, but I didn’t imagine I’d publish a novel (or two),” she says. “I always thought I wasn’t ‘the sort of person’ who could finish a novel, or even someone who could imagine a whole plot and story arc and then keep it in my head.

“What I realised was that it really is ‘bit by bit’. For me, it’s plodding along, just keeping at it. I don’t believe there is any right way, or any one type of person who can write a novel. I think it’s more about stickability. Just sitting down and doing it.

“The practical workshopping and all of the wonderful feedback we got from the other participants in the [Write Your Novel] course was really excellent. And what it helped me to do when I was giving feedback to them was to see the exact same problems in my own writing, I was quite formal in my writing. And I realised I needed to just loosen up. Just how to give feedback and how to receive feedback – that was really a revelation for me.

“I've learnt that writing is an ongoing process of learning. You can never learn enough and there's always something else to learn.”

If you’ve got a novel just bursting to get out but you need that extra helping hand, our Write Your Novel program will help you finish your first draft, improve your manuscript and explore your publishing options.

Courses taken at AWC: 
Write Your Novel program
Freelance Writing Stage 1
Writing for the Web and Mobile
2 Hours to Scrivener Power
Build Your Author Platform

Imagine, if you will: the lost soul of King Richard III; a talking raven; a lonely angel; and a young woman called Molly Stern, who is heartbroken, grieving, and a bit stroppy. When their worlds collide, anything can happen.

Richard III is trapped in the afterlife, waiting with his guide, Raven, for an angel to take his soul to Heaven. Though he's been between worlds for hundreds of years, up in the real world it's 2013 and Molly Stern has a broken heart from losing her father and a recent breakup. Leaving London, Molly goes home to seek solace from her Aunt Peggy and Uncle Frank in Oxenbridge. But there are strange noises in the basement of her childhood house and nothing feels right, not even between Peggy and Frank. When the angel encounters Molly – and Raven at last finds the angel – life and the afterlife meet, with surprising and unexpected consequences.

Inspired by the discovery of the bones of Richard III beneath a car park in England, award-winning poet Christine Paice has fashioned a beautiful, singular, warm, endearing, and funny novel that weaves in and out of time and space and possibility. The Oxenbridge King is a tender and wise meditation on what survives of us when we're gone, and how, in the end, love and family are everything.

Entries close midday (Syd/Melb time) Monday 16 September 2024. Winners will be notified within a week of the competition closing.

GOOD LUCK!

If any of that resonates with you and you feel just a little bit annoyed that you’re not getting paid what you’re worth, this is the episode is for you!

Today, we dive into a topic that many creatives struggle with: pricing their services. In our chat today Andrew Griffiths shares his insights on how to charge what you're worth and build a successful, profitable copywriting business. Andrew is a business coach and the author of a book called ‘Someone has to be the most expensive – why not make it you’, one of the best books I’ve read for how to change your mindset and management practices around pricing. 

With decades of experience on how to build a high paying clientele, his practical advice will give you a blueprint for how you can always get paid top dollar for the work you do.

In this episode, Andrew discusses:

• His journey from poverty mentality to running a successful business
• The importance of mindset and self-worth in pricing your services
• Strategies for building credibility and showcasing your value
• How to handle pricing conversations with potential clients
• Practical tips for increasing your rates and attracting better clients
• Why consistency in your business is critical to success
• How to differentiate yourself in a competitive market
• The importance of doing what others aren't willing to do

About Andrew:

First and foremost Andrew is an entrepreneur. He bought his first business at the age of 17 and he’s been in business ever since – giving him over 40 years of experience. Andrew is most well known for the 14 international bestselling books he has written and had published which are sold in over 65 countries. He has built a reputation on helping people to build business of substance across every industry imaginable. Street smart, wise, energetic and passionate about business, he has worked around the world with organisations including the likes of CBS, the European Union, Hewlett Packard and hundreds more. Andrew is driven by curiosity, he is a frustrated zoologist and a man with a big sense of humour.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Andrew’s Website
• Andrew on Facebook
• Andrew on LinkedIn
• Andrew on YouTube
• Bernadette’s Website
• Bernadette on LinkedIn

Listen to the episode below. Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.

This podcast is brought to you by Copy Club

You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.  

Links mentioned in this episode

• Buy So You Want to be a Writer – the book!
• Facebook group for So You Want to be a Writer

Writer in residence: Cassy Polimeni

Cassy Polimeni is a freelance editor and the author of The Garden at the End of the World (picture book, UQP) and Ella and the Frogs (junior fiction series, UWAP). Her past jobs include editor of Destinations Australia magazine, TV book reviewer and airport chauffeur. She won Just Write for Kids Pitch It! Competition in 2020, and in 2022 was awarded an Australian Society of Authors/Copyright Australia Mentorship to develop a middle grade novel. Cassy has presented story times and workshops at kindergartens, libraries and festivals. She volunteers with the Author Pen Pals program, and is a Literacy Ambassador for education charity Ardoch. Cassy lives on Bunorong country.

Follow Cassy on Twitter and Instagram.

Follow UWA Publishing on Twitter and Instagram.

“Becoming a published author was always in the back of my mind, but it was a dream which seemed out of my reach. AWC has helped me so much to gain confidence to write stories that are worthy of publication. My dream has now come true,” Brigitte told us.

Investing in herself

Brigitte had long harboured a dream to write and had even started a few manuscripts, but was unsure about plotting, characterisation and point of view.

“The lack of training and insight into what potentially creates a great story was frustrating. That is when I decided to look for a creative writing course. I came across Australian Writers’ Centre,” Brigitte says. “It was just what I had been looking for. Affordable, online and enough time to complete the course. The rest is history and I have now completed nine courses with the AWC.”

Brigitte found the combination of audio recordings and written notes was comprehensive and user friendly. Being online meant she could complete the work in her own time, while the feedback from tutors was supportive and helpful.

“Doing the courses made me realise that writing was very important to me. I finally felt confident putting words on paper and creating engaging stories. I love the challenge of finding inspiration and then turning an idea into a manuscript. It involves patience and a lot of problem solving. I now sleep with a notepad next to the bed, because I do a lot of my plotting and thinking at night.”

The realisation of a dream

Brigitte’s debut picture book, Wanda Needs a Haircut, was inspired by her three-year-old grandson.

“He was quite afraid of having his hair cut and it was a real challenge for any hairdresser to go anywhere near his hair. Haircuts are a challenge for many young children. I decided to write a funny and relaxed story about this and show children that haircuts are not so bad after all.

“Wanda is a sweet little witch whose hair just keeps growing because she thinks a haircut will hurt. Hattie, her hat, is getting worried that she won’t fit on Wanda’s head anymore. Luckily Hattie comes up with a great idea to have Wanda’s locks snipped.”

Brigitte has now retired and moved with her husband to a small country town, and writing forms a major part of her life.

“I start with an idea, an inspiration, a ‘what if’ thought. I just write down random thoughts, characters, settings, etc. From that I start writing my first draft. It may take four or five drafts before I am happy with my manuscript. When my final draft is complete, I start writing a blurb, a synopsis, a letter to publishers. Researching publishers is important, as not all publishers publish all types of books. I thoroughly read their submission guidelines and follow these to the letter.

“Everything I learned in the AWC courses finally paid off. It inspired me to write more and more and I am loving it.”

Courses completed at AWC:

• Your Author Website
• Fiction Mentorship
• Novel Writing Essentials
• Writing Children's Novels
• Writing Chapter Books for 6-9 year olds
• Writing Picture Books
• 2 Hours to Scrivener Power
• Anatomy of a Crime: How to Write About Murder
• Creative Writing Stage 1

W

“Completing the course, combined with my tutor’s feedback on my stories, filled me with confidence. It was my springboard to jump further into the world of writing and start submitting stories with the aim of getting published,” Sandhya says.

Fast forward, her debut picture book The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name was published by Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing. Her second picture book, Amma’s Sari, was released in 2022. Sandhya published her third picture book, Stay For Dinner, in 2023 and it won the Multicultural NSW Award as part of the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards 2024. Her latest picture book Words That Taste Like Home is out now.

Even as a published author of multiple picture books, Sandhya says it doesn't necessarily get easier to write. “Getting the idea down onto a blank page is just as hard and the first draft is still dreadful. I find that each story has its own pattern. Once I’ve got the beginning, middle and end (sometimes it takes a long time for all the elements of the story to arrive in my head!), I spend a lot of time pondering, moving things around, critiquing with my writing friends and re-writing to get a completed manuscript I’m happy with,” she told us.

Her sights set on the stars

Before enrolling at the Australian Writers' Centre, Sandhya had been blogging and Instagramming about picture books and crafting stories for her son. But despite this solid background in the world of children’s literature, she was reluctant to join a class.

“I was hesitant at first, thinking that the AWC was for writers and wondering if six months of blogging and bedtime stories made me a writer?” Sandhya says. “But then, with the urgency of being the same age as Voyager 1 and the burning desire to give it a go, I jumped straight in.”

What Sandhya found was a wealth of information, a supportive tutor, and deadlines to keep her on track.

“I knew nothing about the physical and narrative structure of picture books when I started,” she says. “I loved that the course covered not only important aspects of story structure but also delved into how to do your research on where your story fit and with which publishers. The experienced eye of an industry professional such as Zanni Louise on my work was exactly what I needed. I knew I was getting the perfect base to start writing stories for picture books.”

Catching her dream and running with it
Sandhya started to play around with the idea for The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name shortly after finishing the course. 

“Having the AWC notes handy when you’re writing a new story is awesome, and the handouts are excellent resources that you can refer back to,” she says. The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name is about a boy, Zimdalamashkermishkada, who desperately wants a shorter name when he starts school. Armed with the confidence the course had given her, Sandhya decided to pitch the story at the CYA conference.

“The story was an early draft when I took it to the conference,” Sandhya says. “I met Alyson O’Brien, Associate Publisher of the Bright Light Imprint at Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, at an in-person editor assessment. I went in nervous but full of hope. I was over the moon when she loved it and suggested I submit it after some reworking. I feel so lucky to have met Alyson; her encouragement and belief in me and my story was a vital factor in my success.”

Sandhya recalls the moment she found out that her book would be published.

“I was in our backyard taking down the laundry when I heard the phone ringing inside. I was expecting Alyson’s call because I knew my story was at their acquisitions meeting that week. So, I ran in and was thrilled to hear they wanted to publish it. I felt the exhilaration of reaching the summit of a gigantic mountain. I remember my hands shaking and just flopping down, overcome with relief and emotion. I also felt immense gratitude for everyone who cheered me on and helped me on my journey and for my own courage in catching a dream and running with it.”

Always finish what you start
While working on The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name, Sandhya continued to have ideas for more stories.

“I’d develop those into rough drafts and shelve them in a drawer,” she says. Then one day, she heard a kernel of advice on the Australian Writers’ Centre’s Magic and Mayhem podcast that gave her the push she needed at the time.

“One of the authors on the podcast mentioned going back and finishing all the story ideas you started on. That was awesome advice, and I was motivated to do that.” 

Sandhya returned to one of her many ideas and finished it. She submitted the manuscript to the 2020 ASA/CA Award Mentorship program – and gained a spot!

All of Sandhya's stories are inspired by her own experiences.“My childhood walks with my sari-wearing mum inspired Amma’s Sari. I’ve always eaten food (rice, curry, and side dishes) with my hands and that is an important part of who I am. I hadn’t seen a picture book in which characters eat with their hands, so I was motivated to write Stay For Dinner. I have a strong connection with my first language, Malayalam. I’m trying to pass that onto my kids as well. I’m aware of the dwindling use of first languages among bilingual kids and I wanted to write a story about it. That’s how Words That Taste Like Home was born.”

It’s been a whirlwind ride for Sandhya, who initially channeled her creativity into sewing and embroidery before rediscovering her love of books. She also enjoys sharing her love of books with children during the occasional school visit. “When I do get to go to schools, I love chatting about names, food and my culture. We examine my saris and I show the kids how to wear one. I also take along a banana leaf, which features in Stay for Dinner, and they love to hear that you can eat on it like a plate,” Sandhya told us.

“I am so happy to be in the children’s literature industry. I’ve met so many amazing people and made friends who love books and reading. Prior to this I hadn’t met any adults who loved to read children’s books and wanted to chat about them! So, it really is my ultimate dream come true.”

Course taken at AWC:
Writing Picture Books

You can listen to the episode below, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or add the podcast RSS feed manually to your favourite podcast app.  

Links mentioned in this episode

• FOCUS ON… Avoiding Infringement
• WIN Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivenor
• Buy So You Want to be a Writer – the book!
• Facebook group for So You Want to be a Writer

Writer in residence: Louise Southerden

Louise Southerden is a surfer, writer, and former editor of SurfGirl magazine. She is the author of Japan: A Working Holiday Guide; Surf’s Up: The Girl’s Guide to Surfing; and Adventures on Earth. Having lived the surfing lifestyle for more than 12 years and ridden waves all over Australia as well as overseas, she is now based on Sydney’s northern beaches, where she divides her time between her laptop and the waves.

Follow Louise on Twitter.

Follow Hardie Grant Books on Instagram.