Veronica Lando grew up above a bookshop – so it was natural that she would dream of becoming a writer herself one day. She loved crime fiction, but was hesitant about how to start writing her own. After throwing herself into the world of writing, she can now say she is a published author, with the release of her crime thriller The Whispering.
By Valerie Khoo Our podcast, So You Want to be a Writer, has now hit over one million downloads! When my co-host Allison Tait and I started out on this journey we never even considered this magic number. We were too busy loving the fact that we got to present
In the first part of this series, I gave you an idea of the landscape for content writing for big businesses. In this post, we’re looking at opportunities for content writing for smaller businesses. This sector is booming as more small business owners understand the power of content. This is
So you’ve heard about the wonderful world of content. And, as a freelance writer, you want in. You understand that the world of content marketing has exploded and you’d like to ride this wave. Before you launch into this space it’s important to understand where this explosion in content writing
I know that most of our competitions are directly related to writing, authors or creatives. So I realise that this one is a long bow. But I love Liam Neeson action movies! So I had to share this with you. Ever since I saw him in Taken, I’ve been a
There are many genres in writing. Crime and thriller writing. Memoir writing. Travel writing. Some of these can conjure images of exciting plots or exotic locales. But not all genres evoke this same kind of romance or glamour. Like corporate writing. But wait. Before you screw your nose up at
I recently chatted with Ed Phillips on Talking Lifestyle about the rising popularity of the crime and thriller genre, and what makes a good murder mystery. You can listen to the interview here. Hope you enjoy it!
I had a great time chatting with Ed Phillips on Talking Lifestyle recently about creative writing and the courses we have on offer at the Australian Writers’ Centre. You can listen to the interview here. Enjoy!
By Valerie Khoo Would you like to save time and streamline your writing workflow? Do you want to ensure that your research is organised perfectly and easy to access/find? As a freelance feature and content writer, I often have to do a lot of research, conduct interviews, analyse reports and
You only get one chance to make a first impression. So you better make it count. With the rise of text messaging and abbreviations used in social media, effective written communication is falling by the wayside. This could be happening in your blog posts, brochures, websites and even your advertisements.
As an author and journalist, I’m often interviewing people and researching ideas for stories that I’m writing. I used to have piles of papers everywhere but now collate all my interview MP3s, PDFs, online research and notes in one spot. Here’s how: Valerie Khoo CEO, Australian Writers’ Centre I’ve chosen
This post is by Valerie Khoo, National Director of the Australian Writers’ Centre I’m a little bit cranky. Why? Well, I was talking to an author the other day and she was bemoaning the fact that her books aren’t selling to her expectations. I tried to explain to her that
Whether you believe in its power or not, the presence of a new year being just around the corner is difficult to ignore. It’s often a time to take stock, look back at the past year and set goals for the next one and beyond. We often talk about our
I have a confession to make. If there is one thing I enjoy just as much as reading a great book, it’s a great film that has a writer as one of its protagonists. I guess it’s that element of curiosity from a fellow writer to see exactly how this
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
We recently completed a wonderful five weeks for our first course in Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 2. And I have to say that I’m incredibly inspired by the talent I saw in the 60 students who participated in the first intake. We’ve already seen many students published in mainstream
Ever wanted to ask questions directly to a publisher? Hachette Australia’s “Ask the publisher” initiative will give you the chance to do just that. It will take place each Friday between 3pm-4pm (Sydney time) on Twitter. Just tweet @HachetteAus and include the hashtag #askHAU. Then one of Hachette’s publishers will chat
While the media landscape is peppered with announcements about print magazine closures, many writers are mourning the loss of opportunities in this space. At the same time, however, we’re also observing a rise in branded journalism opportunities with an increasing number of corporations adding “publishing” to their core activities. So what
As a writer (or wannabe writer) you’re often juggling many other priorities and it’s easy for writing to become the last item on your to-do list. So how do you find the time to write?
The short answer is: you make time. There is no way to wave a magic wand and hope that more than 24 hours will somehow appear in your day. If you want time to write, you are the only person who can make this happen.
Too many writers think: “I’ll write that when I have more time” or “I’ll wait till I retire or the kids grow up”. The reality is that’s an excuse. If you really want to succeed as a writer then you need to … write! And the sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll succeed. Because guess what? It takes time to…
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