Craving a creative outlet right now? We hear you. The good news is it’s easier than ever to engage your mind and fast-track your learning from the comfort of your own home. If you’re feeling inspired to focus on your writing right now – or just seeking a more productive
If you find yourself stuck at home, we have good news. Now is the perfect time to start an online course. You can learn a new skill without leaving the house. We live in a golden age of online learning. You can learn how to crochet on YouTube, study financial
So you’ve taken the plunge and signed up for an online course. Congratulations! This is the first step in an amazing online learning journey. If you haven’t studied online before, you might be feeling a bit wary. What’s the technology like? Who can you turn to for support? Can you
Furious Fiction has been going for two years now and that’s a lot of challenges under our proverbial belt! We love dishing up a new set of criteria each month, and as a result, a wide variety of stories have stood on the podium. On closer inspection however, there are
We’re only a few weeks in but this year has already been a rough ride, with so many other things to distract and deter you from your wordsmithery. So as the entrance gates to Twenty Twenty start to fade in the rear-view mirror, it’s a great time to sit up
There are few things more satisfying than completing a manuscript. And there are few things more challenging and isolating than the process of writing that manuscript! The act of writing a book is usually a lonely experience, immersing yourself deep in your story and your own mind. But you don’t
This week’s book giveaway explores the origins of something that a lot of us may have spent more time with than family members over the holiday break. It’s That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea by Marc Randolph – Netflix’s co-founder and
This week’s giveaway book is 488 Rules for Life – Kitty Flanagan’s way of making the world a more pleasant place to live. Providing you with the antidote to every annoying little thing, these rules are not made to be broken. 488 Rules for Life is not a self-help book,
If you’re familiar with Cryptic Crosswords, you’re in for a treat. Actually, even if you’re not familiar, you’ll still have fun with this quiz. There are 26 clues – with answers beginning with every letter of the alphabet BUT NOT IN ORDER (you may want an alphabet handy to scribble
If you’re a lover of words, at some point you might decide to explore writing fiction. Perhaps you’ve been scribbling out short stories for years, or you may have suddenly developed an itch to tell tales. In any case, taking a course is a great way to start you off
In this holiday week, we’re kicking back and embracing our Aussie-ness, with three copies of Dominic Knight’s new book, The Strayan Dictionary, to give away. This is a true-blue, rinky-dink, the most un-un-Australian dictionary ever created – a hilarious journey through our unique words and phrases. The Strayan Dictionary is
It was the day before Christmas and throughout the world, writers sat waiting and curiosity swirled. Whose holiday was about to get merrier? Let’s find out – here were the criteria… Each story had to include SOMETHING EITHER BEING SENT OR RECEIVED IN THE MAIL. Each story had to include
It’s that time of year and this week’s giveaway is Last Christmas – curated by Greg Wise and Emma Thompson. It’s a fascinating collection of personal essays about the meaning of Christmas, written by a unique plethora of voices from the boulevards of Hollywood to the soup kitchens of Covent
Every year there are hundreds of literary events across Australia (and the world!). The great news is that these are not just confined to the major cities, with events also being held in regional areas. We’ve whipped up a calendar of Australian writers’ festivals for 2020 so get out your
If you can’t quite believe that 2019 is almost over, don’t worry, you’re not alone! We hope you’ve had a great year with many wonderful achievements. And guess what? 2020 is right around the corner! Which means you can already start planning all the incredible things you’re going to do
Writing is a surprisingly physical experience. When you’re caught in the middle of a story, hours can pass while you tap at your keyboard or scratch away at your notebook. When inspiration catches you, time becomes irrelevant. And when you finally step away from your desk, you may find that
Attending a literary event can be very valuable, but it can also be daunting. We’ve talked before about how you can prepare so you get the most out of attending a writers’ festival. But chances are, whether you’re going as a panellist or to listen to talks, you will feel
This is a guest post by Alyss Thomas The Journal Writer’s Companion Journal writing has been proven to help develop greater purpose, clarity, focus and creative self-expression. In her book, The Journal Writer’s Companion, psychotherapist and lifelong journal writer, Alyss Thomas, explores the many types of journal writing and the
Remember that feeling of staying up late past your bedtime curled under the covers with your favourite book? Have you been dreaming since then of writing your own novel? Would you love to one day see your name on a book cover at your local bookstore? Many people long to
This week, we need your help to settle a debate that’s been raging in the AWC office – and no doubt throughout history. (No pressure!) Tea and coffee have both been trusty companions of writers for many centuries. More than 300 years ago, author Jonathan Swift stated that “coffee makes us severe, and
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