Student Success Stories: Gluten, ceviche, kitty cats and MORE!

Wow, winter sure brings out the writers! Here’s the latest selection of successes from our graduates. Prepare to be inspired! It could be you next time…

First up, Gabriel McGrath has been a man on a mission of late – proving that parent posts can indeed come from dads too! Heeding the mantra of matching a story to something topical, Gabriel latched onto Coeliac Week, and his piece about his own son’s experience with gluten issues was snapped up by the Essential Kids editor and its readers too – generating plenty of great comments.

Gabe believes that it was thanks to the Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1 course that he knew how to create a decent pitch, who to send it to and how to present a professional approach. You’re welcome!

He’s also since published two more pieces (when you’re hot, you’re hot!), as well as proving persistence pays off by finding a home for his story on ebook bundles (well received by Australian Author) which ASA members and subscribers can check out.

That’s a whole lot of Gabe, so let’s see who else is patting themselves on the back this week. Pick up this month’s issue of MiNDFOOD and you’ll see Cathy Jubb’s piece in the Think section – we agree Cathy, it must be a great feeling, as that title is on a lot of writers’ bucket lists!

 And congrats to Jennifer Johnston, who thought she’d catch us up on all the writing she’s been doing – travel articles and hotel reviews, copywriting, and her favourite: business profiles. The article pictured was her article on a beauty therapist, published in a trade journal (yet another place to be published!)

Another regular writer, Jenneth Orantia, was already a freelance journalist before taking our Magazine and Newspaper Writing Stage 1 as a “refresher”, and she says the course helped her with every aspect of her writing. She now has more confidence in the work she does with major publications like SMH, The Age, TechLife, Smarter Business Ideas, Fitness First and PC&Tech Authority, specialising in consumer and business technology.

Over on Women’s Agenda, graduate Lisa Almond had a piece on boys needing mentors too, while our profilic WA graduate Thuy Yau asked us all to stop trying so hard (well, sort of!). Meanwhile, graduate Lindy Alexander continued her juggernaut with a tarty piece in Good Food magazine and another in SMH/The Age on the Girls 20 summit held last month.

Lucille Wong did our Travel Writing course and took the advice concerning writing about your hometown, landing herself three Melbourne-based articles for Broadsheet magazine (one with a Peruvian theme, the other French!) and The Urban List, as she hunted down the best ceviche. And since completing courses with the Australian Writers’ Centre, Emily McAuliffe has got her work into publications including Women’s Fitness, Women’s Health, Jetstar Magazine, Women’s Agenda, The Hoopla and Essential Kids. Well done!

Mandy McKeesick was saving all her stories up for one big month, and this rural-based writer has embraced her location and turned it into a strength – with her name and words appearing in the current issues of RM Williams Outback, Australian Traveller, OUTthere, Go Camping and Border Living. Just check out that picture – wow!

And finally, switching gears, Bexy McFly is super excited to have published her very first book – an ebook that’s by cats, for cats. Bexy self-published this hilarious magazine-style tome – including sourcing images, layout, design and illustrations. And, proving that the Internet’s love affair with cats continues, it hit number 1 on the iBooks Humour category on day 1. You can check out more on this purrfect result on the book’s website.

Bexy let us know that she’s done many courses with Australian Writers’ Centre, including Travel Writing, Creative Writing and Writing Picture Books. But it was the How to Create and Sell your Ebook seminar that gave her the tools to “get off my butt and DO IT!”

Meow to that.

If you’ve read this thinking “hang on, I’VE done stuff too!” then make sure you tell us (if you submitted in September, you’ll be featured in the next one). Simply navigate to our Graduate Success Stories page and follow the easy steps. We’ll do the rest.