“I’d always wanted to write fiction and have my own novels published… When Allen & Unwin made an offer, I was home alone in my study and I literally jumped for joy! It was so validating to have others believing in your story.”

When she took her first course at the Australian Writers' Centre, Petronella had had success in professional writing and ghost writing, but her dream to become a published fiction author was getting lost in the business of everyday life.

“I work from a home office as a professional writer and editor… I was writing a manuscript in my ‘spare time’ but it was hard to find ‘spare time’ with the juggle of work and children in primary school. The necessities of everyday life had overtaken my writing routine. I felt that doing a course, face-to-face, would help me to carve out the time I needed for writing my novel and prioritising it once again.

“The first course I did at AWC was Crime and Thriller Writing with L.A. Larkin. My aim was to write a psychological thriller so I wanted to find out more about how to create tension, set up suspense and drive the action.”

After that short course, Petronella enrolled in Write Your Novel: 6-month program with Pamela Freeman. “I signed up to the Write Your Novel: 6-month program to kick-start my novel… We had deadlines for chapters, we had deadlines to workshop and give feedback and it really helped give you the support to write a really long piece of work. When you sit down to look at writing a novel of 100,000 words, it’s a large task and the classes really supported me all the way through that process.

“The six-month course created the space for me to focus on writing. I could say to my kids, ‘I have to do my homework’ and they understood that! It showed my commitment to my writing and, I guess, validated it in a way.

“The workshopping process and editing was particularly useful, in terms of looking at a novel as a whole. That always feels daunting but reading other people’s manuscripts and having feedback on your own provided different perspectives on how the story was working.”

Petronella McGovern
Graduate of Australian Writers' Centre, author of “Six Minutes”

Petronella finished her first draft of Six Minutes during Write Your Novel and continued to work on several drafts after that. “Getting published often takes time and involves setbacks, so being resilient, persevering and being prepared to re-write are essential skills for authors.”

Keeping on track
While working through drafts of Six Minutes, Petronella continued to learn. “I did the online course, Anatomy of a Crime: How to Write About Murder, which was fascinating… As a result of that course, I decided I needed to do more research into my police character. I had interviewed a few police officers in Canberra and I decided I needed to get a bit more detailed information, so I managed to find two more police officers who generously gave me a lot of time and information about their career. 

“When life was again overtaking my writing routine, I signed on to the online course, Make Time to Write. It gave plenty of motivation and inspiration to get me back on track. As part of that, I had the bonus 30-day Writing Bootcamp. It emails a reminder task every day. I really like the ‘write 500 words in 30 minutes’ exercise. So often when I’m writing, I start researching online and fall down a rabbit hole! Setting a timer to write for 30 minutes, with no other distractions, is good discipline and gets the words on the page.”

Petronella also had the help and support of four friends from her Write Your Novel course. “When we finished the Write your Novel course, five of us continued to meet… Pamela Freeman encourages students to create a writing community and I think this is really important when writing is such a solitary undertaking.

“We still meet up, support each other and give feedback on our writing. We all write in different styles and in different genres and I think that helps us in critiquing each other. I was so appreciative of their feedback on Six Minutes – in particular, they helped me to sort out some plot issues and make it a better book.”

Within Petronella's writers group, Margaret Morgan published her novel The Second Cure in 2018 and Frances Chapman‘s YA novel Stars Like Us was released in 2020. Katy Pike and Catherine Hanrahan are working on fascinating novels which Petronella is confident will also be successful.

The road to publication
When Petronella felt her first manuscript was ready, she sent it out to a number of publishers, but she wasn’t successful right away. “One publisher had just commissioned a book with similar themes but she thought it was good and encouraged me to keep sending it out. Others said the writing was great but it was the wrong story for them at this time.”

She decided to do one more edit, changing the first chapter and the climax. “At this point, I sent it to Brian Cook of The Authors’ Agent, who stayed up half the night reading the manuscript because he couldn’t put it down. He emailed it out to a number of interested publishers.” Allen & Unwin got in touch with their offer not long after.

“It has been fabulous working with Allen & Unwin and to have a whole team who care so passionately about the book. Across the publishing process – editing, final proofreading, marketing and publicity – everyone has been great to work with and very enthusiastic about Six Minutes.”

Petronella released her second novel, The Good Teacher, in 2020. She still has her professional writing and editing work but has wound it back slightly so she has more time for her creative writing.

“If it wasn’t for the Australian Writers' Centre it would have taken me a lot longer to finish my first draft of Six Minutes, and a lot longer, I think, to get it published. I really enjoyed the feedback and the support that I got through the Australian Writers' Centre through the tutors and the other people in our class.

“Even though I came to AWC with strong writing experience, there was always more to learn and take away from each class.  

“The AWC courses are very practical and you’ll find lots of different aspects that you can apply directly to your own writing. The presenters are experienced authors who can share their advice on the industry. I liked the online courses for their ease of working at your own pace at home but the face-to-face courses provide a chance to meet other writers in person and create a writing community. The AWC courses give you both the practical skills and the motivation to make your creative writing a priority.”

Petronella’s advice to writers: I would say get started on a course as soon as you can.

Courses taken at AWC:
Crime and Thriller Writing
Write Your Novel
Anatomy of a Crime: How to Write About Murder
Make Time to Write / Creative Writing 30-day Bootcamp

“I enrolled in Creative Writing Stage 1 when I was wrangling a full-time career as a GP, as well as a taxi service and personal assistant to two teenagers. I was in my mid-forties and like every busy parent, simply trying to get through to Friday without crashing. I did very little for myself and had few hobbies beyond reading and ironing.

“However, my life changed in a split second when I did the actual splits in the middle of a Ten Pin Bowling alley. To add to the considerable physical pain, was the humiliation of leaving the parent-student social night at my son’s new school in an ambulance.

“There was, however, a silver lining to lying flat on my back for six weeks after the surgical reattachment of my hamstrings, in the form of some valuable thinking time. I saw a message written in the cobwebs hanging from the ceiling fan. Not only was the universe telling me I should do more dusting, but that now was the perfect time to get round to all the things I’d been putting off in life, and writing for pleasure was at the top of the list.”

Joanna says she devoured the Creative Writing Stage 1 modules during her recuperation and never regretted signing up for that first course.

“Having completed Creative Writing Stage 1, I immediately enrolled in Stage 2 – Advanced Fiction Writing Techniques. By now I’d gained enough skill and confidence to write and submit a couple of short stories. I also began work on a novel around this time, which subsequently led me to the Novel Writing Essentials course with Pamela Freeman.”

Joanna Nell
Graduate of Australian Writers' Centre, author of Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year, The Tea Ladies of St Jude's Hospital, The Great Escape From Woodlands Nursing Home and many more bestselling novels.

What did Joanna learn from AWC?

From the outset, Joanna says she felt as though Creative Writing Stage 1 was written just for her!

“The course was the absolute nuts and bolts approach I was looking for. I loved the logical step-by-step approach to the craft of writing. It sounds strange but although I’d been a voracious reader all my life, I’d never stopped to consider how a book was actually written, or even that it was divided into a series of scenes with a defined structure. It’s obvious now, but at the time I thought I’d discovered radium.

“The most useful part of that first course was also the most terrifying, and that was submitting a piece of writing for critique. Learning to give and receive feedback is fundamental to improving as a writer, and the way this was handled was both safe and encouraging.

“I also enjoyed meeting other aspiring writers, both online and in the case of the Novel Writing Essentials course, face-to-face. In fact, I’ve kept in touch with several other writers from Pamela’s course and we have continued to support each other on our individual writing journeys.”

Prior to enrolling Joanna says she hadn’t given much thought to how a book was produced or published, but learning more about the industry helped her to understand what publishers were looking for, which helped her to secure a contract.

“Not only have the courses given me the tools to write and publish my first novel but the AWC has also opened my eyes to the publishing industry in a wider sense.

“What’s more, that very first writing assignment, creating a character and a setting inspired not only my first shortlisted short story but also the protagonist and setting for what eventually became my debut novel.”

Joanna followed her dream

Before discovering the Australian Writers' Centre, Joanna says she’s had a recurring dream for as long as she can remember.

“I’d dreamt that I found a door in my house that led to an empty room, one I had never ventured into before. Night after night I would discover this new room and wonder why it wasn’t being used. All along I’d assumed the dream represented some subconscious desire for a bigger house since the one I was already living in was filling rapidly with teenagers and dogs, but it was only after I’d enrolled in Creative Writing Stage 1 that the dreams abruptly stopped, that I understood their significance.

“All my life I’d been ignoring my creativity, suppressing it beneath what I thought were more legitimate pursuits such as family and work. But denying creativity a suitable outlet is something I believe we do at our peril.

“Unleashing mine has led me in a completely new and exciting direction, and I’m a much more balanced and fulfilled person as a result.

“At 52 however, I like to think I’m taking the advice that is at the heart of The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village, which is:

“It’s never too late to live the life you’ve always dreamed of”.

Joanna signed a two-book deal with Hachette Australia and her second novel The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker (October 2019) draws on some of her adventures as a cruise ship doctor. Her third novel, The Great Escape from Woodlands Nursing Home, was published in October 2020, followed by The Tea Ladies of St Jude's Hospital in 2021 and Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year in 2023.

Joanna's advice to aspiring writers

“For anyone who’ll listen, I’d say:

‘The AWC courses are no-nonsense, enjoyable and value for money. Not only will they show you how to be a writer, they’ll help you to think like a writer, and then give you the confidence to call yourself one.'

“I’m living proof, along with the countless other AWC graduates who are following their dream.”

Congratulations Joanna, we are thrilled for you.

For more success stories see here!

Courses taken at AWC:
Creative Writing Stage 1
Advanced Fiction Writing Techniques
Novel Writing Essentials
Build Your Author Platform
Pitch Your Novel: How to Attract Agents and Publishers

When AWC graduate Shankari Chandran turned her hand to writing while on maternity leave from her career as a lawyer, she never imagined she would one day be an award-winning author. She has now published three novels. Her latest is Safe Haven, out now with Ultimo Press, and her previous novel Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens won the 2023 Miles Franklin Literary Award.

“It means so much to me that Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, a novel that explores what it means to ‘be Australian', has been recognised in this way,” Shankari said, before picking up her $60,000 prize.

Published by Ultimo Press, Chai Time follows on from her brilliant first novel The Barrier, a futuristic fast-paced thriller published by Pan Macmillan that has been compared to the works of Michael Crichton and Matthew Reilly.

Achieving her impossible dream
Getting her first publishing deal for The Barrier was a massive achievement for this busy mum and legal professional.

“When I heard that I was going to be published I was at Officeworks because I find buying stationery really therapeutic. Whitney Houston’s Shoop song was playing and there was a message on my phone from [the publisher] Tara telling me the news. I was in the personal organiser aisle and I put down my stationery and cried.”

It has been a dream come true for Shankari who has always wanted to pen her own novel. “I’ve been imagining that since I was 10 and Mrs Vandermark gave me my first journal,” she says. “For many years, being published felt like an impossible dream – like something that happened to other people.

“I struggled because for the first time in my life I wasn’t earning an income. The ‘excuse’ of an extended maternity leave to look after four children had run out. The pressure to return to paid legal work and park writing in the ‘hobby’ category of life was significant. I felt like writing wasn’t even considered a real job by others. The majority of my professional communication with the external world was to thank publishers for their rejection emails. Writing gave me immense pleasure but it wasn’t enough – I really hungered for the validation of being published, even though I knew I shouldn’t.”

Shankari Chandran
Graduate of Australian Writers' Centre, author of “Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens”

Then Shankari did a course at the Australian Writers' Centre
Shankari knew that she needed some help to break through. “I read the manuscript through and realised something was wrong but couldn’t work out what.”

That’s when she enrolled in a course at the Australian Writers' Centre. “I knew the manuscript was missing key elements. I read more thrillers, I studied books on the genre, I listened to author podcasts and I trawled the internet for insights. I still couldn’t fix it. I didn’t want to linger in anxious uncertainty anymore.

“When I was a lawyer, I always used specialists to help me. I knew I needed a specialist but opening myself up to help was daunting. I was afraid to be told that the manuscript needed a complete overhaul or a shredder. I called the AWC before I could change my mind.”

It made all the difference
Shankari says that the course helped her realise she needed to radically alter her manuscript for The Barrier. “[The presenter] L.A. Larkin broke down the thriller genre into its conventions and components. She didn’t present this as a ‘write by numbers’ formula. Instead, she gave us examples from high quality thrillers, showing us how and why each of these conventions was compelling and entertaining.

“L.A. Larkin was direct and honest. Day One was brutal in the lessons she delivered about genre writing and reader expectations. That night I went home, read everything she suggested, looked at every book and film she recommended and the next day I came back, really ready to learn.

“Day Two gave me the tools to move my manuscript forward light years. We did some magic pen writing and then read aloud in a supportive but still analytical environment. We assessed our work and then we tried to improve it, with L.A. Larkin poised to help us when necessary. That intense instruction took the course beyond the theoretical to the practical.”

Shankari says that the course also gave her an insight into how to get published. “I was writing with the aim of being published, but I didn’t understand what publishers were looking for. The course changed that and gave me much more insight into how I should be pitching my work.

“After the course, I went home and began a long and important re-write. I used L.A. Larkin’s notes as a reference guide and set of tools. Months later, I had a manuscript that was at a completely different level.

“I feel incredibly fortunate that my books have been published now. I love writing. It’s energising and meditative for me. I feel really committed to the stories I’m telling and I hope to keep doing it.”

From manuscript to being published by Pan Macmillan
Shankari is now represented by her agent Tara Wynne at Curtis Brown Australia, who secured a book deal with Pan Macmillan. “I’m finding that there’s a community of readers and authors in the cyber and real world who want you to succeed. They love a good thriller, they are intrigued by the premise of The Barrier and the questions of justice, faith and power that it raises.”

Importantly, Shankari has now fully embraced her career as an author. “I write every day from 9.15am to 2.30pm otherwise I get cranky and I’m a nightmare to live with.”

At heart, she is a storyteller, and that's what her novel, Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, is about. Cinnamon Gardens is a home for those who are lost and the stories they treasure. It's a story about family and memory, community and race, but is ultimately a love letter to storytelling and how our stories shape who we are. The judges of the Miles Franklin literary award say that the novel: “… treads carefully on contested historical claims, reminding us that horrors forgotten are horrors bound to be repeated, and that the reclamation and retelling of history cannot be undertaken without listening to the story-tellers amongst us.”

Shankari’s new life is because she made the choice to seek out AWC’s professional resources and teachers. She realised she didn’t have to do it alone. She says: “Do a course, do lots of courses and do them earlier rather than later on your writing path. It’s worth it.”

Course taken at AWC:
Crime and Thriller Writing

“Without the AWC courses, I don't believe I would've ever finished writing a novel! It gave me that spark of inspiration and determination to finish my first book and seek publication. While I didn't end up publishing that particular novel, it was an integral step towards being published.”

Astrid Scholte
Graduate of the Australian Writers' Centre, author of Shadows of Truth, League of Liars, The Vanishing Deep and Four Dead Queens

Astrid had been overseas working in production at visual effects company Weta Digital on James Cameron's Avatar and Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin and District 9. She had an idea for a YA novel but found it too hard to fit in any writing time as she was working an 80-hour week.

“I've always been a daydreamer and found a productive use for this vocation when I learned how to write stories as a child. Initially, I wanted to write and draw picture books. Later in life, I discovered my passion for young adult (YA) fiction. I love YA because of the story. That's what we're always told is important in writing fiction: story, story, story, and YA books are jam-packed full of story. They take risks, meld genres and push boundaries. Restrictions and rules are made to be broken in YA. They zip along at a breakneck speed, are thrilling and unputdownable. That's what I love to read, so I thought, why not try to write a YA novel?

“It turns out, it's harder than it looks. I could never get past the first 15K words, my ideas would peter out and my motivation would fade. I knew I needed help. But from where?”

The need for accountability, motivation and inspiration
“When I returned to Sydney I had a new job with more sane hours, which gave me more free time. I Googled writing courses one day and discovered the Australian Writers’ Centre. It was in a handy location and the hours were doable after work, so I signed up for Creative Writing Stage 1. It was the best decision I made for my writing career!” she says.

“I took the classes because I needed accountability, someone to check in on how my book was coming along. I hoped a course would give me the inspiration, and motivation, to push through that first 15-20K words and finish a manuscript.” 

One of the most useful things Astrid found about the course was meeting like-minded people. “Writing is such a solitary pursuit and breaking into the industry is quite mysterious and overwhelming. It often feels like there's a secret handshake that no one told you about!” she says.

“While the course content is full of useful craft information, it was the amazing presenters that kept me coming back for more. In particular, the wonderful Pamela Freeman and Kate Forsyth. Their advice, wisdom and generosity never failed to astound me. Having access to such amazing published authors was like finding a rare gem,” Astrid says.

“The feedback you receive is probably the most valuable part of the course. Aside from some short stories I'd written in year 12 English, I'd never shared my creative work with others. While it can be quite daunting in the beginning, it's so important to see your work through other people's eyes. If you want to be a published author, you need to think about your reader and how they receive your work, and the AWC courses are a fantastic training ground for this.”

Getting published
After two unsuccessful attempts at getting an agent, with hundreds of rejection letters, Astrid decided to start on her third novel. In 2016 she had an idea to write a YA murder mystery set in a fantasy world as it was something new. “I'd gotten close to representation with the second novel I'd queried, but the feedback was always the same: the YA fantasy genre is oversaturated. I knew I needed something unique to stand out from the crowd.

“Then I heard about Pitch Wars, a competition where you ‘win’ a mentor (or two) to help you polish your work for agents to read and request the manuscript. I decided to enter, hoping to gain a mentorship, if nothing else. However, I was incredibly lucky and ‘won’ not only two wonderful mentors, but received an offer from an agent a week after the Pitch Wars competition ended. I couldn't believe it! Receiving recognition that your work is good and publishable feels incredible. I'll remember the first call I had with my agent who is based in New York, forever.”

From there, things continued to move quickly. “After signing with my agent, Hillary Jacobson at ICM Partners in November 2016, I completed a round of revisions in the two weeks before Christmas which went out on submission to American publishers in mid-January. Seven working days later I had an offer from Putnam – an imprint of Penguin Random House. I was shocked and beyond ecstatic. Penguin has been a favourite publisher of mine since I was a kid. I'd always hoped to be published but nothing could prepare me for the feeling when someone finally says Yes!” she says.

Four Dead Queens was published by Putnam/Penguin Random House and the book went on to win the Sisters in Crime’s Davitt Award for Best Young Adult Crime Novel and was shortlisted for the CBCA 2020 Book of the Year Awards. Astrid's next book The Vanishing Deep was published by Allen & Unwin. League of Liars was published in 2022 by Allen & Unwin, and the sequel, Shadows of Truth, came out in 2024.

AWC Courses completed:
Creative Writing Stage 1
Novel Writing Essentials
History, Mystery and Magic
Blogging for Beginners
What Publishers Want

Sarah burst onto the literary scene with her novel The Dark Lake. The thriller was a bestseller around the world and Sarah's suspenseful police procedural set in country Victoria earned her comparisons with authors such as Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins. She followed up her electrifying debut with Body of Lies, The Housemate, Where the Dead Go, and Into the Night. The Dark Lake was winner of two coveted literary awards in 2018: the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Crime Novel and the Davitt Award for Best Debut Crime Book. 

Sarah is proof that following your passion and dreams IS achievable.

We all like to daydream about finding success with our writing, but simply wishing for something tends to be an unreliable strategy. Advertising executive Sarah Bailey was one such daydreamer, but she found a way to devote more time to her writing and ultimately land her first book deal.

Sarah’s job's deadlines and demands often didn’t leave much time for anything else – resulting in sporadic writing attempts. “I loved my job in advertising, but was increasingly finding myself desperate to have more time to write,” she says. “At work, I was distracted by my own ideas. And I was in danger of becoming the Master of Starting Things … not so good at finishing them.”

Getting creative
Sarah started writing short stories to give herself a sense of completion and flexibility that fit with her busy lifestyle. Words flowed, and it helped cement for her that writing was something she wanted to pursue. She was keen to hone her skills and hear from professional writers on the fundamentals of writing a good story. That's when she checked out Creative Writing Stage 1 at the Australian Writers’ Centre.

“I'd heard really good things about the Australian Writers' Centre course, the reviews were always really positive and people were always providing really good feedback on social media, so I just thought that was a really good place for me to start.”

Simply allowing herself the opportunity to follow her passion was a huge first step for Sarah.

“I think it was a little bit about permission. When you are not a professional writer I think you become convinced that any time you spend writing is self-indulgent, even selfish. I think structured courses can help you feel a bit more purposeful and you meet other writers which helps to legitimise the cravings!”

Sarah Bailey
Graduate of Australian Writers' Centre, author of The Dark Lake

Sarah learnt a lot during the course. “It helped me fall in love with narrative all over again. It made me really think about writing as a discipline and in some ways as a science,” she says.

“I found Nicole Hayes [the tutor] really inspiring, really down to earth in her teaching style… She had such a passion for narrative and structure and she sparked really great discussion within the class… Being a published author at the time, she had some really practical advice and knowledge to share as well.”

The course also reminded Sarah that there was a real psychology to writing. “While you always want to write something original, you want to do it in the safety of a proven framework. This course helped me to map out a clearer vision for the story that was starting to kick around in my mind.”

Finding success
The course was a turning point for Sarah. “I walked away from the course feeling incredibly determined. I went from wanting to write a novel to deciding to write a novel. It helped me to feel like I had a right to spend more time writing. And most importantly, I think that it inspired me to create my own world and get the words down.

“Writing is now a massive part of my life. 2016 was an amazing year for me. After I finished the draft of my book The Dark Lake in April, I pitched it to an agent, Lyn Tranter from Australian Literary Management, and was lucky enough to be signed. She then worked with me to get the manuscript into the best possible shape before she pitched it to publishers. Incredibly, Allen & Unwin bought the world rights to the book in July of that year.”

Her bestselling debut novel, The Dark Lake, was released in Australia in May 2017 and Sarah has gone on to publish more books featuring Detective Gemma Woodcock, including Body of Lies, Into the Night and Where the Dead Go. She has also published a standalone novel, The Housemate.

“When Allen & Unwin decided to publish The Dark Lake and that was all confirmed it was amazing. It was just such an amazing experience to go through and I felt really fortunate, but also really proud because it was obviously a really hard journey to get there.”

Life as an author
Sarah is still working in advertising, and is now a managing partner at VMLY&R. For her, mixing writing with another type of work is good for her brain – helping to keep the ideas coming. Plus, she gets to be around people – a welcome change from writing by herself.

A few short years ago, the thought of someone buying her manuscript was the stuff of fantasy. “I think when you’re writing, alone at home or in a cafe or wherever, the end point just seems so far away. You don’t even think you are going to finish whatever it is that you are writing, let alone ever get paid for it.

“Plus, there are so many steps to writing. You have to have the idea, then you have to write it, rewrite it, edit it, get an agent or a publisher to like it and then there is more editing.”

Ultimately, she found the path to publication to be a great experience. “A lot slower than the advertising industry but a journey that I am excited to continue on again and again!”

Permission to write
And would she recommend an AWC course to others in a similar position? Absolutely. “Do it. Research the classes available and pick the one or two that sound right for you… and sign up. Let it inspire you and help you feel like writing is something that can be a part of your life. I am definitely a believer that action inspires action.”

For Sarah, it was all about being given the permission to follow her dreams. “I think it really just set me off on the right path and since then obviously so much has happened in my world – in terms of writing – that I really do see it as the first step that I took along that path. It's amazing, I feel very very fortunate to be in the position where, that's my current life.”

Daydreams really do come true…

Courses taken at AWC:
Creative Writing Stage 1

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!

“Winning the Banjo was the day when in a single stroke all my publishing dreams came true,” Dinuka told us. “Out of nowhere after years of trying and countless drafts, revisions and rejections, my manuscript had stumbled across the desk of the person who absolutely got what I was trying to do and was willing to champion my words. Honestly, there’s no feeling quite like it.”

Dinuka is now a successful award-winning published author, and her latest novel is The Tipping Point, published by HarperCollins. Her other novels include Taken and The Torrent, which was the manuscript that won the Banjo. Her books are also published in the UK through Canelo Crime.

Dipping her toe into the world of writing

Dinuka had always been a reader, but hadn’t really thought about writing anything herself. As a new parent, she was juggling the needs of small people with her work and home commitments. She knew that she needed to carve out time for herself, and so she turned to writing.

“My first attempts at writing were carried out in a vacuum with just my own ideas and the laptop, an instinctive exercise based on whatever knowledge I had consciously and unconsciously absorbed from being a lifelong reader,” she says. “In the process, I fell in love with writing and the mechanics of building an entirely new world and characters that felt as real to me as my friends and family.”

With her newfound love, Dinuka started to explore the world of writing in earnest.

“I was interested in writing resources that would help me better my craft and learn more about the industry, and most importantly those that I could fit in around my work commitments and family. It was … while looking for online writing courses to pursue that I discovered the Australian Writers’ Centre.”

Dinuka was drawn to Anatomy of a Crime: How to Write About Murder because it was packed full of tools and resources especially for crime writers. The fact that it was created by bestselling crime writer Candice Fox was also a major drawcard!

“For me, the course really opened my eyes to the level of research crime writers need to undertake to authentically depict the procedural aspects of law enforcement, the legal system and prison life. Throughout the course Candice points out how research and small details can be incorporated into your writing so that the story comes alive for readers, without getting bogged down in too much technical detail or turning a reader off with overly detailed descriptions around violence and gore,” Dinuka says. “The strength of the course is that it provides a deep dive into the realistic portrayal of crime with a detailed perspective on the research involved.”

As well as getting down and dirty with crime writing, Dinuka felt that she needed to work on her social media presence, so she turned to our course on building your author platform.

“I ended up making genuine connections and becoming friends with writers all across the country and even overseas, both emerging writers like myself as well as much more experienced writers,” she says. “The result was that by the time my own book came out some two years later, there was already a community of writer friends around me who were ready to support and cheer my book on and who I could rely on for advice and guidance through the process. The support of the writing community has made a huge difference to the release of my book as a debut, and I can trace the start of that journey to commencing a course with the Australian Writers' Centre.”

A torrent of opportunities opens up

Having well and truly caught the writing bug, Dinuka decided to send off her manuscript to the Banjo Prize.

“I entered the Banjo Prize because I figured that there is more chance of your submission getting read within the timeframe of an unpublished manuscript competition, compared to the standard ‘slush pile’ submissions process. I entered with no expectation of winning, only to be certain that I could safely cross HarperCollins off my list of publishers to submit to once the inevitable occurred. Instead what happened was the exact opposite.”

Winning the Banjo Prize gave Dinuka the confidence to cut back on her work commitments in the environmental sector. She now works on a contract basis and is able to devote three to four hours a day to writing.

“This writing routine was not always the case. When I first began working on the manuscript that would become The Torrent, it was absolutely a case of finding the time to write whenever I could, whilst working part time and looking after small children,” Dinuka says. “It was still very much a case of finding pockets of time to dedicate to this extra profession that I had decided to take on and make a go of.”

In The Torrent, heavily pregnant Detective Sergeant Kate Miles is exhausted and counting down the days to her maternity leave. But a violent hold-up at a local fast-food restaurant, with unsettling connections to her own past, means that her final days will be anything but straightforward. The book has been getting rave reviews, with legendary crime writer Val McDermid calling it ‘such a good read.’

As well as publishing The Torrent, HarperCollins also signed Dinuka on to write two more Detective Kate Miles books. The next instalment is Taken, which was Longlisted for the Richell Prize in 2020 and the third in the series is Tipping Point, released January 2024.

“I am very fortunate that the situation has now flipped, and I can write full-time as my day job,” Dinuka says.

Courses completed at AWC:
Anatomy of a Crime: How to Write About Murder
2 Hours to Scrivener Power
Build Your Author Platform

Vikki Conley had long dreamed of writing for children. 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. Very quickly, she has established herself as a prolific author, with the publication of eleven picture books and contracts with four publishers. Her most recent books are Under the Red Shawl and Little Puggle's Christmas. Her other recent books include On The Way To School, which was shortlisted for the 2023 Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Award, and Where the Lyrebird Lives, which won the CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2023 in the Early Childhood category, with the judges saying: “This book delights and entices from beginning to end.”

Vikki's other publications include Milly and the Mulberry Tree and the CBCA shortlisted Amira's Suitcase, both released in 2022, Tomorrow Girl, Little Puggle's Song, The Lost Moustache and Ella & Mrs Gooseberry.

The start of the story
“My obsession with words started very young. I began writing as a young child, creating handcrafted books in early primary school. My marketing work often involved writing and being published under different brands/names, and in different forms – like newsletters, annual reports, magazine articles. I also have a genetic link to the legendary novelist, Thomas Alexander Browne (author of Robbery Under Arms). He is my great, great, great, great uncle.

“Perhaps there was no escaping my path towards becoming a published author. It was a buzz in my head that never went away, so I just had to make it happen!”

Before the course, Vikki had already decided to make her writing a priority. “I had just thrown in my permanent marketing job to chase the dream of writing for children. This was after almost 20 years in the marketing and professional writing industry… But the voice in my head that kept telling me to write books had turned into a piercing scream, so I couldn’t ignore it any longer.”

To get herself on the right path with her writing, Vikki looked into courses and found Writing Picture Books. “I liked that it was specific to picture books because I wanted a deep dive in just this category.

“The course really helped me take my writing for children to the next level. It also fuelled me with the confidence I needed to write specifically for picture books. I was an experienced writer, but it’s another thing entirely to write children’s picture books.

“The take home materials were very comprehensive. I referred to them for years after I did the course. The information about structure was particularly helpful.”

Getting the first publishing contract
“I was thrilled and shocked when I first received my contract from EK Books. First, because everyone had said it was so competitive and it would take years. Second, because they contracted me for two of my manuscripts, not just one!

“All of a sudden, I had two book contracts. It was a very happy moment when I realised I could now call myself an author, as well as a writer.

“I’m now one of the most prolific emerging children’s authors. I have contracts with four separate publishers – Affirm Press, Red Paper Kite, New Frontier Publishing and EK Books.

“Ella & Mrs Gooseberry (EK Books) is a heart-warming story about finding love. Little Puggle’s Song (New Frontier Publishing) is about finding your strength in ways you didn’t expect, set amongst the beautiful Australian bush. Christmas Wonder (Affirm Press) is a joyful ode to everything that is special about coming together at Christmas time.”

And it’s not just writing that fills Vikki’s days now. “When I’m not writing, I’m visiting schools, running creative literacy and story art workshops, and collaborating on special projects like story yoga and inclusive story art for children with disabilities. Oh yes, and I’m a mother of two young children! Life as an author requires fingers in many pies to stay alive.”

Vikki’s advice to anyone considering a course? “Do it. It’ll change your life.”

Congratulations, Vikki! We’re looking forward to even more picture books in the future.

Courses taken at AWC:
Writing Picture Books

“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!”

It certainly changed his life and Reece is now a fulltime children's author! His most recent novel is The Lonely Lighthouse of Elston-Fright, published by Allen & Unwin. The manuscript for his debut novel, A Girl Called Corpse, was picked up by his dream agent and became part of a bidding war, and the book was released in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, with publication to follow in Italy, Spain and Norway.

Starting with a dream

Reece had always loved reading, spending hours in the library in the company of authors like Roald Dahl, C.S. Lewis, Paul Jennings and Emily Rodda. He started writing his own stories, but gave up after high school, before picking up his pen again in his mid-20s. At the time, he wrote for the love of it, but always hoping that he could write something good enough to be published.

“I approached a freelance editor about getting a manuscript assessment on a middle grade novel that I’d written and, after reading a sample chapter, they politely suggested that I take a creative writing course,” Reece recalls. “I’ll be honest: that stung. At the time, I really did think my work was ready. I thought that my imagination and my ‘big idea’ were enough. In hindsight, I needed to learn about structure and pacing. I needed to develop my storytelling skills.”

Determined that it was now or never, Reece dove into his first Australian Writers' Centre course and emerged much stronger for it.

“I now say this to anybody who will listen: Writing is a skill that can be learned. Forget the notion that you are either ‘talented’ or ‘untalented’ because everybody (I mean it, everybody!) has potential in them. But to turn your big ideas into a book that excites and entertains, you need to take the time to learn the tools of the trade.”

After completing his first course, Reece then went on to do Short Story Essentials, which “really taught me how to keep my stories tight.” He also did Presenting to Kids, which has proven very handy now that his author career has kicked off with a bang, and he's getting rave reviews for his presentations.

Finding fulltime writing success

Reece admits he was a bit hesitant about heading into his fourth manuscript. But after everything he’d learnt, he found that the story came quickly.

“Six months later, I had a finished manuscript: my fourth novel, and maybe the one that would sell. I almost didn't trust it, because every other novel I'd written had taken around two years, and this one came together so quickly. Still, I decided to bite the bullet. I sent it to my dream agent – a name I had read in the ‘Acknowledgements' section of all my favourite recent middle-grade reads. She offered me representation, and two months later we had sold the book not only in Australia, but in the UK too. Soon after, it went to auction in Italy, where it sold; and Spain and Norway weren't far behind.”

A Girl Called Corpse is a dazzling debut about a lonely child ghost who goes searching for answers about her past in a forgotten coastal town that fizzes with secret magic. Jessica Townsend, the New York Times bestselling author of Nevermoor, has called it “ghoulishly charming, with a compelling hero you will adore.” His latest novel, The Lonely Lighthouse of Elston-Fright, is set in the same fictional world and features the same characters from his debut, but is also a standalone middle-grade book.

Reece says the whole process of becoming published has been a thrill but he still has to pinch himself that it’s actually happening. He’s now writing full-time, starting at 5am each morning with a big cup of coffee and writing while his brain is sharp. Afternoons are for the business side of writing – and of course, spending time with his dog Hagrid (an excellent writing buddy, Reece told us).

It’s a long way from being a nutritionist and more like a return to that boy in the library, devouring books and dreaming up new worlds.

“It’s always been children’s fiction for me. Kids’ books are just so much fun to write! As a writer, you really get to let your imagination go wild,” Reece says. “There’s also the fact that children’s books tend to deal with important themes – like good vs evil, friendship and bravery – in ways that are big and hopeful. It’s like Phillip Pullman said: ‘There are some themes, some subjects, too large for adult fiction; they can only be dealt with adequately in a children's book.’”

Courses taken at AWC:

• Writing Children's Novels
• Short Story Essentials
• Presenting to Kids

Karina May was working in digital marketing when she started dabbling in creative writing just for the fun of it – but she soon found herself hooked on the craft of storytelling. She voraciously attended courses at the Australian Writers' Centre, including two rounds of Write Your Novel with Pamela Freeman, which gave her the structure to complete her first manuscript. After signing a two-book deal with Pan MacMillan, Karina has now released two novels,

“When I found out that my book had made it through the acquisitions process and was going to be published, I burst into tears, then rang my mum!” Karina told us.

An entree into writing

Karina had just transitioned careers from magazines into marketing, but found that she missed writing longer form content.

“I started writing fun, little vignette stories in the evening or on the weekend, then had the grand idea that I could maybe string them all together and turn them into a book … I quickly learnt that's not how you write a book and thought that I would seek out professional help!” Karina says. 

She signed up for a weekend creative writing course at the Australian Writers' Centre, and then went on to complete Novel Writing Essentials, Write Your Novel (twice!), Cut, Shape, Polish and Pitch Your Novel: How to Attract Agents and Publishers.

“I think once I realised how much I had to learn about creative writing – and how different it was from the comms I wrote in my professional life – I wanted to learn it all! From point-of-view, to how to structure a book, to the publishing process, I could instantly see the value in learning from experienced working writers who had been there and done that.”

The right ingredients

One of those experienced writers was Pamela Freeman.

“I completed the Write Your Novel program with Pamela Freeman, twice! Pamela is such an amazing teacher, and I learnt so much from her! I honestly don't think I would have ever completed my first manuscript without these courses – or Pamela's guidance,” Karina says. “Having the accountability of writing a certain number of words per week was crucial to building my writing process. I also think meeting like-minded writers was so invaluable (and fun!) Learning how to critique the work of others and provide kind, constructive feedback is also a skill that I'm now so grateful for.”

As well as helping her hone her storytelling skills, the AWC courses allowed Karina to carve out the time she needed to devote to writing.

“I think it was also a way of signalling to myself that creative writing was more than just a hobby, that it was something serious that was worth investing in,” Karina says.

That investment paid off when Karina submitted the manuscript for Duck à l'Orange for Breakfast to Pan Macmillian's monthly manuscript Monday open submissions.

“I knew that open submissions (or slush piles as they're known in the industry) had a really low strike rate so I was shocked when a couple of months after submitting I received an email from a publisher interested in reading more. I was in so much disbelief, I even got an author friend to check the publisher was a real person!” Karina recalls. “I think it was the email after that telling me ‘how much they enjoyed my work’ and ‘would I be interested in meeting for a coffee’ that really threw me though (in a good way!). I couldn't even focus on reading it – all the words swam across the screen – so I had to call a friend to read it out loud to me.”

Just desserts

Karina’s novel Duck à l'Orange for Breakfast follows Maxine ‘Max' Mayberry, an ad executive with writing ambitions, whose life changes after she discovers her boyfriend’s infidelity and is then diagnosed with a brain tumour. She develops a penpal relationship on Tinder with the cheeky yet charming Johnny, and together they start to cook their way through The Laurent Family Cookbook without ever meeting in person.

Set between Sydney and Paris, Australian author Jessica Dettmann has called it a “wholly satisfying, perfectly seasoned love story.”

Karina's second novel, Never Ever Forever, follows Rosie Royce as she moves to the idyllic country town of Mudgee for a fresh start. Her new job in local radio comes with a handsome but infuriating co-host, Dr Markus Abrahams, while a school reunion brings her old school sweetheart back into her orbit. When Rosie's work whisks her to vibrant, chaotic India – well and truly out of her comfort zone – a world of possibility opens up.

Working as a freelance digital marketer means that Karina’s work is flexible, but she’s scaled back her hours to allow more time for writing and book promotion.

“Getting published is not the reason I initially started writing a book. I firstly just wanted to see if I could do it, and have some fun with it … but somewhere along the way I changed those goal posts and desperately wanted to not only publish one book, but to do this for the rest of my life!” Karina says. “I would browse the shelves in bookshops and dream that one day my book would be there too. I hoped that it would eventually become a reality (and obviously put in the work) but it definitely feels surreal that it's actually happening!

“AWC courses have by far had the biggest impact on my writing and author career. I still love furthering my learning by reading craft books (or just books in general!), listening to podcasts, and attending talks and festivals, but I find myself frequently returning to the foundational lessons from those early AWC courses (and often pull out my old notes, too). Also, I made one of my very best writing-turned-soul-friend, JoJo Swords at AWC and this friendship has been a huge driver of me not giving up!

“I have quite a few aspiring author friends and when they ask for my advice, I always point them in the direction of AWC first. There truly is an offering for everyone and you will make lifelong friends who just ‘get’ this sometimes crazy and chaotic life we all can't not pursue!”

Courses completed at AWC

• Novel Writing Essentials 
  
• Write Your Novel
• Cut, Shape, Polish
• Pitch Your Novel: How to Attract Agents and Publishers
• Popular Women's Fiction (Romance Writing)