Newsletters

The Writers' Studio has always dreamt of creating a pathway for the novels created in our courses to connect with the publishing industry.

We’re thrilled to announce that registrations are now open for our second Pitching Your Novel Day Workshop, happening on Saturday the 21st of June.

The prose may be polished, the details vivid, but somehow the story doesn’t land. It doesn’t move the reader. Why is that?

Creative writing involves pushing boundaries, taking creative risks, discovering things about yourself and going on an adventure—one where you don’t always know exactly where you’ll end up.

If you’ve ever sat down to write and immediately heard that nagging, nit-picking voice in your head—This isn’t good enough. You’re not a real writer. Why even try?—you’re not alone.

When writing a novel, short story, memoir, or screenplay, it pays to see the process as an act of discovery. The best stories often emerge not from rigid planning but from remaining open to unexpected possibilities.

As we step into the new year, we hope you’ll join us in sharing the joy of writing—and all the possibilities tapping into your creativity brings. Here’s to crafting stories that move, entertain and inspire readers in 2025 and beyond.

As we approach the end of the year, we want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible creative journeys all our writers have embarked on over the last twelve months.

We wish everyone a peaceful and joyful festive season leading into a productive and creative new year.

Creating a compelling novel, memoir, short story or screenplay that resonates with readers doesn't happen by chance. As renowned author Robert McKee says, "You might have the insights of Buddha, but if you can't tell a story, your ideas will be as dry as dust."

In a speech to the Australian Film and Television School, Academy Award-winning director and writer, Peter Weir, revealed a profound insight into the art of writing: the secret to writing is to care and not care.

Never give up on a dream because you are worried about how long it might take to realise it. As Elizabeth Gilbert said when she held up her National Book Award, "This is for all the late-bloomers in the world." Writing is not like dancing or modeling; it's not something where, if you missed it by age 19, you're finished. It's never too late.

Positive feedback is the breakfast of champions. We are always deeply gratified by the feedback we receive from our participants, whether at the end of a course or through spontaneous posts on Google. These testimonials beautifully encapsulate the experiences we strive to provide through our creative writing courses. We are so pleased to be part of their creative journey.

We are thrilled that we were able to link up with two literary agents with decades of experience in the publishing industry, Lou Johnson and Jeanne Ryckmans from Key People Literary Management. Together, we launched our inaugural Pitching Your Novel Day Workshop at the Writers' Studio on Saturday the 22nd of June.

Stories help us make sense of the world we live in and enable us to explore and discover what is important to us. To write your story, whether it be a novel, short story or a screenplay, you have to listen to that still, quiet voice within and take a leap of faith in yourself and the story inside you, waiting to get out.

A burning question many aspiring writers often torture themselves with is "Do I have the talent required to be a writer?"

We recently had the pleasure of celebrating the launch of Writers’ Studio alumna Julia Levitina’s debut novel, The Girl from Moscow, at Gertrude and Alice’s bookshop in Bondi. It is always inspiring and rewarding to see one of our hardworking writers achieve their goal of having their novel published and to reflect on their journey.

One of the great pleasures of writing fiction is that it takes the writer on a transformative inner journey where they go deeper into themselves and their understanding of the human condition. Whether you are writing a novel, a screenplay, memoir or a short story, the further you delve into your psyche, the more compelling your writing and stories will become.

Writing a novel or screenplay can feel like an overwhelming task. This is why we encourage our writers to just work through their story one step at a time and surrender to the process.

As we look forward to six new releases by Writers' Studio alumni to be published in 2024, please see our selection of summer reads from Studio alumni published in 2023.

In the realm of fiction writing, the process is not merely a task but a profound and personal journey where authors, both aspiring and established, recognise its paramount role in crafting compelling stories.

Emotion is the lifeblood of compelling fiction, infusing narratives with an undeniable power to connect with readers on a profound level. The essence of storytelling lies in the emotional journey it takes the audience on

Writing your novel or screenplay or even a short story requires you dive into the land of uncertainty. You are forced to dig deep, surrender to the creative journey, trust the process and keep moving forward one step at a time until you reach the end.

For many people, writing their story takes them on a profound, immersive experience. When you take a character on a journey towards transformation, you go on the journey with them. Write about something that will change your life, it is the best gift you can give yourself.

Remember, writing a novel or a screenplay is an art and a craft that takes time to develop and master. Like any journey, it begins with the first step.

The first challenge for many aspiring writers is to overcome the fear that they might not have the talent to write a novel or screenplay that other people will want to read. They forget that writing a novel or screenplay is an art and a craft that takes time to master.

Our writing courses provide a step-by-step process, and most writers experience a transformation in their approach to creativity and see their writing and stories evolve beyond their expectations.

We offer gift certificates for both the Unlocking Creativity Online and Live courses, the perfect gift idea for the writer in your life!

"Writing creatively involves an unusual and contrary set of laws. People get into trouble and waste an awful lot of time as they are unaware of the rules governing the creative process, which are very different from the way most of us tackle problems in life."

In fiction, particularly commercial fiction, the most important thing is to keep your reader turning the pages. This is what the art and craft of writing fiction is all about.

Every journey begins by taking the first step and then stealing back time from your busy life to make writing a priority on a regular basis.

One book that encapsulates the importance of this message is Today Matters by John Maxwell. “We cannot be tomorrow, what we did not do today”.

To bring out the best in your writing or the story you want to write, most writers thrive on having a process.

Having a process helps you access the power of your imagination while utlising the power of classic story structure. Enabling you to write a story that takes you, your characters and ultimately your readers on a profound journey

People often ask, how many writers in your courses are talented? Our answer: everyone has talent when they learn to access the power of their imagination, the true source of creativity.

We want to send you a final reminder that our Short Story Competition deadline is next Monday 31 October.

We are loving seeing your Entries coming in, and are looking forward to seeing your story!

Every writer needs to find their unique voice and what it is about their story that makes it stand out.

Your story will have its best chance of finding its audience if you are aware of what genre your story fits into and what your readers’ expectations are. Bearing in mind, the fiction world is divided into roughly two segments: literary fiction and commercial/genre fiction.

We want to let you know about our 2022 Short Story Competition as part of our 30 years celebration marking the creation of the Writers’ Studio in 1992.

To celebrate this milestone, we will be offering something different each month via the newsletter, including course discounts, short story competitions, giveaways, culminating in a celebration to be held in summer in early 2023.

Our courses are designed to give you tools and techniques to enable you to write the best story you are capable of, bearing in mind writing fiction is an art and a craft that takes time to master.

The Character Development Short Story course will keep your writing process alive and inspired as you learn some key story dynamics that will further develop your characters, writing and storytelling skills

Many writers when just starting out, make the mistake of comparing their work to published manuscripts or completed film scripts. They become disheartened, forgetting that writing the best novel or screenplay you are capable of requires a number of drafts.

You have finally finished the manuscript of novel, having written numerous drafts, ideally had it assessed by a professional editor to ensure it is the best story you are capable of writing and are now ready to put your creative baby out into the world.

​When writing the first draft of your novel or screenplay you need to turn off your inner critic and try things. The art is in the doing, and writing a first draft is an act of discovery. This is one of the central tenants of our 10-Month Novel & Script First Draft course.
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We always say write about something that could change your life.

Every time you write a story, you take your main character, your reader and yourself on a journey of change. You face the same challenges and moral decisions and grow as a result.

We will be back with a bang in 2022 starting with Unlocking Creativity Live from January 13 and Unlocking Creativity Online from January 19.

We look forward to welcoming our new writers to the Writers’ Studio and welcoming back our fabulous current ones.

Once you’ve written the best novel you can and feel ready to get your novel published and release it to the world, the first decision you must make is whether to self-publish or pursue a traditional publishing deal. This article explores the pros and cons of both paths.

Roland Fishman explores the publishing landscape and gives writers an understanding of which publishing option is the most suitable for the individual writer.

If you have finished your novel and want to land a traditional publishing deal or self-publish, you must make your novel is as good as you possibly can. While this is a seemingly self-evident truth, many writers get impatient when they finish their novels and rush to publication.

In researching an article he has written, about getting your novel published, Roland Fishman found one of the key issues that came up was - what motivates people to write.

Seeing your novel in print is great, but it only comes at the end of the process and is not the reason most people start writing and keep writing.

Even though the situation we find ourselves in is not ideal, don't let the lockdown stop you from starting or putting off your writing dream. The time will pass anyway.

Writing creatively involves an unusual and contrary set of laws. People get into trouble and waste an awful lot of time as they are unaware of the rules governing the creative process,

In fiction, it is the emotional content that will connect readers with your writing and your characters. As Tennessee Williams said, nothing he wrote about actually happened to him. Rather his work reflected the emotional currents of his life.

People want to write stories for a variety of reasons. To explore who they are and share it with the world, express themselves, be engrossed in a story world and see their books in print and their films on the big screen.

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love, has spent many years encouraging people to experience the pleasure of accessing their creativity and to live their life to the fullest....

"At 81, I thought I might have been past it. But through the Writers’ Studio I have found a voice, my voice."

As this challenging year draws to a close, many people are starting to contemplate their writing goals for the coming year.

Many writers when starting out make the mistake of comparing their writing to an edited, copyrighted novel or screenplay, failing to recognise that writing is a four-part process - planning, writing, re-writing and editing.

Many people mistakenly believe that structure is writing by numbers and produces cliched storylines.
Classic story structure is designed to guide you in writing a story that has readers wanting to know what happens next, while taking your main character on a spiritual and emotional journey of change.

Many writers, particularly those just starting out, question whether they have the talent to be a writer, the implication being that only a successful few have what it takes to make it.

Writers can get into trouble and waste an awful lot of time because they don’t understand the rules of the creative process which differ greatly from the way most of us go through life.

One of the key ingredients to creating a compelling story is to throw characters out of their comfort zone, give them problems to solve and force them to face huge challenges and pressure.

The Power of Writing in Times of Change. In times of crisis, we turn to the arts to make sense of the chaos around us. Accessing the power of your imagination and spending time in a parallel universe is a powerful and positive antidote to life as it is at the moment.

We do hope that everyone is well, and slowly adapting to the massive changes and interruptions to our normal lives occurring at this time.

The question nearly every writer constantly asks themselves on a regular basis is, “do I have the talent?”

After an already difficult start to the year with the tragic bushfires, we have some very sad news closer to home.

It is never too late to use our emotional experiences to create new narratives for ourselves and to look at events as an opportunity to make sense of this crazy journey that is life.

For many people the holiday season is a good time to write. You will enjoy the writing so long as you don’t start worrying about whether you will win the Booker Prize or an Academy Award.

Writing a story doesn’t happen by accident. In our 4-Week Unlocking Creativity course, we quote James Scott Bell in his book, The Art of War for Writers, about two ingredients every writer needs:

Many people wonder what draws us to write and tell our stories. Part of it is to access a higher and deeper part of ourselves, our imagination, and see the world through different eyes.

From day one in our 4-Week Unlocking Creativity course, writers are given tools and techniques to help them tap into the power of their imagination, which we believe is the true source of creativity.

Just about everyone who does our 4-Week Unlocking Creativity Course gets fired up about writing. They tap into the power of their imagination and experience the thrill of writing creatively and

Many beginner writers question their talent, believing that only a lucky few are blessed with the natural ability required to write worthwhile stories.

We’re thrilled to share with you that three of our Novel and Script writers have debut novels being published either this month or very soon.

For those of you who haven’t done our courses, this video offers you the opportunity to hear first hand what you can expect to get out of our courses.

We’re thrilled to share eight success stories from our writers. Including several debut novels, a memoir and short stories.

Many people wonder with so many books having been written, how can they possibly write something that is unique and interesting.

In The War of Art: Breakthrough the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles, Steven Pressfield talks about how ...

"I really believe doing the 'Unlocking Creativity' course was instrumental in helping me to write a compelling pitch"

At the Writers’ Studio, we believe that the act of writing nourishes the spirit of the reader and the writer. It will add another dimension to your life as you tap into something bigger than yourself.

People often ask, “How many writers in your courses have real talent?” The implication being that a chosen few are lucky enough to be born with God given talent and that everyone else should pack up their pens, go home and find some other creative outlet.

In order to write powerful fiction you need to learn the art and craft of writing, which involves an unusual and contrary set of laws.

We always read the quote below in the first session of our 4-Week Unlocking Creativity course.