Welcome to our June Newsletter!
We are looking forward to welcoming our newest group of writers into our 4-Week Unlocking Creativity Live Course, starting tonight in Bronte. There are a few places still available if you are ready to kick-start your writing journey.
For those of you writing novels, short stories and screenplays with us, we are delighted to see the progress you are making and trust you are enjoying the thrill of seeing your stories come alive on the page.
Our 4-Week Unlocking Creativity Online Course starts on the 17th of June, and for those who are ready to start writing their novel or screenplay, our 10-Month First Draft Online Course starts on the 24th of June.
If your dream is to write, our courses will get you doing it.
Creativity and Play is Essential to Success
“What is creativity? Above all, it is play.” Victoria Nelson
When writing a novel or screenplay, it is so easy to get caught up in self-criticism, doubt and perfectionism, which stifle our creativity.
It is important for writers to remember to enjoy the creative process and cultivate a sense of play, trust the process and let their imagination take the lead.
Ben Crowe, the high-performance mindset coach who has worked with athletes such as Ash Barty and Stephanie Gilmore, sees creativity and play as essential to sustained success because they allow people to perform from a state of freedom, rather than fear.
He says that many people become trapped by outcomes, self-imposed pressure and perfectionism, focusing only on the end result.
Trying to write the perfect story and desperately trying to avoid failure, blocks spontaneity, daring and creativity. We need to take the pressure off of ourselves and let go of expectations. Writing is an art and a craft that takes time to master.
To transcend the crippling effects of trying too hard and expecting instant results, it is important to foster a sense of play and discovery when writing.
Play helps foster creative freedom because it shifts the focus from proving yourself, to expressing yourself.
In the 4-Week Unlocking Creativity Course, Short Story courses and the Novel & Scriptwriting courses, we always emphasise the importance of letting go of judgment and enjoying the process.
To access the height of your creativity, requires openness, experimentation and trust in the unknown. This is where you can get into a playful state of mind and allow ideas, instinct and intuition to emerge without immediately judging them.
That’s why many elite performers talk about their best results coming from feeling paradoxically relaxed, instinctive, or even playful, despite the high stakes.
For writers and artists, creativity flourishes when you:
- Silence the inner critic
- Create space for discovery
- Embrace curiosity over perfectionism
- Write for the love of writing and the pleasure it gives you
Crowe’s philosophy aligns with the timeless wisdom of writers like Natalie Goldberg, Anne Lamott, John Gardner and Peter Elbow, who say the more rigidly we try to control the creative process, the more we strangle it.
When structure is combined with a sense of play and discovery, people invariably produce their best work.
“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft.
“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won’t have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren’t even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they’re doing it.
“Besides, perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness, playfulness and life force.” Anne Lamott
EOFY Short Story Course Gift Certificate Sale!
This End of Financial Year, we’re offering a generous limited time sale on our 6-Week Short Story Gift Certificates!
Get a creative gift for yourself or someone ready to take the next step in their writing journey.
We offer three different Short Story courses that run throughout the year:
- Character Development: Learn to craft compelling characters
- Genre: Learn how genre informs the structure of powerful stories
- Writers’ Gym: Learn how to refine and elevate your writing
Throughout the six weeks, you’ll write and complete your own short stories while deepening your understanding of story structure, dramatic tension and character development. It’s a practical way to build confidence, develop your voice, and experience what it means to start and finish a story.
For writers who have completed our Unlocking Creativity course and want to keep the momentum going, our Short Story courses are the perfect next step.
Buy a single Short Story Gift Certificate, or buy a Discounted Bundle for 2 or 3 Short Story courses and for a limited time only, we are offering even further discounts on our regular bundle discounts!
1 x Short Story Course: $645 reduced to $565, get $80 off full price
2 x Short Story Courses: Regular discounted price $1,125, further reduced to $1,070, get $220 off full price
3 x Short Story Courses: Regular discounted price $1,685, further reduced to $1,585, get $350 off full price
Valid for 3 years, you can purchase a gift certificate now and either you or your gift recipient can redeem it for any one of our short story courses at a time that suits you or them.
Sale finishes at 11:59PM on June 30 2026.
Use code: EOYSS
NOTE: The final discounted price will only show on the Payment Page.
Purchase your Short Story Course Gift Certificate here »
Our Upcoming 6-Week Short Story Course
The 6-Week Short Story Character Development Course will keep your writing process alive and inspired as you learn some key story dynamics that will help you develop your characters, writing and storytelling skills.
This comprehensive short story course starts on the 17th of June and is the only intake of Character Development in 2026.
Success Stories
The Drone by Pete Shmigel
Congratulations to Pete Shmigel, an alumnus of the Writers’ Studio, whose short story collection, The Drone, has been published by WestWords Books.
“Set in Ukraine where worlds are exploding and tragedy abounds, Pete Shmigel’s photographic fiction zeroes in on a neglected truth that, like the devil, dignity is in the details.” Stash Luczkiw: Features Editor of Kyiv Post
The Drone is a collection of fictional short stories based on the author’s lived experience of Ukraine’s resilient community.
In Pete’s words, “My time at the Writers’ Studio taught me about the interplay between structure and imagination, how one benefits from the other. Sitting around the tables at the Writers’ Studio was also a time of personal transformation – of giving myself permission to take the risks of the creative process.”
Click here to buy The Drone
Share the Good News!
If you have completed courses with the Writers’ Studio and you’ve earned recognition for your writing in competitions or received awards, we’d love to showcase and celebrate your accomplishments.
Please share a brief note along with relevant details or links to wstudio@writerstudio.com.au with the subject line “Success Stories.”
Giveaways!
The Burn by Jessica Mansour-Nahra
Thanks to Hachette Australia, we have 2 early proof copies of Writers’ Studio alumna, Jessica Mansour-Nahra’s newest release, The Burn, to give away!
2030. Devastating bushfires have plunged Australia into lockdown. When the stay-at-home orders lift, a group of friends decide to go on a road trip to the one place where fire didn’t reach: Eden.
But after the sun, surf, and sand, the group finds themselves stuck in isolated cabins in dense national parkland. Secrets spill out, new ideals are challenged and bitter arguments erupt. On the final morning, new fires are racing towards them, forcing the group to find another way out. But how, when the friends no longer trust each other with their lives?
For your chance to win a proof copy of Jessica’s The Burn, email with ‘The Burn Giveaway’ as the subject line and provide your name, address and mobile number to: rsvp@writerstudio.com.au
Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale Season 2
Thanks to AMC, we have 3 DVDs to give away to Season 2 of Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale, American supernatural drama television series.
A year after the witch hunt, Sarah (Elaine Cassidy) and Harper (Hazel Doupe) hide in Scotland as anti-witch laws spark hate crimes. When Sarah returns to Sanctuary, a new murder and rising tensions pull her into a dangerous fight to protect her daughter and her magic.
You can watch the trailer here
For your chance to win, email with your name, address, the series title and your mobile to: rsvp@writerstudio.com.au
Recent Course Feedback
Some snippets of the wonderful feedback that we receive back from recently completed courses.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your encouragement and feedback. Over and over the course materials have stressed the importance of trusting the process and just committing to writing everyday – well, most days at least! And here we are at the end of the course with a rough first draft!! It is very exciting and I couldn’t have done it without the structure of the course. Thank you all so much!” Jacqui, First Draft Course
“I’ve learnt a lot, through both my own writing, and the other participants. It has been so rewarding to see everyone’s writing improve over such a short period by implementing the feedback given, and how my own has improved from both giving and receiving feedback. It offers a new and more objective perspective on writing.” Sam, Short Story – Writers’ Gym
“This course was one of the most uplifting and positive experiences I have ever had. I can’t thank you all enough for bringing me back to the schoolyard where my imagination was the only limitation to ambition and the future. The positivity and group love wrapped around me like an aura not experienced since my younger days with friends at parties and gatherings.” James, Unlocking Creativity Live
“This course has provided me (and my fellow writers) with practical know-how, the importance of structure, the necessity of establishing a daily writing routine, thoughtful feedback and ongoing encouragement. This course (and the next one I’m enrolled in) is something that I’ve been wanting to do for years but have hesitated due to self-doubt. I’m so glad that I finally took the proverbial leap of faith.” Fiona, Unlocking Creativity Online
“The Second Draft Course has been fantastic in guiding me along the process and keeping me going with a plan in mind rather than helplessly editing my first draft (as I’d spent a year between courses doing). I feel much more content that there is a coherent structure to it and better able to play further with that from here on. The course has given me confidence in my story and my story telling ability. The support from my tutor and fellow writers has all been helpful in keeping me positive and moving forward.” Danielle, Second Draft Course
“Handing in 12,000 words to be read and assessed by my tutor was such a watershed moment. I felt so proud that I had that many words – and more! – committed to paper, that my story had come that far. I felt intensely proud and I have since wanted to continue to write and chase that feeling of accomplishment, of amazement that I can do something I wasn’t sure I could do. I wouldn’t have done it had it not been for the Writers’ Studio. If left to my own devices, I’d still be daydreaming about one day, maybe, writing a book. I’m also in awe of the people I’ve met and the friendships I’ve gained as a result of doing these courses. The bonus I never even imagine was possible. A community of writers, and I get to be part of it. I’m so thankful.” Chelsea, Third Draft Part Two Course
