Welcome to our July Newsletter.
We hosted our second annual Pitching Your Novel Day Workshop at the Writers’ Studio on Saturday 21 of June, with Lou Johnson, from Key People Literary Management, who has years of experience in the publishing industry. We had both live writers in Studio and online writers who participated via Zoom.
We are pleased to say it was a great success. So much so, that we have also decided to add a dedicated Zoom workshop in 2026, where writers who can’t attend the Workshop in person, will be able to pitch directly to the agents for the first time, via Zoom.
The Writers’ Studio has always dreamt of creating a pathway for the novels created in our courses to connect with the publishing industry, so we hope everyone who participated, both in-person and on Zoom, came out fired up and inspired to keep going!
If you’ve been thinking about starting your writing journey with us, our foundational 4-Week Unlocking Creativity Online Course starts on the 6th of August. For Sydney writers, we also offer this course Live in our studio in Bronte on the 24th of July. It is best to register as early as you can to secure your spot, places fill up fast!
The Principles That Make a Good Story
The art is in the doing. The magic happens on the page.
There’s an old saying; you can’t be taught how to write, but you can learn.
As one of our course participants wrote at the end of her Novel & Script First Draft Course, “I’ve previously read books on novel-writing, but the step-by-step process presented in this course for unpacking the details—reinforced by concrete examples and practical tasks—has made a phenomenal difference to my understanding of how to find the story and make it powerful in terms of the character journey.
“I’ve learnt just how critical the character journey is as the foundation, and how establishing this from the beginning helps the story unfold organically. I’ve now become much more aware of the key ingredients in books, films and mini-series, seeing how the main character’s journey is established and how the pressure builds on their moral weakness.”
Our courses are designed to take you on a creative journey where you come to understand the key principles of writing and storytelling. In the process you find and write your story.
It is not about slavishly following any rules.
As Robert Mckee, author of Story, says, “Stories are about form, not formula. A rule says, “You must do it this way.” A principle says, “This works and has through all remembered time.”
“Your work needs to be well made within the principles that shape our art. Insecure writers follow the rules. Rebellious writers break the rules. An artist masters the form.”
The only rule is, what works, works.
Finding Inspiration – Thank you Jess!
From an Instagram Post by @jessiestephens90
@mamamiaoutloud – podcast
“This is a very niche recommendation. But I often get DMs from very clever people who want to write their own books, and I always recommend them this specific writing course. It’s all online, but I did it before writing my first book and Clare did a few of these courses during the writing of hers. If you feel stuck or overwhelmed – do this!”
Intensive 6-Week Short Story Course
The 6-Week Short Story Writers’ Gym Course will keep your writing process alive and inspired as you learn some key story dynamics that will help you create compelling moral dilemmas and develop your characters, writing and storytelling skills.
It also gives writers considering the 10-Month Novel & Script First Draft Course an excellent opportunity to explore ideas before embarking on the longer journey of writing your novel or screenplay.
This comprehensive short story course starts on the 27th of August, designed for writers who have completed Unlocking Creativity and are looking to continue their writing journey.
Success Stories
The Pearl of Tagai Town by Lenora Thaker
Congratulations to Lenora Thaker, an alumna of the Writers’ Studio, whose debut novel, The Pearl of Tagai Town, received the Boundless Mentorship Award and has been published by Text Publishing!
A sweeping, heart-warming and ultimately triumphant story of the life of a young Torres Strait Islander woman from Tagai Town, a shantytown on the northeastern coast of Australia, in the decades before, during and after World War II.
The Pearl of Tagai Town, brings a fresh angle to Australian historical fiction with a First Nations wartime love story.
In Lenora’s words, “The Writers’ Studio definitely reignited my passion for writing. Completing the 4-Week Unlocking Creativity Course and the 10-Month Novel & Script First Draft Course helped me develop the writing habit, self-belief and perseverance needed for becoming a published author. My gorgeous debut novel, The Pearl of Tagai Town, has now been published by Text Publishing.”
Click here to buy The Pearl of Tagai Town
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 like 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.”
We look forward to showcasing your achievements.
Giveaways!
The Chelsea Detective: Series 3
Thanks to Acorn TV, we have 3 DVDs to give away to The Chelsea Detective: Series 3.
London’s Chelsea neighborhood is a beautiful borough for beautiful people, but it has a dark underside of deception, violence, greed-and murder. Bodies have a way of showing up, and things are rarely what they seem. DI Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough) and his partner must root out the truth and bring those responsible to justice, no matter their wealth or status.
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.
“I came into this feeling truly lost. I wanted guidance and this course provided it in spades. There were so many ‘a-ha!’ moments of exploring where I went wrong before. I have learned more about how story works than I did in my English degree and couldn’t be more comfortable with where I’m at.” Jack, First Draft Live
“I think that if you were to do this course, you would find desire, talent, capacity and a willingness to embrace your writer who is and has always been in you. Through doing this course, I too have been awoken to the absolute joy, excitement and energy that bubbles up in me when I sit down to write. The guided feedback was amazingly helpful and a relief because I initially freaked out when I knew other writers would be giving me feedback and I them. Once I started using the protocol for each week, I just loved it!” Paula, Unlocking Creativity Online
“I have done a lot of writing courses, and this is by far the best, it has helped me so much. At times I felt like hurling my book out of the window but Rich’s encouragement and Roland’s words of wisdom got me through it. The writers in the class were always full of fantastic insights that crystalised what it is that I’m actually writing about. I’m so happy I did this course.” Brie, Second Draft Course
“Breaking down the process to writing has helped me to understand each element and how it all comes together, and the positive and constructive feedback was one of the aspects of the course that kept me motivated. With each piece of feedback, I realized that I could do this, that maybe, I would finally realise my lifelong dream of writing a novel.” Estela, Unlocking Creativity Online
“It’s hard to articulate just how big the shift has been. At a granular level, we’ve gained so many new techniques and lenses for thinking about and refining our craft as writers. At a bigger picture level, it’s like we’ve levelled up from the clunky, aspiring promise of our stories to something that’s more real, more tangible. The feedback has been invaluable, affirming, challenging, insightful and the camaraderie of the group has made all the difference. All our stories are tighter, richer and more compelling as a result and I can’t wait to see where they go next.” Anna, Third Draft Course
“If you want to reconnect with your writing and silence the voices in your head telling you to jump ship, or to try it a different way, this course is going to help get you there. I learned to not feel pressured to silence the voices, but instead, push through and know that they are all a part of the process. I have picked up so many good habits through this course, I absolutely loved it.” Maddie, Unlocking Creativity Live
