Welcome to our January Newsletter and Happy New Year!
We hope you are having a very relaxing and enjoyable holiday season and are freshly inspired coming into 2026.
Firstly, we’d like to acknowledge our wonderful tutors who are currently on their annual break. Every year our tutors do a magnificent job providing writers with personalised feedback, support and the accountability needed to nurture creative potential.
Next week, we’ll be welcoming writers into the first 4-Week Unlocking Creativity Online course for 2026. There are only a few places remaining in this course for those interested in starting their year off with a bang.
Why Your Writing Should Surprise You
One of the great myths about writing is that you need to know everything before you begin. In truth, some of the most enduring stories were discovered along the way.
J.R.R. Tolkien understood this deeply. Writing to W. H. Auden in 1955, he described how The Lord of the Rings unfolded not as a fixed plan, but as a journey filled with surprise:
“I met a lot of things on the way that astonished me. Tom Bombadil I knew already; but I had never before been to Bree. Strider sitting in the corner at the inn was a shock, and I had no more idea who he was than Frodo.
The Mines of Moria had been a mere name; and of Lothlorien no word had reached my mortal ears till I came there. Far away I knew there were the Horselords on the confines of an ancient Kingdom of Men, but Fangorn Forest was an unforeseen adventure.
I had never heard of the House of Eorl nor of the Stewards of Gondor. Most disquieting of all, Saruman had never been revealed to me, and I was as mystified as Frodo at Gandalf’s failure to appear on September 22.”
We encourage everyone writing a novel or screenplay to see their first draft as a journey of discovery where characters and story events emerge along the way.
Writers are often astonished by how much their stories transform during this process. What begins as a spark becomes something richer, more complex and more alive than anything imagined at the outset.
Later drafts are where you step back and shape what you’ve discovered, so the story works for your reader. You refine and develop structure, sharpen motivation and craft the story so it comes alive in your reader’s mind.
But discovery always comes first. The story won’t surprise your reader unless it’s surprised you first.
First 6-Week Short Story Course of 2026!
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 25th of February, designed for writers who have completed Unlocking Creativity and are looking to continue their writing journey.
Enrol early to secure your spot!
Success Stories
Shit Show: Quiet (Murder) On Set by Kristen Dagg
Congratulations to Kristen Dagg, an alumna of the Writers’ Studio, whose debut novel, Shit Show: Quiet (Murder) On Set will be published by Hawkeye Publishing and is set to release this October!
When the much-hated director of a Survivor-style Kid’s TV show turns up dead, producer Rosie must scramble to hide the body and keep the cameras rolling. But as her lies grow and fester on the remote location shoot, it’s not just the show at risk. Someone knows the truth, and Rosie might be next.
In Kristen’s words, “I did the Unlocking Creativity Course and then the First and Second Draft novel courses with you a number of years ago. It’s taken 8 years, 3 manuscripts and 50+ rejections but I finally got there. Hawkeye Publishing has picked it up and it will be released October next year! Thanks for all of your help and encouragement in those early writing days. It definitely set up the foundations for storytelling and good habits!”
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!
It Was Just an Accident
Thanks to Madman Entertainment, we have 10 double-pass tickets to give away to searing moral thriller, It Was Just an Accident which will be releasing nationally on January 29, 2026.
Vahid, an unassuming mechanic, has a chance encounter with Eghbal, a man he strongly suspects to be his former sadistic jailhouse captor. Panicked, Vahid gathers several former prisoners, all abused by that same captor, to try and confirm Eghbal’s identity.
As the bickering group drives around Tehran with the captive, they must confront how far to take matters into their own hands with their presumed tormentor.
You can watch the trailer here
For your chance to win, email with your name, address, the movie title and your mobile to: rsvp@writerstudio.com.au
Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale
Thanks to AMC, we have 2 DVDs to give away to Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale!
Sarah Fenn, a descendant from a long line of witches, lives in the present-day English coastal town of Sanctuary. Here, she uses her powers for good, to heal and support her fellow townsfolk and friends. When her teenage daughter’s boyfriend dies in suspicious circumstances, rumours begin to fly that he was murdered by magic − with the finger pointing at Sarah and her daughter, Harper.
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 all very much for your support and all the helpful quotes along the way! It has helped to motivate me and now I have a spine to my story that I didn’t have prior to beginning the course. In the past I had always done mind maps of ideas/plots/characters then I would start freely writing with no structure, this often lead me to feel lost and eventually stop altogether. The structure has helped develop this skill.” Vincent, First Draft Course
“I have loved doing the Writers’ Gym over the last six weeks. The course has opened my eyes on how to really structure character. I now have a framework, and know how to craft a compelling character, with a moral weakness, desire, and opposition. This course has allowed me to spark creativity within the confines of structure, which has emboldened my storytelling. I’ve loved watching everyone else’s storytelling blossom as well. I’m really proud of myself for setting writing as a routine and committing to the practice. After a few years of imagining this, yet not doing it, I don’t take it for granted!” Georgia, Short Story – Writers’ Gym
“I’m leaving the course with clearer goals, a steadier writing routine, and a renewed sense of excitement. It feels good to carry this momentum forward. I would definitely recommend this course to other students and would-be writers and will be taking up the next course in February.” Jonathon, Unlocking Creativity Online
“I feel a newfound confidence to finish the book I started years ago with my new arsenal of skills and respect I have for my own voice.” Danielle, Unlocking Creativity Live
“This course has helped me to develop a more cohesive story that has the required structure to give reader and writer satisfaction. The group work has been invaluable, as has the one-to-one feedback. I’ll say it again – I don’t know how anyone does this on their own.” Lisa, Second Draft Course
“Since the beginning of my writing journey, the Writer’s Studio has challenged me far more than I expected. To be honest, I didn’t think I’d go beyond the Unlocking Creativity course, as I figured that after writing a few scenes, I’d have satisfied my urge to put an idea down on paper. But Unlocking Creativity made me confront my own assumptions, with unexpected characters constantly hijacking the story I believed I’d planned. The First Draft became a collision of competing ideas, some worth saving, but most of them were best discarded. In the Second Draft, I tried to shape something coherent from all the haphazard scenes. By Third Draft Part 1, my voice, tentative at first began to strengthen as I dug deeper.” Natalie, Third Draft Course
