When I applied for Writing the Narrative Nonfiction Book, I had a book idea I’d been circling for more than five years, unable to progress. I had a sense of urgency. Every book has its moment, and this was now or never. By applying, I was laying a bet on myself: I can write this book, and yes, it’s worth the struggle to bring what I’ve lived and what I care about onto the page. As we near the end of the course, I’ve begun to suspect we all arrived at a similar moment, with a similar bet. And those bets are paying off.
The brilliance of our tutor, Deborah Robertson, has been to give everyone the chance to be courageous in their own way, using craft as a compass to discover our voice, structure, and ultimately purpose: what’s at stake in our writing. By covering every aspect of nonfiction writing from book-level architecture down to paragraphs in a nuanced, resonant and accessible way, with some brilliant examples, Deborah has given us all the tools we need to find the true north for our project.
The extended nine-month duration of this course—with substantial breaks for writing—has meant that we’re accompanied from our earliest drafts through to manuscript editing and pitching to an agent. For me, inspiration, energy and commitment have all flowed from being part of this talented group and developing a relationship with each book project. These friendships will sustain us once the course is over—and I truly want to read every book-in-the-making, all of which I’ve come to love.
Writing a nonfiction book isn’t a job for an algorithm. It’s work that requires every cell of our mind, heart and gut to accomplish. The course has taught me to communicate meaning and insight with ethical force, lived experience, and the extraordinary power of longing and love. As course tutor, Deborah has articulated a vision of what nonfiction writing can be and do with incandescent conviction and luminous grace. I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunity I was given to make my book happen through this course.
Applications are now open for the 2024 Scholarship for Writing the Narrative Nonfiction Book with Deborah Robertson.
20 July 2024 – 21 May 2025
MELBOURNE