Oli Garcia, Author at Faber Writing Academy

Our students reflect on their long courses with Faber Writing Academy

We are asked our current and recent scholarship recipients to reflect on their courses to date. Find out how their courses have made a difference to their writing.

Scholarship recipient Joseph Falsone reflects on his ‘insightful and often revelatory’ Writing a Novel course.

Building the discipline to generate abundant new material and developing the confidence to kill some darlings, scholarship recipient Joseph Falsone deepened and strengthened his draft.

An interview with literary agents, Alexandra Christie and Abigail Nathan

We asked Alexandra Christie, an agent with Curtis Brown Australia, and Abigail Nathan, an agent with Alex Adsett Literary, all about agenting, and their involvement in our inaugural FWA ALUMNI AWARD. Here’s the inside story on their passion for their roles, as well as some invaluable advice to those who have just begun to submit their novels to agents.

Writing for Kids, an interview with Faber Writing Academy tutor, Kate Ryan

Ahead of Writing for Kids: Picture Books and Children’s Fiction, we spoke to Kate about the joy of working with an illustrator, what makes a work of children’s fiction stand out, and the importance of workshopping and being open to feedback as part of any creative practice.

Writing True Stories, an interview with Faber Writing Academy tutor, Dr Sophia Barnes

Ahead of her intensive creative nonfiction course, we spoke to Sophia about how to spot a successful memoir manuscript, the challenges of writing about real-life people, and the memoirists she’s reading now.

Writing Poetry, an interview with Faber Writing Academy tutor, Eileen Chong

Ahead of her short course, Writing Poetry, we spoke to Eileen about what attracted her to poetry, the highlights of her career, and the poets who have inspired her.

“The Game” by Emma Hislop, tutor of Short Stories: Disrupting the Process

“The Game” is a story from Emma Hislop’s debut collection, Ruin and Other Stories, published by Te Herenga Waka University Press, and winner of the Hubert Church Prize for Fiction, for Best First Book at the 2024 Ockham NZ Book Awards.

Writing a Life, an interview with Faber Writing Academy tutor, Arnold Zable

Ahead of his short course, Writing a Life, we spoke to Arnold about his omnivorous taste for all literary forms, the authors who enrich his life, and the importance of writers being attuned and open to the world, its landscapes and people.

Writing Historical Fiction, an interview with guest speaker, Robyn Cadwallader

Robyn Cadwallader will be a special guest speaker in our Writing Historical Fiction course with Lauren Chater.

Our 2024 Writing a Novel scholarship recipients on the course to date

The 2024 recipients of our Writing a Novel scholarship are halfway through their programs. Find out how the course has made a difference to their writing.

Welcoming our 2024 Mid-year Scholarship Recipients

It’s always exciting to introduce the talented writers who will be joining us as scholarship recipients. Join us in wishing them well.

‘Writing a Novel’ and the published author: Applying the lessons

When Pip Fioretti enrolled in Writing a Novel in 2022, she’d already had three commercial fiction novels published.

Writing friends and inspiring tutors on the path to publication

Helen Signy’s new novel, Maya’s Dance, has just been published. We asked her about the process – its challenges and surprises.

Ever wondered if writers actually have ‘downtime’? We asked our tutors.

With our intensive courses recently on a break and school holidays occurring, we asked our tutors about their writing practice during ‘downtime’.

Announcing the 2024 recipient of the Writing the YA Novel scholarship

We are delighted to introduce Kym Tyzack, who is the recipient of the 2024 scholarship for Writing the YA Novel.

There’s something I’m curious about. It leads me to my desk.

Novelist and tutor Alice Robinson tells us how she kickstarts her novel writing process and where the magic lies.

‘Writing a Novel’ fosters friendship and connection among writers

Learning to prioritise writing time has helped 2023 scholarship recipient Munira Tabassum Ahmed complete a first draft of her novel.

Writing a nonfiction book isn’t a job for an algorithm – it requires much more

Judith Bishop won the 2023 Scholarship for Writing the Narrative Nonfiction Book. Here she reflects on the program.

Memoir is just one tool an essayist can use to interrogate a question

Writing the Essay course leader Eda Gunaydin tells us how she came to essay writing and how the form allows a writer to decentre the self.

Writing Crime Fiction with Ashley Kalagian Blunt

Crime is about intrigue, sneakiness, people keeping secrets and behaving badly

Course leader Ashley Kalagian Blunt tells us how she came to be a crime writer and why crime is an enduring genre.