online
online

Kickstart Your Novel: Spring

w/ Ilka Tampke and Emily Maguire

Page one, chapter one: this is where you start. In a close-knit supportive group, this 12-week course will nurture you through the fast and furious stage of committing the first words of your novel to paper.

Wednesdays 6:30pm – 8:30pm (AEDT), 30 July – 29 October 2025

$1200 or $240 per month for 5 months

$1020 or $204 per month (alumni) for 5 months


Have you got a great idea for a novel, but you’re struggling to know how to get started? During this 12-week introductory course you will be part of a close-knit, supportive learning environment designed to get you started on your dream work of fiction.

Stephen King famously wrote that the first draft of a novel should be written “with the door closed” and “over the course of one season”. In an intimate class of 12 participants, you’ll be encouraged to get a start on “draft zero”, testing out fresh approaches to the writing of fiction along the way.

Through a series of daily writing prompts, provocations, and introductions to a variety of writing processes and styles, this course will nurture you through the fast and furious stage of committing your first words to paper, and is especially suited to those who don’t feel comfortable sharing their work in a whole-class workshopping environment, or to those who want to test-drive their idea before applying for our selective Writing a Novel course.

By the end of the course you will have:

  • Written  >10,000 words towards your novel manuscript;
  • Bolstered your abilities and interest in writing fiction in a friendly environment;
  • Been introduced to a variety of approaches to the writing of longform fiction.

Your course includes:

  • A complimentary copy of a recent A&U publication;
  • On completion of the course, alumni discounts on future Faber Writing Academy courses and books from the Allen & Unwin website.

This course is a useful foundation for those who wish to take the longer, intensive Faber Writing Academy Writing a Novel course, but don’t feel ready to share or workshop their material.


Writers you'll be working with:

Emily Maguire

Emily Maguire is the author of seven novels and three non-fiction books. Her novel An Isolated Incident was shortlisted for the Stella Prize and the Miles Franklin Literary Award, and her 2022 book Love Objects was shortlisted for the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year. She was the 2018/2019 Writer-in-Residence at the Charles Perkins…

Ilka Tampke

Ilka Tampke is an award-winning author, academic and teacher. Her first two novels explore the druidic culture of Ancient Britain and its disruption by Roman colonisation. Skin (2015) was published in eight countries and nominated for the Voss Literary Prize and the Aurealis Awards. Songwoman (2018) was published in five countries and won the Small…

Course outline

Session 1: Wednesday 30 July Ilka Tampke & Emily Maguire
Setting intentions and finding the courage to get started.

Session 2: Wednesday 6 August – Emily Maguire
Finding your voice – experiments in free writing, tense, & point of view.

Session 3: Wednesday 13 August – Ilka Tampke
Exploring different writing processes. Planning vs pantsing, the pros and cons of both.

Session 4: Wednesday 20 August – Emily Maguire
How to research like a novelist (not like an academic)

Session 5: Wednesday 27 August – Ilka Tampke
On Becoming a camera: detail and noticing

Session 6: Wednesday 3 September – Emily Maguire
Genre: What kind of novel could this be?

Session 7: Wednesday 10 September – Ilka Tampke
Character: Who’s in the cast?

Session 8: Wednesday 17 September – Emily Maguire
Introduction to Dialogue

Session 9: Wednesday 24 September – Ilka Tampke
Structure & Shape

COURSE BREAK

Session 10: Wednesday 15 October – Emily Maguire
Narrative Time

Session 11: Wednesday 22 October – Ilka Tampke
World-building and setting

Session 12: Wednesday 29 October – Ilka Tampke & Emily Maguire
Keeping up momentum. Applying for grants and further courses.

All sessions are held online on Zoom. The exact course content could be adjusted according to the experience and concerns of the group. The detail of the course is at the discretion of the Course Directors and Faber Writing Academy at Allen & Unwin.

How to Book

Please note that if you select ‘Monthly Instalments’ these instalments will be billed monthly from the date of the first payment.

Includes 10% tax