Faber Academy > Courses > Sydney > Start to Write
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Start to Write

w/ Lauren Aimee Curtis

Have you always wanted to write fiction? Everyone needs to start somewhere and Start to Write is the course designed to get you across the basics, as you begin to generate ideas and get the very first words of your concept down on the page.

Saturday 4 November, 10am – 4pm AEDT

Allen & Unwin – Sydney

Faber Writing Academy at Allen & Unwin – Sydney
83 Alexander Street
Crows Nest NSW 2065

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$175


This is a past course.

In this one-day program, you’ll get the hands-on teaching you need to start writing fiction from one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists, Lauren Aimee Curtis, author of Dolores and Strangers at the Port.

Working with Lauren, alongside your fellow classmates, you will:

  • Discover the tools you need to start writing
  • Overcome common problems shared by emerging writers
  • Understand some of the key fundamentals of writing fiction
  • Meet other aspiring writers starting out in a welcoming, supportive classroom.

This course is designed to help you foster ideas, play with structure and techniques, and get your words going – plus practical advice on ‘where to next’. Interactivity is encouraged throughout, and there will be space for questions and answers during each session. At the end of the day, join Lauren for a complimentary drink and light refreshments, to hear about how to continue on with your writing.

Your course includes:

  • A complimentary copy of a recent A&U publication.
  • Tea and coffee and light refreshments.
  • On completion of the course, alumni discount of 15% on future Faber Writing Academy courses, including Writing a Novel.

Writers you'll be working with:

Lauren Aimee Curtis

Lauren Aimee Curtis is the author of the novels Dolores and Strangers at the Port. In 2023, she was named on Granta’s once-in-a-decade Best of the Young British Novelists list. Her writing has appeared in The White Review, Catapult, Sydney Review of Books, Best Summer Stories, and New Australian Fiction 2021, among other publications. Her…

Course outline

Morning Session – Ideas, Reading, Beginning

  • In this workshop, participants will be encouraged to draw on their love of reading to start writing. You will be asked to bring an example of a short story or novel you admire. We will discuss ways of reading analytically (i.e. what the author is doing and how they are doing it) and how this might be applied to your own writing.
  • Beginnings and first sentences. Looking at examples, we will discuss what makes a strong opening – imagery, language, plot – along with other ways of drawing in your reader.
  • Writing exercise based on our discussion.

 Afternoon Session – Revision, Experimentation, Practicalities

  • Revision and experimentation can be helpful when the work is stuck. We will look at experimental approaches to writing as well as ways to revise and edit your work. We will discuss problem solving in writing both short stories and longer works of fiction.
  • Writing exercise based on revision and experimentation.
  • Practical advice. The workshop will end with a discussion on ways to continue your writing practice and how to submit your work for publication when it’s ready.

How to Book

This is a past course.