The course consists of 32 online evening sessions (Tuesdays 6.30pm to 8.30pm). Times are either in AEST or AEDT depending on dates. Please convert if you live outside of these time zones.
Stage One: Finding the way in
Session 1: Tuesday, 28 July
with Mandy Beaumont and Hayley Scrivenor
Welcome to Writing a Crime Novel
Meet your tutors and cohort, introduce your project, clarify goals and expectations, and gain an overview of the year-long journey from early concept to completed crime manuscript.
Session 2: Tuesday, 4 August
With Mandy Beaumont
Introduction to Writing Crime Fiction
We explore what makes a crime novel a crime novel, survey major subgenres, consider reader expectations, and identify where your emerging project might sit within this diverse, evolving literary field.
Session 3: Tuesday, 11 August
with Hayley Scrivenor
The Novel Form
The novel is a voracious and flexible artform. This week, we take a deeper look into the various forms our books can take and interrogate how form can influence story and vice versa. The second hour of this class sees the first of our peer/instructor workshops. A maximum of two students will submit 2000 words from their work-in-progress for constructive feedback from the group. Your instructor will guide the discussion.
Session 4: Tuesday, 18 August
with Mandy Beaumont
Finding Your Authorial Voice
We explore voice as the distinctive fingerprint of your writing. Through close reading and exercises, you’ll experiment with tone, rhythm and diction to develop a confident, consistent narrative presence on the page. The second hour of this class sees the second of our peer/instructor workshops.
Session 5: Tuesday, 25 August
with Hayley Scrivenor
Point of View
We focus on point of view: first person, close third, alternating perspectives and more. You’ll test options, explore reliability and intimacy, and decide which vantage best serves your crime narrative. The second hour of this class sees the third of our peer/instructor workshops.
Session 6: Tuesday, 1 September
with Mandy Beaumont
True Crime-Inspired Fiction
We discuss drawing on real-life crimes: research, consent, trauma and ethical responsibility. You’ll consider how to fictionalise fact, protect vulnerable people, and still create compelling, emotionally truthful crime narratives. The second hour of this class sees the fourth of our peer/instructor workshops.
Session 7: Tuesday, 8 September
with Mandy Beaumont
Touchstones
We examine the novels that made you think “ah, that’s it”. By analysing beloved books, you’ll derive practical craft lessons to apply directly to your own project. The second hour of this class sees the fifth of our peer/instructor workshops.
Session 8: Tuesday, 15 September
with Hayley Scrivenor
Becoming the Writer You Are
“Your job is to learn to work on the work”. Ahead of the break, we’ll look at sustainable routines, drafting versus redrafting, and strategies for dealing with doubt or procrastination, so you can keep moving steadily through a long-form manuscript. The second hour of this class sees our sixth and final peer/instructor workshop for this first stage of the course.
COURSE BREAK
Stage Two: Craft and texture
Session 9: Tuesday, 20 October
with Mandy Beaumont
Digging Deeper: Crime Functions
We dig deeper into some of the most important crime functions, with a focus on understanding their importance and how to use them to drive your story forward – hero and antihero – the detective and their function – motifs – the femme fatale – and begin deliberately building or sharpening these mechanisms to sustain tension and narrative propulsion across your draft. The second hour of this class sees the first of our peer/instructor workshops for Stage Two of the course.
Session 10: Tuesday, 27 October
with Hayley Scrivenor
Setting as More than Scenery
We treat setting as an active force, not simply a backdrop. You’ll explore how a good setting is inseparable from its story and how elements of setting – landscape, community, weather, history – can generate mood, shape character choices, and heighten the stakes of your crime novel.
Session 11: Tuesday, 3 November
With Hayley Scrivenor
Narrative Time
We explore how time passes in your novel: chronology, flashback, time-jumps and summary. You’ll experiment with moving between past and present to manage pace, tension and the careful release of information. The second hour of this class sees the second of our peer/instructor workshops for Stage Two of the course.
Session 12: Tuesday, 10 November
With Hayley Scrivenor and Guest Author Ashley Kalagian Blunt
Scenes
We break scenes into desire, conflict, turn and consequence. With guest author Ashley Kalagian Blunt, you’ll practise crafting scenes that both move the plot forward and reveal character in vivid, memorable ways.
Session 13: Tuesday, 17 November
With Mandy Beaumont
The Beauty of Sentences
This week, we zoom in on the sentence. Through line-editing exercises, you’ll refine rhythm, precision and imagery, discovering how small stylistic choices can sharpen voice, clarify action and heighten emotional impact in crime writing. The second hour of this class sees the third of our peer/instructor workshops for Stage Two of the course.
Session 14: Tuesday, 24 November
With Hayley Scrivenor
Dialogue
We explore dialogue that sounds real but is more readable than real speech. You’ll practise crafting conversations that reveal character, build conflict and move plot, while also tackling formatting, subtext and silence. The second hour of this class sees the fourth of our peer/instructor workshops for Stage Two of the course.
Session 15: Tuesday, 1 December
With Mandy Beaumont
Show vs. Tell
We unpack the old “show, don’t tell” advice in a crime context. You’ll learn when to dramatise, when to summarise, and ask: how can you tell a story where nothing is what it seems? The second hour of this class sees the fifth of our peer/instructor workshops for Stage Two of the course.
Session 16: Tuesday, 8 December
With Hayley Scrivenor
The Messy Middle
We take stock of your manuscript’s current state. You’ll articulate what your story is really about now, identify where you’re stuck, and develop concrete plans to navigate and strengthen the middle. The second hour of this class sees the sixth and final of our peer/instructor workshops for Stage Two of the course.
2027 Dates
Stage Three: The big picture
Session 17: Tuesday, 2 February
With Mandy Beaumont
Structure: The Angels in the Architecture
We examine structural models for crime novels, from classic three-act frameworks to more experimental designs. You’ll map your story’s spine, clarifying turning points, reveals and escalation to support a satisfying resolution.
Session 18: Tuesday, 9 February
With Hayley Scrivenor
Tension: How Do We Get It?
This session focuses on tension at every level: sentence, scene and story. You’ll locate flat spots in your draft, then learn techniques to tighten screws and keep readers compulsively turning pages.
Session 19: Tuesday, 16 February
with Mandy Beaumont
Research, Fact-Checking and Ethics
We look at building credibility through research while avoiding info-dumps. You’ll consider the ethical responsibilities unique to writing crime and representing real-world systems. The second hour of this class sees the first of our peer/instructor workshops for Stage Three of the course.
Session 20: Tuesday, 23 February
With Hayley Scrivenor
The Compassionate Crime Writer
We consider how to centre emotion and humanity in crime narratives, and discuss what a compassionate writing life looks like. You’ll explore depicting violence without sensationalism, writing trauma with care, and creating complex, believable characters rather than stereotypes or cartoons, as well as extending compassion to yourself as part of your practice. The second hour of this class sees the second of our peer/instructor workshops for Stage Three of the course.
Session 21: Tuesday, 2 March
With Mandy Beaumont
Building Complexity: the Role of Noir
We investigate noir’s influence on moral ambiguity, flawed protagonists, shadowy worlds and complex motivations. You’ll consider ways to deepen your novel’s layers, ensuring it feels psychologically rich rather than purely plot-driven. The second hour of this class sees the third of our peer/instructor workshops for Stage Three of the course.
Session 22: Tuesday, 9 March
With Hayley Scrivenor and guest author James McKenzie Watson
Writing Through Life
With guest author James McKenzie Watson, we’ll discuss balancing writing with work, family, health and uncertainty. Expect practical strategies for protecting creative time and energy while sustaining long-term projects like novels. The second hour of this class sees the fourth of our peer/instructor workshops for Stage Three of the course.
Session 23: Tuesday, 16 March
With Mandy Beaumont and guest publisher Brigid Mullane
The Importance of Editing Your Work
With guest editor and publisher Brigid Mullane, we’ll explore revision as creative transformation. Learn when to cut, condense or reimagine scenes, and how rigorous editing can uncover the strongest version of your story. The second hour of this class sees the fifth of our peer/instructor workshops for Stage Three of the course.
Session 24: Tuesday, 23 March
With Hayley Scrivenor
Ten Things Before You Finish
This session, we’ll discuss ten key principles about craft, process and industry, respond to questions, and help you articulate a personal toolkit to carry into your ongoing writing life. The second hour of this class sees the sixth and final of our peer/instructor workshops for Stage Three of the course.
Stage Four: Meeting the outside world
Session 25: Tuesday, 27 April
With Hayley Scrivenor
Hooks, Themes and What Actually Happens in Your Book
We encourage you to step back. You’ll clarify your novel’s hook, theme and core events, ensuring you can summarise what happens in a sentence—essential groundwork for pitching and positioning your book.
Session 26: Tuesday, 4 May
With Mandy Beaumont
Practical Approaches 1
We cover synopses, blurbs, query letters, submissions, manuscript assessments and writers’ groups. You’ll receive guidance on professional presentation, understand common industry expectations, and begin drafting materials that showcase your crime novel effectively.
Session 27: Tuesday, 11 May
With Hayley Scrivenor
Practical Approaches 2
Bring draft synopses, blurbs and pitches. Together we’ll refine clarity, sharpen hooks and align these documents with your novel’s voice and genre, preparing you for conversations with agents, publishers and festival programmers.
Session 28: Tuesday, 18 May
With Mandy Beumont and Amy Ingram
Articulating Your Project
A guest acting coach will guide you through performance skills for readings, launches and panels. You’ll practise voice, body language and pacing, and discuss strategies for interviews and speaking confidently about your work.
Session 29: Tuesday, 25 May
With Mandy Beaumont and Dan Pilkington
Guest Agent
With literary agent Dan Pilkington, we demystify agents’ roles, how they evaluate submissions, and what happens if they’re interested. You’ll gain insight into contracts, careers and realistic next steps after “The End”.
Session 30: Tuesday, 1 June
With Hayley Scrivenor and Cate Paterson
Guest Publisher
Allen & Unwin’s publishing director, Cate Paterson, joins the class. You’ll formally pitch your novel, receive constructive feedback, and have the chance to ask frank questions about acquisitions, lists and positioning.
Session 31: Tuesday, 8 June
With Mandy Beaumont
Promoting Your Work
We discuss publicity in 2027: book tours, festivals, online presence and working with publicists. You’ll consider what promotion suits you, and sketch a sustainable, aligned approach to building a long-term career.
Session 32: Tuesday, 15 June
With Mandy Beaumont, Hayley Scrivenor and Vanessa Radnidge
Celebration!
A celebratory final session. You’ll share short readings with guest publisher Vanessa Radnidge from Hachette, reflect on your progress, and consider your next concrete steps as a crime novelist beyond the course.
