Courses
Get started writing, stay the distance, learn from publishing experts
Short Stories: Disrupting the Process
w/ Emma Hislop (Kāi Tahu)Explore the communal act of short story writing in this six-week course with award-winning author Emma Hislop (Kāi Tahu), learning how to deepen your connection to craft and each other and find new ways to approach short fiction writing.
— December 5, 2024
Writing a Novel scholarship information session FREE
w/ Emily Bitto, Carrie Tiffany, Kristina Olsson and Pip SmithIn this special free interactive information session, join our Writing a Novel tutors from around the country – Emily Bitto (Melbourne), Carrie Tiffany (Online), Kristina Olsson (Brisbane) and Pip Smith (Sydney) – as they discuss what to expect from the course in 2025 and how to best prepare your scholarship application.
— October 28, 2024
Writing Poetry
w/ Eileen ChongExplore the fundamentals of poetic craft in this practical six week course with award-winning poet, Eileen Chong. Delivered over two months, participants will be taken through a series of workshops designed to illuminate the many tools that we unconsciously utilise in writing, and showcase how to use them with greater intent, to greater impact.
— December 18, 2024
Stay The Course – Finish Your Draft
w/ Emily Bitto + Richard SkinnerStay the Course is an exclusive online program designed for alumni of Writing a Novel (of any graduating year) to help students keep up momentum, maintain a sense of community and maximise their writing time. This is a chance to stay on track with your word count and finish your manuscript, ahead of submitting to an agent or publisher.
— March 30, 2025
Stay The Course – Finish Your Draft
w/ Emily O'Grady + Richard SkinnerStay the Course is an exclusive online program designed for alumni of Writing a Novel (of any graduating year) to help students keep up momentum, maintain a sense of community and maximise their writing time. This is a chance to stay on track with your word count and finish your manuscript, ahead of submitting to an agent or publisher.
— March 30, 2025
Writing Creative Nonfiction Information Session
w/ Rebecca Giggs and Deborah RobertsonIn this free information session, join the tutors behind our nonfiction courses – Rebecca Giggs and Deborah Robertson – as they discuss their approach to teaching nonfiction and what to expect from their respective courses in 2025.
— November 11, 2024
Writing Creative Nonfiction
w/ Rebecca Giggs, Fiona Wright and guestsFor emerging nonfiction writers ready to leap in and get serious, this course begins with a focus on the creative essay and builds towards core competencies essential for embarking on a nonfiction book project. We will take your writing from the planning stage, through chapter by chapter drafting, to sketching out a detailed proposal for a publisher to consider.
— July 15, 2025
Kickstart Your Novel: Autumn
w/ Eleanor Limprecht & Luke HortonPage 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.
— May 21, 2025
Writing a Novel Online
w/ Carrie Tiffany and guestsFor emerging novelists ready to dive in and make the commitment to complete a full manuscript, this rigorous Masters-equivalent course will guide you through the process of executing your novel, developing essential skills in writing and composition, as well as establishing a dedicated writing practice.
— September 23, 2025
Writing a YA Novel
w/ Shivaun Plozza, Bec Kavanagh and guestsYA fiction is amongst the bestselling genres in Australia, read avidly by teenagers and adults alike—but how do you start writing for this highly engaged community of readers? In this special course, you will carefully study YA’s complex set of rules and conventions, while working towards completing a full first draft of your manuscript.
— September 24, 2025
Edit and Submit Your Novel
w/ Sophie Cunningham + GuestsEquipped with a reader’s report on your full manuscript, author and editor Sophie Cunningham will lead you through the process of re-drafting your novel, by focusing on key ideas and strategies from plotting to characterisation and style. Over six fortnightly sessions, you’ll workshop your re-drafts and stress-test the decisions you’ve made, exploring what works and what could be made stronger in your novel.
— June 10, 2025
Workshop Your Opening Chapter
w/ Lauren ChaterIn an intimate group of ten writers, Lauren Chater will guide you through a workshopping process designed to strengthen the opening chapter of your work-in-progress, at the level of the line, the paragraph, and the story, giving you skills you can continue to apply to your manuscript as a whole.
— July 9, 2025
Author to Author: Mentorship and Editorial Program
w/ Ceridwen Dovey, Mireille Juchau, Harrison Christian or Lauren Aimee CurtisProject plan your manuscript with one-on-one consultations with a leading writer.
You will be paired with a leading author for a series of fortnightly one-on-one consultation sessions to discuss your work, and help you negotiate the roadblocks and challenges you might be facing.