Write Your Novel | Australian Writers' Centre

HomeWrite Your Novel

Group workshopping and motivation to help you complete your manuscript the smart way

Write Your Novel is ideal for writers who have foundation skills and at least 20,000 words of a novel written

You will:
Workshop your way to a completed draft
Get regular motivation and guidance on your story
Target structural flaws and dialogue
Enhance your skills by critiquing other stories
Explore the steps to publication

The program runs over either:

6 months OR
12 months.

Both versions have the same content.

The 6-month program is ideal if you want to achieve your first draft sooner rather than later. The 12-month program suits those with a busy lifestyle. It runs at a slower pace – giving you more time for reading, writing and reflection.

“I learned that I am actually a good writer – the feedback I received was amazing and I’ll always be thankful that this was my starting point.”
– Courtney Gould, Write Your Novel graduate

See more reviews

Key information
Key information:
This is an online course Duration 1 This is an online course Opens: Wednesday 14 August 2024 Start any time during the week Opens: Wednesday 14 August 2024 Start any time during the week Duration: 6 months Allow min. 4–5 hours per week Duration: 6 months Allow min. 4–5 hours per week Feedback: Yes Feedback: Yes With: Margaret Whiskin With: Margaret Whiskin $445 per month APPLY NOW Can’t make this one? Just fill out this form and we’ll be in touch when there’s a course date that suits you.

Turn your novel into reality

You have the idea and foundation skills, you have the characters, and at least 20,000 words in the bag – now you’re ready to see your manuscript to completion. To do this, you need Write Your Novel – benefit from the valuable feedback of industry professionals and fellow writers, while also learning more about how to strengthen your story as it grows.

This advanced novel writing program is designed to help you take your novel to the next level. If you haven’t finished the first draft, you'll receive the structure to complete it by the end of the program. If you have a first – or even a second or third – draft, the program will help you to look at it objectively and improve it significantly. You’ll learn how to identify any problems in your manuscript, ensure your structure is working and deepen your connection to your reader.

Enjoy the benefits of this online program

This program gives you access to your own online classroom, where you’ll be able to connect with other classmates and workshop your stories in a supportive environment – with people who share your passion!
Your class also has its own online tutor – on hand and online for any questions you may have and to provide personal feedback on your work. Our tutors are experienced experts with years of knowledge to draw on. They’re like your mentor throughout this program.
As well as the flexibility to write and workshop around your schedule, your program also includes regular Zoom sessions where you can connect in real-time with your classmates and enjoy live Q&As with your tutor.
This program has been designed to help you finish your first draft, providing the structure and discipline to make it happen within the timeframe. It’s also a great way to significantly improve a second or third draft – with many students completing the program multiple times to make the most of the format and workshopping it provides.
We’ll help you look at your words objectively, identify any problems and plot holes, sharpen key moments, strengthen your structure and deepen your connection to your reader.

Workshopping will include:

balancing your cast of characters and deepening the reader’s relationship to them
targeting structural flaws and getting rid of dead wood
writing dialogue which not only reads well but advances your plot and characterisation
writing climaxes – starting with the first page of your book!

Theory will include:

your role in the publishing process
your relationship to agents, editors and publishers
how ebooks are changing the nature of publishing
how to find the best agent or publisher for your work
how to professionally present and submit your work.

Reviews of Write Your Novel

“Do the Write Your Novel course. It's worth the time and financial commitment.The course and the feedback have left me so clear about what I need to do in my next draft, much clearer than I thought I would be. And it's left me with the confidence that what I've written is good and can now be even better.”

– Rose Costa

“After writing many years of very short texts, I was struggling to write this particular longer text. I was in ‘Ice age' mode! This course got me out of it. While I was struggling, it was good to know I was not alone, especially with Cathie at the helm.”

– Tania Cox

“I enjoyed meeting other aspiring writers and learning about their stories and forming friendships and a writing tribe. It helped me form a writing routine that fit around my daily life and I loved how the audio lessons always demonstrated all writers are different.”

– Emma Georgeson

“The final manuscript assessments nearly made me cry simply because I realised my story had made an impact on someone else. People were gaining all sorts of insights and growth from some of my storylines and characters in ways I'd never even imagined.”

– Paul O'Doherty

Is this program right for me?

Write Your Novel is an advanced creative writing program. It assumes a solid knowledge of fiction techniques, workshopping experience and at least 20,000 words written. Ideally, you’ve already completed Novel Writing Essentials after starting with Creative Writing Stage 1 or Writing Children’s Novels, and you’re now serious about publishing a novel or book-length memoir.

You will have gained important workshopping skills in Novel Writing Essentials. We will also consider you if you've completed a heavily workshop-based course elsewhere. This means you have experience giving and receiving feedback on stories. Students from past Write Your Novel classes have been enthusiastic about the workshopping part of the course; they have gained as much from workshopping other people’s stories as by having their own work critiqued. So knowing how to workshop is a critical skill for this course.

During the program, you will have scheduled opportunities to workshop your novel with your classmates and tutor, and to have your entire novel read and commented on by fellow participants. Your tutor will read and give feedback on your novel’s climax and resolution. You'll also elevate your skills by regularly providing feedback on your classmates' writing.

Do any of these sound like you?

You've written the first 20,000 words of your book during Novel Writing Essentials and you'd like to keep up the momentum. You crave guidance and accountability to complete the first draft.
You've been working on your novel off and on for years and you're now treading water. You'd love some expert feedback and a real set of deadlines to find your momentum again.
You've completed the first draft of your novel (or memoir), but know it can be better. You're not really sure where to start attacking it though, so this program will guide you through killing those darlings and completing your second draft.

You're working on a children’s series, and have completed Writing Children's Novels. Ideally, you have followed this with Novel Writing Essentials so you have strong workshopping experience and are ready for more.

You've completed the Write Your Novel program before and loved the discipline and structure. You're now writing a new novel and would love to benefit from the support and feedback again.

This program is powerful and unique – there is no other novel-writing course like it in Australia. No matter what state your novel is in, this program will give you the motivation and discipline to emerge with a stronger draft.

BONUS Inside Track: direct access to a publisher

Students who participate fully in the program – which means submitting your writing and giving feedback to your classmates – will be rewarded with a rare opportunity.

Pitch to a publisher

You’ll be invited to a group practice pitching session with Jo Mackay, Head of Publishing at HQ, HarperCollins Publishers. This is conducted Live over Zoom.

Your manuscript will be read by a publisher

When you feel your manuscript is ready to submit, we’ll provide you with specific instructions so that you bypass the slush pile and your manuscript will go directly to Jo Mackay – and it will be read. (Please note that this is no guarantee of publication and it will then go through a regular submission process and the associated timelines, which can be long.)

An invaluable opportunity

This opportunity is, quite frankly, priceless. But, thanks to our collaboration with HarperCollins, we can offer it to students in this Write Your Novel program. If you’re serious about writing your novel and getting it published, apply now.

We're thrilled so many of our graduates have gone on to become published authors…

Margaret completed Write Your Novel

“The best aspect of the program was learning how to critique and prepare a structural edit. By applying those skills to each other’s manuscripts, we learned how to use them to improve our own work.“

– Margaret Morgan,
now a published author, whose debut novel ‘The Second Cure' is in talks to become a TV series…

Joanna Nell Graduate of Australian Writers' Centre, author of four bestselling novels including The Tea Ladies of St Jude’s Hospital

Sarah Clutton Graduate of Australian Writers' Centre, author of Good Little Liars and The Daughter's Promise

Alli Parker Graduate of Australian Writers’ Centre, author of At The Foot Of The Cherry Tree’

BONUS Industry Author Events

All Write Your Novel students are exclusively invited to regular Industry Author events where you’ll get to meet working authors and industry insiders to ask them all your burning questions! This takes the format of a 20-minute conversation with the author conducted by an AWC team member, followed by 40 minutes of Q&A with students.

You’ll get direct access to published authors who can give you first hand advice about their writing process and the publishing industry. This occurs approximately once every two months. Write Your Novel students are invited to these events during the program and for 6 months after the program ends – which means you can still connect with authors and the writing community even after the program is finished.

Meet the Presenters

Dr Pamela Freeman is the award-winning author of more than 40 books. Pamela has a Doctorate in Creative Writing and is the Director of Creative Writing at the Australian Writers’ Centre. She has developed many highly regarded writing courses that have inspired and educated thousands of writers.

Her most recent novel as Pamela Hart is An A-List for Death. This follows Digging Up Dirt, the first in the Poppy McGowan mystery series. She also publishes Regency romance novellas with Escape Publishing. Prior to this, she’s published a number of historical novels, mostly set in the first part of the 20th century (WWI and the Roaring Twenties).

Cathie Tasker is a fiction editor with more than 25 years’ experience and has also been a judge of the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and the Aurealis Awards. Cathie has worked for children’s publishers such as HarperCollins Publishers, Scholastic Australia and Koala Books. She has edited books by Mem Fox, Jackie French, Bruce Whatley, Judith Rossell, Sue Whiting, Pamela Freeman, Coral Vass, Craig Smith, Dee Huxley, Hazel Edwards, Ann James, Matt Cosgrove, Meredith Costain, Rod Clement, Sally Odgers, Patricia Mullins, Rodney McRae, Pamela Lofts, Junko Morimoto and more. Many of her students end up with published deals.

Bernadette Foley is one of the most connected people in the publishing industry, working as an editor and publisher for over 30 years. She was publisher of fiction and non-fiction for international publishing house Hachette Australia for 10 years, working with such authors as Di Morrissey, William McInnes, Gabrielle Lord, Graeme Blundell, Kate Ceberano, Bronwyn Parry, Lian Hearn, Pamela Freeman, Troy Cassar-Daley and many more. In 2015, Bernadette received the George Robertson Award for Service to the Australian Publishing Industry.

The AWC creative writing pathway:

If your goal is to write a novel, AWC offers three stages of creative support and guidance to help you get there. Creative Writing Stage 1 kicks things off – giving you a solid understanding of how to build your story. In Novel Writing Essentials and Write Your Novel, you will workshop your actual manuscript and take it from its beginnings to completion.

How to write your novel with AWC

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: I haven't done a writing course before. Is this program for me?
A: This program is for writers who already have advanced fiction knowledge and at least 20,000 words written of a manuscript (see the creative path section above). Ideally, you’ve already completed Novel Writing Essentials after starting with Creative Writing Stage 1 or Writing Children’s Novels, and you’re now serious about publishing a novel or book-length memoir.

Q: Does this program suit memoir writers?
A: Yes, although if your memoir is more emotional in nature, then we recommend having a first draft of your memoir completed prior to applying for Write Your Novel. This program allows you to then approach the material analytically through workshopping. For specific assistance initially, our Creative Non-fiction course is excellent.

Q: I've already written a draft of my novel. Can I do this program?
A: Yes! If you have a first draft, or even a second or a third, we’ll help you to look at it objectively and improve it significantly. You’ll learn how to identify any problems in your manuscript, ensure your structure is working, and deepen your connection to your reader.

Q: I've completed Write Your Novel before. Can I do it again?
A: Of course! We have many students who choose to return due to the valuable workshopping process (difficult to replicate in the ‘real world’), especially those who are writing a new book. We also offer our Edit Your Novel program exclusively to those who have completed Write Your Novel and wish to refine their manuscript draft in a more experienced and supportive environment.

Q: How many people are in the program?
A: Due to the workshopping nature of the program and to ensure you receive adequate access to your tutor and value out of the program, we limit class sizes to a maximum of 16 students.

Q: How much time is needed each week?
A: This will depend on a few factors, including your reading and writing speed. But, as a rough guide, you’ll want to allow approximately 5-6 hours per week for the 6-month program or per fortnight for the 12-month version. Both structures allow you to fit the program around your schedule.

And no matter which program you choose, you'll also enjoy live Zoom sessions with your classmates and tutor – a chance to ask your burning questions and connect with your writers' circle. It's a great blend of flexible learning and writing time, peppered with interactive sessions to keep you motivated.

Q: I'm writing books for children. Can I do this program?
A: Absolutely! In fact, you may use the program to complete a series of books. We have many students in the program who are writing middle grade novels or YA. (Note: The program is not suitable for picture books however – for this, you’ll want our Writing Picture Books foundation course and Masterclass.)

Q: Okay, I think I’m ready. How do I apply?
A: Fantastic! Simply click the “Apply Now” button at the top of this page. For the application, you'll answer a few questions about yourself, your writing experience and your novel, and you'll provide a 3000-word writing sample (from your Work In Progress is fine) – as it’s important to ensure everyone is at a similar level to make workshopping worthwhile. The program tutor reviews all applications to ensure this program is going to best suit your goals.

By the end of this progam, you will have:

MOTIVATION:	and discipline to take your novel to the next level, no matter what state it is in at the beginning of the program.
CONFIDENCE:	in your writing abilities, in the quality of your manuscript and in your skills in structural editing.
DIRECTION:	from your online tutor and classmates, through the valuable feedback process.
MOMENTUM:	from the practical and theory components that deal with preparing your story for publication.

Enjoy exclusive access to our AWC Graduates’ Club

Want to know where all the cool kids hang out? The Graduates’ Club of course! Now, calm down – there are no cigars, leather armchairs or loud ticking grandfather clocks here. But it IS exclusive invitation only (on completion of a course) and it’s free! Meet other writers online and share successes, seek help or just get something off your chest. Many students believe this ‘legacy learning’ is one of the most valuable things about our AWC community, and who are we to argue? So if you want to receive feedback, support and a heads-up on opportunities … join the Club!

The number one reason your book may never be published is, quite simply, that you haven’t written it. Don’t let that be true of you… Apply today!

Key information
Key information:
This is an online course Duration 1 This is an online course Opens: Wednesday 14 August 2024 Start any time during the week Opens: Wednesday 14 August 2024 Start any time during the week Duration: 6 months Allow min. 4–5 hours per week Duration: 6 months Allow min. 4–5 hours per week Feedback: Yes Feedback: Yes With: Margaret Whiskin With: Margaret Whiskin $445 per month APPLY NOW Can’t make this one? Just fill out this form and we’ll be in touch when there’s a course date that suits you.