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Creative Writing
For those of us blessed with sight, vision is the most important sense through which we recognise the world
If you are a non-fiction writer or you think your work is uncreative, keep reading. SALLY MAZAK explains how creativity
Rejection. Dejection. Introspection. Funny how these words all go together. GINNY SWART explores the reasons why writers might have their
Learning how to use styles in your Word documents gives you the power to design the look of your document
Ginny Swart was one of the first writers to join us when we started our writing college in 2005. She designed the
NZ Writers College is proud to showcase one of its Novel Course graduates, Gareth Ward. Gareth’s debut novel, The
Helen Brain is the author of 30 books for children, an adult memoir and many short stories. In 1998
Back in the dark ages, like ten years ago, most stories submitted to magazines travelled on paper, with a
By Hannah Green How do you create that nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat page-turner? How do best-selling authors create tension in their writing?
WEB WRITING
Your Stories
Writing is not something I do; it is something I can’t do without. My journey as a writer began
BY NIKKY LEE “Kill your adverbs.” This advice came from thriller writer John Harman. I was eighteen, in my first
BY RETIEF POTGIETER An artist will sometimes mention that he or she hasn’t had an original thought in a while.
Driving around in the Jordanian desert, we cleaned the car’s air filter more often than we filled up with fuel.
Doing a writing course can shine more light on your writing strengths and weaknesses than a 100-watt reading lamp. DANIELLE
BY OLAKUNLE OLADIRAN Growing up in the tiny village of Akure in Nigeria, I had only felt liberated
BY TRACY SOLEA A bright gold sticker in my purple exercise book marks the day I
The three years I spent in high school gave me a taste of what it must be like to
I’m in the middle of writing a novel and I’m having a bit of a wobbly at the moment.
Oh, the joy of your first job! How exciting, wonderful and, honestly, very disappointing. ‘First job blues’ is a
Q & A WITH AWARD-WINNING WRITERS
Paul Cleave – international bestselling New Zealand author – talks about his writing career and offers tips for new writers
For someone with a curious streak and a passion for Japanese design, Fiona Wilson may have one of the
Successful journalist Sarah Lang may have started her working life sleeping in her mother’s garage, but she has quickly climbed
TRUDY DELAMARE asks veteran copy-editor Di Smith if machines can correct errors better than humans in this frank Q &
Alex Smith’s most recent novel ‘Devilskein & Dearlove’ is a YA Fantasy, described by the ‘Sunday Times’ as “a magical
Karen Jeynes is a well-known, award-winning playwright whose work includes “Laying Blame”, “sky too big”, “Don’t Mention Sex”, “Kiss
Mandy Speechly has worked as a copywriter in the advertising industry for over fifteen years for leading international advertising agencies
He’s the son of New Zealand’s inaugural Poet Laureate and describes himself as a freelance writer and editor.
Helen Brain is the author of 30 books for children, an adult memoir and many short stories. In 1998
Trending Posts
Apps for Writers
While your Moleskine may never go out fashion, technology changes at a rapid pace. These five apps get you
Anyone can share their travel stories on the Web. However, it is the quality of your writing, editing and photos
Six apps to help travel writers organise, plan and execute their day. BY CHRIS STRYDOM Travel writers rely on technology
If you are a person who fears or dislikes new apps, and you also happen to be a journalist,
Web writing is an increasingly popular specialism for writers, but it’s also highly competitive. I’m sharing my top free and
Boost your web writing career with these powerful apps. BY SARAH LLOYD We as 21st century writers are lucky to
latest posts
Well, it’s all about power, isn’t it? That’s where and why my life intersects the here and how
This competition was discontinued in 2025. Read recent winning entries in our e-anthology ‘The Writers’ Journey’, a free download
Logical flow is one of the trickier writing skills to master, but it is vital for good writing. Here’s a
Finally finished a piece of writing that you want to submit to an editor? Woohoo! But before you hit the
Need some writing inspiration and courage to keep going? Here are wise words from famous writers. “A professional
Here are 11 ways to draw in your reader and keep them hooked. Each one of these ways takes time
For most of the twentieth century, television was the preferred channel for advertisers to promote their goods to the masses.
The plot twist is the writer’s equivalent of magic: a sleight of hand, a puff of smoke and kazam! You
After over a decade of judging thousands of short stories in our national writing competitions, our Writers’ College
In most stories, people talk to each other. Many readers enjoy the “talking bits” the most, and will happily