- Advertisement -
Creative Writing
“If you treat your characters like people, they’ll reward you by being fully developed individuals.” – Don Roff Een van
Wanting to portray how women really felt about their lives has been a constant theme for acclaimed New Zealand
Only the Dead is South African born Hamilton Wende’s latest novel, released by Penguin Books in October 2012. What inspires this author and
Having a hard time getting your story to the level that you want it at? Struggling to sell it or
NZ Writers College is proud to showcase one of its Novel Course graduates, Gareth Ward. Gareth’s debut novel, The
– by Stephanie Laubscher Web fiction, also known as Web lit, is basically the publication of literature and short stories
Folk-rock duo and songwriters Lourens and Esté Rabé from Cape Town started their band in 2010. Their songs showcase their
First off, congratulations – you wrote a short story! Now, use these eight tips to help get it published. BY
BY CARMEN MARCUS It was the summer of 1984 and Lady Di was just about to marry my toy gorilla,
WEB WRITING
Your Stories
It wasn’t always writing that I loved. First there was the sensory world of writing: cracking the spine on
BY NATALIE SWAIN Christmas morning. My brother has a secretive smirk on his face. “This one is from me,
Oh, the joy of your first job! How exciting, wonderful and, honestly, very disappointing. ‘First job blues’ is a
“I’ll do it if you do it.” “OK. Let’s do it together.” And so I started writing. It had been
My writing journey leaped ahead when a truck smashed into my car at a traffic light, crumpling the back
My favourite singer once told an interviewer that he started singing at the age of four. He said that by
BY CATHY MARTENS Ah, my elusive writing chops; where do they come from and where do they keep going?
Congratulations to Helen Yuretich, the winner of our November 2011 My Writing Journey Competition. Helen’s inspiring story is called ‘Just for fun’.
BY JOHN McCAFFREY Many years ago, I met with an agent friend and asked his advice on how I might
BY GLENN McGOLDRICK My writing journey? Ha-ha. Sounds pretentious. Where to start? I liked writing as a kid.
Q & A WITH AWARD-WINNING WRITERS
Sonny Whitelaw has enjoyed a successful career as a writer for more than thirty years. Her work as a photojournalist
Helen Brain is the author of 30 books for children, an adult memoir and many short stories. In 1998
New Zealand Poet Laureate, Dr Selina Tusitala-Marsh Selina Tusitala-Marsh has published three critically acclaimed collections of poetry. She was the
Alex Smith’s most recent novel ‘Devilskein & Dearlove’ is a YA Fantasy, described by the ‘Sunday Times’ as “a magical
Susan Williams has been the managing director of Prose & Comms – a communications company – for over a decade.
He’s the son of New Zealand’s inaugural Poet Laureate and describes himself as a freelance writer and editor.
For someone with a curious streak and a passion for Japanese design, Fiona Wilson may have one of the
Paul Cleave – international bestselling New Zealand author – talks about his writing career and offers tips for new writers
TRUDY DELAMARE asks veteran copy-editor Di Smith if machines can correct errors better than humans in this frank Q &
Trending Posts
Apps for Writers
Anyone can share their travel stories on the Web. However, it is the quality of your writing, editing and photos
Web writing is an increasingly popular specialism for writers, but it’s also highly competitive. I’m sharing my top free and
While your Moleskine may never go out fashion, technology changes at a rapid pace. These five apps get you
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,
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 judges
In most stories, people talk to each other. Many readers enjoy the “talking bits” the most, and will happily