This competition was discontinued in 2025. Read recent winning entries in our e-anthology ‘The Writers’ Journey’, a free download
Need some writing inspiration and courage to keep going? Here are wise words from famous writers. “A professional
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
Every story is told from a particular point of view. It is the reader’s way “in,” enabling them to experience
“If you treat your characters like people, they’ll reward you by being fully developed individuals.” – Don Roff Een van
The following unedited snippets of creative writing come from students’ assignments on our Short Story Writing Courses, Novel Courses, Scriptwriting and
There is no need to write a heavy-duty novel, only to fall into a depression after your first rejection
J K Rowling, the creative genius behind the Harry Potter series, overcame great adversity to become the esteemed writer
How to Stop Dreaming and Start Writing, One Word at a Time Let me tell you something that
BY CARMEN MARCUS It was the summer of 1984 and Lady Di was just about to marry my toy gorilla,
Na tien jaar se ondervinding met die evaluering van nasionale kortverhaal kompetisies, het ons Writers College beoordelaars ʼn
Books, blogs and courses offer valuable advice and guidance for writers, but to make the most of them, there are
Writing a story is a craft that requires constant tweaks, edits and trial and error by the writer. Here are
It’s pretty alarming how New Year’s resolutions can dash into hiding the minute we’re back at work, and back
Award-winning sci-fi writer Sonny Whitelaw, the author behind the popular Stargate TV series, lays out a step-by-step guide
Whoever he or she is, your main character has to be someone your reader can identify with. If he’s the
How do you write a script for a video game? And how does writing for games differ from conventional story-telling?
One of the most common problem writers have when learning to write fiction, is maintaining point of view (PoV). Here,
Okay, you now understand the basics of third person narration. So how exactly do you write in limited third person
Fiona Ingram is a multi-award-winning author of adult and children’s fiction. She has won, or been a finalist in, over
“There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly: Sometimes it’s like drilling rock and
When Lotta received her ‘Local Hero’ award in 2014, she celebrated it with lime and soda rather than bubbly. Lotta
You sit down to write, and the words just can’t come out. When they do they seem flat and