Mastering Structure through Character Arcs
Designed for writers of all levels, genres and narrative art forms, BAFTA award-winning screenwriter and author, Anthony Mullins, will show you how to craft an authentic and powerful narrative structure using the most important part of your story - its characters.
Applications now closed for 2026
Dates: 6pm - 8pm (AEST), Thursdays 16 April - 30 July 2026. This is a 16-week program. See Program Outline below for the dates of all sessions in this program.
Delivery: Online
Fees: $2600 or $2500 for Varuna Alumni. Payment terms are negotiable if you cannot pay the whole fee upfront.
Applications close: 5pm AEST, Tuesday 17 March 2026.
Places: 8 participants will be selected (small group).
“The masterclass in creating character arcs with Anthony Mullins was fantastic. Anthony is both knowledgeable and engaging and I would highly recommend to both fiction writers and those working in screen/TV.”
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BAFTA and AWGIE award-winning screenwriter, author and playwright, Anthony Mullins shows you how to master story structure using the concept of "character arcs". Drawing on his celebrated book Beyond the Hero's Journey, Anthony will demonstrate how to avoid the cliches and limitations of storytelling formulas like "The Hero's Journey" and the "Three-Act Structure" by focussing on character arcs to build an authentic, emotional and powerful structure for your story.
Taking a deep dive into a wide range of cinematic case studies, from commercial hits to innovative arthouse masterpieces, Anthony will lead participants across a wide storytelling landscape, gathering lessons and insights along the way to help you craft the unique structure your story needs to realise its potential.
But this is not a screenwriting workshop. It's a storytelling workshop. Its lessons are relevant across a wide range of narrative genres and art forms, including literary fiction, playwriting, graphic novels, interactive and, of course, film and television.
Using a mix of film-based case studies, group discussions, class exercises and one-on-one sessions with Anthony, you will learn new techniques that you can immediately test and apply to your own writing in a safe and supportive creative environment.
This is a small group program for 8 participants over 16 weeks.
Each writer will also have a 40-minute one-on-one session with Anthony to discuss their work in progress.
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16 April, Session 1: Overview of character arcs and structure
23 April, Session 2: Change characters with an optimistic arc
30 April, Session 3: Constant characters with an optimistic arc
7 May, Session 4: Change characters with an ambivalent arc
14 May, Session 5: Constant characters with an ambivalent arc
21 May, Session 6: Ensemble arcs
28 May, Session 7: Minimalist arcs
4 June, Session 8: Reactive and passive characters
11 June, Session 9: Constant characters with a pessimistic arc
18 June, Session 10: Change characters with a pessimistic arc
25 June, Session 11: Non-linear structures
2 July, Session 12: Workshop
9 July, Session 13: Workshop
16 July, Session 14: Workshop
23 July, Session 15: Workshop
30 July, Session 16: Refining your structure and wrap up
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Anthony Mullins is a BAFTA and AWGIE award winning screenwriter, author and playwright. The projects Anthony has written and directed have won numerous international awards including a Primetime Emmy, an International Digital Emmy, two BAFTAs and five Australian Writer’s Guild awards. In 2022, Anthony’s play, The Norman Mailer Anecdote, was a finalist in the Queensland Premier’s Drama Awards and was long-listed for The Griffin Award. His award winning book on screenwriting from New South Publishing has so far been released in Australia, the UK, Canada, the United States, China, and South Korea.
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“Anthony Mullins’ workshop is both fascinating and inspiring. His structural process is incredibly useful and I often use his steps to map out my own story arcs and encourage my workshop students to do the same.”
— Mirandi Riwoe, author of Stone Sky Gold Mountain, Sunbirds and The Fish Girlnd“I’m an author, not a screenwriter, but I have found Anthony Mullins’s approach to structure inspiring and extremely practical. He helped me work through some plot issues when I was writing Nightingale. Anthony has an inclusive, generous and wise approach; he is very keen to understand an individual’s project and he offers astute observations and targeted suggestions.”
— Laura Elvery, author of Ordinary Matter and Trick of the Light“In his hugely engaging book, Anthony Mullins breaks down an extraordinary array of films, unveiling new analytical tools that are insightful, practical and, best of all, that just might inspire you to write something genuinely original.”
— Michael Lucas (creator/writer of The Newsreader, Five Bedrooms and Party Tricks) -
Applications now closed for 2026
Entry to this course is by application. Writers will be selected based on the creative potential of their work, commitment to craft, openness to collaborating with your peers, and the balance in the group.Course fees are $2600 or $2500 for Varuna alumni. Payment terms are negotiable if you cannot pay the whole fee upfront.
Applications close at 5pm (AEST) on Tuesday 17 March 2026. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their submission by 27 March.
Please refer to Varuna’s general submission guidelines for any questions on formatting your work.
Feel free to call 02 4782 5674 or email amy@varuna.com.au to discuss your application.
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