Mastering Structure
Applications open early 2027
Designed for writers of all levels, genres and narrative art forms, this 16-session masterclass with BAFTA award-winning screenwriter and author Anthony Mullins will show you how to craft an authentic and powerful narrative structure.
Recharge Your Poetry Practice
Applications open early 2027
In this five-week masterclass you’ll have the opportunity to read a lot, write a lot, receive written and verbal feedback, explore a trove of original prompts and diverse forms, explore and enhance aspects of your creative practice and have a one-to-one consultation about your work.
Weaving Memoir: Writing and Structuring Personal Stories
Applications open Jan 2027
A memoir doesn’t need to go from A to B in a timeline that marches with a calendar. In this innovative workshop, Kris Kneen will take you through a different process of structuring your memoir, weaving different stories across multiple timelines, organised by a unifying theme.
Kickstart Your Writing Project
Applications open Feb 2027
This six-session intensive masterclass offers the opportunity to get started on a new writing project or breathe life into a project you have abandoned or are struggling with.
Deep Reading with Emily Maguire
Applications now closed
Energise your writing and deepen your critical reading with Emily Maguire. This 10-week course will develop your writing craft through close reading and applied writing practice.
Write the Perfect Crime with Jack Heath
Applications now closed
This 6-week course with Jack Heath is designed to help you refine the elements of crime and thriller writing and finish your novel, with discussions of key writing techniques and feedback on your work.
The Power of a Good Outline
Applications now closed
This 6-week course with Anthony Mullins will introduce you to the power of story outlines, be it for planning, problem solving, analysis or pitching. Whether you're writing a novel, a screenplay, or a play, an outline can give you the ability to see the big picture and remember why you wanted to write this story in the first place.
Writing Sex with Kris Kneen
Applications now closed
In this 8-week online workshop series Kris Kneen will lead a small group of writers with the aim of learning to write about sensuality and sexuality with ease.
Finish Your Novel with Conor Kostick
Applications now closed
For over 20 years, Conor Kostick has been teaching his popular 10-week Finish Your Novel course at the Irish Writers Centre and Varuna are delighted to offer it in Australia and New Zealand.
The Sum of its Parts – Short Story Collections with Julie Koh
Applications now closed
This 10-week course is designed to help you strengthen the fundamentals that aspiring authors often overlook, hone your approach to revising stories for submission, and work towards writing your own knockout short-story collection.
Finish Your Memoir in 2026: an extended program with Kris Kneen
Applications now closed
Commit to your writing and make 2026 the year you finish your memoir. In this in-depth online masterclass, award-winning author Kris Kneen will lead a small group of writers over 9-months, with structured exercises, readings and feedback designed to help you finish a draft of your memoir.
The Art of Dialogue
Applications now closed
This 8-week online program drills down deeply into how to craft dialogue on the page, ensuring that each of your character’s voices is unique, shaping their distinct speech patterns, and working on questions about who speaks, and when.
Write Your Novel
Applications now closed
Work alongside Miles Franklin award winning novelist Sofie Laguna to breathe life into your novel, taking it out of the ‘too hard basket’ and shaping it into the story it deserves to be.
Crafting Knockout Scenes
Applications now closed
Scenes are the building blocks of novels, plays, screenplays, short stories, and even works of creative non-fiction. This 8-week program with Brooke Robinson will sharpen your writing to create truly powerful scenes.
Manuscript Development Masterclass
Applications now closed
A deep-dive writer development program designed for writers with a manuscript substantially underway, or with a draft completed, this 5-month masterclass provides a unique opportunity to receive feedback on your manuscript and the guidance and support to take it to the next level.
Writing with Heart and Humour
Applications now closed
This eight-session masterclass for writers in any genre will develop your skills in positioning yourself as an observer, and bringing nuance and humour to the story you would most like to tell.