Tired of three acts? Break the rules and reshape your story with bold, unconventional structure.

This hands-on workshop dives into innovative forms in fiction—fragmented narratives, vignettes, epistolary storytelling, hybrid forms, and beyond. We'll explore how structure can deepen theme, voice, and emotion, looking at writers like Markus Zusak, Ali Smith, and Tim Winton. Participants will analyse examples, experiment with their own writing, and walk away with fresh structural tools to reimagine their work. Perfect for fiction writers ready to bend the rules or inject new life into a project that's stuck. Bring a notebook, an open mind, and a story you're ready to reshape.

Learning outcomes

As part of this workshop, participants will:

Understand a range of non-traditional narrative structures, including fragmented, epistolary, nested, and hybrid forms.
Experiment with unconventional forms through writing exercises designed to spark creativity and rethink linear storytelling.
Develop strategies to sustain coherence and clarity, even when breaking traditional narrative rules.
Gain confidence in taking creative risks and applying structural innovation in their current or future writing projects.

Format

This is a hybrid workshop with a focus on craft; it will be held in-person at State Library of Queensland and live streamed to an online audience via Zoom. This workshop is suitable for fiction writers of all level and backgrounds.

About David

Dave Burton is an award-winning Australian writer with over thirty professionally produced plays and two published books to his name. His acclaimed play April’s Fool is a landmark of verbatim theatre in schools nationwide, while Wisdom continues to tour with The Grin and Tonic Theatre Troupe. Dave’s writing spans memoir, fiction, journalism, and arts advocacy, and he contributes regularly to publications like ArtsHub. Known for blending heart, humour, and insight, his work often explores themes of connection, creativity, and resilience.

For more information about Queensland Writers Centre’s Program of Events and answers to FAQs, please visit: www.queenslandwriters.org.au/program-info