Make 2023 your year – get the tools and support you need to complete the first draft of your novel, with Queensland Writers Centre's flagship program for emerging writers.

Year of the Novel returns in 2023 so you can follow through with your New Years' resolution to get that book out of your head and onto the page. Attend five full-day workshops throughout the year, each detailing the steps you need to take when writing the first draft of your novel. Run by award-winning author, researcher, and tutor Melissa Ashley, in this course you’ll receive practical advice and inspiration so you can maintain your writing pace and finish the year writing 'the end'. Melissa will also provide written feedback on up to 10 pages of your work-in-progress.

Payment plans are available for this course. Please contact Queensland Writers Centre at admin@qldwriters.org.au or call (07) 3842 9922.

Learning Outcomes

You will hone writing skillset and work to draft a full-length novel through practical exercises, group discussions, critique sessions, and homework in the key areas listed below:

Develop your personal skills in the craft of narrative writing.
Learn techniques to pre-draft and generate ideas.
Structure your narrative on a macro and micro level.
Craft characters with goals and flaws.
Build your novel's world and setting.
Find your author voice and writing style.
Develop an appreciation for the business of writing and publishing.

2023 Dates/Times

Format/other notes

This is an intensive and collaborative 5-part course with a focus on craft; it will be held in-person at Queensland Writers Centre. It is a level 2 course for dedicated writers. Each session will combine explicit teaching of skills and techniques, interactive discussion and writing exercises, and roundtable workshopping of works in progress.

About Melissa

Melissa Ashley is the author of historical fiction novels The Bee and the Orange Tree and The Birdman's Wife, which won the Queensland Literary Awards Fiction prize and the ABA Booksellers Choice Award. She has published a collection of poetry, The Hospital for Dolls, as well as short stories, essays and academic articles. Melissa is passionate about historical women's forgotten lives, particularly in science. Melissa's novel The Naturalist of Amsterdam, which explores the life of entomologist and artist Maria Sibylla Merian's daughter Dorothea Graff, is forthcoming in 2023. Melissa lives in Brisbane with her family.

Queensland Writers Centre membership

Consider becoming a member of Queensland Writers Centre (worth $79 / year) to save up to 30% across our Program of workshops, courses and events - including up to $150 savings on your ticket to Year Of The Novel. Queensland Writers Centre membership includes a host of benefits:

Belong to a vibrant community of Queensland writing
Discounts of up to 30% across our Program, services, and competitions
Subscription to the quarterly WQ magazine
Priority access to writing advice from our experienced team
Recognition for your writing achievements in our Member Milestones
Access to Writer's Consults, the Writer's Surgery program and other members only services
Access to member benefits of other state writers' centres in the National Writers Centre Network

Find more information on our website or get in touch with the team today.

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