‘At the micro level, most stories call for a mixture of different modes of prose, such as Scene, Summary, and Pause. That mixture — the duration of the story — can make all the difference to the success of the narrative.’

“Research is all about venturing into the unknown and developing an understanding of the world you are writing about in a way that means you can make it real for your readers as well.”

‘I love pieces of writing by various authors which create these small, significant, suspenseful moments where the reader can see exactly what the stakes are, because characters are revealing those stakes under pressure.’ We asked award-winning author Cate Kennedy to tell us her what it is about conflict in writing that appeals to her, and which writers she loves reading.

Writing NSW senior program officer Ashley Kalagian Blunt reflects on the process of providing quality courses to writers during the pandemic.

‘When I write about a place, I make sure to observe it as closely as possible: spending time there, observing, talking to people, taking notice of the environment visually and sonically, considering its topography, and generally paying deep attention to it. This gives me clues for what I can research further, in archives, to build a portrait of a place through time.’