It was a single photo of AWC graduate William J. Byrne’s grandmother standing outside a ramshackle home that formed the spark that inspired this self-confessed history buff to explore stories of his past and the experiences of Aboriginal people leading up to the 1960s. The result is his debut novel, The Warrumbar – spanning half a century and casting light on a lesser-told chapter of Australia. In this episode, William shares his inspirations and publishing journey, and the AWC course that made all the difference.

00:00 Welcome
04:03 Writing tip: Enter writing competitions
07:18 WIN!: What Happened That Night by Nicci French
09:55 Word of the week: ‘Puissance’
10:45 Writer in residence: William J. Byrne
11:05 What The Warrumbar is about
12:58 Why he wrote for this time frame
15:00 What inspired William to write the book
16:45 Stories from family members
18:00 Writing a teenage character
19:00 Balancing research with family stories
21:12 The note-taking process
22:23 Moses as a lens for the Aboriginal experience
23:38 Australia's historical awareness
25:44 The path to publication
29:11 Completing a writing course with AWC
30:50 The importance of writing communities
33:42 Major themes of the book
35:55 Advice for writers
36:34 Future writing projects
37:59 Final thoughts

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Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook
Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

It was a single photo of AWC graduate William J. Byrne&rsquo;s grandmother standing outside a ramshackle home that formed the spark that inspired this self-confessed history buff to explore stories of his past and the experiences of Aboriginal people leading up to the 1960s. The result is his debut novel, The Warrumbar &ndash; spanning half a century and casting light on a lesser-told chapter of Australia. In this episode, William shares his inspirations and publishing journey, and the AWC course that made all the difference.
00:00 Welcome 04:03 Writing tip: Enter writing competitions 07:18 WIN!: What Happened That Night by Nicci French 09:55 Word of the week: &lsquo;Puissance&rsquo; 10:45 Writer in residence: William J. Byrne 11:05 What The Warrumbar is about 12:58 Why he wrote for this time frame 15:00 What inspired William to write the book 16:45 Stories from family members 18:00 Writing a teenage character 19:00 Balancing research with family stories 21:12 The note-taking process 22:23 Moses as a lens for the Aboriginal experience 23:38 Australia's historical awareness 25:44 The path to publication 29:11 Completing a writing course with AWC 30:50 The importance of writing communities 33:42 Major themes of the book 35:55 Advice for writers 36:34 Future writing projects 37:59 Final thoughts
<a href="https://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/ep-699/">Read the show notes</a>
Connect with Valerie and listeners in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2346749828883788/">the podcast community on Facebook</a> Visit <a href="https://www.writerscentre.com.au/">WritersCentre.com.au</a> |&nbsp;<a href="http://valeriekhoo.com/">ValerieKhoo.com</a>

Everything you’ve always wanted to know about succeeding in the world of writing and publishing. Learn practical writing techniques, go behind-the-scenes and discover how real-life authors got their big break. Uncover the creative processes of writers who have made it. Your host is Valerie Khoo – author, journalist, creative and CEO of the Australian Writers’ Centre. 

Everything you&rsquo;ve always wanted to know about succeeding in the world of writing and publishing. Learn practical writing techniques, go behind-the-scenes and discover how real-life authors got their big break. Uncover the creative processes of writers who have made it. Your host is Valerie Khoo &ndash;&nbsp;author, journalist, creative and CEO of the Australian Writers&rsquo; Centre.&nbsp;