PITCH APPOINTMENTS - SOLD OUT HNSA is delighted to announce pitching appointments are now open for booking. Here’s your chance to pitch your manuscript to a stellar list of industry professionals. Please read their profiles below to find out their pitching interests before booking an appointment. Please note: Purchase of a weekend or day ticket ... Read more
Colonial history is being placed under a completely new lens with hidden pockets of history adding new stories of diaspora to Australia’s shores. How do you find hidden gems through research? And which sources can you use to find facts about settlers and convicts with other than Anglo-Celtic ancestry? Roanna Gonsalves’ own experience ... Read more
In today’s world of lycra, fake fur, and disposable garments, we must not forget that the story of textiles is the story of civilization itself. Textiles have shaped who we are through inventions, art, and trade. It is not just costumes, and whether they are embellished or not, but the way they are ... Read more
How to integrate good research with great writing in your historical novel. We'll look at the many different activities that constitute research, when in the drafting process each of them becomes relevant, and how to work them into the prose so the reader experiences a satisfying balance of history and your story. 3 x ... Read more
In the first half of this three-hour workshop, Locke will discuss the reasons why authors might want to self-publish their work, as well as describe the vast array of resources and tools now available to indie authors that make the process of self-publishing easy and relatively inexpensive. Locke will use examples from her own ... Read more
This workshop with Meg Keneally will look at how historical crime fiction works. What makes a good historical crime novel? How do you create a pacey, immersive reading experience? We’ll look at character, plot, setting and voice. This workshop will be interactive, so come prepared with questions! This workshop includes a 15 minute break. ... Read more
Library and archival collections offer rich source material for the historical novelist. This workshop aims to provide an introduction to searching the National Library’s Trove – the online gateway to the extraordinary material held by Australian collecting institutions. With a focus on the incredible collection of digitised newspapers, this session will look at search strategies, ... Read more
In this fun workshop Brian takes you through his creative process, from story idea through to editing, with an emphasis on writing a series. Topics covered include the principle of story, character empathy, the framework of writing and creating suspense. Participants will gain a better understanding of how to construct a story, and a ... Read more
Writing Biographical Fiction with Melissa Ashley will familiarise participants with the major considerations, resources and skills required to create engaging narratives, vivid settings and unforgettable characters in your biographical fiction. Topics covered in the three-hour workshop include: whose story and why tell it; research, scope and getting started; interpreting textual and visual sources; when ... Read more
What do your characters cook and eat? Which flavours and aromas permeate their worlds? Join Jacqui Newling in discussing food history, heritage and identity in Colonial Australia, including the social meaning of historical cookbooks and recipes, forgotten culinary arts, and food memory. You’ll enjoy a feast of ideas. This chat salon will not be ... Read more
The magic of historical fiction is its ability to transport the reader through time, bringing the past to vivid life. But no matter how rich and extensive the writer’s research of events, food and fashion, the spell can be broken by language that feels out of time. How would your characters have cursed? ... Read more
In this workshop Anne Gracie will share her knowledge about the difference writing in a series made to her career. We'll discuss the appeal of some historical series and why readers like them. We will explore the features of various kinds of historical novel series and what might link a series — characters, themes, ... Read more
