Writing Tips and Expert Advice
Popular Stories
How to Write Winning Short Stories for Competitions
You can win big cash prizes and build your writing portfolio by entering writing competitions. Here are 8 steps for creating a compelling short story
5 Powerful SEO Writing Tips
By Veselina Yaneva The following five powerful writing tips will help you to optimize your online articles for search engines. Writing for the web requires
The Art of Ghostwriting
Ghostwriting has gained immense popularity in recent years due to its potential as a rewarding career. But what exactly is ghostwriting? The role of a
Avoid A Defamation Claim in New Zealand: Practical Tips for Your Next Article
Defamation law is often overlooked by article writers until it is too late. Here are some of the basics of New Zealand legislation and pointers to help prevent a libel complaint. Even for a writer, defamation or libel were probably not words front of mind until recently. Now, they may conjure up images of a […]
Copywriting 101: How to Craft Compelling Blog and Social Media Posts
By VESELINA YANEVA Copywriting is a powerful tool for convincing and inspiring potential customers or clients online. It’s the craft of using compelling words for
Step Into the Story: Why Interactive Fiction Is the Most Addictive Way to Read
Interactive Fiction has been a medium for storytelling for decades. SHANELLE PEREIRA explores how writing Interactive Fiction differs from linear writing and what the future
How to Find Work as a Freelance Writer in New Zealand
By Melissa Gilbert Understanding the playing field is essential in order to secure work as a freelance writer. Researching the various routes a freelance writer
Travel Writing: 5 Travel Writers Who Show It’s Never Too Late to Start
It’s never too late to start a career in travel writing. Here, Chris Shorrock focuses on five travel writers who show that with hard work and perseverance, you can succeed. Travel writing is what dreams are made of. Whether it’s an African overland odyssey, reviewing upmarket hotels in Ko Samui, or weighing up the best […]
All About
Creative Writing Techniques
Write Articles for Digital and Print
How Do You Get Your Web Content to Show Up in AI Searches?
Over 70% of searches are now AI-driven. Adapting your content strategy is becoming increasingly important for staying visible and relevant. Not long ago, every digital
Re-wilding language with Robert Macfarlane
How Robert Macfarlane is opening our eyes to the natural world and advocating for its protection, one word at a time. By JANA BEER. I
Practical Strategies for Fearful Writers
BY JANE DANIELL If you, too, struggle with self-doubt when writing, the following tips may help you overcome some of the more common insecurities, while
The Modern Writer’s Toolkit: 6 Essential Tools to Supercharge Your Writing
Focusing on writing can feel impossible in today’s world full of deadlines and distractions. EMMA CLARKE shares six free digital tools to help freelance writers balance creativity and efficiency. Are your folders filled with half-finished drafts? Do your browser tabs seem to multiply endlessly? Does finding the right words feel like fumbling through the dark? […]
How to Succeed in Content Writing
If you’ve ever wondered what makes the digital world tick, the answer is simple: content. It’s the words, images, videos and messages that keep audiences engaged and businesses thriving. Content writing is one of the fastest-growing fields, and the demand for talented writers has never been higher. With the ever-expanding world of digital marketing, e-commerce, […]
Destigmatising AI: Why ChatGPT Isn’t Here to Replace You
For eight years, Amanda Penton of QuickFuse Studios has handled marketing for prominent clients such as Only Organic, Takapoto Estate, Morris & James Pottery, and Natural Things. She has seen the before-and-after of doing business with AI tools like ChatGPT. So in a world of generative AI, in which swathes of text are only a […]
A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming a Writer – Part Two
Earning an income from freelance writing can be daunting. In part two of her series, KATE TAYLOR breaks the process into easy-to-follow steps. Writing is a wonderful pastime. Creative, expressive, entertaining. But when the time comes to shift from writing as a hobby to writing for income, what do you do? There are so many […]
The Healing Power of Writing
When life unravels, committing to a daily practice of writing can be tremendously healing and helpful. SUE FENTON explores the benefits of writing. Writers seem a mysterious and intriguing breed, with uncanny insight and intellect. It’s no wonder, then, that many people dream of being a writer – and I am one of those dreamers. […]
Is My Freelance Writing Awful?
Does your passion for writing outweigh your skill? KATE TAYLOR explores what to do if you suspect your friends aren’t telling you the truth about your writing. Christmas 2023. My one job? Make the pavlova. I was feeling confident. Beat eggs, sugar, throw it in the oven. Not that hard. I’ve got this … right? […]
A Copywriting Deep Dive: The Role of Words in Modern Marketing
Many brands and marketers know what they want to say. Few know how to say it. That’s where copywriters come in. BY AMY TJASINK ‘Just Do It.’ ‘Think Different.’ ‘Because You’re Worth It.’ For consumers worldwide, these short lines instantly evoke iconic brand images. Though just three or four words long, they likely took weeks […]
An Interview with Emma Russell, Award-Winning Investigative Journalist
WORDS BY JESS COOMBES Award-winning journalist Emma Russell has built a praiseworthy writing career in only six years. In 2017, she wrote for her home town paper, the Whanganui Chronicle. The following year, she became the health reporter at the New Zealand Herald. During her five years at the Herald, Emma uncovered two major investigations […]
5 Reasons Why Writers Should Use Visual Journalism
BY JANE GARDINER The world is changing, and digital media continues to adapt. Rather than despair, writers should see visual journalism as an opportunity for fun, growth and collaboration. Are words enough? In this ever-evolving digital age, writers are increasingly finding the need to adapt and learn skills beyond traditional journalism; visual journalism is one […]
Student Successes
Web Writing Skills
Staying Motivated as a Writer
Explore the World and Write
An Interview with Author Madeleine Redding
Madeleine Redding completed two writing courses at New Zealand Writers College. Her memoir Hold My Hand, Rosie. Don’t Let Go, co-written with her daughter, is
Why Do a Travel Writing Course?
When every man and his dog thinks he’s a great travel writer, WENDY MONTROSE explains why she did a course before embarking on the road to travel journalism. ‘I’m doing a travel writing course,’ I told my daughter. With retirement looming and plans for getting out and about in our camper, I saw travel writing […]
Q & A With Travel Writer and Award-Winning Author: Joe Bennett
An ex-pat Brit who travelled to NZ 35 years ago and settled in Lyttelton, Joe Bennett is an award-winning travel author, writer, and columnist. His work has been described by fellow travel author Bill Bryson as ‘brilliant’ and ‘deadly accurate and absurdly funny’. JANE DANIELL asks Joe Bennett about his life and travels. Q: Why […]
Travel Writing: 5 Travel Writers Who Show It’s Never Too Late to Start
It’s never too late to start a career in travel writing. Here, Chris Shorrock focuses on five travel writers who show that with hard work and perseverance, you can succeed. Travel writing is what dreams are made of. Whether it’s an African overland odyssey, reviewing upmarket hotels in Ko Samui, or weighing up the best […]
Watch a Q & A with Award-winning Tutors at Our College
Our team of Writers College writers/tutors answer your questions about the creative writing industry – and about getting published!