Well, dear Children’s Writers, Writers of other genres and friends, here we are in 2016.
I hope that your Christmas and New Years Eve/Day were as enjoyable as mine or at least gave you some inspirational moments to write about. If like me, one of your New Year’s Resolutions is to be published then perhaps you might want to look into some professional development. There is a lot out there these days. As I’ve mentioned before there are books, courses, festivals and conferences, but there are also mentorships, residencies, assessments and consultations which I will discuss this year. These, particularly the first two can be quite costly, but do not despair, there is help out there.

Help, which comes in the form of grants and residencies where food, accommodation and even a stipend can be offered. (There are also residencies, retreats and mentorships available which you can pay for yourself) On researching this, I was surprised to find that there are quite a few. In the past, I have only tried for one and was aware of one other. It certainly pays to research in this game and not just to improve your manuscript, but on every aspect of the industry as well. In the light of that statement, I’m going to suggest you peruse an excellent piece and accompanying interview on Securing That Grant! in the Tips section of www.creativekidstales.com.au

Once you have read this and the requirements of the organisations who fund and dare I say it… grant, grants, then here are the ones I have found who fund Australian writer’s and writing related projects. The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) in conjunction with the Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) www.copyright.com.au The Australian Council for the Arts www.australiacouncil.gov.au > artworks Varuna, KSP Writer in Residence Program (Members only) Philanthropy Australia http://www.philanthropy.org.au Although, I won’t go into any detail here, because it was once so extensively covered on the link below, can I suggest you spend quite a lot of time at the site below, especially if you are newly published? Spend time for two reasons; one, it is obviously and old site which has not been updated recently and can send you to pages which cannot be found; two, despite this, it’s still worth it because most of these sights will redirect you, or I’m sure my readers are smart enough to simply find what they’re looking for by looking at the tabs above or beside the message. http://www.australianstories.com > australian-lit…

The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) asauthors.org in conjunction with The Australian Council for the Arts www.australiacouncil.gov.au > artworks -runs the Emerging Writers/Illustrators’ Initiative administer grants for writers and Picture Book Illustrators. The Australian Council of Arts also have several other grants for creatives of all sorts on their website. Explore the Literature page for author/screenwriter grants. The ASA has previously run a program with the Copyright agency as stated above. However, at this stage of the year I cannot find it, perhaps because the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund has just teamed up with the ASA on a new program to assist getting authors into schools.

The Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) www.copyright.com.au – has a Cultural Fund particularly good for but not restricted to Australians of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island descent. Their Career Fund is open to all writers at any stage of their career. Having said that, I strongly recommend looking at past recipients and their projects both to be aware of what you’re up against and to decide what you would like to make a grant request for. It is essential to look at their guidelines otherwise you are wasting both your own and their time.

Varuna (The Writer’s House) varuna.com.au – Varuna provide several residencies for emerging and published writers. They run for 2-3 weeks and include the Varuna Publisher Introduction Program, the Affirm Press Mentorship Award and the LitLink Residential Fellowship for writers from regional NSW to name a few.

KSP Writer in Residence Program kspf.iinet.net.au – This is a WA Centre and its membership is open to people Australia and Worldwide at a reduced rate. It’s aim is to encourage Western Australian Writers, however, there are opportunities for non Western Australians writing about the state. There is so much on offer here, it’s worth browsing even if you don’t join, but if you’re a WA resident this beautiful property and all it’s resources can only benefit your writing efforts.

Philanthropy Australia www.philanthropy.org.au – is an organisation which seeks to fund the work of groups and individuals and lists people and places who may be willing to offer grants for writers, however, this is more suited for writers who are seeking to make a difference to a community by setting up a group or project to do such things as improving literacy, rather than an individual wishing to publish a book.

Finally there are an amazing amount of overseas residencies available, some of which are open worldwide. If you are the confident, adventurous, type check out this website for an idea of what’s on offer. The current link is http://www.aerogrammestudio.com > 2015/01/08

Whichever way you decide to go, I wish you luck with both your 2016 writing projects and your funding of them. Till next time…

Farewell fellow travellers,
Savour the quest (maybe even literally)
Journeygirl