Fiction Writing Sydney

Inner West Writers Group - Write Club

Saturday 31 October is an in-person event at Marrickville Library. RSVP to secure a place! This group started in January 2020 in a beautiful private room granted by Marrickville Library. We have continued to meet in person fortnightly at the Library, with alternate weeks via Zoom. To keep up to date - sign up and receive our notifications. The group is flourishing! You will need to RSVP each week for the following Saturday so we can organise the right number of Zoom rooms and Library space to ensure good quality feedback. RSVP's will receive the link. The intention is to give a supportive environment to get traction on your writing project, gain useful feedback, and exchange writing and publishing information with each other. Please note that if you are attending for the first time - you are welcome to observe and listen to how we work. Your turn to read and be critiqued will be invited in the second session. So come along, bring up to 1500 words of your latest writing - fiction writers of all types, memoirists, biographers, graphic novelists, bloggists, poets - all writers welcome. You will have up to eight minutes to read out your work, an equal time of constructive critique and feedback from the rest of the group. If you want a tribe of fellow writers to be with you as you finish your writing project, build your author profile, want to get inspired by other writers, or want to just listen and give constructive feedback (we all need beta readers), you are very welcome. This is a free event, but membership is essential to attend. Many thanks to Marrickville Library! For more information, contact Maria, mariaissaris@icloud.com, or Jamie Ramjan (jamie.ramjan@gmail.com) or Sunnie Mosphilis via DM.

Romance Writers of Australia - Sydney Meetup

This is our monthly meet-up!! This is a social group for local romance writers to discuss all things craft, publishing, and overall a chance to connect with other writers and refill the creative well. This is a group designated for ROMANCE writers (romantasy, paranormal romance, historical romance, etc.). Please review the group's description for further information. We do not read sections/give feedback during these meetings unlike many other writing groups. Please save some trees and do not print/bring copies of your work during the meet-up. We meet in the NSW State Library Café. We have a general chat and catch-up from 10:00-1:00pm that's casual and friendly where we discuss all things writing (and some not-so-writing-related topics). From 1:00-3:00, there's a write-in in one of the library study rooms downstairs for anyone who wants to get some words down or pages edited.

SelfPubAus lunch MeetUp - Strawberry Hills Hotel, Sydney

It's time for our November 2026 MeetUp at the Strawberry Hills Hotel next to Central Station, Sydney. **\*\*\*NOTE\*\*\*** we will be discontinuing this MeetUp account as the fees are prohibitive and we want to keep all events free. Please sign up for our mailing list at http://selfpub.com.au to be notified of future events. Come and meet some fellow writers and have a drink or lunch if you like. Everyone is welcome, whatever stage of the writing and publishing journey they're at. **[Strawberry Hills Hotel](https://www.thestrawbs.com.au)** \- downstairs in the Devonshire Room\. Look forward to seeing you there! Feel free to bring any books or marketing material from your writing and publishing journey - it's always great to see successful results.

Romance Writers of Australia - Sydney Meetup

This is our monthly meet-up!! This is a social group for local romance writers to discuss all things craft, publishing, and overall a chance to connect with other writers and refill the creative well. This is a group designated for ROMANCE writers (romantasy, paranormal romance, historical romance, etc.). Please review the group's description for further information. We do not read sections/give feedback during these meetings unlike many other writing groups. Please save some trees and do not print/bring copies of your work during the meet-up. We meet in the NSW State Library Café. We have a general chat and catch-up from 10:00-1:00pm that's casual and friendly where we discuss all things writing (and some not-so-writing-related topics). From 1:00-3:00, there's a write-in in one of the library study rooms downstairs for anyone who wants to get some words down or pages edited.

Shut Up and Write Newtown

**Arrival** 11am, this gives you the time to settle in and chat with other writers **Start of the session** 11.15am the timer will start of no-talking and focused witing time. **Break** 12.00pm a short break where you can discuss your progress, chat or grab a coffee. **Session** **Continues** 12.15pm the timer will start of no-talking and focused witing time. **End of session 1:00pm** you are welcome to stay and keep writing or stay and chat.

Short Story Club: 'Bright Hearts' by Kaaron Warren

Short Story Club is a reading club for time-poor people who love speculative fiction. Just like other clubs we read the story and discuss it... though expect to go deeper into craft as writers. This session we're reading Ditmar finalist '[Bright Hearts](https://reactormag.com/bright-hearts-kaaron-warren/)' by Kaaron Warren. Kaaron Warren published her first short story in 1993 and has had fiction in print every year since. She has published six multi-award winning novels (*Slights*, *Walking the Tree*, *Mistification*, *The Grief Hole*, *Tide of Stone*, and *The Underhistory*) and eight short story collections, the most recent being *Calvaria Fell*, with Cat Sparks. No need to bring anything but your thoughts, having read the story.

Shut up & Write Sydney

Join us at the Bonnibel cafe in Bondi Junction every week for an hour of solid writing. Whether you’re making the finishing touches to your manuscript or staring at a blank first page, this is the place to get some words down. Don’t worry, no one will ask you to share your work. There are no critiques or prompts, no unsolicited advice and definitely no reading aloud to a room of people. Just the chance to meet fellow writers and get some work done in a friendly environment. Writing can be a solitary hobby. Everyone feels like they’re writing a bestseller on Monday and a nonsensical fiasco on Friday. Come and hang out with fellow writers who understand the highs, the lows and the absolute slog of act 2. The structure: • 7pm: Arrive, settle in, chat to those around you • 7:15: Write in silence for an hour • 8:15: Stop writing, chat about how the session went, mark down your word count etc… • 8:30: The session ends but feel free to stick around and chat more if you like 😊The cafe stays open till 10 Don’t worry if you’re not writing a novel. We've had people writing blog posts, poems, jokes, academic papers and more besides! So if any of this appeals to you, hit that attending button, shut up, and write!

Advanced Writers' Group

Our in-person sessions, following the IWWG session.

Words on Tap

Are you working on a manuscript, short story, memoir, or idea that’s been simmering in your notebook or laptop? This group is for emerging writers and storytellers who want a supportive place to share their work and connect with like-minded creatives. Each MeetUp we offer the opportunity (optional, never pressured) for you to read a short excerpt of your work of up to 800 words in a safe, encouraging environment. This is not a critique group and not a workshop—it's about being heard, building confidence, and finding motivation through community. We will be meeting in the upstairs bar at The Flat Rock Brew Café, 290 Willoughby Rd, Naremburn NSW 2065, the first Wednesday of each month—a relaxed, welcoming space to talk writing, listen to stories, and nurture the creative process. (Many thanks to the Flat Rock Brew Café management - who have generously provided this space). Come along to: * Share your writing in a supportive space * Listen to others, sip a cool ale and get inspired * Connect with fellow writers and storytellers * Nuture your creativity and develop your author’s profile You’re welcome whether you want to read, listen, or simply be around people who “get it.” All writing styles and experience levels are welcome. And this is a free event.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Meeting at the usual place, upstairs at the Shakespeare Hotel, Surry Hills, Sydney, on Thursday 5 November 2026, we will be discussing *Lolita* (1955) by the Russian-American author Vladimir Nabokov. This is one of the most famous and controversial novels of the 20th century. Humbert is a middle aged man obsessively attracted to to a 12-year-old girl whom he nicknames 'Lolita.' After he marries her mother, Humbert manipulates circumstances to gain control over Lolita after her mother's death. He then sexually abuses her over a long period of time, convincing himself that (despite her age) she is consenting and enjoying it. For me (Dale), the power of the novel is that morally Humbert is the lowest of the low — a serial child abuser. Yet he would probably be the most captivating guest at a dinner party: cultured, clever, witty and amusing. How do we distinguish between the morality of a person's words and ideas on the one hand, and the reality of their actions on the other? Nabokov forces us to confront an idea sometimes assumed by the ancient Greeks: that a person's intelligence, charm and artistic sensitivity somehow reflects their inner beauty. Or perhaps the most intelligent and witty people can be the most morally corrupt? The novel was initially rejected by several publishers because of its subject matter before being published in Paris. It later became an international bestseller and is now considered a classic. Easily available in hard copies from local libraries (free) or through inter-library loan ($3.50). About $13 from Amazon, ebay and bookshops. Soft copies from our friend Anna or a free pdf from me on request at dalemills@cantab.net We meet upstairs in the pub in a private room conducive to discussion. Look for the sign or ask at the bar for details. There will be about 30 of us. We talk about the book in big group for about 40 mins, before breaking up into small groups. Newcomers are very welcome.

Scion by James Islington | Sun 1 Nov 2026

Scion by James Islington | Sat 7 Nov 2026