The Stephen King writing tip that changed everything for Aussie thrill-master Christian White
rnz.co.nz – Sunday November 9, 2025
Best-selling novelist Christian White was resigned to being a "starving artist" forever. Then he read Stephen King's non-fiction book On Writing.
Over 15 years, in the spare hours when he wasn't selling sandwiches from a golf cart, picking apples or editing adult films, Christian White penned four books that never saw the light of day.
He and his wife, Summer De Roche, were resigned to being "starving artists forever" when White read American horror master Stephen King's "incredible" book On Writing.
In it, King delivers "incredible nuggets of wisdom", White says, and one in particular - that you should write with the door closed and rewrite with the door open - paved the way for his best-selling debut novel, The Nowhere Child.
In 2018, when The Nowhere Child became the fastest-selling Australian debut novel in history, White says all of a sudden, his entire life "did this complete 180".
"I'd wasted 10, 15 years of writing and not showing anyone else my work. That big change pretty much straightaway led to me getting a publishing deal and everything else so, I really owe that book a lot."
"Suddenly, I could afford to just sit at my desk all day. That was my one thing I had to do. I could write for a living. It's the best job in the cave-like office all day, away from the sunlight, just telling stories. It's amazing."
Once "the dust settled", though, White realised that even with the extra hours, his writing output was still the same as it had been while he was juggling casual jobs.
Rice to launch Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
news.rice.edu – Sunday November 9, 2025
The Rice University Faculty Senate has approved the creation of a new Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, marking a milestone for the School of Humanities and Arts and the Department of English and Creative Writing. The result of several years of collaboration among Rice’s creative writing faculty, the three-year graduate program will welcome its first cohort in fall 2026.
“I salute the opportunity to diversify our graduate training in the humanities to include this new MFA, which is certain to elevate the place of Rice as a national leader in creative writing, while advancing the reputation of Houston as a premier literary and cultural hub,” said Kathleen Canning, dean of the School of Humanities and Arts. “I am confident that this program will quickly gain national visibility as one of the foremost writing programs in the U.S. with an unusual capacity to cultivate a new generation of bold, innovative thinkers and writers whose work is grounded in artistic excellence, interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement.”
Developed by faculty Lacy M. Johnson, Tomás Q. Morín, Kiese Laymon, Amber Dermont, Andrea Bajani, Ian Schimmel and Justin Cronin, the MFA in Creative Writing is designed to nurture emerging voices in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, translation and hybrid forms while connecting students to Houston’s rich literary and cultural landscape. The program joins a growing suite of degrees including the doctorate in English and major concentration in creative writing, reflecting Rice’s expanding commitment to the arts and humanities.
New Publisher Listing: Rockpool Publishing
firstwriter.com – Wednesday November 5, 2025
Publishes Mind Body Spirit; Health and Wellness; Self-help and Gift titles. Projects should demonstrate originality, strong writing, and a clear understanding of the intended audience. Submissions must include a concise cover letter with a synopsis, a table of contents, and sample chapters or a full manuscript. Preference is given to material that aligns with the existing publishing list while offering a fresh perspective or unique angle. Authors are expected to show awareness of the current market and be prepared to participate in the promotion of their work. Fiction, children’s non-fiction, and poetry are not considered.
Oxford University Press announces agreement to acquire Karger
corp.oup.com – Tuesday November 4, 2025
Oxford University Press (OUP) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Karger Publishers. The transaction is expected to complete in December.
Following closing, this acquisition will see OUP welcome Karger to its wider organization, bringing together a shared commitment to quality and scholarly integrity, and extending the reach and impact of Karger’s leading academic and research publishing in medicine and health sciences.
OUP is one of the oldest and largest university press publishers in the world and a department of the University of Oxford. Its mission is to further the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. It publishes thousands of trusted research books and journals every year in a wide range of disciplines and formats.
PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers 2026 ($2,000 prize)
opportunitydesk.org – Tuesday November 4, 2025
Deadline: November 25, 2025
Applications are open for the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers 2026. The PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers recognizes twelve emerging writers each year for their debut short story published in a literary magazine, journal, or cultural website, and aims to support the launch of their careers as fiction writers.
The prize is generously supported by the family of the late Robert J. Dau, whose commitment to the literary arts has made him a fitting namesake for this career-launching prize. Inspired by Dau’s hometown in northern Michigan and its proximity to Walloon Lake, where Ernest Hemingway spent much time and derived inspiration from, the prize promotes emerging voices and spotlights the next generation of fiction writers.
Prize
- The winning writers each receive a $2,000 cash prize and will be published by Catapult in their annual anthology, Best Debut Short Stories: The PEN America Dau Prize.
New Magazine Listing: Drift & Dribble Miscellany
firstwriter.com – Tuesday November 4, 2025
Showcases an eclectic range of voices, each experiencing the world in their own authentic way. We are especially interested in unique viewpoints and themes that challenge day-to-day life. We publish stories, occasional poems, essays, and dribbles, and especially those works that capture the challenges and magnitude of inhabiting our complex human world and reveal it with objectivity and honesty. We welcome literary and experimental work, personal accounts, complex characters and surreal or witty takes from the cornucopia and look for writing that is clear and intriguing in its depth or play. Most of all, we want work that is about something our readers care about. Let's see what you have.
Splinter Journal Navigates the Muck and Mire of Literature
tobemagazine.com.au – Monday November 3, 2025
Splinter Journal is an Adelaide-based publication that features the literary work of Australian and international writers. Published bi-annually, it showcases a variety of written forms, such as fiction, essays, and poetry. We spoke to the editor, Farrin Foster, about her involvement with Splinter and the vision behind the journal.
DANIEL DRAZETIC Can you tell us a little bit about the ethos behind Splinter and how the platform is being used by writers across Australia and overseas?
FARRIN FOSTER Splinter was devised as a way to knit together the writing scenes in South Australia and those across the rest of the country and the world. There has been a great online literary journal in Tarntanya called The Saltbush Review, but it’s been a long time since we’ve had a print journal made here.
I think, counter-intuitively, that print has the capacity to make deeper connections (although maybe not wider ones) than online (not that I’m anti-internet; I doomscroll and read online as much as the next elder millennial). But readers connect with writers in a different way in print, and for the kind of writing we are publishing in Splinter – which is absurd, emotional, funny, and often also kind of devastating – that connection is important. I think Splinter is a vehicle for new writing by SA writers to be seen alongside the best writing from around the world. We are about connecting and representing writers in our home state, but we’re not parochial – we publish writers from everywhere.
Applications for the 2026 George R.R. Martin Summer Intensive Writing Workshop are now open
medill.northwestern.edu – Monday November 3, 2025
The workshop is designed for mid-career journalists who are writing their first novels
The third annual George R.R. Martin Summer Intensive Writing Workshop at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications is now accepting applications.
The 10 mid-career journalists selected to participate will learn from award-winning novelists and writing instructors. The eight-day, fully funded writing intensive program will take place in Evanston, Illinois, from July 7-15.
“Talented journalists often have numerous vital stories to tell — and some of those stories would make compelling novels,” said Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, Medill’s George R.R. Martin Chair in Storytelling, who will be leading the workshop. “In the first two years of our program, we’ve seen journalists arrive at our workshop with pages or chapters of a novel in progress that’s been percolating in their heads for years and leave with solid pages of a working manuscript. We’re looking forward to achieving the same with our 2026 GRRM Workshop class.”
New Literary Agent Listing: Clara Chuiton
firstwriter.com – Monday November 3, 2025
Looking for adult upmarket and genre fiction with a unique hook. She is especially interested in rom-coms, smart, fast-paced thrillers, standalone science-fiction novels, and stories that blend genres. She is also open to select political and sociological non-fiction.
The making of Death Kit and the importance of print: In conversation with editor Joe Coward
theboar.org – Sunday November 2, 2025
“Print is essential – it’s what people want.”
On October 28, I was lucky enough to speak with editor Joe Coward to discuss the founding – and thriving – of London’s new small press literary magazine, Death Kit. At only four pounds a copy, Death Kit situates itself proudly as one of the most accessible lit mags in town. We covered what it takes to bring a literary magazine to life, the importance of print in an online age, and the future of the magazine-come-community that is Death Kit. Here’s the rundown:
Even the naming of the mag signals that Death Kit is publishing work that “turns away from trends”
Where did the name come from? The striking name comes from the Susan Sontag novel. Coward mentions Vanity Fair as another magazine that takes its title from literature, but even the naming of the mag signals that Death Kit is publishing work that “turns away from trends.” Unbothered by pop-culture, you can be sure to find writing that’s unapologetically strange.
How did it begin? The project that was born out of “boredom” is now six months old and is celebrating the release of its second issue this October. With accessibility at the forefront, Coward emphasised the importance of being willing to invest what you can, in order for the magazine to find itself in as many hands as possible. The team is small, with as little as two regular editors and two feature-writers: “all quite unofficial,” but successful nonetheless.
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