It was a single photo of AWC graduate William J. Byrne’s grandmother standing outside a ramshackle home that formed the spark that inspired this self-confessed history buff to explore stories of his past and the experiences of Aboriginal people leading up to the 1960s. The result is his debut novel, The Warrumbar – spanning half a century and casting light on a lesser-told chapter of Australia. In this episode, William shares his inspirations and publishing journey, and the AWC course that made all the difference.

00:00 Welcome
04:03 Writing tip: Enter writing competitions
07:18 WIN!: What Happened That Night by Nicci French
09:55 Word of the week: ‘Puissance’
10:45 Writer in residence: William J. Byrne
11:05 What The Warrumbar is about
12:58 Why he wrote for this time frame
15:00 What inspired William to write the book
16:45 Stories from family members
18:00 Writing a teenage character
19:00 Balancing research with family stories
21:12 The note-taking process
22:23 Moses as a lens for the Aboriginal experience
23:38 Australia's historical awareness
25:44 The path to publication
29:11 Completing a writing course with AWC
30:50 The importance of writing communities
33:42 Major themes of the book
35:55 Advice for writers
36:34 Future writing projects
37:59 Final thoughts

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Writing Podcast Episode 699: William J. Byrne and his historical novel, 'The Warrumbar'