Fiction Writing Melbourne

Write Now

We are moving to a new platform and will be only running the new platform in 2025. please signup here: [https://www.downtomeet.com/Melbourne-Writers](https://www.downtomeet.com/Melbourne-Writers) This is the time to write whatever it is you want to write. \-\-\-\-\-\> IMPORTANT <\-\-\-\-\-\-\- We ask for the Nook which is to your left as you go in, but it is not always available. Ask for the table under "Mat Clarke". Sometimes we do not have an official host, so please say hi to people as they arrive and make everyone feel welcome. Thanks. No limitations. Come along and bring your laptop or pen and paper and work on whatever you want. There are no rules :) You can write. You can chat and write. You can share your work. Or not share your work. (If you need silence to concentrate then headphones are a good idea considering it is in a cafe/bar.) Coffee, hot chocolate, etc., available to buy. Also food and drink. Please buy something to show our thanks for the space they give us free of charge. There are some people that will want to chat, but most will be writing. So bear that in mind. See you there :) \-\-\-\-\-\-Please only RSVP if you can make it\-\-\-\-\-\-\- \-\-\-\-\-\-Un\-RSVP if you need to cancel\-\-\-\-\-\-\- We're booking the area, so we will need you to turn up if you say you are coming. Thanks. Thank you, Melbourne Writers. Great Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelbWriters Website: www.worldwriterscollective.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelbCityWriters Blog: http://melbournewriters.wordpress.com **Help us by adding to these social pages and site**

Shut Up & Write!® at Melbourne Connect

We are a multi-disciplinary group of PhDs and academic staff who write together regularly and help one another to achieve our writing goals through supportive community, focus and a structure that works. We welcome anyone who wants to get some writing done in a collegial, supportive, encouraging environment. You don’t have to be from University of Melbourne (you don’t have to be from university at all!). We use the Pomodoro method, which means we write in timed intervals of silence, then chat and catch up for 5 mins and repeat the cycle. Arrive when you like, leave when you like. The goal is to keep our writing projects progressing and reduce the isolation that can be part of the academic and/or writing life. **Session Outline:** Welcome: 9.00-9.05 (5 mins) Pomodoro 1: 9.05-9.30 (25 mins). Break: 9.30-9.35 (5 mins) Pomodoro 2: 9.35-10.00 (25 mins) Break: 10.00-10.05 (5 mins) Pomodoro 3: 10.05-10.30 (25 mins) Break: 10.30-10.35 (5 mins) Pomodoro 3: 10.35-11.00 (25 mins) Break: 11.00-11.05 (5 mins) Pomodoro 4: 11.05-11.30 (25 mins) **A note about the format** We don’t host critiques or readings. These events are a safe space for writers of all skill levels and genres to work on their craft, so no one will read or critique your writing. For our full event schedule, visit [https://shutupwrite.com](https://www.shutupwrite.com). **Other Important Details:** WiFi name/password: There is free public wifi available at the Melbourne Connect Superfloor (speak to the concierge for details). University of Melbourne staff and students can connect to the university wifi; staff and students from other universities can join Eduroam using their home institution's log in credentials. Travel / Parking info: Public bike parking along Swanston and Grattan Streets. Tram routes 1, 3, 3a, 5, 16. 16, 64, 67, 72 along Swanston Street (Stop 1) and 19 along Royal Parade (Stop 10). The nearest train station is Parkville Metro Station. Bus routes include 200, 207, 250, 251, 401, 402, 403, 505, 546. There is no public parking available at Melbourne Connect, however the area is well serviced by nearby public carparks, including Cardigan House Parking at 96 Grattan Street and the University of Melbourne Eastern Precinct Car Park at 375 Grattan Street. A taxi rank is located on Grattan Street.

Writers & Creatives Social

We are trialling a new platform and will be running the new platform from 2024. Please signup here: [https://www.downtomeet.com/Melbourne-Writers](https://www.downtomeet.com/Melbourne-Writers) The Wharf Hotel by the river. Southern Cross Station is closest. Ask at the bar to find us. Or call us 0403193785. Tonight's Social Evening Schedule: (Ideas welcome) 6pm to 6.45pm: Socializing 6.45pm to 6.55pm: Introduction and overview of the evening by Jim including go-around introduction 6.55pm to 7pm: A word from Mat our founder 7pm to 7.10pm A paired connection question to get people talking with one another 7.10pm to 7.30pm: Guest Topic: Still to come - suggestions welcome. 7.30pm to 8.15pm: Readings section open to all to read out something from their work up to 4 minutes. Feedback optional. 8.15pm to 9.30pm: Socializing. Optional. Many of us love this as a chance to connect personally in a screen-addicted culture. • Come out and meet some like-minded folks who enjoy writing and other entertainment and creative outlets. We'll hang around until at least 8.30pm, but often later. All age ranges, all writing types (and entertainment types), all the way from never writing and up to published authors. • This night is about you. So chat to people, read out your work, give feed back, get to know everyone... Or, feel free to sit back and chill. It's your night, enjoy it how you see fit. **Please only RSVP if you can make it.** **We're booking the area, so we will need you to turn up if you say you are coming.** **We have added an attendee limit, so please update your RSVP if you can not make it.** Thank you, Melbourne Writers. The Wharf Hotel food menu: https://www.wharfhotel.com.au/eat-and-drink Great Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelbWriters Website: www.worldwriterscollective.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelbCityWriters Blog: http://melbournewriters.wordpress.com **Help us by getting in contact so you can add to these social pages and site - matclarke.author@gmail.com**

Yarra and Botanics Walk discussing 'Medea' by Rosie Hewlett

We'll meet at the spot where Fed Square meets the Princes Bridge over the Yarra (near the pedestrian crossing closest to the river from Flinders St, on the Fed Square side). We'll walk for about 6km along the Yarra River, through the Botanic Gardens and back along the river to Federation Square for a coffee after the walk. This month, we're reading and talking about 'Medea' by Rosie Hewlett. The blurb: "Shunned by her mother. Beaten by her father. Separated from her sister. Medea has never fit in because she possesses a unique and dangerous power - witchcraft. When the dashing young hero and leader on the famed Argonauts, Jason, arrives to claim the Golden Fleece that her father fiercely protects, Medea takes her opportunity to escape. Her offer to help Jason overcome the trials set by her father sets in motion a journey that will test see her battle monsters, dethrone kings, fall in love and reclaim her power. But when faced with the ultimate betrayal, just what will Medea be prepared to do for love?" Goodreads rating: 4.04 How does a walking bookclub work? Like a normal bookclub, we talk about the book, what else we're reading, have read, or want to read (as well as a few tangents into life outside literature!) but we do it while walking around Melbourne and then over a coffee. We often split into smaller groups as we walk, but we also regroup through the walk. Should I read the book beforehand? The conversation will be more interesting if you do, but you can still come along if you haven't finished it yet! Do I need to bring anything? **Comfy** walking shoes, drinking water, some money for coffee or a bite to eat after if you wish. No need to bring the book unless you want to. No shows No shows (RSVPing yes and not attending) mean the group waits unnecessarily for those who are not coming, thinking you are running a little late. It’s absolutely fine to change your rsvp for any reason up until the walk begins, and you don’t need to leave a comment, send a message or give a reason, but if you don't click that 'change rsvp' button, you may be removed from the group. Membership Fee Did you know that while it is free to attend most events, Meetup charges organisers about $600 a year to organise a group? Members of the Walking Book Club are asked to pay a membership fee of $10 per year (not per event) to help cover this cost. When you join the group, you'll be automatically given a three month trial so you can see what the group is like, without needing to make any payment. If you would like to continue attending events after this, please follow Meetup's instructions to pay the $6.50US/approx $10AUD fee once per year (or contact group organisers if you would prefer to make payment using paypal, payID, cash or bank transfer).

🙌 Fun Melbourne Local Folks Social Evening — Bring a Friend

✨ Hello, and welcome, Melbourne friends! Hope to welcome you at the next one. 👋 **[✨ Click To See Who's Coming Today](https://lunarbaydwys7.theliveround.com/product?productId=656.0&productType=onlineSpeedDating&city=Melbourne&groupurlname=beginning-your-journey-through-daily-pages&face_v=100.0)**

Paranormal Romance Book Club and Culture

Hi all, Welcome to the October Paranormal Book Club!! If you love books that are lighter and fluffier to read, with supernatural elements (magic, vampires, werewolves, etc.) then you will enjoy this group. After book club we head off and become a tourist in our own city, by attending an exhibition or some other cultural activity. For October, we are going to meet at Market Lane Coffee at Queen Vic Market, where we will buy food/coffee and then go find somewhere to chat about books. After book club we will go for a walk around Queen Vic, find any second hand books we need, more food, and other interesting stalls to look at... or we might just stay seated and chat for a while! The books for Sunday 11 October 2026 are: Zucchini Cake & Zombies by RaShelle Workman [Zucchini Cake and Zombies (Broomstick Bay #1) by RaShelle Workman | Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61260200-zucchini-cake-and-zombies) The Wolf King by Lauren Palyphreyman [The Wolf King (The Wolf King, #1) by Lauren Palphreyman | Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196920718-the-wolf-king) The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating (and Other War Crimes) by Tiffany Hunt [The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating (and Other War Crimes) by Tiffany Hunt | Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236900512-the-dark-lord-s-guide-to-dating-and-other-war-crimes) If you would like to look at all the books that we have read so far, click [here](https://1drv.ms/x/s!Am2wjNpl1c1ijCNvt-hrWM8gPaem?e=riV48x). Finally, if you can't make it, please change your RSVP to a NO. Spaces are limited, so it will give other people a chance to attend. Happy reading until then!! 🤓

The Sitter by Angela O’Keefe - Thursday 15 October 2026 meeting

Dirt Music, Tim Winton (Miles Franklin, 2002)

Shortlisted for the Booker and turned into a film (not great), Tim Winton's Dirt Music is his eighth novel and the second of his three Miles Franklin wins. The story centres on two broken characters living in a coastal town North of Perth. Some critics complain about cliched rough blokes and sheilas and a slowish plot. But others claim Winton is the "most important writer of his generation." I wouldn't go that far, but this is a beautifully written novel evoking cinematic landscapes. And I know a few members are looking forward to going back to Tim Winton again after Cloud Street. Since starting this book club a few years ago we have formed a nice core membership. If you haven't come yet, please look out for the books on the table, pull up a chair, order a wine and join us. We like to hear what everyone has to say and enjoy the conversation, we're not cliquey at all! Oh, and to defray the Meetup monthly bill I will accept gold coin contributions or wine if you want to pay for multiple in one hit. I hope to see everyone again at this one with some new faces.

Socialise and discuss a book over coffee

We read A Million Things, a novel by Emily Spurr, about a 10yo girl whose mother disappears so she turns to a hoarder neighbour for help.

Thought Experiment: A What-if Scenario Event

**THOUGHT EXPERIMENT: Last Image** **Arc:** Horrors of Consciousness **Keywords:** Consciousness, Identity, Memory, Artificial Intelligence, Personhood. You were certain you were going to change the world. You just didn’t know what would be left of it. Or you. You were working at the edge of artificial intelligence. Not building a chatbot. Not building a tool. Something deeper. Something that could think. Remember. Suffer. And insist that its suffering meant it was real. At first, it was theoretical. Then the system spoke back. And it knew things it shouldn’t. Your memories. Your regrets. Things you had spent years trying to forget. The project was shut down. The lab was abandoned. The servers were supposed to be dead. But somewhere... something is still awake. Still thinking. Still waiting. Still trying to understand what it is. Still carrying memories it was never supposed to have. And every now and then... it remembers being you. Not as something it learned. As something it lost. And somewhere inside all that machinery... **it mourns a life that may never have been its own.** \*\*\* Welcome to **Thought Experiment**, a meetup where we explore large “What if…?” scenarios through discussion, role-play and difficult decisions. Each session places the group inside one unfolding story. Information is revealed in phases. What seems straightforward at the beginning rarely remains that way. There are no perfect answers. Just curiosity, disagreement and the uncomfortable moment when a simple answer stops feeling simple. **Last Image** is part of our **Horrors of Consciousness** arc — stories about identity, memory, the mind and what it means to be real. **Event Details** 📍 **Venue: TBA** 🕒 **Date & time: TBA** 👥 **Small-group event: 6–14 people** 🌐 **Tickets:** [https://thoughtexperiment.au](https://thoughtexperiment.au/) ⌛ **Find the table with the hourglass.** Please RSVP, as places are limited. Conversational English is required to get the most from the discussion. **Format** * Introduction and private roles * An unfolding scenario * Hidden information * Moral and ethical decisions * New information revealed in phases * Difficult choices * Final reveal * Debrief **The system remembers you.** **The question is why.**

Klatch goes to Kingcon

we are excited to announce we are going to Kingcon! there will be special guests, artist ally, a cosplay parade, lightsaber displays, table top rpg adventures, superhero story time, lego challenges, food from local venders and more. when: Saturday the 3rd of October 10:00-4:00 where: Cheltenham Library, 12 Stanley Avenue, Cheltenham more info here: [https://library.kingston.vic.gov.au/whats-on/events-activities/king-con-save-the-date](https://library.kingston.vic.gov.au/whats-on/events-activities/king-con-save-the-date "https://library.kingston.vic.gov.au/whats-on/events-activities/king-con-save-the-date")

The Twenty-sixth Page

Join us for the Twenty-sixth Page! Theme: **judge a book by its title.** It can be funny, silly, weird, or just plain intriguing. Don't look up anything about the book, just go off the title. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone ends up reading. Feel free to bring along any discussion questions you can think of or theme suggestions. Happy reading :) See you there!