MARION presents HIDDEN NERVE 2025
Hidden Nerve is an online program exploring every facet of prose writing, led by some of Australia’s most exciting writers.
Season 2 (Winter) - Sharpening
“Don’t all writers have a hidden nerve, call it a secret chamber, something irreducibly theirs, which stirs their prose and makes it tick and turn this way or that, and identifies them, like a signature, though it lurks far deeper than their style, or their voice or other tell-tale antics?”
— André Aciman
Learn from some of the most exciting Australian writers working today on the art of writing prose.
Hidden Nerve is a program designed to be of most benefit to writers who are actively working on a prose project and are committed to developing their practice. In 2025, Hidden Nerve returns to deliver a compact and intensive form, structured as a trio of thematic series or ‘seasons’.
Participants will meet online over three consecutive Saturday mornings, immersing themselves in three-hour workshops. Each session is guided by the series theme and led by a different writer.
Autumn – The first season, History + Memory, features Lisa Fuller, Andra Putnis, and Mirandi Riwoe. Scroll down for bios.
Winter – The second season, Sharpening, will focus on structural editing, plot development, and character development.
Spring – The third season, YA: Imaginative Work & Unlimited Worlds, will explore the art of writing for young adults.
WINTER - Season 2
DETAILS
The second season of Hidden Nerve is themed around sharpening
This winter, we turn our focus to the foundational tools of fiction writing: structure, plot, and character.
Join us as we explore:
How do you shape a compelling character?
What makes a plot truly work?
How can structural editing sharpen your story’s impact?
What choices bring clarity, tension, and momentum to the page?
DATES + FORMAT
Workshop Dates:
16 August, 23 August, 30 August
3 x consecutive Saturdays
Time: 10am–1pm (3 hour sessions)
Location: ONLINE This program will be delivered via Zoom.
The sessions will be recorded and made available for 1 week after the workshop.
PRICING
MARION MEMBERS $150 Season 2
Members of MARION, the First Nations Australian Writers Network (FNAWN), or the Canberra Society of Editors (CSE)
NON-MEMBERS $210 Season 2
MARION offers 2 semi-subsidised places in all programs which provides a 50% discount of program price. No personal details need to be disclosed, just email Alex Eagleton via creative@marion.ink these are available on a first come first served basis.
Schedule
SEASON 2
#4
#5
#6
SEASON 1
TOPIC
Character Development
Plot Development
Editing Essentials
FACILITATOR
Irfan Master
Peter Papathanasiou
Irma Gold
#1
10am Saturday 29 March
Our Kaleidoscopic Memories
Andra Putnis
#2
10am Saturday 5 April
History in Place
Lisa Fuller
#3
DATE
10am Saturday 16 August
10am Saturday 23 August
10am Saturday 30 August
10am Saturday 12 April
Research to the Page
Mirandi Riwoe
Character Development
with Irfan Master
Plot Development
with Peter Papathanasiou
Editing Essentials
with Irma Gold
Character development is creating believable characters who change throughout your story. The session will start by identifying character’s core motivations and biggest flaws then show how conflict forces them to grow, using writing exercises, examples, peer feedback accompanied by author support and insights.
Participants will develop their own plotting methods and incorporate techniques and exercises to facilitate the creative juices flowing through authorial insights, discussion, and exercises.
Sharpen your editorial eye and strengthen your prose. Drawing on over two decades of experience in the publishing industry, Irma will guide participants through the core principles of editing, from structural shaping to line editing and final proofing.
Presenters
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Lisa Fuller
-
Irma Gold
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Irfan Master
-
Peter Papathanasiou
-
Andra Putnis
-
Mirandi Riwoe
Register Now
IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW
All sessions will be held at 10am AEDT /AEST sharp.
The online platform will be Zoom.
The sessions will be recorded and be made available for 1 week after the session.
The presenters will not be providing feedback on participants’ in-progress projects but rather, focusing on tasks and content within the workshop.
A private (and hidden) Facebook group is available for access to series pass holders. The link to join will be distributed ahead of the commencement of the series.
Any questions can be directed to Alex at creative@marion.ink.
The First Nations Australia Writers Network is the peak body for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writers, poets and storytellers, advocating and lobbying on their behalf, supporting ongoing development opportunities, in order to sustain and enhance First Nations Australia writing and storytelling. FNAWN believes in the sovereignty of First Nations writers and their communities, and works to foster writing from around the continent.