One particularly liberating piece of advice given to writers is to embrace the “sh**ty first draft”. It’s advice that helped Anna Smaill make the transition from poetry to fiction and go on to write the Booker Prize-longlisted The Chimes and the Ockham NZ Book Awards longlisted Bird Life.

But what do you do once you have that first draft? Join Anna for a masterclass on what it means to write rough. Together you will explore the value of propulsion and getting ideas down, and of writing as an iterative process of building up detail and clarity. You’ll come away with tips and practical advice to help you move from rough first draft to polished manuscript.

Supported by University of Auckland, Faculty of Arts.