Write Your Novel with Sofie Laguna

Work alongside Miles Franklin award winning novelist Sofie Laguna to breathe life into your novel, taking it out of the ‘too hard basket’ and shaping it into the story it deserves to be. This Varuna course will take you through all the elements of novel writing, as well as providing an opportunity to receive feedback from your peers.

Dates: 6:00-8:00pm (AEST), Wednesdays 4 June – 6 August 2026.
Delivery: Online.
Fees: $1550 or $1450 for Varuna Alumni.
Applications close: 5pm AEST, Thursday 7 May 2026.
Places: 8 participants will be selected (small group).

Is it time to approach your novel with a fresh perspective? Time to write with renewed enthusiasm and commitment? Want to make discoveries? Test your limits?

Miles Franklin award winning novelist, Sofie Laguna, will guide you through the process of writing your novel, providing you with tools that will stay with you long after the course has been completed. Each week, Sofie will cover a different element of novel-writing, from character and plot, to dialogue, setting and theme, using examples from classic texts as a springboard.

Participants will engage in discussion, undertake writing exercises and contribute to group workshopping in a safe and expressive environment. At the same time Sofie will remind you that writing can feel playful, pleasurable and meaningful.

Finally, participants can expect to meet a community of supportive writers with whom they can share the journey.

This is a small group program for 8 participants.

While the course will benefit writers at all experience levels, from those working on their first novel to established, published authors, you are expected to commence the course with work underway on a novel-in-progress.