Writing with Heart and Humour with Rick Morton
This eight-session intensive is for writers at all career stages. Delivered by one of Australia’s leading journalists and non-fiction writers, this masterclass will help you develop new skills in bringing carefully observed levity to balance the darker matters in your writing projects.
Applications are now closed
Dates: 6pm - 8pm AEST, Tuesdays 22 July - 9 September 2025.
See Program Outline below for the dates of all sessions in this program.
Delivery: Online
Fees: $1295* or $1200 for Varuna Alumni. Payment terms are negotiable if you cannot pay the whole fee upfront.
Applications close: 5pm AEST, Wednesday 18 June 2025
Places: 8 participants will be selected
*Up to two places for Northern Territory based writers will be fully subsidised by Arts NT.
“Rick Morton’s Light and Shade Masterclass was perfect. Rick’s ability to convey his important, and unique, insights into crafting meaningful and engaging prose is brilliant. The small cohort in the course, including both published and yet-to-be-published writers, created a supportive forum and a wonderful place to share ideas, concerns and thoughts. I will miss attending this course each week.”
ABOUT THIS MASTERCLASS
When award-winning writer and journalist Rick Morton was four years old, his mother told him he was an alien sent here from ‘that big night sky by beings unknown to report back on what he sees.’
Rick took this mission to heart with the creation of his debut memoir, One Hundred Years of Dirt, which scooped up awards and short-listings, and was compared to George Orwell for its gritty portrayal of working-class deprivation and inequality. Rick’s voice is that enviable mix of abrasive yet compassionate, ironic yet tender, flinty yet humourous.
In this intimate online masterclass with Rick Morton, you will learn how to position yourself as an alien observer, and to bring nuance and humour to the story you would most like to tell. Each class will consist of discussion of the set texts (to be posted on our WetInk platform) and workshopping exercises, set in response to the group’s interests and questions.
This is a small group program for 8 participants.
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Week 1: You Do Not Have to Be a Comedian (or Even Funny) - Tuesday 22 July
how humour works, and why it is central to storytelling
defining a framework for your writing project
finding humour in the everyday, and applying it to your writing
Week 2: Finding Your Voice - Tuesday 29 July
tone, style, and uncovering your natural voice
writing as yourself, and writing as someone else
understanding the role of structure in creating voice
Week 3: Simile and Metaphor - Tuesday 5 August
avoiding cliche and mastering simile and metaphor to find the perfect words
applying consistent logic within your writing
Week 4: Humour as Observation (and Keeping a Journal) - Tuesday 12 August
introducing a practical focus on paying attention
sharpening your senses to an inherently discordant world
set writing project for end of course
Week 5: Change Perspective with Poetry - Tuesday 19 August
why poetry can change your writing
writing the details and writing with a sense of wonder, and why this matters
Week 6: Love Your Characters - Tuesday 26 August
exploring the emotional hinterland of your characters
letting your characters be truly human
the human brain
Week 7: The Necessity of Doubt - Tuesday 2 September
certainty is boring, use doubt to awaken a piece
all good writing is about the search for answers, not announcing them
Week 8: Who Did It Best? - Tuesday 9 September
hands-on finale where we analyse the greatest at work
as a group, open for feedback on our week 4 writing projects
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Rick Morton is the author of four non-fiction books, including the critically-acclaimed bestseller One Hundred Years of Dirt which was long listed for the Walkley Book of the Year 2018 and shortlisted for the National Biography Award (NBA) 2019. Rick is the senior reporter with The Saturday Paper and 2 x Walkley Award winner for his coverage of the Robodebt Royal Commission. His latest Mean Streak is about this illegal debt trap set by the Australian government and the fight to put people back into policy. He lives in Queensland.
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“The Rick Morton Masterclass was a small cohesive group of writers who mutually supported one another, encouraging each of us to excel in our writing endeavours. We each learned so much from Rick. His lessons were academically challenging, interactive and motivating.”
- Program Participant 2022 -
Entry to this course is by application. Writers will be selected based on the creative potential of their work, commitment to craft, openness to collaborating with your peers, and the balance in the group.
Course fees are $1295* or $1200 for Varuna alumni. Payment terms are negotiable if you cannot pay the whole fee upfront. Up to two places for Northern Territory based writers will be fully subsidised by Arts NT.
Applications close at 5pm (AEST) on Wednesday 18 June 2025. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their submission by 30 June.
Please refer to Varuna’s general submission guidelines for any questions on formatting your work.
Feel free to call 02 4782 5674 or email amy@varuna.com.au to discuss your application.
UPCOMING COURSES, FELLOWSHIPS AND EVENTS
