Writing Podcast Episode 699: William J. Byrne and his historical novel, 'The Warrumbar'

It was a single photo of AWC graduate William J. Byrne's grandmother standing outside a ramshackle home that formed the spark that inspired this self-confessed history buff to explore stories of his past and the experiences of Aboriginal people leading up to the 1960s. The result is his debut novel, The Warrumbar – spanning half a century and casting light on a lesser-told chapter of Australia. In this episode, William shares his inspirations and publishing journey, and the AWC course that made all the difference. 00:00 Welcome 04:03 Writing tip: Enter writing competitions 07:18 WIN!: What Happened That Night by Nicci French 09:55 Word of the week: 'Puissance' 10:45 Writer in residence: William J. Byrne 11:05 What The Warrumbar is about 12:58 Why he wrote for this time frame 15:00 What inspired William to write the book 16:45 Stories from family members 18:00 Writing a teenage character 19:00 Balancing research with family stories 21:12 The note-taking process 22:23 Moses as a lens for the Aboriginal experience 23:38 Australia's historical awareness 25:44 The path to publication 29:11 Completing a writing course with AWC 30:50 The importance of writing communities 33:42 Major themes of the book 35:55 Advice for writers 36:34 Future writing projects 37:59 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au | ValerieKhoo.com

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Writing Podcast Episode 699: William J. Byrne and his historical novel, 'The Warrumbar' is an episode from So You Want To Be A Writer with Valerie Khoo and Allison Tait: Australian Writers' Centre podcast by Australian Writers' Centre.

This episode is 39:46 long.

This episode was published on Jan 12, 2026.

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