Wollongong author Chloe Higgins picked up a gong at the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards for her book The Girls, which details the aftermath of the death of her two sisters.

Carlie and Lisa died in a car accident in 2005 - and to make the heartbreak worse, the car was driven by their father Maurice who survived but struggled to cope with the guilt that brought.

Published in 2019, The Girls was also shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's non-fiction award and the National Biography Awards.

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On the back of the book's success, Higgins found herself becoming a mentor for other writers.

"Much of my work is about socially stigmatised topics; that invites people to share their own stories of shame and secrecy or longings," Higgins says.

She started working with them on a casual basis and found she really enjoyed it, so now it's become a regular thing.

It's also allowed her to pierce a few false impressions about what people have to do to write a book.

"I think there are so many myths around what it takes to write and publish a book - the idea that we need inspiration in order to write, we need to be talented in order to write, or whatever it is.

"I think they're crap, to be honest. I'm really enjoying working with people in a way that is letting them off the hook from harbouring these beliefs any longer.

"It helps people to realise that it just takes a frigging lot of discipline and showing up every day, even when the voice of self-doubt in their head is telling them their work sucks."

Higgins has a workshop running next month that aims to help writers understand the difference between writing in scene versus summary mode.

Higgins compares it to a movie, where the camera might start in a wide shot of a city before gradually zooming into the action.

"I didn't realise how many people struggle to write in scene," she says.

"Most of my students come to me, the number one thing they're struggling with is knowing how to write in scene rather than summary mode all the time and knowing when to switch between the two.

"The workshop is really just in response to seeing how common that is."

While she is teaching, Higgins finds she ends up learning a few things herself.

"When I articulate something so specifically because I'm talking to someone else it really makes me reflect on my own struggles I'm having in my own work," she says.

The online workshop will be held on November 9 and 14 from 1-3pm. Tickets are available via trybooking.com

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