University of Wollongong journalism and creative writing alumni Madelaine Dickie has built a global career blending creative writing, journalism and communications, with work spanning Indonesia, Mexico and Western Australia.
Dickie, a multi-award-winning author, said her early career was shaped by time spent in Indonesia while completing her degree in 2012.
“That was a really exciting year and it sort of felt like the world was at my fingertips,” she said.
During that time, she worked on her debut novel Troppo, which began as an undergraduate project at UOW and was developed over eight years.
“I wrote the first chapters of the book as part of that course and then kept working on it basically for the next eight years,” she said.
Despite early success, returning to Australia proved challenging.
“I think the biggest challenge was coming back to Australia after that amazing year in Indonesia,” she said.
“That first year up in Broome was really challenging, just sort of trying to find my feet.”
Dickie credits her journalism training with supporting her long-term career.
“I think the journalism course at UOW set me up so well for the next 15 years of work that I’ve done,” she said.
Her work has since expanded across fiction and non-fiction, including novels, a biography and long-form journalism. While non-fiction offers structure, she said fiction allows greater creative freedom.
“With fiction, you’ve got a lot more freedom to make things up so that the narrative works,” she said.
Now working across writing and communications, Dickie said journalism remains central to her career.
“When you’re a curious person, you get to dip into all these fields, and that’s the most exciting thing about journalism for me,” she said.
Story & episode: Caleb Arkapaw & Harrison Mellare
