The process of becoming aware of your writing style, and more importantly, your mistakes, can take a while. Like poker players with tells, errors and odd phrasing, or word tics, can follow any wordsmith through their works. I have fall back phrases, and repeated words I make the effort to eliminate, even if I have … Continue reading Writer: Know Thyself
Writing
Mid Year Writing Stock Take
In Australia the end of June marks the end of the financial year. Retailers hold sales, and everyone works out if they need to make more deductions ahead of preparing tax returns. Then it is July and the pace slows a bit amid winter's chill, except for accountants. For me, it's time to take stock … Continue reading Mid Year Writing Stock Take
Abstraction Distraction
I'm in online writing groups. They are peopled mainly by novelists, and mainly those who self-publish. What's interesting is a proportion of novice writers seem more concerned with publication theory than writing practice. For example, when posting working drafts, this cohort worry about how to define it for Amazon. Some sling single chapters or incomplete drafts … Continue reading Abstraction Distraction
Taking advice as directed
Last week I attended the Emerging Writer's Festival Criticism Masterclass. The main thing, absolutely the main thing I got from it, was to pitch. Write and pitch, imitate and make contact, read and practice. But mainly, pitch ideas. I'd never really done that before, but, reader, I did. I pitched one idea to one place … Continue reading Taking advice as directed
De rigueur Degas
I thought I would have more to say about seeing the works of Edgar Degas at the National Gallery of Victoria and maybe I will. However, more time is required to mull viewing more than 200 pieces all together in the first major retrospective since 1988. It's true that I learned things, both from the art and … Continue reading De rigueur Degas
Circle of Writing
The endless round of editing, pulling apart and putting back together continues. With writing, there's always more to see than can ever be seen. More to do than can ever be done, in between life and work and the required commute and chores and sleep. If you've been following along, you may recall I had a collection … Continue reading Circle of Writing
More please
In writing, as in physics, once things begin to happen, they keep happening. I've just had another story accepted and it'll be out next month. It will be the second published from my once upon a time ex-almost collection, so at least some of it was on the right track. A lot of time is spent … Continue reading More please
When losing is winning
Earlier this year I entered a collection of my short stories into a competition. I reflected at the time that it was a handy thing to do, preparing a complete manuscript, because it helped polish them up so they felt fresher. In addition, arranging them together enabled me to see their flaws and similarities, as well as … Continue reading When losing is winning
Admiration x 3
I'm not into certain kinds of inspiration. I'm not on Pintrest for the words across artist landscapes or landscaped bodies encouraging me to be all I can be. I'm not a Just Do It person. In fact if you instruct me to Just Do It, I won't. Probably. I'm contrary and often, resistant. Sometimes I'm … Continue reading Admiration x 3
Sometimes, a flurry
While waiting to hear back from editors and opportunities, I've been submitting stories again. Often writing works like that. A lot of nothing but waiting, or a lot of nothing but editing, or a lot of waiting while submitting. There's even a lot of writing, in the appropriate moments. It's cyclical. So, I'm at that point where I've … Continue reading Sometimes, a flurry
Writing Bec 