I'm in a couple of online writing groups. The questions that get the biggest responses are not about reviews or like when to use the Oxford comma - or whether to capitalise the Oxford comma. There may not be consensus, but it doesn't capture the imagination. The most recent question about research did though. We … Continue reading Murder, they all wrote
Creative Writing
Balancing Big Themes and Small Moments
To depict big themes, the advice to writers is to focus on small items and moments. If disease is the theme, the moment in a global pandemic is how a medico might be motivated by the sight of a toy box in an eerily empty children's hospital ward. Emotional, concrete, and reasonably relatable. Conspiracy to commit writing In … Continue reading Balancing Big Themes and Small Moments
Little victory
I want to demonstrate why, despite the many rejections and deafening silence at times, I will I keep writing and keep sending pieces out. This is the story of a short story. There was a thing, a scrap of an idea pullulating away in its own stew in a quiet corner of a sprawling mess … Continue reading Little victory
Story decision making
It's a step and it feels like one, when launching a story into the maw of potential publishers. It used to be an actual trip to the post office. Now, not so much. What it entails is a dash to a deadline, other times a carefully considered effort to fit a piece to the journal where you … Continue reading Story decision making
Collected work – in progress
I'm in the midst of editing and putting together some of my short stories. My novella is in competition stasis and while I thought I had time to enter it in a slightly later competition for novellas I was wrong. So, because of submission overlap and the fact this second competition is accepting novellas but … Continue reading Collected work – in progress
Stick together and defend
Seldom do Aussie pub rock anthems get recognition for their assistance in solving writing dilemmas, but this changes here. By the way that's not a sentence I'd ever thought I'd have to come up with, but there you go, writing is strange like that. We know that ideas come from anywhere. Like today, when I was driving … Continue reading Stick together and defend
Writing Workshop Review: Taming the Beast
It's been an out of the ordinary couple of days for me. On Friday I attended the Summer School Wheeler Centre writer's workshop Taming the Beast with Sonia Orchard, while this afternoon featured another instalment of me at the dentist. Turns out both had things in common: bit of probing, and fixes for things. How to clarify … Continue reading Writing Workshop Review: Taming the Beast
Writing year steps up into new a gear
The thing about resolutions for the new year is they're generally forgotten by mid January. It's why, traditionally, I never used to bother. You can't break a promise you don't make. But lo, I've reached mid January and I'm about to tick one of my resolutions off the list. I'm heading to a writing workshop. It's … Continue reading Writing year steps up into new a gear
Writing Resolutions 2016
My writing resolutions kinda worked for 2015, so what the hey, the below will do for this next 12 months. Given that writing just involves me, but publication involves a myriad of other factors and people, I can only work on what I can personally control. And I can only control me. Well I say control. … Continue reading Writing Resolutions 2016
2015 Writing Resolution Review
Thought it was timely to revisit my resolutions from the end of last year, as I swelter in the squelchy humidity of a mid December Melbourne. This is before I even attempt to make new resolutions. It's too hot for that. So, the first one: I will have moved heaven and earth to get my … Continue reading 2015 Writing Resolution Review
Writing Bec 