I’m sure you’re familiar with that marvelous feeling, after you have bought a lotto ticket but before the draw, where the possibility of winning the $50 million dollars is so real and tangible you can taste it. When you are making lists in your head, spending your winnings, deciding which holidays to go on, which … Continue reading Spending the $50million
When I’m immersed in writing a book, I tend to utilise the wee, dark hours when there’s little chance of being disturbed or taken out of the world I am creating. I may change screens to research a quick fact, or display images that evoke a mood or scene I am writing, but I try … Continue reading Writing the Time of COVID-19
I admit this isn’t an original idea, but it’s a very good idea. First someone decided to rewrite the first lines of ten classic novels for social distancing. I’m taking the liberty of rewriting the opening lines from 25 of my favourite Australian novels for the Time of COVID-19. Apologies to all concerned. Invisible … Continue reading The First Lines of Australian Novels Rewritten for COVID-19
It’s certainly not my favourite thing to do, but every now and then I follow my business mentor’s advice and think about boring things like SEO and search terms. Deep down I’m a writer, and my greatest joy is putting words on a page and sending them out to the world. Worrying about whether those … Continue reading When should you say goodbye?
‘I could see her looking at me, as she readied herself to tell me about my overuse of weasel words in the nicest possible way. I felt my face tighten as I braced myself for the impact of her words.’ Or ‘She looked at me, ready to tell me about my overuse of weasel words. … Continue reading Weasel Words and Tips for Writers
Lessons in how to pitch your book and get more author speaking engagements.
In January 2020 writers got together to raise over half a million dollars to support the bushfire appeals, and I made some new friends.
A million years ago (back at the turn of the century) when I was working as a research assistant at the University of New South Wales, one of my jobs was to write up the project findings into reports. I was sent with a tape recorder and notebook up the road to the Sydney Children’s … Continue reading Hearing the Voice of the Writer
I do my writing in two shifts. I create new worlds and fictional characters during those dark, shadowy hours between 4 and 6.30am, and during the bright, daylight hours between 9am and 3pm I work on my blogs and other non-fiction endeavours. I even work in different rooms on my different forms of writing – … Continue reading Stocktake on Words – 2019
If you grew up in Perth in the 1980s and 1990s, chances are you visited It's A Small World.
