Writer
Going to 'Author Talks' is one of my favourite things about being a writer. Listening to someone describe their writing process, their road to publication story, and their trials and tribulations is always interesting, but also validating. In the beginning, it feels like you're playing dress-ups when you say 'I'm a writer.' Most people's response … Continue reading Author Talks
A lot of people suggest not writing prologues. Just start at chapter one and be done with it. In fact, I recently heard an author saying many readers skip the prologue altogether. This horrified me. So whether to have a prologue or not have a prologue is a difficult decision. However, my book starts in … Continue reading To Prologue or Not to Prologue
One thing I'm learning about writing is you learn everything as you go. You become a writer by writing. When I began this project I had no idea about writing, drafting, editing, publishing, or what a structural edit may or may not be. Now, I'm in the middle of one and it's a big mess. … Continue reading What’s a Structural Edit?
My year of writing has been accompanied by a year of reading. I have always been an avid reader. As a school student, I was able to walk to and from the train station each day without looking up from the page. I could read in the car, even on winding roads, and on boats, … Continue reading My Year of Reading
When I finished my first draft, two weeks ago, I thought I'd jump straight in and start an editing re-write. Well, I did do that and it was not a good idea. I started getting sucked into a familiar black hole of sadness and I was overwhelmed. I'm condensing some pieces for competition, so I … Continue reading Japan Break
I have somehow wrestled 70,000 words into some form of order and cohesion to tell my story. It's still not finished, but I am edging ever closer. I'm looking forward to getting the draft manuscript printed and with binding, so I can see it as a physical whole, rather than a document on the laptop. … Continue reading Finishing the Book
Last year was a very good year for me. I finally found what I want to be when I grow up. It's been an arduous search. I'm 51 years old. Spending my year writing has been life-changing, and it's definitely what I want to continue doing. At the beginning of last year, I really had … Continue reading My Year of Writing: in Retrospect
I was in Sydney a few weeks ago for the launch of The Anthology: Non-Fiction Faber Writing Academy at Allen & Unwin. That's a mouthful. The Faber Writing Academy, which I attended earlier this year, publishes an anthology of students work, to send to publishers and agents in the UK and Australia. As contributors we … Continue reading When Things Go Write
I really love libraries. I love the State Library of Victoria; it's my happy place. I also love my local library, Belgrave Library. They host my writing group, Mountain Ash Chapter, every month, and look after us so well. I love the other libraries in my local area, the Eastern Regional Libraries. I often visit … Continue reading Local Library Love
I had an epiphany today. A real, bolt-from-the-blue, body tingling, mind-expanding epiphany. And it was good! Really good. I was listening to Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic on Audible. Elizabeth wrote Eat, Pray, Love back in 2007. A book which incited in me an inspiration for adventure which hasn’t really dissipated in the fifteen years … Continue reading Big Magic
Kylie Eklund-Denman 