Photo by Burak The Weekender on Pexels.com One of the few good things to have come out of the pandemic is the proliferation of online writing courses and workshops. As a regional writer with a day job and a family, improved access to online education has provided me with the opportunity to learn from some…… Continue reading Fifteen writing tips from award-winning Australian authors
Tag: Creativity
How to write through rejection and silence
Bouddi National Park A good friend and glorious writer admitted this week to being ‘at sea’ with her writing. Traditionally published with no shortage of accolades or experience, she is currently pitching her new novel—her baby—to agents and publishers. And so far she’s had to deal with several rejections and worse: silence. In an attempt…… Continue reading How to write through rejection and silence
Eight writing prompts to fire up creativity
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com I have a love-hate relationship with writing prompts. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I don’t like being told what to do—remind me never to sign up for a boot camp! In all seriousness, I love writing prompts that produce free, unselfconscious writing. Overly constrained tasks,…… Continue reading Eight writing prompts to fire up creativity
How to support Australian creatives this financial year
Photo by Khoa Vu00f5 on Pexels.com In Australia, the end of the financial year is rapidly approaching. If your level of organisation is anything like mine, you may still be deciding which charities to support with your tax-deductible donations prior to June 30. When so many people are in need, especially in the context of…… Continue reading How to support Australian creatives this financial year
Write what hurts, but only when you’re good and ready
Photo by Vidal Balielo Jr. on Pexels.com Recently, as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and swamped everything else, my day job and my writing world collided. As I work as an anaesthetist (or anesthesiologist, depending on where you live), I found myself preparing for work on the front line of this crisis. My email inbox was…… Continue reading Write what hurts, but only when you’re good and ready
The joy of artistic collaboration
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Pexels.com As I write this, I’m listening to Christopher Dicker’s atmospheric instrumental music, and am transported to the moody mudflats of Ben Hobson’s wonderful literary thriller, ‘Snake Island’. The album was conceived as a soundtrack to accompany Ben’s novel, and enriches his story in the most unique way. The two…… Continue reading The joy of artistic collaboration
The new writer’s guide to creative writing workshops
Photo by Startup Stock Photos on Pexels.com A writer friend of mine recently confessed that she found the idea of a small group workshop with an established author intimidating. Although she had already self-published several novels, and was no stranger to criticism and feedback, the thought of sitting at a table with a ‘serious’ author…… Continue reading The new writer’s guide to creative writing workshops
Books on writing that are actually worth reading
A few months ago I reached out to the wonderful writing community on Twitter. I had just finished the messy first draft of a novel and wanted to learn more about narrative structure before tackling an edit. Unsurprisingly, I was inundated with recommendations of books about the craft of writing. The response was so helpful,…… Continue reading Books on writing that are actually worth reading
Avoiding burnout as a writer
When you decide to take writing seriously—to work towards making it a career rather than a hobby—the self-applied pressure can be enormous. Advice flows freely from successful writers: write every day, publish or perish, engage on social media, rejections are fuel. When you come to writing later in life it can feel like you’ve started…… Continue reading Avoiding burnout as a writer
Top five memorable reads of 2018
In keeping with the tradition I started last year, rather than compiling a best-of-2018 reading list, I’ve put together a list of five books that have surprised me, have taught me something valuable at the right time, or were memorable for some other reason. Here they are, in no particular order. Bird by Bird, Anne…… Continue reading Top five memorable reads of 2018
Lisa Kenway 