Dan Kaufman: The joys and perils of writing autofiction
This week, I welcome Dan Kaufman to the attic. I'm sure readers will appreciate this piece, not just for its humour but also its honesty: not many people have the courage to parody their behaviour or that of their gender. I take my hat off to you, Dan, in...
Rebecca Higgie: Writing in Secret
I'm thrilled to have Rebecca Higgie, début novelist and winner of the 2019 Fogarty Literary Award, join me in the attic today. Oh gosh, I can't tell you how much I related to her post. As I read, I was reminded of the years I wrote in secret, and of the many...
Christine Bell: Who Am I to Write This Book?
I'm thrilled to welcome author Christine Bell to the attic. Chris signed up to write this piece way back in April, when we didn't know each other. However, for the past couple of weeks we've been writing together almost daily, albeit via a screen, at the...
Karina Kilmore: From Fact to Fiction
My guest in the attic this week is Karina Kilmore, who writes about how hard she found the move from journalism to crime writing and how much of herself she unwittingly wrote into her character. Please read on: Karina is a finance journalist during business...
Judy Powell: Writing Crime
I don't believe I've had an archaeologist visit the attic before, so please welcome Judy Powell to tell us about her historical crime novel, The Brisbane Line. Judy is a historian and archaeologist who has a passion for bringing the past to life. She's...
Katherine Scholes: Hunting the Muse
I'm thrilled to share this essay of Katherine Scholes in the attic today. It's about writing her latest novel, The Beautiful Mother, the story of a woman who has devoted herself to the study of humans while denying the call of motherhood, who finds her heart...
Caroline Beecham: The Power of Secrets and Settings
I thoroughly enjoyed Caroline's post for the attic about the research behind her third historical novel, Finding Eadie. If you love reading or writing historical fiction and stories about WWII, you'll enjoy this post, too. Caroline is a novelist, writer and...
K.M. Allan: Learning From Your Words
I came to know today's guest in the attic, KM Allan (no relation!) through her fabulous blog which is full of writing tips and tricks. So, I'm thrilled to welcome her to the attic today: KM Allan is the author of the urban YA fantasy series, Blackbirch. The...
Susan Francis: Why I Write
I never tire of reading about why writers write—the reasons are many and varied, and the pathways as divergent as each individual writer. But what always strikes me, too, are the similarities: that feeling of never quite belonging, of never quite being good...
Alison Booth: A Tale of Two Very Different Sisters
Readers and writers of historical fiction will enjoy today's post by Canberra-based writer and ANU academic, Alison Booth. Alison talks about the evolution of her novel, The Philosopher's Daughters, about why she chose to tell it from dual viewpoints and why...
Maya Linnell: Write What You Know
A huge welcome to my guest in the attic this week, Maya Linnell. Maya begins her post by saying, 'Writing advice comes in all shapes and sizes'. What an understatement! And it can be so contradictory: write for yourself but keep your audience in mind; write...
Kerri Turner: Getting Physical With Your Book
I think two of the biggest struggles for every writer are finding (a) their writing style and (b) their writing process. It involves a lot of trial and error, writing hundreds of thousands of words, and studying writers we admire. Kerri Turner joins me in...
Imbi Neeme: In Conversation With Herself
Today I welcome Imbi Neeme as my guest, with an attic first—an in-conversation with herself! I've never met Imbi but if this quirky post is anything to go by, I'm looking forward to the pleasure one day. Please read on, as Imbi tells Imbi about how it feels...
Katherine Johnson: Plotting Your Own Path
I have another author in the attic this week: my friend, Katherine Johnson. Katherine and I first met at the Tasmanian Writers Festival in 2018, where we were fellow panellists, and we've stayed in contact since. Katherine's post is about how fiction enables...
Donna Mazza: A Desk of One’s Own
I'm thrilled to have Donna Mazza as my guest in the attic this week. I'm sure all writers will relate to her post about writing desks and rooms, as we all yearn for a place to write that's beautiful and tranquil. But this story is also about improvisation,...