Theresa Smith: The Bend in My Writing Road
I have a very special guest today, one well known to almost every female writer in this country through her work as Historical Fiction Editor with the Australian Women Writers Challenge. You couldn't find a bigger advocate or a more generous supporter...
Sasha Wasley: We Need to Talk About Writer Jealousy
Today's post by Sasha Wasley really resonated with me, as I'm sure it will with other writers. I've certainly felt the sting of jealousy and found it hard not to compare myself to other writers, wishing for their writing talent or success. In today's...
How to Write a Book Part #5: Seeking Feedback
It’s no news to any writer that seeking feedback on your work is one of the hardest things about this writing business. Yet, if we want to be published, at some stage we must put our words, stories and characters out there to be scrutinised by others....
Jodie How: Writer or Tortoise
Today I welcome emerging Western Australian writer, Jodie How. Here's Jodie's take on creativity and how, once she'd discarded her romantic notions of being a writer, she found what worked for her: 'If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s persistence....
Karenlee Thompson: Conversations With God (or Who Dares Wins)
My guest in the attic today is Karenlee Thompson. Her post tells the story of how she garnered all the bravado she could find in order to approach someone she revered—the 'God' of the title to this piece—to not only read her collection of short stories,...
Linda Strader: ‘Dear Diary …’
Although this series is open to any writer from anywhere, most of my guests have been Australian. Today, I'm thrilled to introduce an international guest, Linda Strader, who visits the attic from the USA. Read Linda's story about writing a memoir and getting...
How to Write a Book #4: Learning the Craft
In a previous post for this series, I wrote about how hard it was to wear ‘L’ plates again after deciding to become a writer in my early forties. Today, I’m going to talk about how I actually learnt the craft of writing. At the time I started...
Karen Lee: If the Cloak Fits
A few weeks ago, after I shared this How to Write a Book post, a writer I didn't know emailed me. That writer's name was Karen Lee, and she told me that she'd read my post whilst at the hairdressers. It was the first time she'd visited a salon in the...
Fiona Robertson: Beginning Again
Every week I say I'm honoured to share the post for the attic and you're probably sick of reading that phrase. However, each week I am honoured to share the guest post, as well as humbled and a little thrilled that someone has written such a moving and...
Tess Woods: What Makes a Real Writer?
Today I welcome Tess Woods into the attic. I'm so proud to share this essay because Tess is a dear friend of mine. It's written in her inimitable style and with her trademark length (she's never short for a word 😉 ). You won't regret taking the time to read...
How to Write a Book #3: A Glimpse Into My Editing Process
Editing your own writing is hard, so today I thought I'd give you a glimpse into my editing process using an example from my novel. Most of my novel has undergone extensive editing—only a handful of scenes came to me fully formed. I've discovered...
Ruth Dawkins: The Best is Yet to Come
I'm excited because today's writer in the attic comes from one of my favourite places in the entire world, my old hometown of Hobart, Tasmania. All of the things she writes about Hobart in this piece are true, and her words brought back memories of things I...
Alyssa Mackay: Me, Myself and Author
A couple of months' ago, I came across a hilarious blog post, First thoughts reading my first draft, on Alyssa Mackay's website. It had me in stitches, so I browsed Alyssa's other posts and saw she wasn't a one-hit wonder—there were other entertaining...
How To Write a Book #2: Take Your Writing Seriously
Continuing with my series on 'How to Write a Book', this week I thought I’d write on another aspect I found particularly difficult to put into practice: Taking my writing seriously. I'm never comfortable giving advice—I prefer to write about my...
Susan Hawthorne: Dark Histories and the Wars Against Women
Today I welcome Susan Hawthorne into the attic. Susan's post is about her latest novel, Dark Matters, and how in writing it she's attempted to turn politics into poetry using Greek mythology and physics. Susan's novel is an important one, especially given...