Some Thoughts on Suicide and Death and Grief

Some Thoughts on Suicide and Death and Grief

With that heading, this post probably doesn't require a CW, but if you're not in a place to read about this topic right now, close the tab and don't scroll down. This post hasn't captured everything I want to say, perhaps because it's too soon, but it's a start. A few...

read more
We’re Not Out of the Woods Yet

We’re Not Out of the Woods Yet

I first published this post on Facebook, where it was shared over 100 times, so I thought I'd re-jig it and share it here, too. ~ My husband is Head of Respiratory Medicine at Joondalup Health Campus. In March, Joondalup hospital (along with every other hospital in...

read more
Goodbye to a Decade

Goodbye to a Decade

I originally shared this post on Facebook, but I think it's worth sharing here on my blog, too. ~ It’s a new year and a new decade. (I won’t be a purist and mention that decades start at 1 and end at 10, because I accept we’re about to enter the 2020’s.)  Ten years...

read more
International Women’s Day 2019

International Women’s Day 2019

I wrote these words in honour of International Women's Day. It's a passionate piece for which I make no apologies, because everything I've written here has been drawn from my experiences since girlhood. This is why we need International Women's Day, and why it's...

read more
Novel #2: An Update.

Novel #2: An Update.

Alternatively titled: How a Pantser Became a Plotter*   I'm being a bit naughty today and playing hookey from my work-in-progress. I've worked pretty solidly on it for three weeks, and I'm a bit tired, so I've decided to write other things instead today. Which is...

read more
My Writing Goals In 2017

My Writing Goals In 2017

I've been quiet on the blog lately and I apologise. My excuse is that in this part of the world, it's school holidays, and I've wound everything right back so I don't spend all day in the attic and neglect my family. School returns next week so I'm gearing up for...

read more
On the Eve of Fifty

On the Eve of Fifty

I'm about to turn fifty. Half a century, a milestone. An age I once thought of as ancient.  Until this birthday, I've not worried about my age, not ever. The number of years I'd been alive had never made me feel old. When I was a child, I'd felt differently,...

read more
My Month

My Month

It's been a while since I've written an update here, hence this post covers a month rather than a week. Thank goodness for Midweek Moments, which have kept this blog ticking over whilst I've been otherwise occupied. I have a reason for my absence: Over...

read more
A Plug for the Booklength Project Group

A Plug for the Booklength Project Group

I was just going to reblog a post I wrote on 'Coping With Negative Feedback On Your Writing' for the Booklength Project Group (BLPG), but then I thought I might as well give a plug for the group, which I convene. We meet at Mattie's House, part of the Federation...

read more
My Week: Story and Sculptures

My Week: Story and Sculptures

I've interrupted the novel rewrite to show you this: That's how many pages I have left to edit. It's a thin stack, isn't it? Only 25 pages thick. Twenty-five. That. Is. All. I'm a slow writer, and it's given me a boost to see how close I am—now I'm striving to...

read more
Words I Needed to Write

Words I Needed to Write

I've spent much of this week reading Cardinal Pell's testimony at the Royal Commission. I wasn't going to write about it, but it's taken over my thoughts, and I want to show support for the survivors, who've shown courage and resilience and dignity throughout. I've...

read more
Magda Szubanski at the Perth Writers’ Festival

Magda Szubanski at the Perth Writers’ Festival

For the first time ever, I was able to spend the whole weekend at the Perth Writers' Festival without worrying about children's music or sport commitments, and without feeling guilty for slipping away on my daughter's birthday—it didn't fall...

read more
My Week—Back-to-School and Back-to-Writing

My Week—Back-to-School and Back-to-Writing

1. It's been back-to-school here, which isn't anywhere near as frantic as it used to be: Only half my children are still at school, I only had one school to get them back to, and they're now old enough to do most of it themselves. 2....

read more