Varuna 2019
So I've returned home from Varuna, a writers' house in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains of NSW. I've spent time at Varuna before (see here and here), back in 2014 when I was the recipient of a residential fellowship, so I knew it was exactly what I needed at this point...
12 Tips on Giving a Good Author Talk
As a published author, you're expected to speak at writers festivals, libraries, book clubs and to writing and community groups. But, if you're anything like me, the notion of public speaking might fill you with terror. I'm not, by nature, a public speaker. Speaking...
Three Things I Need Before I Can Write A Novel
At the end of last year, I wrote a post called The Trouble With Second Novels after I'd abandoned my second attempt at writing a second novel. At that time, I was trying to keep myself buoyant because I was feeling rather deflated—I'd hoped to have a...
The Trouble With Second Novels
This afternoon while it was 38ºC outside, I sat at my desk and opened my current manuscript. It had been a while since I’d written and, although I've missed creating sentences, I'd needed the break. I've been working on my second novel for most of this year. So far,...
Social Media For Writers
A couple of weeks ago, I asked you to send me your questions about social media. I received quite a few, too many to answer all in one post, so I chose the questions that seemed to have the broadest appeal. As you'll see, my answers are lengthy as I've tried to write...
How I Got An Agent
A few weeks ago, Lauren Keegan invited me to be part of her monthly blog series, How I Got An Agent. You might remember Lauren from this amazingly honest and moving post she wrote for Writers in the Attic last year. She wrote about rejection,...
How to Write a Book Part #6: How to Write a Book (Again)
My guest in the attic today is one of the most generous writers around, always happy to share her experience and knowledge—her blog posts, articles and podcasts certainly helped me as a fledgling writer. She's also one of the busiest people in Australia, and somehow...
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. It’s as...
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 writing,...
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 that I...
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 experiences in...
HOW TO WRITE A BOOK #1: Give Yourself Permission to be a Learner
I’m often asked questions about my book. Things like: What's it about? (Family, music, dreams) How long did it take to write? (Six years) What inspired it? (Many things—life, things I’m interested in, family stories) What made you want to write a book? (I wanted to...
Replenishing the Empty Well
Today I felt like journaling. It had been a few months since my last journal entry because I hadn't had much to say. But today I felt like writing again so, for a change, I decided to type my thoughts straight into a Word document. This is different to how I last...
Writing is Rewriting
Back in 2013, when I finished a first draft of 'The Sisters' Song' (which was called 'Ida's Children' then—I'm still getting used to calling my child by a different name), I had no idea how much editing and rewriting lay ahead. I thought four, maybe five, drafts, and...
Is Blogging Worth It?
Blogging is a big commitment. I've done it for three-and-a-half years now, and there have been times I’ve been tempted to let it lapse. When it's felt like too much of a burden, another deadline, a time-sucker. I’m not a quick writer, and I can’t...
