Amanda Niehaus: A Change of Plan

Amanda Niehaus: A Change of Plan

All art is autobiography, so they say, and I know this to be true. Every story says something about the writer, regardless of their intention or, indeed, consent. Many writers draw from their lives for their fiction, and often return to the same themes in their books,...
Clare Griffin: Women of the Skies

Clare Griffin: Women of the Skies

Easter Promises, a fabulous new historical fiction anthology, was published just before Easter (as the title suggests!), and this week’s guest writer in the attic is one of the authors in that anthology: Clare Griffin. In her piece today, Clare discusses her...
Anne Buist: Now Breathe and Push

Anne Buist: Now Breathe and Push

At first glance, you wouldn’t think books and babies had much in common, but, believe me, they do, as anyone who’s ever done both will attest. Anne Buist is a psychiatrist and the Chair of Women’s Mental Health at the University of Melbourne. She has...
Guest Post: Re-Discovering the Joy of Writing

Guest Post: Re-Discovering the Joy of Writing

This week I popped over to Lee Kofman’s wonderful blog and wrote a guest post. It only took me five drafts before I was able to articulate what I really wanted to say about the struggles of writing a second book compared to the joy of writing a first, and all...
Morna Seres: The Process

Morna Seres: The Process

This week, another Varuna-housemate-now-lifelong-friend* joins me in the attic. Morna Seres has worked as an actor, actor’s agent and even as a salesperson of virtual reality funerals. She fell into writing and in this post talks about managing the ups and downs...
Jacqui Brown: Screw You, Mrs Bennett

Jacqui Brown: Screw You, Mrs Bennett

Today’s guest in the attic, Jacqui Brown, is warm, vivacious and humorous, all of which is evident in her writing. Jacqui’s one of the group of writers I met while at Varuna who helped make my stay so special. I hope you enjoy her post—there’s...