My Writing Process
I’ve been tagged by two writers to join in a blog hop about writing and the writing process: Laurie Steed is a short story writer and Patricia Hackett Prize winning author from Perth, Western Australia. His work has appeared in Best...
My Journey to Writing
If someone had asked me a decade ago what I would be doing in ten years’ time, writing a novel would not have been on the list, nor on the horizon. It wasn’t even on the planet. I’d always thought of myself as Maths/Science orientated as I...
Happy Birthday, Dear Blog
The blog turned one-year-old this week, on March 25th to be exact. Just before its first birthday, the blog hit 20,000 views. Considering that it doesn’t have a theme, I don’t blog on a particular subject of expertise, and I don’t have a product...
The Novel: An Update
I haven’t been writing as much for the blog, nor stalking reading and commenting on other blogs. I’ve spent less time on Facebook (a good thing), replying to emails (not so good), and my poor family haven’t seen much of me (definitely bad). I’ve...
Why I Walk
Every day I walk—it’s become something I have to do. It keeps me sane, as well as fit. The dog enjoys it, too. I need to exercise outdoors—I’ve never been a fan of gyms. One year, I bought a gym membership for $440 and used it eight times. At only $55 per visit,...
Back in the Attic
Well, it was nice to get out of the attic and roam around Tassie for a while: we hauled backpacks through Cradle Mountain National Park, then visited the sights in and around Hobart. My family then left and I spent six days alone in the northeast of Tassie,...
A Snippet from the Novel
An excerpt from my novel, ‘Ida’s Children’. LEN’S CAMERA One night he came out, full as a boot and holding up a cardboard box as if it was a priceless antique. ‘I won! I won!’ he kept saying as he came over. He’d won a raffle and had a choice...
2. Trusting My Voice
I think I’ve learnt to do this. Finally. When I started writing, I was embarrassed to show my ignorance, so I tried to sound literary. I’ll show you: ‘The mountain rose out of the horizon and watched over and nourished the district, like a good mother. She sent...
1. Toss the Plan
Yes, I have a first draft. It’s complete – well, as complete as a first draft can be. It’s printed and sitting on the desk next to me: a pile of A4 paper that looks nothing like a novel. I’ve learnt a lot from writing this draft. Practical things, like how to...