Noted
So, after about a week’s work and 6000 words, I’ve completed the synopsis (4000 words) and character notes (2000) for this new story. Now I’m satisfied that I can leave it to mature and allow other stories to fill my mind and be written, and when I come back to this story I will have […]
Wired
What do news stories of horrific instances of child abuse in Austria and other European countries have in common with the birth in captivity of a pygmy hippo? Somehow the combination has sparked the idea for a new teen novel that my muse has kept me awake over for the past two nights. I spent […]
Lessons in Showing
I’ve been stuck on editing an important scene on the first page of my completed children’s book, and eventually I decided to get some opinions from other writers (thanks Wendy, Lauri, and Sher). Showing a scene allows the reader to own it, and therefore makes it more powerful and memorable. So it stands to reason […]
Genreflecting
As mentioned previously, I’ve been deliberating my genre choices and doing some research. It seems I can rest easily for the moment, and that my decision to put Breaking Point aside for a while is quite a good one. I should be able to use it to re-enter the market if and when my books […]
Buffet in the Dark
One of the major issues affecting my writing progress is the “stab in the dark” approach I’ve been taking over the past 13 years. I started off with two drafts of a silly mystery novel that I made a lot of mistakes on and eventually filed in my round file as my “training novel”. I […]
Think Sideways Week 1
It’s no secret that I keep stalling on my fiction every time I have a major non-fiction project in the works. I can’t seem to concentrate on reality and unreality, and put in the work on both, at the same time. The first quarter of this year I was commissioned to create 40 brain teaser […]
Grow Up
A friend or relative of an author, entrusted with a draft copy of her manuscript, somehow released said manuscript onto the Internet – whether intentionally or unintentionally, is unclear. Now, while having an unedited draft distributed publicly without your knowledge and permission is devastating, The author’s reaction to this situation is downright childish. Instead of […]
Un-Bonding on a Dark Knight
I’m not certain I want to watch the movie The Dark Knight, so I’ve decided to write this post, and make the points I want to make, before I get roped into seeing it. I’ve heard the rave reviews, so I’m wondering if I’ll be retracting my words. I guess we’ll see. On with my […]
Reality Opts Out
I did a jump for joy when I read that the reality TV show Big Brother is finally being cancelled due to lack of interest. Thank every fictional god there is for that small miracle. Channel Ten apparently now has 120 hours of their 2009 schedule to refill. Although the author of the Herald Sun […]
My Story is…
The Aussie TV channel SBS has a new promo/slogan running called “Six billion stories and counting.” One of the advertisements has a number of people summing up their story in one word. I love this idea. Get down to the really simple essence of you. What single word describes your life and who you are? […]