My previous post described seven dystopian worlds as imagined by Australian writers. Each story involves characters whose everyday, familiar world becomes fraught with danger, risk and loss. In some, the characters stay to fight; others decide that leaving home offers the greatest chance of survival. I invite you to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) […]
It would seem there are plenty of opportunities out there for young writers and other creatives if you know where to look. Whether you’re a young person wanting to know where to submit your work, or a teacher hoping to inspire the creative children and teenagers in your care, I’ve gathered a stack of current […]
Have you ever tried to find out about someone, perhaps an elusive ancestor, but found little trace of them in the history books or other official records? It’s often the case when researching family history, and it was certainly my experience when writing Many Hearts, One Voice. When I started researching the story of the War Widows’ […]
Writing competitions can be great, especially if your head is full of ideas and you’re already scribbling them down any chance you’ve got. But what about when the creative juices aren’t flowing, or you’re only writing a story because your teacher told you to? Although ideas can arise anywhere, from all sorts of sources, having […]
I recently spent time with a young friend who expresses his creativity across multiple platforms. On this occasion, he needed advice about the writing, editing and publishing process. As I prepared to meet with him, I undertook a little research into possible competitions and publishing opportunities for his work. Turns out there’s quite a few in the coming […]
National Bookshop Day aims to celebrate all that’s great about bookshops. I’m a big fan of local, independent bookshops and have been for a long time. If at all possible, I’ll order my books through one of these rather than a chain store or on-line, for reasons I’ve explained in an earlier post. I’m reminded of a story […]