Writing
September 3, 2019
Are there authors you believe you should read simply because they’re considered one of the literary greats, or have appeared on best seller lists? For many years, Isabel Allende was that author for me. At uni, I’d studied the magic realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez in 100 Years of Solitude, but never quite managed to […]
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August 20, 2019
Creative Prompts #5
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You may be aware that I continue to update my list of Competitions for Young Writers, as old competitions inch past their closing date and new ones come to my attention. The following creative prompts draw on some of the themes identifiied in the competitions open at the time of publishing this post. Regardless of […]
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July 23, 2019
When author Judith Kerr passed away on 22 May 2019, there was an outpouring of accolades, obituaries and memories in print, online and across social media. I confess that while her picture book, The Tiger Who Came to Tea and her semi-autobiographical novel, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, were vaguely familiar to me, I’d never […]
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March 12, 2019
Creative Prompts #4: Circus
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I haven’t been to the circus for a very long time, although the Great Moscow Circus was in town recently. I have, however, discovered a writing competition in which the first prize includes a month’s residency at Berlin’s Circus Hotel. The theme is, naturally, ‘the circus’. Whether you’re as tempted as I am to enter […]
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January 8, 2019
Creative Writing Prompts #2
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In Australia, we’re in the middle of the summer holidays, with most of January stretching out before us. To me, it seems the perfect time to tap into our creativity, and set up some great writing habits for the year to come. So whether you’re a young writer wondering how to fill those long, hot […]
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September 27, 2018
Creative Writing Prompts #1
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I recently attended a writing marathon for the first time. The full day, organised by the Society of Women Writers of WA, consisted of ten 20 minute writing sprints, with a five minute break between each one (and a lunch break). At the beginning of each sprint, participants were given a prompt, which could be […]
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