Writing
November 16, 2016
Music is a powerful force, evoking strong emotions and reviving half-forgotten memories. I recall how, as teenagers, a friend and I walked along a road in our town, singing ‘Manic Monday’ by the Bangles. And I remember sitting on the edge of the town pool, feet dangling in the water, as the cast of the school musical […]
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November 8, 2016
10 Writing Competitions for Kids in Australia: November/December 2016 (and into the new year)
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If you’re a young writer (or know one) heading into the final weeks of the school year and wondering what to do as those warm days begin to spread out before you, perhaps some of these writing competitions will inspire your creativity. Some of these are due relatively soon, but others you’ll have the entire […]
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November 1, 2016
I have a social media rule: don’t friend someone on Facebook unless you know them in real life. I made an exception for poet and artist, S. Nagaveeran – or Ravi to those who know him. I ‘met’ Ravi after his poetry was shared online, and while he was still in immigration detention awaiting the […]
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September 20, 2016
Writing Prompt: Leaving Home
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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) […]
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August 2, 2016
My writing journey has involved traversing a long, winding path with numerous detours and roadblocks, sometimes entire landslides, but I’m slowly learning that nothing we do or experience is wasted – even discarded words and manuscripts. I really do believe that without the countless writing exercises I’ve attempted, hundreds of thousands of words scribbled in […]
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July 7, 2016
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 […]
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June 30, 2016
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’ […]
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