In mid 2008, I completed the Year of the Edit course at the Queensland Writers Centre and I really felt that I was making progress in my writing. I had learned to write, edit and critique work and I was beginning to understand myself as a writer. But I was also nervous about leaving the safety of these classes and continuing to polish my manuscript, write new stories and begin submitting all on my own.
On my own? I didn't like that idea at all.
So I talked to a friend of mine in the class and we agreed that we could start our own writer's group. Why join some big group of writers that we don't know when we could establish our own safe environment? It turned out there was another two writers in the class who were thinking along the same lines. We all lived fairly close to one another and so our group, Authoria, was formed.
Aw, that's so sweet. So you just found people that wanted a writing group and that was it?
Yes and no. Yes, meaning that serendipity played a huge part in forming Authoria. No, in that much more thought went in to it. For example...
The people
We're a private writing group - meaning no one can just rock up and join. We had all read and critiqued each other's work in a QWC class, so we knew the standard of each other's writing and agreed that we could learn from each other. Even more importantly, we enjoyed each other's company and we respected each other's work. All of my fellow Authorians are great friends of mine and I sincerely believe in their talent as writers.
We don't focus on one genre of writing either. We're a mix of speculative fiction, crime, general fiction and young adult writing which makes it so much easier when any of us wants to play in a different genre.
The size
There are currently six of us in the group which is a great number. Having the six of us means that we get to submit our writing for critique about every two months. There's enough of us to glean a fresh perspective of each other's writing but not so many that it's overwhelming. It's also easy to keep ourselves up-to-date with the progress of each other's manuscripts.
But what do you guys do?
We're basically a cheersquad for each other but we're also pushing each other to become better writers. This is how we work.
Monthly catch-ups
We set a date to meet once a month and people volunteer to submit their writing for the meeting. As a general rule, no more than three stories are critiqued in each month and we keep to extracts of about ten to fifteen pages.
We're all good friends, so our monthly catch ups start with a big old chat about writing, the universe and everything. But mostly it's about critiquing. We start with one submission and all give feedback, working off (and sometimes arguing with) everyone's opinions before moving on to the next submission.
Online group
We have set up a private online group (you can do this for free through yahoo or google) where we can send the whole group messages and also upload our work to share. All submissions for our monthly catch-ups go on this group and it's much better than clogging up your email.
If you want to be a published writer, you need a writing group. The benefits of having that support and insight in to your writing is absolutely invaluable. To finish, I would like to introduce you all to the current writers in Authoria:
Jane Domagala
Lyn Mason
Michele Cashmore
Rebecca Livesey
Sharon Phillips
...and me, Kathleen Noud.
You might want to keep an eye out on those names...
(Yes, it's cheeky but how could I resist?)
Friday, December 11, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
2009 KSP SHORT FICTION AWARDS
I'm pleased to announce that my short story, Bibi's Tree, has won first place in the 2009 Katharine Susannah Prichard Open Awards.
I am still absolutely thrilled. I may have both squealed and performed the writer-happy dance when I received the phone call. Below are the notes on Bibi's Tree from the judge of the awards, Professor Brian Dibble from Curtain University:
"An exotic setting and a stylised tale more mystical than romantic: young Aaliyah communes one last time with her grandmother Bibi who is slowly but inexorably dying under a baobab tree as Aaliyah's mother prays for Bibi to die since her end is at hand. It is a moving tale about the stories women hand down to each other through their generations."
The official presentations were held last Sunday at the KSP Writer's Centre in Western Australia. I wish that I could have been there as part of the presentation was a short reading from the winning stories. It was the first time that any of my work has been read to an audience and I would have loved to have watched the audience's reactions to my story.
As I didn't get to show my gratitude at the presentations, I would like to thank the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre for the opportunity and for reading an extract of Bibi's Tree in my absence. Also another big thank you to my wonderful writer's group, for reading the many drafts of this story and keeping me sane.
I am still absolutely thrilled. I may have both squealed and performed the writer-happy dance when I received the phone call. Below are the notes on Bibi's Tree from the judge of the awards, Professor Brian Dibble from Curtain University:
"An exotic setting and a stylised tale more mystical than romantic: young Aaliyah communes one last time with her grandmother Bibi who is slowly but inexorably dying under a baobab tree as Aaliyah's mother prays for Bibi to die since her end is at hand. It is a moving tale about the stories women hand down to each other through their generations."
The official presentations were held last Sunday at the KSP Writer's Centre in Western Australia. I wish that I could have been there as part of the presentation was a short reading from the winning stories. It was the first time that any of my work has been read to an audience and I would have loved to have watched the audience's reactions to my story.
As I didn't get to show my gratitude at the presentations, I would like to thank the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre for the opportunity and for reading an extract of Bibi's Tree in my absence. Also another big thank you to my wonderful writer's group, for reading the many drafts of this story and keeping me sane.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
WORKSHOPS AND MASTERCLASSES
Writing has laws of perspective, of light and shade just as painting does, or music. If you are born knowing them, fine. If not, learn them. Then rearrange the rules to suit yourself. - Truman Capote.
I'm not sure about you but I was not born knowing these laws. I had to learn them. How? Well, it's true that the best way to learn writing is to sit down and write. But I also believe that learning with other people is much more comforting, which is why enrolling in a workshop or masterclass could be one of your writing goals next year.
A good workshop will push you out of your comfort zone, sometimes by having your work critiqued or by making you write within a time limit. It will also get you connected with other writers, and you might find new friends to share your writing with and to support you when you're feeling low about your work.
If you're a beginner, I cannot recommend writing classes enough. Google your local writers centre, tafe or university and search for the courses available. Find one that interests you and makes you excited. Don't worry that you don't know what you're doing, if it's a beginner's course then you will not be alone.
If you're an emerging writer, try a more specific class to fill the gaps in your technique. Maybe you are nervous about switching genres, or your writing group keeps nagging you about your dangling participles and you have no idea what they are talking about. Or perhaps one of your favourite authors is holding a masterclass and you can learn about their writing process.
If you've already taken a few classes, then maybe you need some solitude to implement what you have learned. Or have you become too comfortable by learning from the same teacher or the same topic?
For those of you in Queensland, check out the Queensland Writers Centre website for their programs from February to June 2010.
I'm not sure about you but I was not born knowing these laws. I had to learn them. How? Well, it's true that the best way to learn writing is to sit down and write. But I also believe that learning with other people is much more comforting, which is why enrolling in a workshop or masterclass could be one of your writing goals next year.
A good workshop will push you out of your comfort zone, sometimes by having your work critiqued or by making you write within a time limit. It will also get you connected with other writers, and you might find new friends to share your writing with and to support you when you're feeling low about your work.
If you're a beginner, I cannot recommend writing classes enough. Google your local writers centre, tafe or university and search for the courses available. Find one that interests you and makes you excited. Don't worry that you don't know what you're doing, if it's a beginner's course then you will not be alone.
If you're an emerging writer, try a more specific class to fill the gaps in your technique. Maybe you are nervous about switching genres, or your writing group keeps nagging you about your dangling participles and you have no idea what they are talking about. Or perhaps one of your favourite authors is holding a masterclass and you can learn about their writing process.
If you've already taken a few classes, then maybe you need some solitude to implement what you have learned. Or have you become too comfortable by learning from the same teacher or the same topic?
For those of you in Queensland, check out the Queensland Writers Centre website for their programs from February to June 2010.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
SO, WHAT'S A MENTORSHIP?
When I started telling people that I'd received an ASA mentorship last year their first question was always the same, "So, what's a mentorship?"
At this point I had no idea. I had researched and applied for the program but I didn't know what to expect. I knew it would improve my writing craft and my manuscript but I wasn't sure how. Now that I've finished the program, I can tell you how I think it works.
What is it?
A mentorship is like having a private, ongoing novel writing class on your manuscript. It's about finding the weaknesses in your writing and overcoming them. It's about learning to research, write, re-write and edit your manuscript until it's worthy of publication.
A mentor will discuss with you what you want to get out of the mentorship. They'll read through your manuscript (or partial) and give you their opinion. They'll tell you what you should work on for your next draft and you can discuss/fight it out by email, phone or face-to-face. Then your mentor will send you back to your computer until you have completed the draft or installment for them to read. Then that process repeats for as much time as your mentorship allows.
Ooooh. A mentor? What's that like?
Pretty awesome. Having a mentor is like having a writing teacher, a best friend, a manuscript assessor and a personal trainer on your team but all rolled in to the one person.
My mentor, Sue, showed me areas that lagged in my writing craft and exercises to work on. She settled my nerves when I thought I'd never get my manuscript together. She read over installments of my manuscript and emailed it back covered in track changes and comment bubbles. She also kicked my ass, usually by email, telling me when I was repeating mistakes or generally trying to get me to work even harder.
Sounds amazing! Is there anything else I need to know?
Yep. I've got a few warnings before you dive in to a mentorship.
1. It's all about tough love.
If you think you're going to be sipping coffee and listening to your mentor proclaim how amazing you are, a mentorship is not for you. A mentorship is about having your ass kicked. It's like training for a half-marathon: you'll see progress but it's hard work and there will be times when you might hate it.
2. It's better if you're not a beginner.
Mostly because it might be too depressing and also because a beginner probably isn't ready for it. I would say that the process is perfect for writers on their second/third manuscript (or later) as well as people who have had their work critiqued regularly. Otherwise, the mentorship is going to hurt really bad.
3. You need to listen to your mentor.
Remember when my awesome beginning was scrapped during the first meeting in my mentorship? It was one of many, many scenes that were cut from my manuscript for all different reasons. You wanted a mentor's professional view of your work, so don't be quick to throw it in their face. It's a mentor's role to dissect your writing and tell you what's not working. Of course you can disagree with them, but you need to listen to their opinion first.
That sounds like hell! Why would I endure this foolishness you call a mentorship?
1. It's going to make your writing so much better. It's like a fast-track program and it's easier to notice your progress from so much one-on-one contact.
2. It's better that a writing mentor helps you through your embarrassing mistakes and teething problems than an agent or a publisher. Mostly because an agent or publisher will probably have to reject your work rather than take you on and coach you. (It's not their job to teach you to write no matter how cool your idea is.)
3. The confidence and the thick-skin from the process feel really good. Seriously, I wouldn't want to be charging into this industry without a certain amount resilience and self-esteem, and I believe a mentorship has the potential to help you with that. Plus, do you know how good it feels when a professional writer compliments your unpublished work? It's. Totally. Freaking. Awesome.
As Sue was constantly telling me, 'It's a baptism of fire. Those who come out on the other side are the really good writers'. That phrase has always stuck with me and as painful as a mentorship can be, I would definitely go through it all over again.
**For people that are interested, I will be writing a series of posts to give you ideas for your 2010 writing goals. If you want to keep updated, become a google follower or subscribe to the rss feed. Otherwise I'll tag all these posts, 'goals' in case you miss one.**
At this point I had no idea. I had researched and applied for the program but I didn't know what to expect. I knew it would improve my writing craft and my manuscript but I wasn't sure how. Now that I've finished the program, I can tell you how I think it works.
What is it?
A mentorship is like having a private, ongoing novel writing class on your manuscript. It's about finding the weaknesses in your writing and overcoming them. It's about learning to research, write, re-write and edit your manuscript until it's worthy of publication.
A mentor will discuss with you what you want to get out of the mentorship. They'll read through your manuscript (or partial) and give you their opinion. They'll tell you what you should work on for your next draft and you can discuss/fight it out by email, phone or face-to-face. Then your mentor will send you back to your computer until you have completed the draft or installment for them to read. Then that process repeats for as much time as your mentorship allows.
Ooooh. A mentor? What's that like?
Pretty awesome. Having a mentor is like having a writing teacher, a best friend, a manuscript assessor and a personal trainer on your team but all rolled in to the one person.
My mentor, Sue, showed me areas that lagged in my writing craft and exercises to work on. She settled my nerves when I thought I'd never get my manuscript together. She read over installments of my manuscript and emailed it back covered in track changes and comment bubbles. She also kicked my ass, usually by email, telling me when I was repeating mistakes or generally trying to get me to work even harder.
Sounds amazing! Is there anything else I need to know?
Yep. I've got a few warnings before you dive in to a mentorship.
1. It's all about tough love.
If you think you're going to be sipping coffee and listening to your mentor proclaim how amazing you are, a mentorship is not for you. A mentorship is about having your ass kicked. It's like training for a half-marathon: you'll see progress but it's hard work and there will be times when you might hate it.
2. It's better if you're not a beginner.
Mostly because it might be too depressing and also because a beginner probably isn't ready for it. I would say that the process is perfect for writers on their second/third manuscript (or later) as well as people who have had their work critiqued regularly. Otherwise, the mentorship is going to hurt really bad.
3. You need to listen to your mentor.
Remember when my awesome beginning was scrapped during the first meeting in my mentorship? It was one of many, many scenes that were cut from my manuscript for all different reasons. You wanted a mentor's professional view of your work, so don't be quick to throw it in their face. It's a mentor's role to dissect your writing and tell you what's not working. Of course you can disagree with them, but you need to listen to their opinion first.
That sounds like hell! Why would I endure this foolishness you call a mentorship?
1. It's going to make your writing so much better. It's like a fast-track program and it's easier to notice your progress from so much one-on-one contact.
2. It's better that a writing mentor helps you through your embarrassing mistakes and teething problems than an agent or a publisher. Mostly because an agent or publisher will probably have to reject your work rather than take you on and coach you. (It's not their job to teach you to write no matter how cool your idea is.)
3. The confidence and the thick-skin from the process feel really good. Seriously, I wouldn't want to be charging into this industry without a certain amount resilience and self-esteem, and I believe a mentorship has the potential to help you with that. Plus, do you know how good it feels when a professional writer compliments your unpublished work? It's. Totally. Freaking. Awesome.
As Sue was constantly telling me, 'It's a baptism of fire. Those who come out on the other side are the really good writers'. That phrase has always stuck with me and as painful as a mentorship can be, I would definitely go through it all over again.
**For people that are interested, I will be writing a series of posts to give you ideas for your 2010 writing goals. If you want to keep updated, become a google follower or subscribe to the rss feed. Otherwise I'll tag all these posts, 'goals' in case you miss one.**
Friday, November 20, 2009
BIG DREAMS
For fun this week, I asked my writing group if they would share their big dreams.
Big dreams are not ‘goals’ exactly. We were not discussing our one-year plans or deadlines that we are working towards over the next few months.
Instead, we shared our wild, crazy fantasies about our futures as writers. These are the dreams about the mobs of adoring fans lining up at book signings, or making the best seller list five times in a row, or writing in our million-dollar mansions on the beach.
So often, we spend our time concentrating on what is wrong in our work. We analyse it, tear it apart and re-create it. If that’s not good enough, then we do it all over again. This is why I love my big dreams. They’re wild and perhaps unobtainable but they are fun and give me a feeling of freedom.
You’ve probably heard not to start writing novels for fame and money. This is absolutely true but it doesn’t mean that you should abandon your writing fantasies completely. Keep them safe in your imagination or laugh about them with good friends. Some days, these wild, crazy fantasies will be the only thing pushing you through another line edit or another draft of your manuscript.
So work hard but dream big. You never know what the future might bring you. If you have never shared your big dreams with anyone, do it now. I promise it will lighten your day.
Big dreams are not ‘goals’ exactly. We were not discussing our one-year plans or deadlines that we are working towards over the next few months.
Instead, we shared our wild, crazy fantasies about our futures as writers. These are the dreams about the mobs of adoring fans lining up at book signings, or making the best seller list five times in a row, or writing in our million-dollar mansions on the beach.
So often, we spend our time concentrating on what is wrong in our work. We analyse it, tear it apart and re-create it. If that’s not good enough, then we do it all over again. This is why I love my big dreams. They’re wild and perhaps unobtainable but they are fun and give me a feeling of freedom.
You’ve probably heard not to start writing novels for fame and money. This is absolutely true but it doesn’t mean that you should abandon your writing fantasies completely. Keep them safe in your imagination or laugh about them with good friends. Some days, these wild, crazy fantasies will be the only thing pushing you through another line edit or another draft of your manuscript.
So work hard but dream big. You never know what the future might bring you. If you have never shared your big dreams with anyone, do it now. I promise it will lighten your day.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
MOMENTS OF SERENDIPITY
I’ve been planning my next novel, editing another and researching for a short story. It's a little chaotic but I'm enjoying switching between editing and researching depending on my mood. Sometimes I get frustrated that I’m not making as much progress as I want but little moments of serendipity make me stop and realise that everything is as it should be.
My next book takes place in Crete, which I’ve briefly talked about researching here. Every few months, I get emails from the American Institute of Archaeology magazine to vote on which cover I prefer for the next issue. The best part about voting is that I get to see the headlines early. So when I looked at the first cover and read, “First Minoan Shipwreck”, I jumped out of my seat and started dancing. It’s exactly the kind of information that I’m researching.
I've also been trying to talk myself in to getting my divers licence early next year. The next two books I want to write have a number of underwater scenes and I have no physical or emotional understanding of the deep sea. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered a friend I used to take acting classes with is going for their rescue divers licence. Not only that, but two other friends that I have known for a few months are also divers. It sounds crazy, but I think I'm meant to go diving.
Also, the short story I'm researching for is set in Brisbane after World War One. I have only started playing with the idea but then a friend's mum had a collection of embroidered postcards sent home during the war sitting on the kitchen table. I wondered what it would have been like to get one of these postcards; a sign that the person you love is alive but without had any suggestion as to where they were or what they were doing. It made me curious to continue working on the story.
Somedays everything just seems to fall in to place.
My next book takes place in Crete, which I’ve briefly talked about researching here. Every few months, I get emails from the American Institute of Archaeology magazine to vote on which cover I prefer for the next issue. The best part about voting is that I get to see the headlines early. So when I looked at the first cover and read, “First Minoan Shipwreck”, I jumped out of my seat and started dancing. It’s exactly the kind of information that I’m researching.
I've also been trying to talk myself in to getting my divers licence early next year. The next two books I want to write have a number of underwater scenes and I have no physical or emotional understanding of the deep sea. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered a friend I used to take acting classes with is going for their rescue divers licence. Not only that, but two other friends that I have known for a few months are also divers. It sounds crazy, but I think I'm meant to go diving.
Also, the short story I'm researching for is set in Brisbane after World War One. I have only started playing with the idea but then a friend's mum had a collection of embroidered postcards sent home during the war sitting on the kitchen table. I wondered what it would have been like to get one of these postcards; a sign that the person you love is alive but without had any suggestion as to where they were or what they were doing. It made me curious to continue working on the story.
Somedays everything just seems to fall in to place.
Friday, November 13, 2009
MAKING ACTION SCENES MATTER
The first time I met Sue to begin my ASA mentorship, we had this conversation...
Sue: Now, let’s talk about your first chapter.
Me: Sure. *thinking about how cinematic my opener is: a foot chase through the jungle ending in the murder of the point of view character*
Sue: You can’t have that.
Me: *blinks*
Sue: You just killed off a character that I don’t know anything about. I don’t care about them, so it doesn’t affect me that they are dead.
Me: Oh.
Now, I love action scenes. I will watch a bad film for an awesome car chase and sometimes I skip through a film to watch the fight scenes. But there are plenty of action films I should have loved but felt completely detached from the story. This is what Sue was teaching me. A vital component in action scenes are the characters and their relationship to each other.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself about action scenes in your story:
How are the character’s relationships being tested through this action scene?
Who does the reader care for and who are they cheering for in this struggle?
How does this action scene move the plot of the story?
It’s not to say you can’t kill off minor or insignificant characters in your books. (I still do and I have a few friends that still like that original opening scene.) As long as you realise that if the reader doesn’t care about the characters, then they won’t be moved by that particular sequence.
There are plenty of film makers and novelists who produce stories with a main course of action and a garnish of character emotion and growth. These people are successful and really love what they do. Hey, many of them still make money out of me.
I just prefer to be more grounded and connected with characters, both when I write and when I read. When I really love or really despise a character, I am invested in every moment that that character struggles, whether it’s an awkward moment in the elevator or a duel to the death.
Sue: Now, let’s talk about your first chapter.
Me: Sure. *thinking about how cinematic my opener is: a foot chase through the jungle ending in the murder of the point of view character*
Sue: You can’t have that.
Me: *blinks*
Sue: You just killed off a character that I don’t know anything about. I don’t care about them, so it doesn’t affect me that they are dead.
Me: Oh.
Now, I love action scenes. I will watch a bad film for an awesome car chase and sometimes I skip through a film to watch the fight scenes. But there are plenty of action films I should have loved but felt completely detached from the story. This is what Sue was teaching me. A vital component in action scenes are the characters and their relationship to each other.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself about action scenes in your story:
How are the character’s relationships being tested through this action scene?
Who does the reader care for and who are they cheering for in this struggle?
How does this action scene move the plot of the story?
It’s not to say you can’t kill off minor or insignificant characters in your books. (I still do and I have a few friends that still like that original opening scene.) As long as you realise that if the reader doesn’t care about the characters, then they won’t be moved by that particular sequence.
There are plenty of film makers and novelists who produce stories with a main course of action and a garnish of character emotion and growth. These people are successful and really love what they do. Hey, many of them still make money out of me.
I just prefer to be more grounded and connected with characters, both when I write and when I read. When I really love or really despise a character, I am invested in every moment that that character struggles, whether it’s an awkward moment in the elevator or a duel to the death.
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