Procrastiwork: It's a thing

Goodbye, 2017. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out

It’s that time of year again when the rush of catch-ups with family and friends causes a flurry of to-do lists (or maybe that’s just me?) that make you realise exactly how much needs doing before that arbitrary end-of-year deadline clicks over. Or before school ends for the year (in 45 minutes! Eeek!).

Mini-comps the perfect prompts

Social media as a source of inspiration

I’ve been writing a lot in the past couple of weeks. In fact, I’ve completed several stories – and a few have been published. And I’ve developed the urge to see my words up in lights.

Week packed with writing

EWF, NWC, workshopping, Writing Disability, Fan Fiction, YA’ll for Brunch. And words on the page!

The past week – and the weekend especially – has left me both energised and exhausted to the point where I can’t decide whether to get stuck into my MS or lie facedown on the floor with the music up full-bore. Or write a blog about it. Apparently.

The writing meet-up started, as normal,
with coffee. The first of many!

Social media watch

This week I was reminded that not all media is social

I’m careful about how I use social media. I keep my location and other personal details off Twitter and Facebook, and my personal Facebook page is locked down.

My writing page is open to anyone, but I still keep certain personal information off it.

Like many, if not most, women I receive constant friend requests from men – usually middle-aged, widowers, American and ex-armed services – because obviously we all have soft spots for guys who’ve fought for (in this case) another country. Not many posts on his timeline? He’s new to Facebook, reaching out because he’s alone with no woman to look after him. Who’s cooking his dinner? Will he remember what day of the week it is without someone there to remind him? Hmm… maybe I can be the one to nurture him. Then there’s that post-army pension he’s getting, and he’s standing on a yacht… You get the idea.

Three months of turmoil

To say the past few months have been chaotic doesn’t cover it.

A period of ups and downs, tumultuous. Good news, bad news. A little from column A, a little from column B. Insert relevant cliché here.

I finally took the plunge and subbed manuscript no. 1 out to agents, sending either queries or the opening chapters depending on their submission guidelines, and received some feedback and a couple of no thanks.

#LoveOzYA book challenge

A month of great Australian YA reads

This month I've taken part in a fantastic online challenge run by Michael Earp - AKA @littleelfman on Twitter and Instagram. Michael runs these challenges occasionally, involving posting a book in a specific category that matches a set theme each day of a month, and this time that category was Australian young adult books. 

Michael also took over as chairman of the #LoveOzYA committee this month, and will be a fantastic successor to Danielle Binks, who's done an amazing job as one of the driving forces behind the campaign to encourage Australians to read local books.

HARDCOPY is back

Non-fiction writers: this one’s for you

*Applications for the 2017 HARDCOPY program are now closed. Good luck to all the applicants, and I look forward to meeting you all online!

Not too many things have me out of my chair doing an actual happy dance, but the news that the Australia Council funded the ACT Writers Centre’s HARDCOPY program for another year did just that. 

Applications are now open until 17 March 2017 for this year’s intake of non-fiction writers.

I was lucky enough to be selected as one of thirty emerging writers from across Australia to take part in HARDCOPY in 2016, which focussed on fiction. The program alternates between fiction and non-fiction year to year, and was the most valuable experience I’ve had so far as a writer.