writing
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Why I love … editorial banter
I used to work in editing (and in many ways, as a technical and fiction writer, I still do), so there were endless opportunities to go down those rabbit holes that only editors are happy to go down. At one point, the Australian business I worked for was taken over by a British company and… Continue reading
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Why I love … realistic dialogue
Many authors say that creating good dialogue is one of the hardest things about writing. Stephen King had this to say in ‘How to Write’ in The Guardian (taken from his fantastic book On Writing, Scribner, 2000): “It’s dialogue that gives your cast their voices, and is crucial in defining their characters – only what… Continue reading
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Why I love … a writing playlist
In one of the early So You Want to be a Writer podcast episodes by the Australian Writers’ Centre, Valerie Khoo and Allison Tait talk about how some people need to have particular circumstances in place before they can write. For example, absolute silence, or a special place (an isolated cabin perched on a cliff… Continue reading
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Why I love … landscape as a character
I grew up in Ōtautahi (Christchurch), the biggest city of Te Waipounamu (the South Island) of Aotearoa (New Zealand). From the loom of the Southern Alps and the dry and windy Canterbury Plains, to inner-tubing on the Manuherikia and waterskiing in Kenepuru Sound, to hiking up to the Brooklyn Wind Turbine and glow-worm hunting in… Continue reading
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Why I love … finding a writer with a backlist
I’m one of those readers who has a tremor of trepidation every time I pick up a book by an author I haven’t read before. It feels risky, like I’m taking a leap of faith based on someone else’s opinion, or a cover quote, or a passing reference. And let’s be honest, whether someone likes… Continue reading
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Why I love … the AWC’s Furious Fiction competition
How do I love thee, Australian Writers’ Centre Furious Fiction competition? Let me count the ways. On the first Friday of every month, I count down to 5pm like I’m waiting for a text from a crush. That sly little Australian Writers’ Centre email comes in bang on-time, asking so little, and yet so much.… Continue reading