by Sally
This has nothing to do with writing and everything to do being a mother. My big sister sent me this You-tube clip which is just the funniest thing I’ve ever seen – because it’s just so true. And it’s so me – I think I could play the audio of this one around the house and the kids would just presume it was me (except perhaps for the American accent).
Anyway, if I’ve whet your appetite, go check the video out here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anSpBUxsgAU
Enjoy!
by Sally
Phew! School went back last week and, rather than having more time on my hands with the Murphlets out of the house, I have been busier than ever. Not much time for blogging, when I’m in and out of the house all day long.
Today, though, I’ve had a few hours at home and so I’ve been doing some catching up. Have just posted ten new reviews to Aussiereviews. It’s hard to choose a pick of the bunch this time as they really were an excellent bunch of books.
I should mention, though, the three James Moloney books – Crossfire, Touch Me and The Bridge to Wiseman’s Cove, as well as the one I reviewed earlier in the month, The House on River Terrace. I don’t often get to immerse myself in so many books by one author so close together, but UQP have just re-released these four and so I received them to review. Lucky me!
If you haven’t read Moloney’s work before, here is your chance to discover him. For myself, I discovered that reading so many boy-centred books closely together has helped me to refocus on a manuscript I wrote some time ago and which I knew needed a rewrite. So, in my writing time, I’ve been taking another look at that and so far am pleased with the results.
I’m also tinkering with a chapter book rewrite and have written three first drafts of new poems this week. Oh, and I put together another proposal for an educational title.
Now it’s back to work. Enjoy the reviews.
by Sally
Some time ago, I decided it was time I wrote an article explaining to published authors how the review process works. I sat down one evening with some tips floating around my head, and just a couple of hours later discovered I had written not one, but three articles outlining the review process, from submitting a book, to it being read by potential purchasers, and on to using the review to promote the book.
Anyway, I’m delighted to announce that that these three articles are now available online at one of the foremost websites for writers, Writing World. I am delighted to have my articles included on this site, as it’s been an excellent resource for me over several years. It is packed full of excellent advice on all aspects of writing. I was doubly excited when I discoverd that my artciles are currently featured on the home page of thsi wonderful site.
The three articles, written from my dual perspective as reviewer and as an author who has been reviewed, are:
The Review Process: How a Book Gets Reviewed
So You Got a Review — Now What? And
Who Reads Book Reviews Anyway?
I’m hoping these three will be useful in demystifying the review process for other authors. And, if you’re not at the stage of looking for reviews, perhaps you’ll find some of the other articles at Writing World of use.
Enjoy!
by Sally
Yesterday I ran a workshop at the Corrigin Creative Arts Centre, with the focus being on writing from life experience. It was a smallish group – five participants (plus myself of course) which made for a special day, with lots of sharing of participants’ writing endeavours and their life experiences.
As well as me doing lots of talking about myself and the writing life, I lead the ladies through various writing exercises aimed at getting them writing and also tapping in to memories which could be developed into stories or used in various forms of autobiography. Perhaps the most successful exercises were two quite simple ones.
Firstly, as a free writing exercise, I had them write the words I remember and then simply write for about ten minutes. Most thought back to childhood times, but others had specific adult memories come to the fore. I did this exercise myself and found out that a memory I thought I had was quite different than what I actually remembered. I have often talked about how exciting it was for me to catch a school bus to kindy when I was little. When I wrote about this memory I realised that I had no memory of actually being on that bus – only the excitement of knowing I was going to catch it, and a memory of waiting for it to come. It was interesting for me to make this realisation.
The other exercise we did was simply writing a list of things which were important at different times in each person’s life. I asked them to write down such things as a special toy from childhood, five books they’d read, a birthday present they’d received, a gift they’d given and so on. Many people were surprised at the things they remembered, or at things they had trouble remembering.
I don’t tend to write a lot of autobiographical pieces, but having guided others through this workshop, I realised that I have plenty of material there to tap into either for such stories or for fictional stories. Of course, I already use life experience in my fiction, but exercises which unlock these experiences will be a really useful writing starter for me in future.
Rather than asking yourself ‘what have I done that’s worth writing about’ how about simply writing and seeing what comes out? Use a list, or a photo, or a possession as a trigger, if needed. So, why are you still reading? Go and write something! I’m going to.
by Sally
Well, what a busy week so far – but I knew it would be that way before it started, and with the help of my list (see my post below) I have managed to get lots of things done, in between personal stuff like running Murphlet 2 back to Perth, and attending the younger Murphlets’ athletics carnival (our house won – yay!).
I haven’t crossed everything off the list, but I have made good inroads. So far I have:
1. Finished the edits on one of the two books. The second one is close to finished.
2. Marked the two batches of assignments and got them back in the mail.
3. Written one new review for Aussiereviews. Not the five I had set as a target, but a start.
4. Updated Aussiereviews. I uploaded five new reviews today – the one I wrote this week and four I wrote last week. I usually write the reviews as I finish the books, then upload in batches.
Still another day to go in the week, so hopefully I’ll get more things crossed off, but if not I’ll carry some of these things onto my new list for next week. My idea of a list is not to chastise myself for what I didn’t do, but to set targets and to also keep track of what I HAVE achieved each week.
I had a nice surprise in the today’s mail. My contributor’s copy of the new magazine Little Ears arrived, complete with my story, Woof. It is always wonderful toss my work in print, and to see it this brand new, quality magazine is pretty exciting. If you have children aged birth to about seven, you should check this magazine out. It’s wonderful!
Okay – back to work.
by Sally
Phew! It’s Sunday, the start of a new week and already I feel a bit overwhelmed by the week. It’s one of those weeks where I have got so much to get through and wonder how I can juggle it all. So, first off, I’ve made a list of what needs doing.
1. Finish edits on two non fiction reading book titles.
2. Mark two batches of assignments for my tutoring job.
3. Finish writing notes for performance poetry manuscript.
4. Write five new reviews for Aussiereviews
5. Update Aussiereviews
6. Finish rewrite of picture book wip
7. Make contact with author and illustrator I’m interviewing for Reading Time magazine.
Of course, these are just my writing goals for the week – I’ve also got a trip to Perth to take Murphlet 2 back to boarding school, a day and a half in the classroom, an athletics carnival, washing to do, meals to cook, floors to clean and so on. I sometimes make a separate list of these things, but when I’m at my desk the writing stuff takes priority.
Now that I’ve written the list I can see that it isn’t as bad as I’d thought. For some reason lists seem longer when they are buzzing around in your head. And the great thing about written lists is that you can cross things off as they’re completed, with great satisfaction, and you can look at them to see how much progress you have made. Also, a physical list can sit on a desk as a reminder not to get too sidetracked.
If you are going to make lists for yourself, try to make the items as specific as possible. For example: write some reviews is too vague as an aim – how many is ‘some’ and how will I know when I’ve finished it? Also write more of my novel would be similarly vague whereas write 1000 words is more measurable.
Also try to make the list achievable. I know I have a busy week aside from writing, so have tried not to include things on the list that aren’t so pressing. The only items on the list that aren’t deadline-driven are the picture book manuscript and the reviews. The picture book is there because that’s the thing most important to me – producing new, quality manuscripts. And I’m excited about this current one, so need to keep redrafting and fine tuning. The reviews don’t have a deadline because I own the website – but I try to keep new content going up at least every fortnight and feel I owe it to the reading public and the books’ creators to get reviews up as quickly as possible.
I find the use of lists a great way to keep focussed and to get things done. If you are feeling swamped, why not try setting yourself a list of targets for the week? I’ll let you know how I go with mine.