The desire to write about my mother’s Holocaust story had been with me for awhile. Like, thirty-five-years awhile. I had been a published writer from the age of 19, when on a whim I’d sent a humorous piece about my …
Writing in the Dark: A Guest Post by Katherine Kovacic
I spend a lot of time thinking about death. Not in a philosophical sense, but the how, when, what and why of death in every conceivable form. Messy and unblemished, quiet and very loud, tragic and stupid, unremarkable and unbelievably …
Finding the Central Question of Your Story: A Guest Post by Karen Kirsten
I spent nine years grappling with a manuscript I couldn’t complete. Not because I lacked compelling material. My mother and grandparents had survived the Holocaust; there were dramatic stories of love and betrayal, rescues and buried secrets. But I couldn’t …
Using interviews to inform fiction: A Guest Post by Emily Brewin
My most recent novel and my first Young Adult one, A Way Home, is about a sixteen-year-old girl who finds herself homeless in Melbourne’s CBD during a particularly bitter winter. Since we met her, Grace has been living rough …
How to write and publish three books in five years: A Guest Post by Thuy On
First of all, I should add a caveat… the title should actually read: How to write and publish three poetry books in five years. I have no experience writing book-length fiction or non-fiction–nor do I have any inclination to pursue …
Imagining Characters Unlike Me: A Guest Post by Silvia Kwon
For as long as I can remember my fascination with the lives of others surpassed the usual level of curiosity. This need to understand other subjectivities struck me early and, since it was not shared by my friends in quite …