The unconscious preserves our cultural memory and before Jung and Freud, this was acknowledged by rabbis who insisted that every Jew, past, now and future are witnesses to Sinai.
We search to understand our cosmos, and are dismayed that it …
Events
5 Things I Learned This Year about Publishing a Book
As some of you may know, 2014 has been a big year for me. I finally had my first book in English, and in Australia, published. Most of the year had been dominated by preparing for this moment – editing …
A Guest Post by the Novelist Annabel Smith: Why I decided to self-publish
When I began my PhD in Writing fifteen years ago, my goal was simply to see if I could write a novel. As my PhD progressed and I became confident that I would achieve my initial goal, I immediately began …
The Vices and Virtues of Dialogue Writing
In some writers’ residencies, the duties of the resident writer may include appearing at local writers’ groups. In one such a group I attended, a writer read weekly from her novel-in-progress. On my first visit, she explained that the chapter …
A Guest Post by Karen Turner: The secrets of writing historical romance
The historical romance novel is today one of the most popular genres in women’s fiction. As an avid reader, I, as many of you no doubt do, enjoy reading a variety of genres. This week I’m reading an autobiography, next …
Notes from the Book Launch
Dear Blog Readers,
Please forgive me this self-indulgent post, which is this time a brief report from the book launch of my memoir The Dangerous Bride. In my defence, I am such a slow writer that I promise not …
Pre-publication Blues
Six copies of ‘The Dangerous Bride’ recently arrived in my house. It took me five years to write this memoir and then I waited more than a year for the publication to happen, and here it is – printed. The …
A Guest Post by Susan Wyndham, the literary editor of SMH: On Not Writing a Novel
I am writing a novel. I have been writing it for five years. But most of the time I write it in my head. Does this sound familiar? Am I just another wannabe novelist who talks big but will never …
That Damn First Draft
Now that my memoir The Dangerous Bride is finally printed and about to be released in a month, I am at work on my new writing plans. I always need lots of plans to produce a little something. Making plans …
A Guest Post from the renowned writing mentor Sydney Smith: Understanding your antagonist
Whenever a writer tells me they have a problem with Act 2 of their novel, I ask them about their antagonist, the character who opposes the protagonist and prevents them from getting what they want. Act 2 forms the bulk …