The new George

This is incredible this book. I'm up to Gooseberries by Chekhov, have read it once and the accompanying text but have gone back to the beginning to re-read. I've done this also with the first story In the Cart (also by Chekhov), The Singers (Turgenev) and Master and Man (Tolstoy). What a gift this book [...]

Hello 2021

Long time, no type. I'd put all my blog posts into some sort of hidden folder and just now reinstated them. I plan to get back to a bit of blogging because why not, also we're in a pandemic and nostalgia is a real pull right now. I don't know how much time I'll have, [...]

HELLO 2018

I'm having some trouble with my website here. A wonderful wonderful designer is doing things with it to make it better but I managed to muck it up a bit by fiddling. So bear with me/us as I/we get it how I want it.   But for now. A list: I am reading Bruce Pascoe's [...]

Wednesday catch-up

Well, I can barely catch my own breath at the moment. It's all things proofing at my house, and looking at blurbs. My wonderful editor has sent me the proofed pages, and while they are quite 'clean' (dig the lingo, baby), I want to go through carefully. It's the last chance. My reading continues apace. That never [...]

Saturday catch up

It's been a while since I posted. I have just finished a full-on week of teaching, as well as getting my edited manuscript back to Allen & Unwin. Am tidying my work space and getting things under control after a three-week frenzy with lots of teaching and lots of editing. Celebrating tonight with some French bubbly, [...]

Going Global, ASA Seminar held Wed 14 May, Melbourne

Anne Beilby, Rights Manager at Text Publishing.I went along to this not quite sure what it was about (my fault, no one else's.) But I knew two things:1. Anne Beilby from Text Publishing was the speaker and 2. she is a guru when it comes to all things to do with publishing rights.Actually I knew [...]

PWF Day 1, Publishers Seminar, Session 5. THE PITCH.

What we've all been waiting for, and on the day, the Pitch session was mentioned throughout, with info about how it would work. This is how it worked:People were invited to put their names into a box and we were told they'd be pulled at random, and possibly up to ten or so would be [...]

First anniversary of this blog, and an interview with Iowa Writers’ Workshop teacher Marilynne Robinson

Well, apparently it's the first birthday of this blog. How nice. Some stats: Today, 16 views so far from 16 visitors. USA - 8 UK - 8 One each from Qatar, Germany, Italy, Austria and Netherlands. Total 63 followers, total 187 comments. Total of 3,936 views, best ever single day was 69 views (I think [...]

Colm Tóibín workshop – Melbourne Writers Festival 2013

UPDATE: It was announced yesterday that Tóibín's The Testament of Mary has been shortlisted for this year's Man Booker Prize. I haven't read it but it's 'on the list.'*It's a writing day today. I'm lucky to have taught my last session for term last Wednesday and so have been burrowing into my manuscript, wrangling with [...]

Workshop with MJ Hyland at the Melbourne Writers Festival

MJ Hyland has written three novels and I enjoyed all of them, particularly the second (Carry Me Down) and third (This is How). Her stripped-back prose and clever, clever management of points of view I find exciting. In an earlier writing course I did, in 2009, in between meetings every two months we read books [...]

Catching up on… The Writer’s Room Interviews

I've mentioned this fabulous suite of interviews before but really, they are such a great source of information and insight that it's worth mentioning them again. You really should subscribe. (It's The Writer's Room and you can go here to find out more.)Author Charlotte Wood established this project earlier this year? Late last year? A [...]

First interview with Amanda Lohrey from The Writer’s Room

Writer Amanda LohreyIf you haven't already subscribed to this new publication, and you are a keen student of learning as much as possible about 'the craft' (and also if you are a nosy sticky-beak like me and love to read about writers and their writing processes) then get thee here and subscribe. If you do, [...]