Writing and publishing news, events and markets

Last Wednesday we were so lucky to have Louise Cusack as our Special Guest.  Thank you so much Louise for leading us in a wonderful night of writing. We also had a record nineteen Racers in attendance! Our total word count was in the thousands and genres ranged from non-fiction essays on meditation, to sit-com scripts, to speculative fiction/urban fantasy, and ‘zines/journals. We are an interesting bunch indeed. Louise also responded to a few questions from our Racers:

How do you fit writing time into life? Or life into writing time?

Well writing is my day job so that makes things a bit easier, but I still do mentoring, manuscript assessment and writing workshops, so prioritising works for me. I make lists of things that MUST be done that week, and things that I want to get done, and things that are more ‘wish list’. Now that I’m doing a computer game residency there are stipulated hours for that, so everything else fits around it. I can do research or editing for as little as ten minutes and make progress, but I wouldn’t try to write draft for ten minutes. I’d find that frustrating. If I only had 5 minutes I’d meditate.

And some non-writing stuff is important. We need to nourish our family and friend relationships, to eat, sleep and get exercise too. But when it’s a choice between writing and watching reruns of ‘Friends’ then writing should most definitely come first!

Her latest project?

I’m creating draft of the ’story’ I’m working on with an International computer games company. I was selected to do a residency with them, so this is an exciting new project for me. Fascinating to be thinking about ’story’ in such a different media (and particularly as I’m not a gamer myself) but I do know fantasy world-building!

Advice for approaching and finding publishers for freelance writers?

Do some research in the local bookstore and find books that are as close to what you’ve written as possible. Then note the publisher, and check the author’s acknowledgement page to find out who their editor and agent are. Those are two people who might be interested in your stories. If that publisher and/or agent are open to submissions, then send them whatever they’ll allow (query letter and synopsis, or the manuscript itself). If they’re not open to submission you have to find a different publisher or come at them sideways – do they judge writing competitions?

Louise even directed us to her blog post about the importance of an author’s attitude and the lessons we can take from cats. Yes, cats. Check it out here.

This week I will be leading the Writing Race solo, and in lieu of an exciting ‘Hey look we have a Guest Captain!’ post I thought I would share with you some interesting links from around the great wide web. This week at the Australian Writer’s Marketplace we’ve been thinking a lot about writing productivity.

How can we make the most of the hours that we have to write?

How can we fill the pages faster and more efficiently and actually finish projects within the timeframes we set ourselves?

Do we need huge chunks of time to write, or can we make the most of the in-between times?

Of course we realised that we aren’t the only writers who wonder these things, and so we turned to the Google for our answers, and came up with some links from some of our blogging-author favourites.

Fantasy author Rachel Aaron sets herself the awe-inspiring goal of achieving 10,000 words per day! In this post she explains how she ramped up her daily word counts from 2,000 to 10,000 over the course of a few months, and how we can apply this to our own writing. She acknowledges that not all writers are able to dedicate full-time hours to their story as she is able to, but that even part-time and hobby writers can use her strategies to increase their output.

Kristine Kathryn Rusch comes from a two-writer household (she is married to Dean Wesley Smith). After a deadline-filled April Rusch sat back and looked at how they had survived without starving to death or missing their deadlines. She writes in this post about the writing habits she uses to maximise her output in the time she has, and what habits have stood her in good stead over her writing career.

The ever-witty novelist, screenwriter, and game designer Chuck Wendig offers up a straight-talking no-holds-barred plan to increase writing output . Chuck’s tips range from eating and sleeping habits to dealing with self-doubt, and this post is a mine of helpful suggestions that are applicable to all of us writers pro or amateur. Chuck also offers a writing plan that, if followed, will earn you a full-length first draft novel in a year (there is a language warning attached to both of these posts).

Author Janice Hardy ran a five-part series about being a productive writer, and each of these tips is worth checking out. Hardy covers everything from finding the right time and place to write, to the benefits of leaving sentences unfinished.

Hopefully these links will help all of us to make the most out of the hour we have together at this week’s Writing Race. Remember to head over to our Facebook page and join the event (click here for a direct link to the event page) so we know that you are coming. Then, meander over again at 7:50pm on Wednesday 15^th May and we’ll kick-off at the usual time of 8pm. If you are new to the Writing Races, or you need a refresher, take a look at our AWMonline Writing Race FAQs.

We hope to see you there!

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Amy Chatwin is a currently undertaking her Masters in Writing, Editing, and Publishing at The University of Queensland. She has also attained a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) and Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement Studies) from Queensland University of Technology. She is based in Brisbane and blogs about food, books, running, and everyday abundance at Thoroughly Nourished Life.

Last week’s Writing Race was a little quiet, but we had a great night and writing success nonetheless. Our Guest Captain for this week’s Race, Louise Cusack, even popped in to say hello to everyone and offer us some half-time inspiration:

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”

? Anaïs Nin

This week Louise will be our Guest Captain directing us through the murky waters of a Wednesday night spent in pursuit of prose on the page.

As I mentioned last week Louise writes both fantasy and quirky romance. Her fantasy trilogy ‘Shadow Through Time’ tells the story of a young woman from our world being drawn into the sepia world of Ennae to fulfill her destiny. The series is published by Pan Macmillan and is available at all good e-book retailers. Her romance series ‘Hapless Heroes’ is available exclusively on Amazon for Kindle readers. Louise has also been a writer-in-residence at the Queensland Writer’s Centre and mentors other writers through their manuscript development journey. She lives in Queensland near the ocean. To find out more about Louise you can visit her website, Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.

Come and join Louise and me tonight at the Writing Race, which starts at 8:00pm. The Race will take the form of a comment stream within the Writing Race Event created on the AWM Facebook page. Just ‘join’ the event and then comment in the stream on the ‘AWM Writing Race’ Page. More information is available in our AWMonline Writing Race FAQs and here is the link to this week’s Writing Race Event.

We hope to see our writing community grow, so invite your friends and remember that we are here every week!

In preparation for next week’s race we have also created our Facebook event page for the 15th of May. Block out next Wednesday night in your diary and come and join us there.

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Amy Chatwin is a currently undertaking her Masters in Writing, Editing, and Publishing at The University of Queensland. She has also attained a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) and Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement Studies) from Queensland University of Technology. She is based in Brisbane and blogs about food, books, running, and everyday abundance at Thoroughly Nourished Life.

Once again our Writing Race was a huge success. Thank you so much to Special Guest Alan Baxter who joined us last week and to all our participants. Although there wasn’t a lot of discussion on the page, I have the suspicion is this was because everyone was too busy writing to chat! We had thirteen people join our writing circle last week, and of those who shared their final word count we had nearly five thousand words. What a wonderful effort everyone.

At halftime we had our customary quotes, contributed by the AWM Online staff’s favourites, and from Alan Baxter too.

“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.”
William Styron

“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.”
Joyce Carol OatesTop of Form

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.” George R.R. Martin

“If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time or the tools to write. Simple as that.” Stephen King.

This week I will be running the Writing Race solo so I hope you will come and keep me company. Bring your latest project; write, edit, or research along with us for the hour, and at the end share a tasty tidbit if you are so inclined.

I have exciting news about our Writing Race next week: we are going to be joined by international award-winning fantasy and quirky romance writer Louise Cusack!

Louise’s fantasy trilogy ‘Shadow Through Time’ tells the story of a young woman from our world being drawn into the sepia world of Ennae to fulfill her destiny. The series is published by Pan Macmillan and is available at all good e-book retailers. Louise has also published a series of quirky romances ‘Hapless Heroes’; this series is available exclusively on Amazon for Kindle readers. Louise has also been a writer-in-residence at the Queensland Writer’s Centre and mentors other writers through their manuscript development journey. She lives in Queensland near the ocean. To find out more about Louise you can visit her website, Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.

Tonight’s Writing Race starts at 8:00pm. The Race will take the form of a comment stream within the Writing Race Event created on the AWM Facebook page. Just ‘join’ the event and then comment in the stream on the ‘AWM Writing Race’ Page. More information is available in our AWMonline Writing Race FAQs and here is the link to this week’s Writing Race Event.

We hope to see our writing community grow, so invite your friends and remember that we are here every week!

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Amy Chatwin is a currently undertaking her Masters in Writing, Editing, and Publishing at The University of Queensland. She has also attained a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) and Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement Studies) from Queensland University of Technology. She is based in Brisbane and blogs about food, books, running, and everyday abundance at Thoroughly Nourished Life.

Our Facebook Writing Races are turning into a weekly writing party! Last week 10 Racers took on the challenge and once again there were a variety of writing projects worked on over the evening, including: steampunk romance, apocalyptic environmental young adult fiction, Australian romantic fiction, essays and articles, and a script.

At half-time we took inspiration and refreshment from the words of two masters: Gustave Flaubert and Stephen King.

“It is a delicious thing to write, whether well or badly – to be no longer yourself but to move in an entire universe of your own creating.”

- Gustave Flaubert

“Writing is a lonely job. Having someone who believes in you makes a lot of difference. They don’t have to makes speeches. Just believing is usually enough.”

? Stephen King (from ‘On Writing’)

Despite some technical glitches we all finished strong with a total estimated word count of around four thousand words from our racers.

This week we have the pleasure of Guest Captain Alan Baxter’s company. Alan’s latest short horror novel ‘Dark Rite’ (co-written with David Wood) came out last week. I have only just started reading it, but I’m already enthralled and promising to only read it with the lights on!

Alan is the author of novels RealmShift and MageSign, and has published over 50 short stories. He’s a contributing editor and co-founder at Thirteen O’Clock: Australian Dark Fiction News & Reviews, and co-hosts Thrillercast, a thriller and genre fiction podcast. Alan is also a motorcycle enthusiast, Kung Fu instructor, and lives on the south coast of New South Wales with his wife Halinka and faithful dog Penry.

For more information about Alan and his works you can connect with him via his website, Facebook page, and Twitter account.

Tonight’s Writing Race starts at 8:00pm. The Race will take the form of a comment stream within the Writing Race Event created on the AWM Facebook page. Just ‘join’ the event and then comment in the stream on the ‘AWM Writing Race’ Page. More information is available in our AWMonline Writing Race FAQs and here is the link to this week’s Writing Race Event.

We hope to see our writing community grow, so invite your friends and remember that we are here every week!

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Amy Chatwin is a currently undertaking her Masters in Writing, Editing, and Publishing at The University of Queensland. She has also attained a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) and Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement Studies) from Queensland University of Technology. She is based in Brisbane and blogs about food, books, running, and everyday abundance at Thoroughly Nourished Life.

Our first Facebook-based Writing Race was a hit last week! Race Captain Jodi Cleghorn got us off to a wonderful start by asking Racers to list: their writing session essentials; what project they were working on; and their big, amazing, audacious intention/dream/wish for their writing over the next year.

A quick browse through the answers soon revealed that Writing Race participants are nearly all tea drinkers, and most of us went through a few cups over the hour! There were a variety of projects that Racers were working on, including: a play for children, young adult urban fantasy, romance, and Jodi’s own project Piper’s Reach. Racer’s amazing and audacious intentions emphasised that most of us are hoping 2013 will be the year to finish a manuscript and send it out into the universe before 2014 dawns.

Last week’s race included a lot of conversation between Racers too, and it was great to read people’s comments to and encouragement of their fellow Racers.

This week I will be heading the Writing Race solo, so come along and keep me company tonight at 8:00pm. The Race will take the form of a comment stream within the Writing Race Event created on the AWM Facebook page. Just ‘join’ the event and then comment in the stream on the ‘AWM Writing Race’ Page.

We hope to see our writing community grow, so invite your friends and remember that we are here every week!

Next week we will be joined by special guest Race Captain Alan Baxter. Alan describes himself this way ‘Author of horror, dark fantasy & sci-fi. Kung Fu instructor. Motorcyclist. Dog lover. Gamer. Heavy metal fan. Britstralian. Misanthrope.’ Alan’s latest book (co-authored with David Wood) ‘Dark Rite’ comes out today! Find out more Alan on his website, Facebook page, or Twitter.

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Amy Chatwin is a currently undertaking her Masters in Writing, Editing, and Publishing at The University of Queensland. She has also attained a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) and Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement Studies) from Queensland University of Technology. She is based in Brisbane and blogs about food, books, running, and everyday abundance at Thoroughly Nourished Life.

Greeting friends of AWM!

Today we are moving our weekly Writing Races to a more user-friendly platform on Facebook. For those who haven’t come along to a Race before here’s what you need to know.

A Writing Race is a self-directed, one-hour writing session done in the company of online peers convened by a Race Captain and moderated by AWM staff.

Captains are sometimes Special Guests – successful writers who share their experience and encouragement. (Tonight we’ve got Jodi Cleghorn! See her website and blog)

We start to gather at about 7:50pm and share our writing goals for the evening. The Writing Race begins at 8pm and finishes at 9pm; during this time you write at your own pace (or edit or scene plan or research).

At half time inspirational writing quotes will be provided for refreshment.

You do your writing in your own private document, just as you always do. The Race Captain will only ask about your word count (or other goals) you achieved during the race. Some Racers like to share their favourite snippet at the end of the race. Racers are all encouraging of each other’s work.

The Race will take the form of a comment stream within the Writing Race Event created on the AWM Facebook page. Just ‘join’ the event and then comment in the stream on the ‘AWM Writing Race’ Page.

We hope to see our writing community grow, so invite your friends and remember that we are here every week!

Greetings fellow wordsmiths, Amy the Intern here for another weekly update on the AWMOnline Writing Races.

Guest Captain Charlotte Nash

Last week we were graced with the presence of the one and only Charlotte Nash! Charlotte’s first novel ‘Ryder’s Ridge’ came out on the 26^th of March and I was first in line to grab my copy from my local bookstore. As an aspiring romance novelist I was excited to ask Charlotte a few questions about the genre.

In particular we got talking about the sense of place in a novel, Charlotte had this advice:

I usually always have my main setting as a fictitious place that is surrounded by real places to give some touchstone to the approximate location. I then usually have some scenes in those places. For example, Ryders Ridge is a made up place, but a few hours from Mt Isa, where some of the story happens. Brisbane also makes an appearance.

With that knowledge I got to work on my goal for the evening, and Charlotte shared that she was working on the opening of a steampunk romance short story.

She kindly shared some of the fruits of her labour at the end of the Writing Race:

Fortesque found her in the forbidden quarter, buried in a snowdrift, the edges of her cheeks flushed with the last of her body’s heat. He could no longer see the path she’d taken to reach here; all above and around covered in white, the steely sky promising more. He knew from that building, on that angle, that they weren’t far from the sinkhole, and he debated the wisdom of leaving her here. Sometimes, the cold and desperate tried for the heartland of the steam Daemon, with the plumes rising from the sinkhole promising a heat most could only remember. But the crawlies always got them before they sole a molecule of heated air. If that was her fate, his thick heart had a bead of sympathy.

Steampunk is defined by Wikipedia as ‘a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century… often set in an alternate history of the 19th century’s British Victorian era or American “Wild West”’. Charlotte had these recommendations for those of us interested in expanding our reading list to include steampunk literature:

I’d suggest the two volumes of short stories edited by the Vandermeers (Steampunk I and II). Shorts are a great way to sample many flavours of steampunk. For longer works, I actually like a combo of steam and cyberpunk – The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson is a favourite.

Thank you so much Charlotte for joining us as Guest Captain, and good luck with your manuscript revisions!

April 3rd Writing Race – Tonight!

This week I will host the Writing Race solo, so please come along and keep me company!  Next week we will are lucky enough to have Guest Captain Jodi Cleghorn joining us! Jodi is co-founder of eMergent publishing – and – a writer, editor, and publisher of several anthologies. You can find more about Jodi at her website or blog.

Here at the AWM we are also undergoing some cosmetic and structural work and so our Writing Race next week will be taking a different form. I will keep you up to date over the next few days so that you can all join us again next week! For this week just head to the AWM Forum as per usual.

Remember:

The AWMonline Writing Races are a self-directed, one-hour long writing session that takes place in the company of other writers as part of an online forum.  If you’ve never done a writing race before, you can download the Writing Race Guidelines2011

We will gather at about 7:50pm (Queensland Time; 9pm for those of you enjoying daylight savings time down south, and 6pm for our Western Australian writers) and share our writing goals for the evening, then start the clock at 8:00pm and keep working until 9:00pm. Inspiration, perspiration, and fun guaranteed!

Inspirational quotes will be provided as refreshment at half-time.

At the end of the hour feel free to share how you progressed over the evening and encourage your fellow writers in their pursuit of the craft.

Remember to use the ‘Quick Reply’ button to add your comments.

Hope to see you there.

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Amy Chatwin is a currently undertaking her Masters in Writing, Editing, and Publishing at The University of Queensland. She has also attained a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) and Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement Studies) from Queensland University of Technology. She is based in Brisbane and blogs about food, books, running, and everyday abundance at Thoroughly Nourished Life.

Good morning everyone, Amy the intern back again.

Last week was particularly quiet on the forums, but never fear, I kept writing on into the night with my faithful hound and a cup of tea for company.

I was inspired by the words of American author E.L. Doctorow:

‘Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.’

Tonight’s Race: Charlotte Nash!

I am hoping you will all join me tonight though because our special guest is Charlotte Nash!

Charlotte Nash is a Brisbane-based author, editor, researcher, and university lecturer. Her first book ‘Ryder’s Ridge’, a rural medical romance, is released by Hachette – very, very soon! Charlotte writes from experience with degrees in mechanical engineering and medicine. This lead to a series of very interesting jobs where the highlights included building rockets, traversing the Pilbara mines and learning medicine on an army base.

Charlotte can be found at www.charlottenash.net and you can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Come and join Charlotte and me tonight for an awesome feature author race.

A quick refresher:

The AWMonline Writing Races are a self-directed, one-hour long writing session that takes place in the company of other writers as part of an online forum.  If you’ve never done a writing race before, you can download the Writing Race Guidelines2011

We will gather at about 7:50pm (Queensland Time; 9pm for those of you enjoying daylight savings time down south, and 6pm for our Western Australian writers) and share our writing goals for the evening, then start the clock at 8:00pm and keep working until 9:00pm. Inspiration, perspiration, and fun guaranteed!

Inspirational quotes will be provided as refreshment at half-time.

At the end of the hour feel free to share how you progressed over the evening and encourage your fellow writers in their pursuit of the craft.

Remember to use the ‘Quick Reply’ button to add your comments.

Hope to see you there.

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Amy Chatwin is a currently undertaking her Masters in Writing, Editing, and Publishing at The University of Queensland. She has also attained a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) and Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement Studies) from Queensland University of Technology. She is based in Brisbane and blogs about food, books, running, and everyday abundance at Thoroughly Nourished Life.

Recap of Last Week’s Writing Race

Wednesday the 13^th of March was a quiet night for writing; thank you to Catherine who joined me.

Exciting News: Next Week’s Guest is Charlotte Nash!

Charlotte will be coming along as Race Captain on March 27^th and I can’t wait for her to join us in the Writing Race. Mark the space in your diaries and get ready to write along with us next week. For more information about Charlotte head over to www.charlottenash.net

This week I’ll be heading the Writing Race solo, so I hope you will all join me to work on your projects.

We will gather at about 7:50pm (Queensland Time; 9pm for those of you enjoying daylight savings time down south, and 6pm for our Western Australian writers) and share our writing goals for the evening, then start the clock and keep working until 9pm. Inspiration, perspiration, and fun guaranteed!

Inspirational quotes will be provided as refreshment at half-time.

At the end of the hour feel free to share how you progressed over the evening and encourage your fellow writers in their pursuit of the craft.

Remember to use the ‘Quick Reply’ button to add your comments.

A quick refresher:

The AWMonline Writing Races are a self-directed, one-hour long writing session that takes place in the company of other writers as part of an online forum.  If you’ve never done a writing race before, you can download the Writing Race Guidelines2011.

Some inspiration from last week’s race:

‘To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.’
- Joseph Chilton Pearce

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
? Maya Angelou

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Amy Chatwin is a currently undertaking her Masters in Writing, Editing, and Publishing at The University of Queensland. She has also attained a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) and Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement Studies) from Queensland University of Technology. She is based in Brisbane and blogs about food, books, running, and everyday abundance atThoroughly Nourished Life.

Hello, Amy the intern back for my weekly post to update you all on the happenings in last week’s Writing Race, and tempt you to come along to tonight’s Race.

Last Wednesday was a cold and rainy night – perfect for settling in somewhere warm with a warm beverage and a writing project. Our small group last week started talking about where writers choose to write. After discovering the legendary Virginia Woolf liked to write outside even though she was distracted by the activities surrounding her, and the Edith Wharton like to compose in bed in the mornings, I did a little investigation and stumbled upon this series by The Guardian entitled ‘Writer’s Rooms’.

There is a little voyeuristic pleasure in seeing where one of your favourite authors composed your favourite works, for example, the tiny little table upon which Jane Austen worked away.

Speaking of authors, I am pleased to announce:

Our guest on the 27^th of March is: Charlotte Nash!

Charlotte Nash is a Brisbane-based author, editor, researcher, and university lecturer. Her first book ‘Ryder’s Ridge’, a rural medical romance, is released by Hachette in March this year. Charlotte writes from experience with degrees in mechanical engineering and medicine. This lead to a series of very interesting jobs where the highlights included building rockets, traversing the Pilbara mines and learning medicine on an army base.

Charlotte can be found at www.charlottenash.net and you can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

This week I’ll be heading the Writing Race solo, so I hope you will all join me to work on your projects.

We will gather at about 7:50pm (Queensland Time; 9pm for those of you enjoying daylight savings time down south, and 6pm for our Western Australian writers) and share our writing goals for the evening, then start the clock and keep working until 9pm. Inspiration, perspiration, and fun guaranteed!

Inspirational quotes will be provided as refreshment at half-time.

At the end of the hour feel free to share how you progressed over the evening and encourage your fellow writers in their pursuit of the craft.

Remember to use the ‘Quick Reply’ button to add your comments.

Hope to see you there.

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Amy Chatwin is a currently undertaking her Masters in Writing, Editing, and Publishing at The University of Queensland. She has also attained a Bachelor of Health Science (Nutrition and Dietetics) and Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement Studies) from Queensland University of Technology. She is based in Brisbane and blogs about food, books, running, and everyday abundance atThoroughly Nourished Life.