I'm writing this during Covid lockdown. The date is the 9th of July 2021 and due to the Delta variant, we're not allowed to leave our homes here in Sydney unless totally necessary. As I've often mentioned in my blogs, I can't write unless I'm alone without distractions. My husband is home with me and …
The first draft is when you get your ideas down
I'd heard this many times. Due to lack of a private space to write during Covid, I have one completed first draft and one still being written. I usually have three works at various stages of progress. One at first draft, one at third and one almost ready to submit. But this week I finally …
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Researching the Sydney Gay Scene of the 90s – Part 2
Writing these blogs is helping with my research. I realised this during the past week. It's a great way for me to categorise the different themes I want to explore in my novel set in the 1990s. In the last blog I talked about my first impressions of the pages I copied from the Sydney …
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Researching the Sydney Gay Scene of the 90s – Part 1
A whole box of microfilm was waiting for me at the State Library of NSW. A lovely librarian arranged copies of the Sydney Star Observer from the 1990s, as well as a couple of years' worth of Capital Q, at my request. Both were significant street press which covered queer issues. The former still exists. …
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Trying to encapsulate my novel in 100 words
I tried to court an agent. As regular readers of my blog know, I've been working on a manuscript titled The Midnight Man for four years. It's quite polished, so I thought I'd use it as my calling card to seek representation. Many authors hate creating the synopsis that sits on the back cover their …
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Re-visiting that abandoned manuscript
When Covid-19 hit, I was halfway through a first draft. It was a novel set in the 1990s and I was writing it to celebrate a decade I was young enough to fully enjoy. I still have the outline but, at the time of writing this blog (28/10/2020), haven't looked at it since March. This …
Inspiration in Images
In my current WiP, two characters are underdeveloped. I've gone back and highlighted where I can add scenes so the reader can discover more about them. But I did this without really knowing who they are. I've written dialogue which makes them sound similar to other characters and stumbled through creating their history as I …
I got a rejection email within a day.
I submitted a manuscript to a publisher on Sunday. I got my rejection on Monday. It was polite and said it's not what their looking for at the moment. Fair enough. Their other novels are similar but mine didn't make the cut. For those who've never done this, it usually takes months before you hear …
Pantstering that epic chapter.
I always drop chapters toward the end. While I have my outline in front of me I sense certain plot points should come in sooner. The reader will appreciate it and the story won't drag. With my current work in progress, bringing these story elements sooner has affected my word count. Often I find the …
Book Review – The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose
Many reviewers consider this novel a meditation on art. This is true as it's really not a story driven piece. Several times I put this book down for a while to consider what I'd read. But it was never going to be a 'did not finish' book. I had to take it in stages as …
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