I'm part of a novelist writing group. Every Thursday evening we meet with copies of the next scene from our manuscript. We read it out loud while our fellow writers follow along, making corrections and notes. Then we workshop, and sometimes debate, certain aspects of that chapter. While I'm no spring chicken, three of the …
I’m about to read gay sex scenes to straight older men
I'm part of a cool writers' group. Each week we read and review the next scene of each other's projects. Some feedback is relevant. Some is not. And we all have our quirks when we receive critique. Although I'm not exactly young, three of this group of five men are older than me. And unlike …
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I’m writing Romance
This is new to me. Well, almost. I have written two Romance novellas before (see images below), which were guided by a couple of years of binging Sex and the City. There were mixed reviews, making it clear the Romance purists weren't impressed. But at least those who loved them, really loved them. This time …
Acknowledging your Writing Journey
I don't remember the first time I heard this phrase. But it's the way I viewed my writing life ever since. When I first began this journey over a decade ago, a representative at the Australian Society of Authors told me how many new releases flooded the market that year. The amount was staggering. It …
The books for my author signing event didn’t show up.
It was the day before GLO (Gay Lit Oz). We decided not to go to the movies so we'd be home for the delivery of the books I needed for the event. It was Friday and by late afternoon, it was clear something was wrong. My publisher ordered these for me the week before, and …
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It takes years to write a novel
Ten years ago I attended a workshop at the Sydney Writer’s Festival. The author gave us an insight to the industry, but the most important thing I learnt at this session was the art of letting your manuscript rest between drafts. I mean, really rest. Not a couple of weeks, but at least three months. …
I got a bad review
I got a bad review. To be honest, it's a proper critique. The reviewer was honest about what worked for her and what didn't. And it hit me hard because she is a fan of two of my other books. This review was posted a week later than originally scheduled and in that time I …
Impostor Syndrome
How do you deal with Impostor Syndrome? I asked this as part of a social media chat group I'm part of and one particular answer stayed in my mind. "I've noticed it's triggered more by success than failure. Success makes me frightened that I won't make the mark..." Over the past couple of years more …
Plotting using the Snowflake Method – An Update
I previously spoke about the Snowflake Method in this blog. At the time I was working on a Space Opera but for my own reasons, that project has been put on hold. A contemporary novel has taken it's place. And I've now had the chance to use this plotting and characterisation method for longer than …
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What should I write next?
I had this dilemma recently. I began a new book in a genre which had me intrigued - The Space Opera. I have character notes which include motivations, goals, conflicts and epiphanies. I have an interesting plot, and extended story lines from each character's point of view. Then we made a sudden trip north to …
