I felt like I was pantstering even though I have an outline. But it’s an updated outline on an excel spreadsheet clearly showing what currently happens in each chapter, and what needs to be changed. And as I created this spreadsheet ages ago, it felt like I was pantstering recently, giving the characters licence to …
Should I submit to a publisher or an agent?
I'm going through the submission process. I have a manuscript I believe is ready to send to potential publishers and like many authors, I'm combing through lists to see who takes direct submissions, seeing who is a good fit. Ideally, I'd like an Australian publisher. It would make life easier to be marketed in my …
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The curse of modern social media
I had to play nurse to my husband for a month. After he had minor surgery, we had weeks of sleepless nights because we couldn’t find a pain killer which actually dulled his pain. I missed many yoga and Zumba sessions while our apartment just didn’t get cleaned. I was too tired to read and …
Don’t rush your manuscript!
A publisher cancelled their open call. They only open for unsolicited manuscripts four times a year, and I had all my submission documents ready for their date in May. But two days out, they cancelled that submission date due to a backlog they still had to get through. What enticed me to them is that …
Author etiquette
None of us are perfect. I was part of an interstate literary festival once just after I had a major operation on my arm. A day or so in, it was clear my sling needed a wash. It smelled. But I had to be on panels and run a workshop at this two day event, …
Writing trends come and go
This blog is inspired by a recent conversation with a writer friend. He told me of an editor who believes all works should be third person and past tense. She says first person is an unreliable subjective narrative, while past tense gives the advantage of reflection. Yet Invisible Boys by Holden Sheppard is a critically …
How not to write a novel.
This blog is a reflection on books I've read and events I've attended. And while I know I've made similar mistakes on my writing journey, when I see new writers go down the same path, I hold my tongue as critique can go one of two ways. It can be welcomed by someone keen to …
Does this scene belong in my novel?
I recently bought a Blu-ray of a film I love. After I watched the movie, I explored the deleted scenes. All were good, but as the director said, all would have slowed the pace of the film because what they had to reveal to the audience was already evident in other scenes. There's a lovely …
Book Tours and the Indie author
My first novel, Drama Queens with Love Scenes, was published by a small indie press over a decade ago. Little did I know back then it would be up to me to promote it and I stumbled in the dark to find information on just how to go about it. One thing we all value …
Adultery and the Romance genre
As an author of gay fiction, I’m often pigeonholed by friends and family as writing Romance or Erotica. Yes, I did dabble in both of these genres briefly, but a majority of my work is Magic Realism. The other genre I’ve written is Dystopian. In the US, there is a huge demand for gay romance, …
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