Writing Away

For many of us who have to work in "normal" jobs to pay the bills, time away to write is a treasured thing. No phone, minimal email contact, peace and quiet. Some writers go to residential retreats where everyone there is writing and the atmosphere is one of intensity and production and inspiration. Or possibly days and days of staring at a blank screen! Others take the opportunity to find a place far from the madding crowd - a motel or bed & breakfast or wood hut - and write alone.

But when you try to combine writing with other "away" things, like family and outings and social events, trouble can strike. Other people wonder why you're hiding from them, or being unsociable. Or else you go along with everything and everyone and writing doesn't happen. After a busy semester of teaching and hours of infuriating paperwork, I couldn't wait to get away from it all and find some sanity and headspace again. Yet here I am, five days in, and I haven't written a thing.

However, I have caught up with family news, spent wonderful hours with them all, and been for many inspiring walks. I'm sleeping better than I have for weeks, and hardly thinking about work at all. And I have been thinking about my novel (in its second major revision) and mulling over various changes and gaining character insights. I've read over most of the revised chapters and feel I am on the right track at last. Tomorrow will be a writing day, between walking, coffee and conversation. It's all good!

The Endurance Factor

“Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck—but most of all, endurance.”—James Baldwin

I found this quote today while doing some reading on all sorts of different topics, and also in between grading a huge pile of student work. Grading creative writing is something that could be termed an oxymoron perhaps - how can you give originality and pizzazz a grade? Funnily enough, it's not so hard because before you get originality, you have to have strong ideas, structure, characterisation, dialogue that works well, a facility with language, and a good grasp of grammar and punctuation. I guess that's why we teach all that stuff - because from there comes great writing and then ... originality.

I digress. Sort of. Because when we talk about creative writing students, there's a perception that of course they're all talented - why would they be studying writing otherwise? It's true that our students have talent, that germ of something which means when they write, at least a little something happens on the page. But it's what they do with it that makes the difference. Endurance plays a huge part in it. I've seen quite a few very good writers in my classes whom I thought would one day, sooner maybe than later, see their work published. But although their talent might shine, without endurance it fades. I see them a few years on, and they've given up because it got too hard - either to fit it into a busy life, or the rejections were too much to take.

Writing is hard. Good writing is harder. Great writing can take years to develop, to grow, to learn how to do. The myth persists that a great writer is born with the talent, and no doubt for a very occasional person, that's true. But again, it's what happens after that. The road to publication can be long and rocky. Just ask the guy who wrote A Confederacy of Dunces. I saw that mentioned today as an "instant American classic". Yep, it was just a pity that he submitted it over and over and over for years, and finally killed himself. It was his mother who eventually found a publisher, and it became an instant classic. Hmmm.

What makes great writing? I think it is that ability to somehow put words on the page in a way that readers engage with. Just as well we have a wide range of readers, people who love Dan Brown, people who love Annie Proulx. Because words on the page have different effects on different readers. Nevertheless, along with the ability has to come a number of other things. As Baldwin says, discipline is a must. If you can't regularly commit to putting plenty of words on the page and then reworking those words until they sing, you won't get far. A book-length work is a huge, scary undertaking. There'll be plenty to tell you you're mad. Only self-discipline keeps your backside in that chair.

Luck? Yes, even though we hate to admit it. The story idea that somehow magically taps into the zietgist of the time. The editor who absolutely loves Shakespeare and receives an unsolicited manuscript that draws on Hamlet in a new way. The agent you meet just when she's heard of a publisher looking for a book just like yours. But it's not all luck. You make your own luck by being aware of the industry and researching your markets properly.

Love? I guess he means a love of writing. If you love writing for its own 'self', for what it gives you, for the thrill of having written, for how it gives you the licence to do almost anything in words that you dream of - then love helps a lot too. It especially helps when you're getting lots of rejections. But it's endurance that will get you there. Like building a house, you must believe that as along as you keep going, keep adding wood and nails and cement and pipes and a roof, then one day you may well have what you dream of - publication.

And then you must learn to endure all that comes with it - the pressure of each book after that, the reviews, the critics, the long hours at the desk (because you learn that each new book brings its own problems and you will never know it all)... Goodness, I'm starting to depress myself here! But it is endurance, and it is hard - never assume it will be easy because that way lies the road that holds those signs that say things like You're not good enough and I knew you'd fail and How come others can do it and not you?

You have to ignore them because, after all, as a writer you have chosen something that you may do for your whole life. Something that will have moments of ecstasy, moments of deep despair, and a whole lot of days of staring at a blank screen. Endurance doesn't have to be like carrying a heavy sack up a muddy hill in boots that are two sizes too large for you. But it does have to be something you cultivate inside yourself, like a solid warm extra organ that gives you the fortitude you need to keep going.
(And for those of you who know me, can you guess what the house is going to be called when it's finally finished? No, not Emoh Ruo. ENDURANCE.)

Creativity and Depression

What a great way to celebrate 500 blog posts - write about depression!! But I've been wanting to write about this book - The Van Gogh Blues: The Creative Person's Path Through Depression- for a week or more, even though I haven't finished reading it yet. So now's the time. I've also been thinking about the topic over the past two days while I've been attending the Reading Matters conference.

Why? Because several of the writers talked about problems with writing - getting stuck on a book that's not working (Bernard Beckett) or having to set a daily word target because of frittering away hours (James Roy) or realising that even when she was in a quiet room at Varuna, she still wrote at the same slow pace (Alison Goodman). We all struggle with our writing. In fact, James Roy quoted someone who said if you find writing easy, then you're not a writer! For me, attending the conference and listening to so many terrific writers talk about their craft is one of the ways I overcome creative slumps.

It would be easy, however, to sit and listen to them talk, see all their books on the bookshop tables, and think - Why am I bothering? Why don't I give up now? In "The Van Gogh Blues", Maisel talks a lot about this feeling, and why creative artists (writers, painters, sculptors, musicians, etc) experience it. Sometimes it can lead to a terrible depression, rather than fleeting feelings of despair, and he also talks about the necessity of getting to grips with reality - that you do have to pay the bills, you do often have to have a job which squeezes out time for creating. I know several people, excellent creators, who have indeed given up and gone off to do something completely different.

There is so much in this book that to try and summarise it in a couple of paragraphs is misleading. So I will pick out some of the things that, so far, have struck a chord with me. One is that you can opt to matter, that instead of buying into the whole notion that life itself is meaningless and we're just here until we die, you can choose to make your own life meaningful through creating. Think about how many people you know who either just exist, or who are waiting for whatever they think the afterlife might offer (and they say it's got to be better than here). Maisel says that for a creative person, neither of these attitudes will work. It is only by choosing to make your own life matter through your creations that you will find what you need.

He also discusses those artists for whom meaning is based in the marketplace. Becoming famous, making lots of money, receiving great reviews - none of these will feed into creating what matters for you. It has to reside inside you to endure, and you have to keep "opting to matter" rather than let it slide. It's also about being connected with the world - about caring for others as well as yourself, not letting your ego move you into ruthless behaviour or lording it over others.

Your decision to matter, to fuel your own creativity, comes from self-understanding. Maisel says, "Until you come to grips with your personality and your human nature and can say 'This is who I am and this is who I am choosing to become', not only will meaning elude you but so will a genuine enthusiasm for life." He goes on to talk about your personal power supply, how many people are "slowed down by the facts of existence" and lose their own energy and creative power.

As I said, I'm still only halfway through this book. There is so much in it - and I'm not suffering from depression, yet I do have periods of feeling totally uncreative and wondering how on earth I can get out of it. Maybe when I've finished it, I'll write more about the subject.
In the meantime, to celebrate Blog Post Number 500, I'm offering a prize!! Anyone who posts a comment about this whole thing of creativity and/or depression will go in the draw to win a copy of my latest book, Tracey Binns is Lost. If you post as Anon, please do put a name of some kind at the bottom!

Post 499 - Creativity

Good gracious, I just realised that this is Post No. 499. I had better make sure No. 500 is a darned good one! Thank goodness it's 499 today, as my brain is struggling. We are in workshopping mode in class; consequently I have workshopped 17 picture book texts in the past week, marked 15 assignments on myths and am getting ready for the final onslaught. Another 50+ assignments to mark in about 9 days. No wonder I won't be writing for a while.

I've been pondering over the brain power question. And reading a great book on creativity, which I'll save for Post 500 perhaps. Is our creativity limited? Or is it actually boundless, living somewhere inside our head, and the problem is that we don't know how to manage it or release it properly? I make it sound like a caged creature, don't I?

But sometimes it feels like that. It feels like a tiger behind bars inside my head, growling and snarling because in front of the bars is a pile of "other work" so high that all I can hear is a faint whine. Or all I let myself hear is the whine, because to acknowledge the tiger is pacing the cage and getting extremely angry is a bit risky to my mental calm. So I toss a leg of lamb over the pile of work and hope that keeps the tiger quiet until I can let her out.

Yes, I probably need to leave this metaphor well alone, and get back to the "other work". The sooner it's conquered, the better. Then it's me and the tiger, off to the mountains, or the beach, or the wild blue yonder...

Diving Into Poetry

This week, I've dived head-first into poetry. I'm not sure why this happens, but it kind of creeps up on me. First I read some poems (these were ones I wanted to use in my mythology class), then I wrote a couple, then I wrote more for my new verse novel, then my book order arrived, which included four books of poetry. Somehow, when my fingers did the ordering online, they clicked on books of poems and verse novels. Now I'm fully indulging! And remembering all the things I love about poetry, what each poem creates as I read it, and how often something in a poem will spark an idea and off I go to write.

Of course, the book I grabbed first was Ballistics. This is Billy Collins' new collection, and as the very first poem is about Paris, I had to stop and re-read it. Having heard recordings of him reading quite a few times, now whenever I read one of his poems, it's as if I can hear his voice. Weird, but good.

Next book in my pile was one I read about in a review magazine and actually misunderstood what it was. The book is The Cuckoo's Haiku: And Other Birding Poemsby Michael Rosen. I thought it was a book about writing haiku (despite the subtitle) but it's a great collection of haiku about birds. And not only that, the watercolour illustrations of birds by Stan Fellows are beautiful. If you're a haiku fan, I can recommend it.

I've also ordered three verse novels, again from reading about them in other people's reviews or blogs. I've read novels by Ron Koertge before, and was surprised to see a verse novel by him (hidden poet inside us all?) - Shakespeare Bats Cleanupis about a 14-year-old boy who gets mono (a disease) and is quarantined at home for a few weeks. He can't go to school, and he can't play baseball, his favourite sport. He's reduced to writing poems to entertain himself! What I like about this story is the way form poems sneak in - the narrator is under no illusion that his poems are world-class, but he still manages to use the forms and say what he wants. There are shades of "Love That Dog" in here - the idea of a kid who isn't keen on poetry and ends up writing it and drawing more from the experience than he thought possible.

After many years, Sharon Creech has written a follow-up to "Love That Dog". It's called, of course, Hate That Cat. I haven't read this one yet, but am looking forward to it. More poetry, please, more!

What Do Reviews Do?

When you have a new book out, you hold your breath. Will the reviews be good? Or awful? Will your book be reviewed at all? Do reviews make any difference? There have been studies done on the reasons why people buy a book. Reviews come way down on the list. Top reason is word of mouth. I think it's why so many authors have leapt into blogging and Facebooking and Twittering - trying to create their own word of mouth. The jury is still out on how well it works, but in the meantime, we try it anyway because the reviews were minimal, or they were in magazines with a low circulation, or we received one bad one and we're trying to bury it somehow.

With the growth of the internet, reviewing has become an unpaid hobby for many people. There are readers who have posted hundreds of reviews on Amazon, readers who have reviewing blogs, readers who submit reviews on spec to respected magazines, like Good Reading. How much notice do we take of any of them? And what is their agenda? With a review in a magazine or journal or newspaper, the assumption is that this person is reviewing because they are respected for their informed, professional opinion. None of us want to imagine this kind of reviewer throwing our book across the room, yet there are reviews published where this seems to be what happened.

On the other hand, there are one or two famous reviewers who are famous simply for their ability to be totally vitriolic about nearly every book. That just makes me wonder what they eat for breakfast. But at least their agenda is fairly obvious - they're being paid to do a job. Other kinds of reviews can be problematic. One example is the person who writes a critical review, simply in order to promote themselves as an "expert" who could have written that book better. If only they'd been asked. Another example is the person who is trying to make a name for themselves as an amateur reviewer and tries to be deliberately contentious.

Yet another problem arises when the reviewer seems to mis-read the book, and bases their comments on misconceptions. Often I wonder if the reviewer ran out of time and just skimmed the book. Sometimes reviewers have a personal agenda unknown to anyone else but the writer of the book and his/her close friends. I've had the "pleasure" of my book being reviewed by someone who disliked me personally, and wrote a dismissive review. It's so hard not to sling some harsh words back when that happens, but it's usually not worth the trouble. You just make things worse. Far better is to take the best phrase or sentence out of its context and use it in your publicity!

Mostly, I think reviewers try to do a good job. I know of some who refuse to review a book they don't like, which is a positive thing to do. If you receive a bad review, you just have to suck it up and move on. There are many strategies for overcoming any bad publicity that might come out of it - the afore-mentioned social networking, getting your friends on-board to help promote the good reviews, or simply getting out and about and talking to people about your book (school visits, if you write children's books, are a wonderful antidote - thirty excited Grade One kids who want you to sign their book, for example).

The one thing you can't do is brood about it. I know people who have stacks of good reviews, but can quote word-for-word their one bad review. What is the point? Do you really want to constantly remind yourself of it? Why? Instead, think of how many reviews you've read over the years, and ask yourself how many have influenced you NOT to buy a book. I can't think of one, and I do read lots.

Yes, a good review might tempt me to try a new author, but if I analysed my reasons for purchase, they usually come down to "read a book by that person before and liked it" or "my friend recommended it". Or, best of all, I was browsing in a bookshop and found it and read the first few pages and that made me buy it. So instead of reading your reviews, go back and read the first chapter of your current work-in-progress and ask yourself if it would influence your intended readership to buy it.

I do post short commentaries on this blog occasionally, but I don't consider them to be reviews. I always look at books here from the point of view of a writer - what worked, what didn't work (for me) and why. And I also talk about what I might have learned as a writer from this book, e.g. setting from James Lee Burke. If I influence anyone to buy a book, I'm usually not aware of it. It's interesting when readers agree or disagree with me. But it's still just one person's opinion.

A Writer's Rights and Plagiarism Pt 2

When people think of plagiarism, they usually think of essays and papers at uni or school. After all, there is a website called plagiarism.com where you can pay for ready-made essays on all kinds of topics. Yes, if you're there to learn stuff, you really want to buy an assignment, forgetting that the purpose of assignments and essays is to show you understood what you were taught. Not. We do a big talk to our professional writing students about plagiarism, and it's not just about the penalties if you get caught. It's also about being a real writer, about being able to create your own stories and novels and poems. It's about building a reputation as a great writer, not as a word thief.

As I said in the last post, Google may make it easier for you to pinch stuff, but it also makes a heck of a lot easier to be found out. Why do people do it? Lots of reasons. A desperate need to be published and receive accolades and validation. Pressure from others to be published. Money and prestige. The pressure of deadlines that you can't meet. We have very few cases in our course, thank goodness, but we have picked up occasional attempts. One was an essay of bits pinched from all over and cobbled together into one piece. Apart from anything else, it read oddly - the change of tone and language was quite obvious. The teacher tracked down every stolen paragraph using Google.

Some writers argue that copyright is outdated and irrelevant now. I had an exchange of emails a couple of years ago with a journalist who couldn't see the point of protecting copyright. He said he wrote lots of stuff and was happy for it to be used anywhere, once he'd been paid for the first publication. He didn't seem to get my point about: a) without copyright, he couldn't have claimed that first payment - how could he prove it was his? b) as a journalist, he wrote several things a week at least - as a novel writer who might spend two years on a novel, why would I want to give that away for free?

If I don't own copyright on my own work in perpetuity, and am free to sell it and re-sell it, how can I ever make a living as a writer? My copyright is my life work, my salary, my bill payer! I certainly don't want to be reliant on the government for grants, nor do I want to have to write things I'm not interested in, simply to get a one-off payment. And if it is a one-off, and then anyone can do with the work what they like, logically the work would then be de-valued and taken less seriously, surely. Strangely enough, in the middle of all the current furore about copyright, artists (as in paintings, drawings, etc) are negotiating payment for resale of their work. Imagine that. You sell a painting for $2000, and ten years later, it re-sells for $40,000 and you get a share of the new, much higher, price.

Writers' rights are also coming up in relation to the digital age. We have Google Book Search, and the decision of whether to opt in for payments or not. We have publishers pushing contracts with digital rights that include every kind of format/version/application not even conceived of yet, for minimal payment. We don't know where digital formats will go, but hey, let's make sure authors, yet again, receive the absolute minimum. When are we going to see publishers' bean counters (because that's who pushes this stuff, not editors) realise that looking after your authors and paying them what they're worth in the marketplace is going to be a bonus? So many authors are way ahead of publishers and publicity departments in terms of reaching their audiences via the internet, blogs, podcasts, e-books, etc. Give us a bit more support and who knows what we can create together?

A Writer's Rights and Plagiarism - Part 1

It's been one of those weeks for losing things - some of which I found in the place my husband moved them to! But what has worried me the most was losing a USB drive (some call it a thumb drive or memory stick) that was the back-up to all my files on my laptop. I have bought a new one, and created a new back-up, but what really bothers me is where the USB might have gone. Did I leave it at that Sydney conference after finishing my Powerpoint? Have I left it at work somewhere? Have I dropped it somewhere? Do I still have it (somewhere safe but un-findable) or does someone else now have it?

On that USB are at least two unpublished novels, in various drafts, plus a number of unpublished and published poems and short stories. I still remember, years ago before laptops and USB drives were so common, a poet friend of mine who lost a whole folder full of poems and drafts of poems. 'What if someone finds them?' she said, 'and sends them out to magazines and journals under their own name? How can I prove they're mine?' In fact, she couldn't, whereas at least now they're dated on my computer to show the earliest version belongs to me.

The question is: who would take a bunch of 'found' manuscripts and try to publish them as their own? How could they think they might get away with it? This is where the internet is both a hindrance and a help. Yes, the scurrilous wanna-be could take my manuscripts and submit them under his/her own name, and they may even get them published. Possibly they'd be published on some site I'd never know about, unless I decided to do a Google search using some of the key phrases. It may well pop up! If they submitted a manuscript to a reputable publisher, however, and managed to get the book published (this is all assuming that manuscript was one I wasn't currently working on and submitting myself), it's quite likely I'd find out, sooner or later. What then?

The first thing I would do is approach the publisher and explain the situation. There's no doubt that the publisher, presented with clear evidence, would have to withdraw the book from sale and tell the wanna-be never to darken their doors again. Word would get around. Wanna-be's name would be mud. I'd probably use the internet to alert everyone to the situation, and warn them. The fact that there is usually a clause in a book contract where you have to specify the work is your own is guaranteed to get you into major legal trouble if you lie about this!

There are situations where an idea just seems to 'out there' in the ether - recently we accepted a poem for Poetrix magazine, and I realised that someone in our group had just workshopped a poem on the same topic. But she had written the poem while away on holiday, long before we'd had our editorial readings and discussion. It was a coincidence. On the other hand, a writer might see a new book recently published, read it and say, 'I can do better than that', and write their own version of the plot or subject. No harm in that either, especially if you do bring something new and completely different to the topic. (The problem is if you don't, you'll be accused of 'jumping on the bandwagon'!)

There's plenty more to talk about here - my mind is buzzing - but I'll add more shortly.

Tracey Binns Rides Again!

Tracey Binns is lost in the bush and the last people she wants to be stuck with are Justin Zit-face and her annoying teacher, Mr Gunning.

Tracey's school has started a new healthy-eating and exercise program and the kids are not happy. They're even less happy when Mr Gunning, their dreaded PE teacher, announces that he is taking the Grade Six students on a bush survival and fitness camp.Facing the pitch dark and the strange calls of the wild is not Tracey's idea of fun. But all this looks like a walk in the park when they become lost on a long day's march ...Tracey Binns is in trouble again!

This week I'm celebrating the release of my new Tracey Binns novel (for 9-13 year olds). Tracey is one of those characters who won't go away. She leapt into life one day - I'm still not sure where she came from, but she was noisy and determined, and she got my attention fast! She's the kind of character you can't help asking that vital question about - why? Why does Tracey behave the way she does? What motivates her? I have a lot of fun getting behind Tracey's facade and ferreting out what's really going on with her.

And sometimes not only do the other characters surprise her, she surprises herself. I've also had fun "helping her" to create her own website. This is not the week for camping - way too cold - but when I went up to Benalla to research locations for Tracey's school camp, it was pretty cold then, too. Every bit helps, when it comes to imagining Tracey in her world.
Link to fishpond.com.au:
Tracey Binns is Lost

But He Said Write Like This...

One of the things I like about teaching is the opportunity to read lots of writing books and distill what each one is saying, and choose what is useful to use in class. Sometimes I'll have one book that I use as a base text, or that we need to use as a base text - like a starting point. In first year fiction writing, we use Garry Disher's book Writing Fiction. It's a great starting point. This year I'm teaching Myths & Symbols and although I have four or five huge texts on world mythology, I choose one as my base text for "lectures" (because I don't lecture like professors do, I talk a lot about stuff that interests and excites me). It's a good text - out of all the ones I own, it covers the subject with the best information in the clearest form.

One of the traps you can fall into, as a teacher, is sticking to one text too closely, as if it's a bible of some kind. Of course there are authors out there, like John Truby and Robert McKee, who teach absolutely from their text - usually the writing course comes before the text anyway. There are so many ways to teach writing! There are books that focus on character, on setting, on dialogue, on plot and conflict. There are books about picture book writing, and about writing for young adults. How does the beginner writer ever know which one is "correct"?

Well, they all are. And they all aren't. Some books will speak to you, will tell you exactly what you need to know at the moment you need to know it. I read Elizabeth Lyon's book, Manuscript Makeover: Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore, a couple of years ago, just when I needed a new perspective on self-editing. I read Eric Maisel's book, A Writer's Paris, because I was going to Paris and wanted a writer's perspective on where to go for the best inspiration (Eric obviously had never had hot chocolate at the Place de Bastille though). That's the benefit of building a library of these books.

However, they're not cheap. A friend and I share our library and try to make sure we don't duplicate purchases. That way we can borrow and lend, and know we've got a huge range of knowledge available at a lesser cost. I advise students to read some of the books first before buying. You'll soon know if the book "speaks" to you, if it's going to provide what you need. Some you will come back to, time and again, some you will read maybe once and then move on. A book can be a great teacher - and not just a writing book. A great novel can also be an excellent teacher, if you take the time to read it like a writer.

Getting back to the "He said..." of the title, I have seen examples of teachers who I think are problematic. These are the teachers who are only interested in teaching what they know and do themselves. That's it. Nobody else's theories and practices are relevant to them. It's a case of DO AS I DO. I think that's dangerous. All you turn out is clones. Publishers don't want clones. They want writers with fresh new voices who will take risks. How do you take risks? You learn the rules first, you read widely and critically (of novels and how-to writing books), you take what is useful for you, you bend it into what you need, you think laterally, you experiment and explore, and you write the story that's in your heart.
And then, hopefully, when you're published, you can thank your teacher. Because there's nothing a teacher loves more than celebrating their students' successes. Trust me, a jealous teacher won't teach you much at all. They can't afford to...

Who's On Your Team?

A while ago, I completed a series of teleseminars with Randy Ingermanson and Alison Bottke. I've mentioned these before, because the first one was about getting rid of all the mess and clutter in your office. It's an ongoing project. I'm not finished yet. That's all I'll say about that (but I do have bags of stuff for the charity shop, and more for the rubbish truck every week). But one of the things I had to do in a later seminar was think about who is on my team. My writing team.

First of all, I thought - that's obvious. Me. No one else can write for me. If I wanted to stretch it a bit, I could say my laptop or computer was on my team, too. But that wasn't what they meant. So when I got right down to it, the people on my team were:
* my agent (that became obvious, too)
* my writers' group
* my two fellow writers with whom I swap critiques
* my accountant
Then I stuck on the next one - my publishers/editors. Were they really on my team? Wasn't it more likely that I was on their team? (Insert picture here of me and the people from UQP or Penguin all wearing matching hats and scarves.) But the definition of team is anyone who is working or helping me to reach my writing goals. So yes, I added them.

And then I added my husband, who I have assiduously trained to be on my team, and my family. I knew my family were definitely on my team when they flew all the way from New Zealand to be with me for last year's CBCA awards.
So who is on your team? Think about it for a few moments, or longer if you want to, and make a list. Then answer this question: Who is NOT on your team?

If team means helpers and supporters, then the NOT team means those who hold you back or de-stabilise you in some way. This doesn't mean those publishers and editors who reject your manuscripts. That's just part of the industry you're in. To me, the NOT team consists of:
* family members who actively or sneakily undermine your confidence and belief in yourself and your writing - the evidence is in statements as blatant as "When are you going to get a real job?" or as cunning as "You're going to write? Wouldn't you rather watch TV with me and the kids? We haven't seen you all day..."
* writers' group members who don't want to work, just socialise, or who show their jealousy at your successes, or who make it their job to harshly criticise every piece of your writing (to help you develop a thicker skin, of course)
* scam agents and vanity publishers who just want your money
* you!

Surprised by that last one? Well, think about the things you do that undermine your writing. Procrastination via housework or socialising or simply putting other things ahead of the blank page. Giving into fear. Getting angry over rejections instead of trying to understand what they mean. Not bothering to read in your genre, or to learn about the industry so that you don't look unprofessional. Not looking after your health, so you are either too hung-over, too ill or too tired to write well.

So, tell me - who's on your team? And who's NOT?

Another Inspiring Speaker- Chris Baty

This week, we had a special guest speaker for our fiction writing classes - Chris Baty, better known as the guy who invented NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. This takes place every November, and in 2008 nearly 120,000 signed up to try and write 50,000 words during the month - that's around 1667 words a day, every day.

Chris is a great promo for the whole concept of NaNo - he talked about the realities of committing to write that many words, and while he conceded that November was a bad month for students (and teachers with grading), really there is no bad or good month for writing. You will either make the time or you won't, and obviously many do.

He had lots of information about NaNo, and told us how it started - with a group of his friends in San Francisco. I love the image of a huge bunch of them (about 20) all heading into a cafe with their laptops and extension cords and power boards, taking over the tables, ordering lots of coffee, and then sitting together, writing. I'd never really thought about NaNo before as a group exercise. After all, most of us write alone, usually in silence or with our own selection of music. But now the idea of writing occasionally with a group (I mean writing a substantial amount of words, not doing a writing exercise or two) is something I'm getting quite interested in!

In a cafe would be even better. You could set a time limit for those who wanted or needed regular breaks (for me that would be to combat computer scrunch and RSI), and those who didn't want to stop or be interrupted could sit at a different table. I also like the idea of forming an email group, although inside the NaNo website, you can team up with your writing buddies and keep track of each other's word counts there. That's a great benefit when you're on opposite sides of the world.

The one big problem with Chris's talk today was that afterwards we all wanted to go out right there and then and sign up for NaNo and get started writing. Never mind anything else!!! But one of the other things he said that I liked was about not "saving" your special big novel idea for NaNo. That's something for you to work on and develop at the right pace and level when you're ready. NaNo is simply about writing. One student said to me that she was thinking about putting her memoir aside for NaNo and just having a go at a romance for the hell of it. That's the NaNo spirit!

Now we're talking about creating a student NaNo group when November approaches, and organising weekly get-togethers. The major work for the year will be nearly over, classes finish mid-November, and really, they'd have no excuse not to write!! And neither would we teachers. Now, I don't know about romance, but I think I feel a Western coming on...

The Terrific Mr John Clarke

This week I had the privilege of interviewing John Clarke, one of Australia and New Zealand's top comedy writers. TV viewers here probably know John best through 20 years of appearances with Brian Dawe, doing short "skits" that comment on news topics. There are lots of these on YouTube, if you're interested. What you will also find on YouTube is a range of John's other performances, starting with Fred Dagg and including a wonderful portrayal of a used car salesman.

I spent about two weeks preparing for the interview. I knew it would be in front of a live audience of at least 120 people, and I knew I'd probably have to be on my toes with JC. I went for long walks and wrangled questions along the way, I researched him via his website and other avenues, I watched a lot of YouTube, and I listened to a 30-year-old cassette I own - Fred Dagg Live. I came up with a list of 19 questions, many of which focused on writing and script editing, as a lot of our professional writing students were going to attend.


Well, I had the best time ever! Yes, I was nervous beforehand, but John and I had a bit of a chat first, and then we went on stage. I introduced him and he immediately broke the ice with a joke. From then on, it was plain sailing. My questions were often answered with long anecdotes that had everyone in fits of laughter, but he shared many thoughts and experiences that had the audience silent and thinking. The 45 minute interview went for well over an hour, then after the break, he answered audience questions. I got the feeling everyone would have stayed all night!

Thanks, John. You're a generous, funny man. And I hope that school principal in Palmerston North is still shaking in his shoes!

The Informed Opinion vs the Talkback Chatter

Today, my copy of the Children's Book Council (Vic) newsletter arrived, so I sat down before dinner to read it. Recently, the shortlist for this year's CBCA awards was announced, so I was surprised to see an article about last year's Picture Book of the Year winner. Wasn't that old news? Apparently not. Jo Goodman has written a terrific piece about what happened after Matt Ottley's book, Requiem for a Beast, won last year. It was food for thought, for several reasons.

Firstly, she mentioned how many emails the CBCA had received, criticising their award choice. Fair enough, if you disagree, but apparently many of the emails were abusive, and many were based solely on the media coverage (mainly A Current Affair's pathetic attempt to create controversy based on rubbish). Added to that was a talkback radio show where even more uninformed people had piled onto the bandwagon of "let's all spout on about what we think is a worthy book".

She said one person even sent an email in which the F word was used several times - considering this was a major complaint about the book itself (the language), I thought that was totally ironic - and moronic. I have no reason to doubt Jo's account of all the responses. It's par for the course that the CBCA regularly receives complaints about children's books - more about that in a moment. What continually astounds me, however, is how many of these complainers either: 1) have not read the book they are complaining about, 2) do not read children's books and don't have kids, or 3) don't read the criteria for the awards and have no idea about the basis of the judges' decisions.

I haven't yet read Requiem for a Beast myself, but it's on my list (like The Arrival, it's hardcover and has been a bit out of my price range - I'm waiting for a good discount coupon, I confess!). However, I have had a good skim of it, enough to see straight away that it is not a picture book for four year-olds. Not even for nine year-olds. Hello, world, we have such a thing these days as picture books for older readers - like fourteen or eighteen year-olds, or adults. Go figure. They're usually fascinating, amazing and ground-breaking books that leave you thinking for days. The Rabbits by John Marsden and Shaun Tan is one of my favourites.

To me, this is one of the dangers of today's media - not that it provides false information, but that many people rely on and totally believe media coverage that is patently less than honest in the way it is slanted and manipulated. I remember studying media news coverage at uni years ago, and comparing accounts of the same event in a range of newspaper and TV reports. That was enough to prove to me that every news report should be regarded as only part of the story.

The other point about complaints to the CBCA is that everybody has their own agenda, their own beliefs, their own view of the world. They're entitled to it. But I find it incredibly sad that so many adults seem to think it's their job to actively censor the books their kids read,while allowing them to watch anything and everything on TV and in video games. Apparently the CBCA have received a complaint about my Honour Book, Sixth Grade Style Queen (Not!), because its subject of parental break-up is "unsuitable".

Yep, you got me there. That is absolutely the subject of my book, among other things like friendship, loyalty and hope. My comeback to that? The two primary school principals who read the book and said, "We know lots of kids who need this book and will love it because it speaks to them." Writers like me write about subjects like that so that kids will know it's not just them - they're not alone, and there is hope. Go ahead - complain about that!

What Inspires You?

I'm sure many of you have already seen the YouTube clip of Susan Boyle singing on Britain's Got Talent TV show. If you haven't yet, it's here. According to the Age newspaper yesterday, 14 million people had seen it in a week. It's probably up to 20 million by now! Why is this video of a woman singing in a talent quest so amazing? For me, it's two things. She so obviously loves singing and says she just wants to sing in front of a big audience for once. And when she arrives on stage, so many of the audience immediately judge her on her appearance (as do the judges) and are showing scorn before she even begins to sing. Once she starts, however, everything changes.

In his book, No Plot, No Problem, Chris Baty asks you to list all the things you enjoy in a novel (and the things you don't). For me, something I love in any story is transformation. In the Susan Boyle clip, that is exactly what I see, over and over. Not only are the audience and judges transformed by her performance, but it's almost as if she is not! She is very emotional afterwards, and happy, but she has done what she set out to do - achieved her dream. The rest is just the icing on the cake. So I also see the whole thing about reaching for your dream and making it happen.

Dreams can be powerful things. They can keep us motivated and striving for what seems like the impossible - and maybe that's what a dream should be. Not a deadline, or a manuscript that has to be written for a certain purpose or to pay the bills. Those are things clearly within our reach, as long as we work hard and produce the words. A dream is "the big thing" - the one that makes your heart race when you think about it, the one that keeps you awake at night, planning the next few small steps you'll take towards it. The one that you have to have faith in, believe it might one day be possible, and that belief keeps you going, no matter what.

For me, it's seeing someone like Susan Boyle that encourages me to believe in my own dreams. I read about people who achieve wonderful things, but seeing it like that, in full colour, right before my eyes, is stirring and emotional and inspiring to me. So what inspires you, as a writer? Is it real stories like these? I don't mean so much what inspires you to write (which can be movies, other writers, an exciting idea, etc) but what truly moves you and inspires you to also reach for your dream?

Sitting on Middle Ground

Today, as I went walking (to iron out my computer scrunch, an ongoing challenge), I was listening to Bruce Springsteen on my mp3 player, and thinking about how he's brought out two albums recently after a long time of very little. By very little, I mean that my impression was he stopped touring and producing commercial music with big record companies. There was talk he'd retired permanently. Now he's back, and creating the music he wants to. Same with Tina Arena. During her concerts last month, she talked about walking away from the commercial rat race and finally reaching a place where she could create the kind of album she really wanted to, answering to no one but herself.

What she in fact recorded were two albums of covers of songs from the 60s and 70s, the kind of thing that many people apparently responded to with "why on earth would you do something so uncommercial and old hat?". Both albums have sold incredibly well, as have Springsteen's. But at what point (and how) do you come to a place where you can literally do as you want? Is it having a good amount of money behind you, so it doesn't really matter if the "product" doesn't sell? Or is it reaching a mountain-top of cynicism where you don't care about the risk anymore, as long as you don't have to do it "their way"?

And how does this relate to writers? Well, writing is also a creative endeavour that has, as its end, a "product" which is then sold. I remember a few years ago when Sue Grafton (who writes the alphabet crime novels) came out with a pretty mediocre H and I in the series, and was honest enough to acknowledge that they weren't very good. And then declared that henceforth her publisher would get a new manuscript when it was truly ready and the best it could be, instead of on a yearly schedule no matter what. By Novel No. 10, she was able to put her foot down. No doubt, many best-selling authors are under similar pressure to keep producing for the market, but once you are a best-seller, it must surely be easier to say, "Not yet, it's not good enough."

The other end of this spectrum is the unpublished writer. The writer with nothing to lose. The writer with plenty of time to rework and rework, because if they don't, they're not getting their book up to the highest standard and therefore something that might be accepted for publication. The writer who needs to come up with something new and original and special, in order to get that foot in the door. The writer who needs to take risks in order to get noticed. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

In the middle is the problem area. It can be a bit like a minefield. Writer A has a successful series out there, one that hasn't hit the bestseller lists but has sold quite well. Her publisher wants another series like the first one, or more books in that series. Writer A is sick to death of that series and wants to obliterate it from her brain. Writer B has two novels, similar in tone and style, well reviewed, one has won an award. He could write another one just like the first two, and maybe win another award, but ultimately his books only sell middlingly well, and he'd love to be able to give up his day job. Writer C has 25 books behind her, mostly for readers around 7-10 years, mostly humorous and light, and the last book published has real potential for a series of more of the same. She wants to write something dark and meaningful, something more literary and challenging.

The publishers of Writers A, B and C are making nice money out of their books. Why change a successful formula? Yes, something different and risky from any one of these authors could/might/has the slim potential to turn into a huge bestseller, but who can predict these things? The more risky the subject matter, the more you stray from what you're known for, the more risk of disaster and low sales. Who wants to take that risk, especially the way things are right now? So the middle ground author has two choices. They can keep writing what they're known for and hope their readership doesn't decide to move on to the next hot trendy writer, or they can write what they really want to, and hope their publisher will take a risk. Or that someone else will.

Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place! I'd love to hear some comments about this, from all corners of the writing maze. Are you a beginner who doesn't know what the middle-listers are whining about? Or are you a middle-lister who is asking yourself these questions? Or are you Bruce Springsteen? (I wish.)

Newsletters You Pay For

Most countries have their own networks of newsletters and bulletin boards, simply because that's what is most relevant. I often have writers from the US, UK or other countries ask me if they should (or could) send their manuscripts to Australian publishers. My answer is: you can, but I'm not sure it's worth it. If you're not a 'native Australasian', you will have the same problem we do when we send manuscripts to the US. Yes, we all speak English, but the subtleties and differences can be enormous. That's not to say a great story and great writing won't overcome the barrier, but ... with the exchange rates and lower sales, why would you want to sell a picture book or novel to an Australian publisher if you could get it accepted in the US or UK?

A $3000 advance here would only be worth around US$2200 or 1200 pounds, approximately. Average print runs here are 4000. If your book sold through to a US publisher, you'd get a whole lot less than if it was published in the US right off. But I'm digressing. One of the main reasons writers sign up for newsletters and writers' magazines is for the market information, so if that info is not relevant to you, you won't want to pay for it. So here is a short list of newsletters I have come across - some I have paid for, some I received as samples.

Pass It On - an Australian weekly newsletter for children's writers. Some market info, but it's more about networking and sharing experiences. Currently it's AU$28 a year and more information is on Jackie Hosking's website - Jackie is the compiler.

BuzzWords - originally started by Di Bates, this fortnightly newsletter is AU$44 per year. It has lots of market and publishing info, as well as book reviews, news items and articles. More info on the website.

Childrens' Book Insider - a monthly magazine produced by Write4Kids people. It has articles and plenty of market info, and being a subscriber now entitles you to enter the CBI Clubhouse and gain extra resources.
You can pay $4.25 a month instead if you want to, or US$42.95 a year. I subscribed to this for a year, and eventually decided the cost was a little high as a lot of the info was too US-based for me. But if you live in the US, it might suit you perfectly.

Children's Writer - a monthly newsletter produced by the Institute of Children's Literature (who run a lot of writing courses too). If you go to their site, you can receive a free sample copy. Special first-time rate is US$19 for a year. As far as I can tell, this newsletter is still only available as hard copy, not via email. My sample looked good, and had plenty of useful info in it. Again, I didn't subscribe but this time it was because by the time it arrived by snail mail, I felt the market info was a bit out of date (blame Australia Post!). US writers would like this one.

SCBWI members receive their newsletters now by email if they want to. If you're a member, you have full access to all the resources on their website, including market guides and bulletin board.
As mentioned before, most writers' organisations have their own newsletter which comes as part of your membership fee. Sisters in Crime is a good example of a more specialised writers' organisation that does this.

Writing 4 Success - for a long time Marg Mcalister offered a lot of great articles via a newsletter and website. Now she's gone off on a different (but increasingly familiar) tangent and has created an online writers' "club". To have full access to the club site, including articles, forums and resources, it'll cost you AU$87 a year (there are specials on sometimes). Alternately you can sign up for a free monthly tip sheet. If you go to the site, you'll see all the options and what it's all about. Marg's articles are good value - she has given me permission to use some of them with my students. They are about all kinds of writing, not just for children.

These are just a few that are available. If you see anything on the net that looks useful, try to get hold of a sample copy or back issue first before you pay your money. Or ask friends for recommendations.
And, by the way, I forgot to mention the TextConnection free newsletter that my colleague, Susanna Bryceson, and I produce. Only once a quarter, but it is free! We cover fiction and nonfiction writing with short articles and news updates. Some back issues available here.
If you have a great newsletter you'd like to recommend, let us know!

Snippets of Writing Time

Today has been a day from my nightmares - the kind of day where you spend most of it on the internet or the phone, trying to get quotes and contact people, waiting for them to call back, sweating over time running out and builder's deadlines ... don't ever try to build your own house! Did I get any writing done? I was determined to squeeze in a poem, one from the daily prompt at Poetic Asides (Writer's Digest). OK, it wasn't the greatest poem but at least I have something to show for the day that isn't a scaffold or a piece of wood or a drill bit.

And I shouldn't get too upset because, since we're on mid-semester break, I did, earlier in the week, get a final polish done on a manuscript and finished the Teacher's Notes for my Hong Kong textbook on writing short stories.

Over Easter, I would normally be enjoying time to read and write, but - you guessed it - I will be house building. Not much writing gets done up a ladder with a drill, not even much thinking about writing, unless I want a hole through my hand. But there will be times when I won't be doing any of that, and I want to fill those spare snippets of time with writing, if I can.

It'd be easy to say I'm too busy, that I deserve to just chill out when I'm not lugging timber around. But to me that would feel like such a waste of four days! I have a novel that I really need to start reworking, and a verse novel that needs a heap more thinking and planning before I can add more poems. If I don't do it this weekend, when will I do it? Robin Hobb, the fantasy writer, was at a Con in Melbourne a few years ago, and she said, "You will never have more time to write than now." It's about making the most of the quiet times, choosing to write instead of a million other things.
Now where did I put that hammer? I mean, that pen?

Free Email Newsletters

This is my promised list, based on newsletters I receive and find useful. All of these are free, but you need to be aware that what that sometimes means is there is a bigger, more informative version that you have to pay for. The best way to assess these is to ask for a sample first. Most newsletter people are happy to provide you with one. These are the ones I know of - if any of you have others that you would recommend, please do provide details in the comments.

Publisher's Weekly has a number of free newsletters. I subscribe to the Children's Bookshelf which is the newsletter aimed at children's writers (or anyone interested in children's books). If you go to this link here, you will see a whole pile of their newsletters and you pick which ones you're interested in. Choose wisely. Somehow I ended up on their cookbooks list and no matter how many times I've tried to unsub, it ignores me!

Randy Ingermanson is known as the Snowflake Guy, because he wrote this article about how to plot your novel using a snowflake kind of plan. If you go to his website, you'll see plenty of things of interest to fiction writers. Randy's fiction writers' newsletter is free, and often includes handy marketing advice. He also has free articles on his site, as well as stuff you have to pay for. I use his article on scene structure in my classes. Look around and see what you can use.

Margie Lawson and Mary Buckham produce a monthly newsletter - if you've done one of Margie's courses, you'll find the character analysis materials useful. There are other snippets and interviews of interest - this one may only suit some people. You can sign up on Margie's site - scroll down to the bottom of the homepage.

Anastasia Suen has a few blogs, but one which has morphed into a group that sends email updates is her Chidlren's Book Biz News. Google her for the range of blogs and news updates she offers.

Publisher's Marketplace has an extensive newsletter as well as a site where you can check out publishers, agents, new book deals, etc. But for those of us on a budget, you can subscribe to Publisher's Lunch - the light version. Their Friday Deal Lunch is a real lesson in how to sum up your book concept in one or two sentences and make it sound like a zinger!

Write4kids is an extensive website with dozens of resources such as articles and a writer's clubhouse. They have a newsletter that you have to pay for, but the "light" version usually has one good article in it, as well as lots of links and special offers. I'll talk about the newsletter when I get to the Newsletters You Pay For post.

Moving on from writing to life in general, I get Craig Harper's blog posts via email 3-4 times a week. If you want a real good kick up the rear end about all kinds of things, you can subscribe to this one. Be warned - Craig is not about making you feel warm and fuzzy. Subscribe here or go to his site and scroll down to the bottom of the last post in the middle. Note to Craig - you need to tidy up the site, mate.

Now, the business newsletter I subscribe to comes from Nightingale-Conant. I found them through their online tool that helps you define your mission statement. If you've never thought about doing that as an author, you might find it interesting. The NC newsletters are very often aimed at business people, sometimes the focus is goal-setting or motivation, but I still find stuff in there that's useful to me. A recent article was about why you should look at ways to reinvest in your core business (which for me is writing) rather than pull your belt in and cut off the circulation. This one is up to you - you might find it useful, or might think it's totally irrelevant! I get the AdvantEdge newsletter and the daily quote (sometimes they are real humdingers!).

If you belong to an organisation, such as the SCBWI or the Australian Society of Authors or any of those kinds of things, you will receive a newsletter as part of the deal. This doesn't mean they're free, but you don't have to pay extra. Sometimes, the quality of the newsletter might be the 'make or break' element that helps you decide whether to keep on as a member.

These are the ones I subscribe to currently. They change. Sometimes I realise that I'm not reading a certain newsletter and it's just clogging up my email so I unsubscribe. If you have a great free newsletter for writers that you'd recommend, please let us know.

Writing Against (Financial) Odds

OK, we get that the world is full of doom and gloom, and there is this huge financial crisis. We also get that people are losing their jobs, due to greedy or incompetent company bosses. Recent reports from the Bologna Book Fair (the biggie for children's books) indicated that US publishers had reacted most strongly to the GEC by laying off staff and reducing their programs. I guess it doesn't help that we've been told Borders is on the verge of bankruptcy, and that book sales everywhere are down. Although I've seen another report that in Australia, at least, book sales were up in the July-December 08 period. Hmmm. Have some publishers gone into panic mode unnecessarily?

Probably not. There has been talk for several years now that too many publishers were producing too many books, going for the "hit or miss" idea, because after all, who knows what makes a bestseller? Famous author brings out new book, publisher puts big bucks into publicity and marketing, bestseller follows. Pretty obvious outcome. Unknown author gets first novel published, publisher gives it the usual small push, somehow novel gains rapid word-of-mouth recommendations and bestseller follows. Who could've guessed? Maybe the editor who fell in love with the manuscript, but probably not the marketing guys or the booksellers. It can be a fickle business.

And that's the point. It is a fickle business, even though it tries hard not to be. So where does that leave an author who writes well, submits regularly, but just can't make it to the next level? When I say next level, I mean that the writer has a few small publications under their belt, and some positive rejection letters, enough to make them feel confident that they are on the right track and shouldn't go back to quilting or sailing as a hobby. But when you combine the economic woes with a week of four rejection letters, what do you do?

One option is to give up. I do know some successful writers who have said (in public) that they only continue writing because they're getting published. If they started getting rejections, they'd go off and do something else. Another option is to keep writing, no matter what, and combine the writing with a few other things that I think are going to become even more essential in the next couple of years. Things like these:

1. Market research. Make time every day to add to your store of information about publishers, what they're doing right now, what they might be looking for. If you write for children, you will find that many publishers produce newsletters - sure, they're aimed at parents and teachers, but they'll tell you exactly what that publisher thinks is important to talk about. Use marketing guides or websites - compile lists of markets for your specific kind of writing and give each one a mark out of ten on how appropriate they are for you.

2. Expand your horizons. Write other things. It's all about track record. OK, you write novels, but branching out into nonfiction or reviewing or serious blogging on current topics will expand your skills as well as give you more credibility. Look around for opportunities, don't think they'll come to you.

3. Take serious steps to improve the quality of your writing. I can't stress this one enough. If you are madly scribbling story after story, building a bank of stuff that keeps getting rejected, think about the possibility that maybe you're focusing too much on quantity instead of quality. Find a way to improve your craft and skills or use a good critique person.

4. Read widely in your genre/form/what you write. Look at what is being published now, why it's popular or getting good reviews, what is original about it. Pick out ten examples - things you wish you had written. Ask yourself why you didn't write that! Are you sticking to 'safe' ideas? Are you trying to cash in on a trend that's already on its way out? Are you writing the first idea that comes to you instead of working hard to make it into something special?

5. Keep up with the industry. There are plenty of free newsletters, websites and discussion boards out there. Instead of spending your time on the net emailing friends or looking for bargains on EBay, find some great newsletters to sign up for. If you receive a couple and think they're no use to you, just unsubscribe. (I'm going to post soon on ones I think are good.)

6. Invest in yourself. I subscribe to a free email business newsletter that has a lot of small business analysis and motivational stuff. One of the recent articles talked about how this is the time to re-invest in what you do best. This doesn't mean you should buy a new laptop if the one you have is OK (if it crashes every five minutes and you keep losing stuff, however, then you should consider a new machine). But it does mean taking a serious look at where you are lacking, and doing something about it. Maybe you need a couple of good writing books, or a writers' retreat, or an online course. Maybe you need a week away without the kids to get your head together. Maybe you need a week away at a health place to get your body working again.

7. Stop thinking about the money. If you gave up your day job to become a writer, and you're not doing so well at earning money from writing, and you need money, maybe you should go get a day job. In my experience, writers do their very worst when: a) they believe they have to write more and more to earn money; b) they put themselves under enormous pressure to try and write something that might be a bestseller (if they could just get it accepted); c) someone else is standing behind them, hoping they'll earn money from this darn-fool 'occupation'; d) they're in debt and they are starting to feel desperate.

It's really hard not to think about money when you write. For the people in your life, the money you earn is likely to be the only thing that validates your writing for them (and the time you take away from them). But that's them, not you. What happens when the rejection letters keep coming in and the bills don't get paid? That's the point at which you will really want to chuck it all in. That's the point at which I'd go back and get a day job. If you can.

Yes, it's hard to write when you have to work, too. I haven't given up my day job, but that's because I've come to see it as a kind of safety net. It actually allows me to write without financial pressure. I discovered a long time ago, when I tried the full-time freelance life, that I couldn't do it. Having to write simply for money wasn't in me. It killed off most of my enjoyment and inspiration. I don't think it would make any difference now if I was trying to write full-time as a children's writer. But that may not be you. You may be totally committed to the full-time writing life, no matter what it costs you. Just make sure it doesn't cost you your house!

The Give and Take of Writers

Kristi Holl recently blogged about drainers and fillers - the people around you (some of whom are writers) who either fill you with confidence and support and encouragement, or drain you with their needs and demands. She talks about how someone can be both a filler and a drainer, but I was thinking further on this, and wondered about that. If a person is a genuine filler - someone who supports without criticising, makes you laugh, takes your mind off your latest rejection, critiques your novel for you - can they really be a drainer as well?

I think the word that describes them is something more like consort, or co-operator, or dual enabler, or maybe just - plain good old writing buddy! The writing friends I have never drain me. I might feel a bit tired occasionally when I've spent time and energy on critiquing their manuscripts, but the fact that I know they will appreciate my efforts, will totally engage with my comments and be eager to discuss them, and this will in turn lead to wider conversations about writing and editing - that doesn't drain me, that re-inspires me.

Their commitment to their writing mirrors my commitment. Their willingness to critique and discuss and spend time on my manuscript mirrors my own. Their openness to comments and discussion energises me and creates some fantastic to-and-fro about what it is we are both trying to achieve. Even swapping goals at the beginning of the year is a co-operative venture that is about both of us supporting the other equally. Yes, there are times when one needs more assistance than the other, but a great writer-to-writer relationship always balances out in the end.

Kristi is right when she says a new writer may feel they have nothing to offer a more experienced writer in a relationship, but if you are a keen reader, with the willingness and growing ability to offer insightful, thoughtful comments and questions, you can absolutely offer a range of benefits to the relationship. And if you don't expect the experienced writer to coerce their agent into taking you on (or their editor), if you're willing to learn and grow, your part of the relationship will grow too.

I've heard lots of stories, however, about drainers. These are people who: ask you to critique their novel and then argue about every comment; see you at a conference and hang onto your arm and expect you to introduce them to every single editor or agent you see (and then embarrass you by gushing or thrusting a manuscript into the editor/agent's hand); call you up at all hours and expect long conversations about their latest writing problem; want to know all the latest industry information (that you garnered by reading newsletters and belonging to industry discussion groups), including who is currently looking for manuscripts, but never returns the favour and jealously guards any "inside" knowledge.

I won't go on with this - it may sound too bizarre or ridiculous, but unfortunately it's true. But the drainers are in the minority - it's just that they impact so disastrously on people. Yes, this is an industry, but if you can find a fellow filler, someone who helps you to keep going, lifts you up when things are going badly, and someone to whom you can happily return the "good stuff", you'll be so much the better for it. I'm very lucky. I have a terrific writers' group, and I have two fellow writers/fillers for whom the give-and-take is a great experience. How about you?

Somerset Celebration

I've just been to the Somerset Celebration of Children's Literature (and slept for ten hours last night!). For those who haven't heard of Somerset, it's a large private school on the Gold Coast (about 1-1/2 hours south of Brisbane) that holds a huge festival every year. This year around 30 authors gathered for 3 days of talks and workshops with students from about 70 different schools. Although Somerset is the hosting venue, and lots of their students attend the various sessions, schools from all over the place send groups of students in buses too.

Some authors had 400 kids in their sessions. I had one session with 206 and another with around 250. I can tell you that 250 first and second graders make a lot of noise when you get them to practise their pirate talk! Arrrrrrr. The great thing about Somerset is that you have plenty of opportunities to listen to other authors (while madly making notes about what worked for them and getting new ideas for your own presentations - not stealing, just thinking 'I could do that but I'd do it like this'). I listened to Pat Flynn, Lee Fox, Michelle Taylor, James Roy and P.D. Martin, among others, and everyone had a completely different approach.

The bookshop has signing tables, so after your session, you went along to the bookshop and sat a table and signed books and talked to the kids. This was such a contrast to the Sydney Writers' Festival a few years ago, where I sat at a table next to Sam Wagan Watson and we signed one book each! At Somerset, lots of kids bought books and brought them over for signing, but also lots were collecting autographs. You could almost pretend you were famous (I said almost!).

The festival is incredibly well-organised, with a great bunch of parent volunteers who did everything from driving our shuttle bus to working on the food stalls and in the bookshop, plus managing the sessions and seating, and getting us all to the right venue at the right time. We also had student volunteers who helped us set up and fetched water and introduced us. Somerset has been running for 16 years, and it shows. A really huge thank you to all who helped to make it an amazing experience.

On another tack, the news came in while we were there that the 2010 Children's Book Council conference has been cancelled, citing financial problems - another victim of the current global crisis. This is very sad news, as the conference is a vital national meeting place for writers, teachers and librarians, as well as lovers of children's literature. There were many people who commented that maybe moving the conference (and its organisation) to a new city every two years is a mistake, and that a central group needs to build on experience, year after year (like Somerset and other long-running festivals), rather than start anew each time.

No doubt over the next few weeks there will be many opinions and ideas flying around, but mostly I think everyone is just upset that such an important conference has bitten the dust. Time will tell whether anyone else steps forward to create an alternative, or whether we'll have to wait until 2012 for the next one...

Writing Deadlines

The big news around the writing scene at the moment is that Audrey Niffenegger, who wrote The Time Traveler's Wife, has just sold her second novel for over US$4 million. In these dire economic times, that's big news. And no doubt the kind of news that will make many novelists grind their teeth. But, as some bloggers (such as Kristin Nelson the agent) are pointing out, she sold it on a fully completed manuscript. A great manuscript. Not a chapter and synopsis and a wish and a prayer. She apparently knows that the dreaded second novel can sink you, as can its deadline.

Writing to a deadline can be a great incentive. Or a lead weight around your neck. I know two children's writers who have signed deals for series in the past couple of years, and agreed to insanely tight schedules for Books 2, 3 and 4. Book 1 is already done. Book 2 is half done. How hard is it going to be for Books 3 and 4? Strangely enough, they get harder. They get worse. They start to inhabit your nightmares. The due date for the next one draws closer and closer, then it whizzes past. You struggle. And really, to be honest, the pleasure and enjoyment has gone. The characters you invented are now people you'd like to strangle.

Audrey did incredibly well with her first novel. I have a copy here somewhere but I haven't got around to it yet. I might just dig it out and read it now, and the editor and agent are saying her second one is terrific, better than her first. When was the last time you heard that about a second novel? Usually the knives are out, one way or another, before the second novel hits the printing press. Second novels are always a let-down (that's if you can even finish your second one after the trauma of your first one either hitting the best-seller lists unexpectedly - therefore making you temporarily famous - or sinking without a trace).

But the series deadline? It makes you think twice, once you've heard a few horror stories. You write a novel and think - this could be series! That's what everyone wants. But you have to really believe in your heart that you love your characters enough to write another five or ten. And then you have to resist the super-tight deadline, if you can. Easier said than done, especially in today's climate.

I remember a few years ago that Sue Grafton dug her heels in (after a couple of Kinsey Milhone novels that weren't too good) and said she would write them when she wrote them and not before. She'd either take the time necessary to make them the best possible, or she wouldn't write them at all. She had eight novels behind her already, so it was a lot easier for her to say no. Some people can churn a series out, but most of us can't, because we do want our books to be the best they can possibly be. And that takes time and patience.

Who Buys Picture Books?

I guess the answer to the above question is fairly obvious - 99% of the time, adults buy picture books. Parents, grandparents, teachers and librarians. And then small children get to read those picture books with the adults. And then eventually by themselves. But the person with the money in their hand gets to decide what goes on the bestseller lists, simply by virtue of the $$ they spend. What interests me is how the same old books end up on those lists, year after year, when I know there are absolutely wonderful new picture books being published every week.

One of my current favourites is Wolves by Emily Gravett. Check out her website, too. And Mo Willems' books are great. But there are many picture books that never seem to get a look in, because adults are too busy buying into nostalgia (literally). There seems to be a whole market now for picture books that appeal to adults, that are reprints of the books they had when they were little, or are books that have a definite adult perspective (e.g. stories about harrassed mothers with kids that never give them any peace). I guess I understand why The Very Hungry Caterpillar is still around after 30+ years - it's a simple story with a great concept to engage littlies (the holes in the pages, the rhythm of the words).

But I don't really get why Possum Magic is still selling heaps after 20 years (sorry, but I don't - it's a nice story, but...). And although Where the Wild Things Are is certainly a classic, I know plenty of littlies today who hate the pictures. Now I hear that not only are they bringing back Captain Pugwash, but also Horrid Henry! Come on - surely there are plenty of great current picture books that would be just as good to promote, if not better?

Except, of course, I'm forgetting about the person with the money in their hand. The parent for whom Captain Pugwash was a favourite when they were little. And Horrid Henry? Hilarious! I remember reading that ... well, no, I didn't actually read either, nor did my daughter. No, our favourite was The Paperbag Princess, and that has als

o been reprinted, but I still have our copy. I have to admit I have asked people who work in bookshops the "oldies on the bestseller list" question, and received an answer that dismayed me - lots of people have no idea about books for children. They roll into a bookshop, look puzzled, and ask for help. And because most booksellers in large stores are not familiar with kid's books, they inevitably recommend the ones they recognise themselves. Thus perpetuating the cycle.

I listened to a talk recently by a person from the Australian Booksellers' Association. It was great to hear her talk about training booksellers in how to find out about children's books in order to sell a wider range, but it sounded like her training sessions were reaching about 2% of the staff in stores. How can we encourage buyers to try new authors and illustrators? To give all those wonderful new picture books a chance? Any ideas?

If You're Not Writing, Are You a Writer?

This topic has come up several times in the past few days. It's strange how something you barely think about from one week to the next suddenly jumps out in front of you. When I was doing psychology/philosophy stuff years ago, the theory was that "the thing" was always there - the difference was that something in your life made you notice it. Today, it was our second year novel writing class. One of the students had only written 15 words this week, and seemed to think that was OK. Nup. Not if you want to be a novel writer.

I haven't been writing for a few weeks now. I needed a healthy break. Of course, what happened was I ended up writing poems instead of fiction, plus I did some journalling. I still felt like I wasn't really writing, because I wasn't producing 3000-5000 words a week. Now I have started again, simply because I couldn't stand not writing anymore. The urge got bigger and bigger, and finally I opened the laptop and began. Feeling, as usual, like what I was writing was awful, but words on the page are words to work with.

Today my email newsletter arrived from Margie Lawson and Mary Buckham. (It's free, by the way.) It included an interview with a writer called Lois Faye Dyer. I'd never heard of her before (I don't read her genre) but she said something that rang a bell to clang along with the other things I've been thinking and hearing. "Too many writers don't spend enough time writing. A writer writes. Full stop. ... Finish a book a year, a whole book, not just the first three chapters and a plot synopsis."

I know there are literary writers who regularly take 2-3 years to write a novel. That's not the point. The point is - they are still writing regularly, and probably every day. Andrea Goldsmith has been a full-time novelist for many years. I've heard her talk about her writing life - it includes reading, thinking, planning and writing, as well as lots of rewriting. All the time. It's her career. Those of us who have day jobs have to fit our writing around what pays the bills. But we still write regularly, we produce words - lots of them - and we rewrite lots of them.

That's how a book gets written. And the next one. And the next one. By writing, regularly, by giving up other things in order to put words on the page, by understanding that only by writing are you a writer. Thinking about it doesn't count.

We Love School Librarians

All children's writers love school librarians. Why wouldn't you? They love kid's books, they love getting kids to read, they love talking about books. The photo above is from the Northern Sydney School Librarians' Conference I spoke at last week. There were many there who are designated "teacher-librarian", which means they teach classes as well as run their school library. I have never met a school librarian or teacher-librarian yet who wasn't dedicated, enthusiastic and hard-working.

Why am I telling you all this? Because over the past few years, various state and federal governments have gradually taken away many librarians from schools, especially primary schools. If you don't have a special person to look after your library, who manages to buy the books, get them on the shelves, talk to the kids about what they might like to read (with knowledge, because the librarian usually reads as many as s/he can)? It falls back on teachers, who are already totally over-committed with classroom work.

At the conference, I talked to the attendees about poetry. When I suggested that they shelve poetry in with the fiction (instead of the 800s) some of them clapped!! (I thought they might boo me for that one!). It was great to talk to a room full of people who understood what I was saying about encouraging poetry reading and writing, and I talked to many of them later about other ideas. I also sat in on a couple of their sessions, and was astonished at the complexity of library admin these days. I used to be a librarian many years ago, and have things changed!

Now it's barcodes as well as Dewey, and wrestling with a records system that makes the one I use at work look like the easiest thing in the world (but that won't stop me complaining). The sheer physical aspect of keeping books in good condition by covering and repairing is a job in itself. It used to be my least favourite job back in the old days, although I eventually came to see it as kind of meditative and quiet. So three big cheers for librarians in schools, and let's join the CBCA in campaigning for their restoration and maintenance.

Flying Home From Perth

I think I am becoming an inveterate plane sleeper. It amazes me when people say, "Oh I can't sleep on planes." And I think, Why not? It's like sleeping in the car when you're a kid. I'm almost to the point where I sit down, buckle up my seat belt, we take off and zzzz...... Something about the hum and the quiet (unless there's a screaming kid). Although I can't say the seats do much for the comfort level. This amazing sunset photo was taken after I woke up!

When I look back now on the Poetry Festival (seems like ages ago although it wasn't, but I've been to Sydney since then), this is what stands out for me:

* the keynote address by Fay Zwicky, not least of all because she had just been to see Gran Turino with Clint Eastwood and referred to it many times in relation to her life as a poet. I loved the movie and totally understood what she was saying, although no doubt some others might not have. She was very inspiring.

* the keen interest that everyone had in listening and contributing, and in writing and reading poetry.

* the opening party of the Perth Writers' Festival, in the grounds of the University of WA - and me getting lost looking for the bus back to the hotel and discovering a spooky sunken garden.

* the opening of the poetry festival by an Aboriginal person named Sean (sorry, Sean, I should have asked someone who you were!) - it was the most eloquent, stirring welcome to country I have ever heard, and from now on, anyone who just does the "lip service" thing will just be annoying! He brought tears to my eyes and raised goosebumps.

* the rain - I got soaked to the point of dripping onto the carpet on my walk back to the hotel one day, and it was wonderful. I'd almost forgotten what rain felt like.

I'll report on the Northern Sydney School Librarians' Conference shortly - it was terrific!

Writing in Perth

Back from the Apropos Poetry Festival in Perth, and feeling zapped. The time zone difference is fairly small - two hours - but enough to disrupt sleep patterns, and then suddenly you're home again and still sleep-tardy. I got really sick of waking up at 4am and then at 6am, and not being able to get back to slumberland again. On two mornings, I went to the hotel gym instead, thinking it might help. Wrong. I would have done better using the "pillow talk" form next to my bed and asking for a better pillow from the multitude of choices available (this was a 5 star hotel).

The poetry festival was rich and varied, and gave me much to think about. By the time I came home, I'd written at least ten poems. I attended sessions on publication, new trends, performance, the influence of country/place, community arts, poetry in schools and whether you can pursue poetry as a profession or not. Plus I ran two workshops myself, and spoke on the schools panel.

It was a great pity that only four teachers came to the schools panel discussion. The fact that they made the effort was wonderful, and it would have been even better if another 20-30 teachers had attended. Because the ones who were there ended up feeling a bit like they were manning the barricades! Not intentionally, of course, but those of us who do school visits and workshops are very aware of the woeful situation of poetry in schools, and the discussion tended towards the gloomy. With good cause, but that didn't make the teachers feel any better, I guess.

I ended up compiling a long list of great suggestions for encouraging poetry in the classroom, most of which were contributed by those teachers who came along. A big thank you! I added some more of my own the next day, because I really couldn't stop thinking about it. I still can't.

Why is poetry given such pathetic lip service in so many schools? For every school doing wonderful things, there are 50 where the teachers avoid it. A report I was given from the UK pointed out that if teachers don't like poetry, don't read it, don't know how to teach it, of course they won't include it in their English studies. Our panel members talked about being poetry evangelists, of starting a poetry virus. I still think a lot of it has to do with resources and good training. You get anyone excited and interested in something, they'll be happy to pass it on and create equal enthusiasm.

I often meet poets who talk about being brought up in a household or attending a school where reciting and reading poetry was an everyday occurrence. That wasn't the case for me. I came to poetry late, but I just figure I have lots of great reading still ahead of me. But all the same, if 98% of our kids, especially those in state schools, are not being introduced to the joys and thrills of poetry, who will be reading or writing it in twenty years time? Only the kids who went to private schools where poetry was given room to grow? What was your experience at school? What is your kids' experience right now?