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?

Poets Poeting

I'm about to fly off to Perth to take part in the Apropos Poetry Festival, which is a lead-in event to the Perth Writers' Festival. I'm really looking forward to it, not least because it seems like an awfully long time since I've been able to focus on some poeting, i.e. writing, reading, talking, thinking and dreaming poetry. The program looks interesting, and tackles some of the current "issues" such as whether you can or should make a living out of poetry, poetry in schools, and simply studying how to write better poems.

I'm teaching two workshops - one on writing poetry for kids, and the other on "what poetry can do for you". This latter class sounds a bit vague perhaps, but I see a lot of writing for kids that goes for the basics, getting the story moving fast, the plot pacy and the characters snappy. I'm going to try to encourage participants to look at how to write fiction more poetically, how to take a first draft and apply some great language skills as part of revision. Writers of all genres and forms might find it useful. If you live in or near Perth, come along and join in!

I will no doubt have to admit to those who live in WA that I haven't been to Perth since 1976. And even then, it was a stopover on my way to South Africa. My friend and I stayed in a hotel for one night, and it happened to be the night the hotel caught on fire (somebody's air conditioning unit blew up). I have never been known for my elegant clothing, least of all where nightwear is concerned, and for some reason I'd bought what I considered to be a "sensible" nightie. As I filed down the stairs and out of the hotel, a kindly fireman told me "Gee, you'll be able to write about this at school tomorrow." Hmph!

On Thursday afternoon, I'll be taking part in a panel discussion on Poetry in Education - what are we doing about poetry in schools? Anything? I've been doing some research this week and the answer seems to be Not Much. But I've heard about some great projects happening in WA so hopefully I'll report back on this next week. I can't wait to fill my head with new ideas and inspirations, and fill some pages with writing.

Structure in Stories

Teaching has started where I work, and I'm spending a lot of time reviewing all my materials on mythology for one of my subjects. But I'm doing the same for Story Structure, bringing in some new information and ideas. I team-teach this with a scriptwriter, and we learn from each other as we go along. This week we wanted to look at shorter stories and films, such as Tropfest, but we're also going to analyse some TV drama.

I've got plenty of books on my shelves about scriptwriting - very often the structural stuff they talk about relates just as well to fiction writing. But I had little on TV writing, so today I bought a new book, Successful Television Writing by Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin. I have no intention of writing TV drama myself (however, if they were still making NYPD Blue, I might have a go at a script for that!). But it was fascinating to read what these guys had to say about how a one hour drama works.

They start by saying "Every TV drama series is the same." And go on to explain the four acts, how each one works, and what each act needs in terms of building tension. What is even more interesting is the next chapter where they talk about why audiences watch. Not for the plot (which usually has the same elements, depending on the genre and setup), but for the characters and their lives. If we care about them, we will want to tune in every week to see how they're going.

They also talk about the key scene in any episode, and how the whole story of that episode is about leading up to that key moment. Inevitably, I started thinking about how this relates to fiction writing. What is our key moment? The climax. How often do I talk to students about the narrative drive, the main character's intense need or desire that propels them through the story, the fact that you need to continually increase the tension to keep the reader turning the pages?

And how often do I see people start writing a novel and come to a grinding halt after three chapters or 10,000 words? Because they don't really understand where they're going. They haven't worked out what the key scene or climax needs to be about, what needs to happen in it, and how everything you write in the novel should be leading up to that. And all of that still comes back to character, 98 times out of 100. The other two times are, I'd say, in movies or novels that are thrillers (think James Bond) where the climax is about saving the world.

Even if you resist writing any kind of outline, even if you are a "seat of the pants" writer, don't you still know somewhere in your writing gut what that thing is that your main character wants? And if you don't, how much writing do you have to do before you work it out? 50,000 words? 100,000 words? One chapter? What works for you?

One Week Later

Last night, we were watching TV and our front door was open. Suddenly I noticed this large bright red rectangle on the wall inside the house. It was the setting sun, casting a bright red glow over everything. This is the best my camera could do to capture it before it went down.
Meteorologists say that when there is so much smoke in the air, light naturally filters through and as red is the "strongest" in the spectrum, this is what we see. An eerie reminder of one week ago.

Today we drove north of Melbourne (not near the fire areas, unlike some people who apparently are treating it like a tourist attraction!) and encountered quite a bit of smoke haze. It disappeared later when the wind changed yet again. I wonder how many of us are numbed now by the relentless media coverage. It has been amazing, overwhelming and confronting - and has certainly led to a huge outpouring of welcome donations. But are we nearing saturation point? According to some newspaper reporters, the survivors certainly are. Many are now refusing to be news fodder, and want to be left alone.

I remember seeing a show last August (by accident) - Ellen de Generes, who has done a huge amount of fundraising for New Orleans and its rebuilding. The show I saw was about reminding everyone that it is still a disaster area, that people are still fighting every day to rebuild, and that long after the media has been and gone, the city is still nowhere near getting back to finding out what normal is. Will this be what it's like for our bushfire survivors in a year's time? Fighting to get the funds that were raised for them? Fighting to regain some semblance of a normal life again? Media spotlights come and go. It's what we do to help after they pass that counts.