creative writing | creative life
Early this year I was interviewed by a rather pompous character called, Bookworm. It was for a Channel 9 kids TV show. I'll let you know when it screens... At one point during the interview, Bookworm said, 'I hear you collect words.' I said, 'Who told you that?!' Bookworm was taken aback (and that's saying something). …
I'm writing this blog post super fast. I just wanted to let you know that a newsletter is going out tonight to all g&d subscribers. I've been talking about it on Facebook and Twitter. The newsletter has TWO bits of super cool news. BUT you only get the newsletter if you're a subscriber. Subscribing is not the …
A while back, I wrote a blog post. You know why? Because I had a nice photo of bulbs in pots. You know. Flowers and stuff. Here it is. Pretty, hey? I thought, how can I write a blog post around this image? I love this image. I want to use this image! I must, I must, …
Writers love words. Not just for what they do—create entire universes. They love them as individuals. Most writers (and editors) will blush with delight when handed a dictionary. They enjoy nothing more than ‘word talk’. Who likes pernickety, lilting, lumber, moot? Moot is a queer word. Queer is a great word that's taken on a …
It’s only subjective! They don’t know everything! You have to stick to your guns! Over the years I've been privy to conversations wherein authors discuss/ argue/ wail about their editors. Likewise, I'm often asked by aspiring authors and illustrators, ‘What should I do when my editor makes suggestions and I don’t agree with them?’ Sometimes …
This week on Duckie TV, we kicked off Q & Q Friday 2017, with a mindset question. A duckie wrote to ask if I ever compared myself to other writers and if so, how did I cope with it. Hello? Did I ever compare myself to others? Hell, yeah! I've even tried to dress like my favourite …
Continue reading "Do you compare yourself to other writers? Let’s break the addiction"
Hello, sunshine! Missing Q & Q Friday? Here's a transcript from a lovely one we recorded last year. Thanks to Suzy from Wagga Wagga in NSW for this awesome Q! You can listen, read or watch. Whatever suits you. or visit the Girl and Duck Podcast on iTunes where you can subscribe and listen on the go. The Q: As an aspiring illustrator who …
Continue reading "The 2 problems publishers have with rhyming picture books"
1 Stories exist in their entirety before we start writing. They live on the astral plane. It's up to us to usher them onto this plane. 2 Stories want to be on this plane. But only on their terms. 3 All stories have a face. But they're tricksters. The first face they show you might be a ruse, …
Continue reading "Six curious things I believe about stories"
Hush, duckie. Do you hear? We are now in the quiet zone. That weird space between Christmas and New Year when time goes all weird and stretchy and sort of Einsteiny. When Melbourne is like a ghost town because everyone has loaded up their SUVs and their frayed tempers and racked off—air conditioners blaring. Silence. Sweltering …
Continue reading "Girl and Duck e-book launcheroony (almost)!"
What's happenin', duckie? It's Christmas! Well, nearly. We're on the slippery slope but I've decided not to lose the plot this year. Instead... I'm systematically working through our house. So far we have one festive, almost pristine, room. The dining room. Naturally. We painted it. White. It used to be green. Green, I tell you! Did …