creative writing | creative life
It was a dark and stormy night. Your story starts… now! Authors, all levels of experience and skill, often drag their feet (or their pen) at the start of a story. Sometimes they’re trying to say too much, trying to give the reader too much detail up front. Watch out for this! Other times, the author …
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). …
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 …
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"