creative writing | creative life
Someone recently asked, what’s the big deal about a shortlist? What’s the big deal? A shortlist groups together the best!  It acknowledges the most accomplished of a long and always healthy collection of entries. It’s also how we make competitions like the Scribbles Creative Writing Awards, manageable — both for the judges and for the competitors. Imagine if we only …
I run a business. It's called girl & duck. It feels weird to call it a business. I didn't know you could love a business. But I do. I adore it. I'm obsessed with it. When I'm creating stuff for girl & duck, I'm in my genius zone. (Have you read that book? The one …
Continue reading "How I started an online business. And accidentally created a thriving community"
One of my favourite moofies from the 1980s was Heartburn with Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. I’m not sure why I loved it so. I’ve always been gaga for Streep. Also, she wore some snazzy (1980s) outfits in that film. Good beads. Capacious shoulder-bags. New York boho actress/writer/intellectual look. That was a look, right? And …
Continue reading "How to stay happy, productive and vaguely sane in the publishing industry"
Is there a hierarchy in the children's book industry? Hell yeah! If you're just entering this dog-eat-dog world, think of it like a school. A large, grey bugger with tall fences and lots of asphalt. The picture book creators are kept inside, in a rarefied, humidity-controlled, tastefully decorated sanctuary. Busy finger painting. Will speak to fairies. No one else. The …
Continue reading "Behold! The children’s book industry. Here’s how it works"
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"