creative writing | creative life
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)!"
Ready to chuck your manuscript? Are you ranting and raving, insisting that your idea is crap and the only thing to do is start all over again? Calm down, sunshine. Let's be systematic. Maybe this is what's causing you grief: 1 You haven't spent enough time with your idea. Ideas rarely, if ever, come fully …
Continue reading "Three reasons why your idea might not be working"
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 …
Hey, sleepy head. Did you miss Part One? You can read it here. Okay, so I've eased up a bit. This next lot? Not so hard-arse. 5. Always begin with pen and paper. Go to the computer later but connect your hand to your brain first. It’s a physical thing. Our imagination is stimulated by …
Continue reading "Tough love tips for aspiring authors: Part Two"
Got on your thick skin? Here we go! 1 Don’t die with your book in you. Write. Learn. Commit to doing the grunt work. Stop thinking about writing and write. Don’t expect your first book to be a bestseller. Don’t even expect it to be published. Want to write a series? I went along to see …
Continue reading "Four tough love tips for aspiring authors. Part one."
Hey there, sunshine! Everyone wants their work to pop, right?  Here's another bundle of goodness (and shiny tips) from the Q & Q Friday files—yours to enjoy in whatever form takes your fancy. You can watch the video here: Click below to listen to the audio: or visit the Girl and Duck Podcast on iTunes where you can subscribe and listen on …
Continue reading "The Q & Q Files: Shining on the Slush Pile"
Yes! (Dainty air punch.) This is the first of many transcripts I'll be sharing with you, dear reader, over the coming months. Q & Q Friday (questions and quacks), straight from Duckie TV to you!I got words. I got videos. I got sound files. I got the lot! It's a veritable picnic of advice, opinions and... …
Continue reading "The Q & Q Files. How do I know when my book is ‘finished’?"
One of the things I love most about working in this industry is the people I get to meet and hang out with—people who are talented and generous and spirited and nine times out of ten just as loopy as I am (I mean that in the nicest possible way). Tania McCartney is definitely one …
I have the lurgy, dear reader, and I have spent the day in bed. Here's what I've been doing (in bed): Reading Flow magazine Reading The Element by Ken Robinson Answering emails to sweet people and nice girls Watching Ted Talks Thinking about YOU. That's why I've written this list. I hope you find it …
I don't know about you, but as a kid I loved playing dress-ups. I was always parading around in the weirdest combos. Sometimes I wanted to look like Jeanie in I Dream of Jeanie. Another time I remember trying to look like a crone. I put talcum powder in my hair, donned some wire spectacles, draped myself in a black …
Continue reading "What are your characters wearing? It matters!"
