creative writing | creative life
Thoughts Inspired by The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho I’ve been reading The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, an elegant parable about finding one’s destiny while also uncovering the treasure within.Here's a picture of it on the train with me... 😉  When we tap into the ‘language of the universe’ (as suggested in The Alchemist) and learn to read signs and …
Creative Writing Tips Galore! Okay, I’ve got four tips for you again today. I’m obsessed with four, aren’t? I think it’s my brain’s favourite number. Anything more than four and my brain drifts away. La la la… BUT. Having said that. There is one extra tip in this week’s ep, and here it is... EXTRA TIP: If you’re new around here (hello!) …
Continue reading "4 Creativity Tips That Might Be New to You"
Stand aside! There's writin' to be rescued! Okay. This was supposed to be the Day Three post of my self-imposed, pre-Christmas blogging challenge. I wrote most of it—then lost my mojo and my faith, got distracted by Christmas preparations, and, erm, abandoned the writing. But it's never too late to rescue our darlings, is it? …
Rambling writer alert! Read at your own peril... I have very little to offer you on this Thursday afternoon, dear reader, and yet I still feel compelled to pick up a pen and scratch a few lines. Perhaps I should write in my journal and keep my muddled thoughts private. But. I am sitting here …
Last week I had the sudden realisation that 'the writing is going well'. Ermahgerd! How much do writers LURVE that? The Writing is Going Well. Can we put that on a t-shirt, please? Cups quietly multiplying while I'm lost in a world of make believe. Last year when I started writing this novel, I was …
Continue reading "How to Write a Novel. (Using One Sheet of Paper.)"
What I've Been Doing by Jen Storer Researching and writing The main character in my new middle grade novel is from 'old money'. She lives in a rambling country mansion. Indeed she does. So I went to Buda in Castlemaine and had a poke around. Got the 'old money vibe'. Fantasised. Pretended. Reminisced. (I have …
Never forget how important freedom is to children. As a kidlit author you must consider this every time you write.
Several years ago a stranger approached me (via email). She wanted to meet for coffee. She wanted to talk to me about creativity and writing and the world of children’s literature and…creativity. When you're an author you often get requests like this. And by-and-large my fallback is no. I mean, can you imagine what it’s …
This time last year, (it was winter, I remember it well ), I went down to Melbourne for the weekend. I was catching up with family, having dinner with my publisher, doing a spot of shopping. All the nice things. Instead of staying in a hotel, I decided I try an air bnb, city stay, …
Continue reading "Stop Looking at Me, Oprah! Or, Why Settings Are So Important to Your Stories"
Our society thrives on a covert and highly divisive code: Don't take yourself so seriously. Don't be so intense! Lighten up, dear reader! On the surface it makes sense. It seems jovial and jolly hockey sticks and weirdly generous. But when you go deeper, you see cracks in this logic. And, more importantly, you see …