Like giant beds of sea foam, clouds suspend over the landscape below. Emerald green, with winding terracotta pathways of journeys not yet taken. Continue reading

Reading to write well is nothing new. Many writers recommend reading as a way of learning what works and what doesn't...I don't think as writers we need to read the genre we write all the time. Reading other genres can open up new ways of approaching our writing and perhaps inspire us to try our hand at something new... Continue reading

Australia Day 2013 was shaping up to be the best ever! My sister had organised a long weekend at North Stradbroke Island with the whole family - Mum, sisters, brothers-in-law and kiddies. With beaches, inland lakes and a beachhouse at Point Lookout, what could possibly go wrong? Continue reading

I don't know about you but I love a new year. So much so that I started bidding farewell to 2012 about a week ago! After a cracker of a Christmas with my family, as soon as Boxing Day rolled around, the Christmas decorations were down and I was welcoming the space to think about all the things I wanted to achieve in 2013. I've had the past week or so to reflect on my word for 2013. I've tried on a few different words for size but ultimately I've chosen... Continue reading

a childhood memory, favourite smell and place to rest a while... Continue reading

I mentioned in a recent post that I was "unravelling". Well...after 8 weeks I've reached the end of Susannah Conway's Unravelling e-course. As Carla Coulson says in Italian Joy... "There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning." This is so true of how I'm feeling right now... Continue reading

It was an interview in the latest Dumbo Feather (Issue 32) that drew my attention to Mia Freedman as a writer worth reading. I remember Freedman from my Cosmopolitan reading days when she was the youngest editor. In the interview, Freedman talks to Dumbo Feather about building her women's blog 'Mamamia' that covers headline news, politics, gossip, fashion and opinion. Much like her blog, where her opinions have often caused controversy, nothing is sacred in 'mia culpa: confessions from the watercooler of life'. Continue reading

It feels like I haven’t written creatively in a long time. A friend reminded the other day that I do write. I write for work, I write poetry, I write prose, I keep a journal and I’ve even taken to writing on iPhone Notes on the train. What I haven’t been writing is my novels - the two unfinished/un-edited ones that I blog about a lot. For years I was focused on them and had a dedicated writing practice. It was even an adaptable practice - constantly changing as my children grew.... Now I think about writing but seem to fill my time with other things... Continue reading

The moment Susannah Conway used the word ‘crap’ on the second page of her book 'this i know', she won my heart. I knew in that moment the honesty so prevalent on her blog would equally be contained in the pages of her first solo book. As I continued, I found myself smiling and nodding as I read her honest and truthful words. She doesn't shy away from the 'real' bits. On her blog, you'll know when she has PMS or when someone has pissed her off. You'll also see her vulnerable side. Although Conway's book and her blog; that she began in 2006, grew from the death of her partner, she clearly states in both: Continue reading

Without the pressure to force myself to write, I've been enjoying rediscovering my connection to writing again. Here are some things I've been doing this week to encourage my writing... Continue reading

I haven't written creatively for a while... or blogged about creative writing. The truth is I don't have make the time to write. The thought of sitting at my desk in my spare time to write creatively when I could be outside in the sunshine, at a yoga class, catching up with family and friends, living... is far more appealing. A lot has changed in my life in the past year and while I've come a long way, I'm still trying to work out where some things fit in my new life. It's also 100 times more hectic than it... Continue reading

As a writer, I admire photographers and poets. They have the ability to distill meaning and stories into a single frame or page. Some poets need only a few lines to draw an image in your mind that is so crisp. As a writer, there is pressure to get as many words on the page as possible, so that when it comes time to edit, you have words to lose. But sometimes it doesn't matter how many words you write or speak, the message is still unclear. Sometimes a single frame can capture what you're feeling deep inside... Continue reading

‘Without intention, we can prepare and explore, but we cannot tell a story. Once there is story, there is an intention: a will toward a particular-if subtle-end.' Susan Bell, The Artful Edit I’ve written about different elements of writing before, but I haven’t really touched on perhaps the most important - intention. Yet in my day job it’s the first question I ask the author of any work I’m editing or writing. Once you have a purpose for the writing, everything falls into place. You have a focus that guides the writing, as Susan Bell states, ‘toward a particular... end’. When it comes to fiction writing, sometimes the intention gets lost along the way... Continue reading

For the first time in a long while, I dedicated my weekend - days and nights - to editing. The decision to immerse myself in re-reading and editing two manuscripts was a daunting task. Especially given that it has been a while since I dragged them out from the bottom drawer. Aside from the focus required, there’s also the element of fear that they’ll be terrible and rightly deserving of their place in the bottom drawer (or in my case wardrobe). Looming larger for me than both of these things was... Continue reading

When I first started writing over 10 years ago, there was no such thing as e-books, blogging didn’t exist (or if it did - I didn’t know about it) and social media meant having a face-to-face conversation with someone. A lot has changed since then... We live in the digital age and whether you like it or not, it does affect the writing industry... Are people reading books (whether print or e-book)? How has the digital age changed reader expectations? On top of that, our very own premier recently announced that he’d cut funding to the 2012 Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards... So how can writers adapt to these changes? Continue reading

Yes, you've come to the right place. Finding acorns just looks a little different on the outside, thanks to a blog makeover! A huge thank you to the talented Michelle at Shelbyville for turning my acorn story into a blog banner that's a true reflection of what Finding acorns is all about. I'll still be blogging about creative writing, the books I read and inspiration that fuels my creativity. I intend to blog more now that I have a new home here, and in the real world. That ever needed space to create has opened up, and for me that means inspiration! Now you've seen my new blog home, here's a little sneak peak at my new home in the real world... Continue reading

Using setting as a metaphor is just one of the many tools writers can use to create stories. When it's done well is can be successful, but it shouldn't be the only writing convention you use in your story. The book I'm reading at the moment; The Sea on Our Skin by Madeleine Tobert is a perfect example of how setting can be used as a metaphor for characters. The story begins with... Continue reading

If you're like me, it's now March and you've yet to establish a creative writing routine for 2012 (so lovingly highlighted by the arrival of the March issue of WQ). Rather than punish myself with a gruelling (and perhaps unachievable) creative writing routine, I'm opting for a 'start small' approach... Continue reading

A little while ago, in a cleansing process, I went through 17 journals and the past seven years of my life. It was a cathartic experience to say the least. I was searching for pieces to use in my creative writing - those raw emotions recorded 'in the moment'. Here’s a sample of what I found... Continue reading

'By selecting and highlighting aspects of the setting, and using the power of words to evoke atmosphere and sensations, writers can bring readers closer to the action and provoke responses in them.' - Gary Disher Disher goes on to say: 'Skilful fiction writers can evoke settings in such a way as to signify the feelings and personalities of their characters.' Evoking a sense of place is my favourite element of creative writing. Even as a reader, the novels I connect with most (Salt Rain and The Lambing Flat to name a few) have a strong connection to place. The authors... Continue reading

For someone who wasn't going to set any New Year's resolutions, I have an ever growing list of things I'd like to do this year. Thanks to a lovely blog post by Susannah Conway, I too chose a 'word' for 2012. It's a tiny word, with a big intention - FUN. After a bleak last half of 2011, I'm looking forward to brighter days, which is why I resisted New Year's resolutions and the weight of expectation they bring. Instead I'll be travelling more (to places relatively near and hopefully far). And lucky for me, creative writing falls under my definition of fun too! Continue reading

Wishing you and your families a joyful Christmas and a peaceful 2012. Continue reading

For a little while I've been looking for lino print design inspiration. After reading Handmade Living: A Fresh Take on Scandinavian Style (Lotta Jansdotter) and Printed Pattern: A guide to printing by hand from potatoes to silk screens (Rebecca Drury and Yvonne Drury) I decided to go in search of my own nature inspired designs. Top on my list was a field trip to my local mangrove boardwalks (I'm lucky to have two nearby). Finally today, armed with nothing more than my iPhone and two energetic kiddies, we started our journey at the Lota Mangrove Boardwalk. Continue reading