It’s new and it’s good. Innovative delivery, all genres, established and emerging writers (and seeking more work – so get in touch with them if you’re interested). For more info, see the Review of Australian Fiction website.

Night Beach has gone to the printers. Now, I feel like I’m just kicking around. Listless, a bit cranky. There’s heaps of things I should be doing. I even have deadlines. Instead …

I’ve found new ways to waste time. For instance, I’ve designed a stamp to use for book signings. I’ve been needing a bit more theatre in that department. Other authors have bookmarks, ribbons, feathers, glitter, dirt – all sorts  of stuff. But the only time I’ve ever cut loose was at my first book signing. I had to borrow a pen, and I wrote something so stupid I’m not even going to say what it was. It was like a car crash between a motivational speaker and a desk calendar. Awful. Truly awful.

Anyway, the stamp. I started with this (which of course means nothing to you now, but if you read Night Beach all will become clear):

And I changed it to this, with help from Emerson (“Live in the sunshine, Swim the sea, Drink the wild air”) – who is also referenced in the story:

So there you go.

What’s that? You think I should stop wasting everybody’s time and get back to work? You’re probably right.

No doubt, most of you already know this, but just in case you’re not up to speed yet  … I was checking out the latest newsletter from the Australian Society of Authors, and it says that three of the major publishers are now accepting submissions on a regular basis:

Manuscript Monday
Pitching opportunity from PanMacmillan. Submit the first chapter of your manuscript, plus synopsis, electronically between 10am and 4pm every Monday, and have your work read within one month. Full details at the website.

The Friday Pitch

Allen & Unwin have an electronic submission process in place, and you can submit work via their long-running Friday Pitch program. Submit the first chapter of your manuscript, plus synopsis, each Friday. Full details at the website.

The Monthly Catch

Penguin Australia has just started accepting unsolicited manuscripts. For the first week of every month, they will accept manuscripts, in electronic form only. Send your full manuscript plus synopsis. Full details at the website.

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This is fantastic news. If you’re going to do it, my fingers are crossed for you. The only thing I’d say is make sure you follow the submission guidelines. Don’t deviate, not even in a tiny way. Just trust your writing and stick to the requirements. Good luck!!!

Hey, I just found this article in The Guardian where Margaret Atwood talks about the writing of The Handmaid’s Tale. This book had a huge impact on me – the set up, the story, the way it was honed to the bone, how she made Scrabble a sensual experience … OH – and the twist near the end …

The bonus in the article were snippets from the journal she kept at the time:

I feel sucked hollow. But functional.

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The illustration above is by Anna and Elena Balbusso, who have illustrated a new edition of the book (found this in a story also courtesy of the Guardian)

The lovely Megs from Literary Life hit me with a couple of questions recently. You can check out the answers here …

Look, I don’t often say much about writing, mainly because there’s already a lot of good stuff out there, said by much more experienced and far more articulate people than me.

HOWEVER, I recently answered some questions from a charming guy called Broede Carmody (you can check out the full interview here …) And because this is National Novel Writing Month, and you may be needing some inspiration, and because I have been meaning to have at least one entry on this subject, here is an extract:

BC: Lastly, if you had the ability to implant a recording of your voice within the head of every young, aspiring writer, what would you say?

KE: Look, I was going to say work hard, and don’t beat yourself up when it’s not perfect. But I can be a terrible slacker, and I get crippled by the fact that my attempts are crap. So I don’t know. Maybe the most important thing is to keep returning to it. This will be easier if you write about the thing that’s gotten under your skin; people, places and situations that fascinate you; the things that you want to hold on to; the things you need to let go of. Write, write and write. Keep a journal of your process so that when doubt bites you next time around, you’ll have proof that you’ve gotten through it before. Don’t give up: success can mean a lot of different things, and failure can be the making of you. Although it doesn’t matter what other people think, the right ones will tell you to get back to work, so listen to them. Make writing your Plan A. Forget Plan B. And by that I don’t mean quitting your job or uni and no longer doing other things. I mean, arrange your life so that you can write. Make it your discipline. Invest in it – your time, your heart, your patience. And you will be so, so glad, because it will give you more than you ever dreamed of.

I hope this helps.

Hey Writers,

I’ll be taking part in a Writing Race hosted by the Australian Writer’s Marketplace (www.AWMonline.com.au) on Tuesday, 26 October, 2010. The Race starts at 8pm AEST (so, if you’re observing daylight savings like me, it’ll be 9pm) and goes for one hour.

The idea is that you work on your chosen project for that time, after first touching base to talk about your goals for the hour, and then letting us know how you did at the end. Along the way, I’ll be sharing some thoughts on what works for me writing-wise, and answering any questions that people have.

All writers, at all levels, are welcome. The only thing is you need to be a subscriber to join in (see the AWM website for more details).

I’m looking forward to it. Hope to see you there!

Mike Shuttleworth has re-posted an interview I did with him about Raw Blue not long after it was first published – it’s over at Read Alert, the Centre for Youth Literature‘s blog, and you can read it by clicking here … It’s a fairly in-depth interview, covering writing, surfing, the reasons for writing Raw Blue, and what working in a kitchen is really like, amongst other things.

I did an interview for Between the Lines with Danielle (who is also known as alphareader, has a passion for books that’s inspiring, and knows her Lost Boys from her Buffy). Big thanks to Danielle for making it fun.

With the publishing date for Saltwater Vampires looming, I thought it might be good to post something on the writing process. Not mine (that would be a shambles), but the writing process of someone who is articulate and thoughtful and able to inspire.

Lisa Heidke’s first novel, Lucy Springer Gets Even, came out in January, 2009, and won her many fans. A year later, Allen and Unwin published her second novel, What Kate did Next. Lisa was kind enough to spill the beans on how she went about writing such a lovely, likeable second novel …

So how did you do it? How’d you write Kate?

With the first draft, I wrote it as a blurt fest. I started with an idea and ran with it. I knew that the main character, Kate, was a wife and mother and had sidelined her career to raise a family.

I put myself in her shoes and have Kate ask, ‘Is this all there is?’ Where were the dreams she had for her life when she was twenty? Twenty-five years later, Kate is no closer to fulfilling her dreams.

That was the basic premise and I developed the story from there.

In order to get the first draft written while it’s fresh in my mind and the ideas are flowing, I try to write at least 2,000 words, four days a week. When I’ve finished the first draft which can be anywhere from 60 -70,000 words, I’ll step back and try to rest the manuscript for a good month before I read at it again. During that month I’ll write notes and consider how I can improve the story, make the characters more interesting and the details, relevant and fresh. Read the rest of this entry »