Art is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Let me show you why.
I write full time, which is another way of saying I’m broke. As such, I work several extra jobs (three, currently) to feed my writing habit. …
I recently watched a thoughtful, interesting YouTube on ‘Writing Characters Who Are Weapons,’ by Tim Hickson. He’s a New Zealander who runs the channel HelloFutureMe, which deals with both writing as a craft and analysing pop culture. He’s got some …
“I think a writer’s notebook is the best way in the world to immortalise bad ideas. My idea about a good idea is one that sticks around and sticks around.”
Terrible advice, …
The Escher Man took me ten years to write. Aliens: Bishop took five months. Ghost of the Neon God was a short short story, then two short stories, then a final expansion into a novella. Three books, three radically different …
I really enjoyed this interview on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) with host Kim Huynh. Kim is a man of many talents. He lectures in international relations at the Australian National University; has written about the refugee experience – both …
The space between selling your first novel, and publication day, is long and exhausting. For me, the gap was about 18 months. I’ve written this article throughout the process, while the experience is fresh. It is fair to say …
Ideas had always come easy to me. So-called ‘blank page’ writer’s block had never been a problem I’d faced. The reason was, in part, because I started writing relatively later in life – in my mid-30s, and had a career …
To be a writer is to face perpetual defeat and lingering self-doubt. The default in this profession is failure. Rejections come (I’ve had around 300 for short stories and novels) and they don’t stop coming. Agents are indifferent, and the …
You’d be forgiven for thinking the pandemic would be a boon for writers. With so many people confined to their homes, and only so many hours of decent streaming content to consume, computer games to play, and sourdough to bake, …
Failure
Two-and-a-half years. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve sold a short story*. Thirty damn months since one of my new tales has found a market. In the first five years of my writing career, I sold an average …
