Storytime

For me, the first draft is  fun. I have an idea, I begin to write and blah...yes blah...out it comes. Sometimes in dribs and drabs...sometimes in a sudden rush....sometimes it dries up till putting down the word a is traumatic (it might be the wrong word after all!) And yes there are times when the first draft doesn't actually eventuate...the idea peters out before the story is told. Or if I'm more honest, I lose my excitement. But once it is written...and left to percolate, hopefully for at least two months...then it is time for the hard work. The second draft. I find this very boring and horrid because I am not a planner. I am more a seat-of-my-pants kind of writer. I'll begin with an idea or an image, sometimes only a vague character...and the Nanowrimo novel that I wrote a few years ago began with the thought 'what if all I had known about my mother was a lie.' I had no characters, no plot, no plan....just a phrase and I wrote blindly from there. ...

Another weekend..another writing workshop. Yes, how spoilt am I? This weekend it was the workshop run by Writers Victoria   and my writing group, Lazy River Writers.   It was led by the energetic Archie Fusilo ...and had the group focusing on writing for children in the middle grades. It was a great day...Archie has written widely...from children to young adult... to adult non-fiction...and he was glad to share his experiences and his knowledge. Mainly though he told us to remember the children we once were. You can't write for children as an adult trying to be a child. That won't work. You have to think back (and for some of us that was quite a long time ago)...and find that child again. What was I like at 8, 9 and 10?  What were my interests and hobbies? Where did I live?  Who was my family?  Then I began to think....what did I want to do/ not want to do/ favourite colours/ favourite foods/ favourite television shows /...

Every now and then I feel the need for a workshop. It's just the kick up the pants to get me inspired again when I'm feeling jaded...pushes me to move forward. On Saturday I went to the Moving on masterclass with Clarie Scobie in lovely, and actually sunny and warm, Ballarat. (big thanks to other half who managed to coincide visiting friends and his bees with this particular day and was a willing chauffeur) I really got a lot out of this workshop...mostly because it was something I really wanted to know more about. I want to write the story of the Rickshaw Run that my husband and I did last year (wow, was it really only last year? It feels like it was a lifetime ago) and hoped this class would give me the tools to make it into something not only interesting but publishable. Claire gave us titles of books to read, authors to peruse...she gave us writing exercises and feedback...pages of notes and encouragement. Once again we were told to write -  we first must ...

Yes. Once again the school holidays are done and dusted. Once again we were busy--crazy busy. (which of course is excellent for the library, just hard physically...and mentally... on those that work there). So many people came to borrow, to read, to take home DVD's, to play console games. Dare I talk about console games? Lovely sunny days, warm days, and the console games were booked solid from morning to night. And at any mention of 'it's a beautiful day out there, wouldn't you rather be playing in it?' ...was met with a blank stare. From children...and their parents. What was encouraging were the numbers of children borrowing books. Lots of books ...piles of books...bags of books. Simply to get them through the next few weeks. Great sight. It was also nice to see everyone's creativity with the school holiday program. There were budding pirates complete with parrots---big machines, diggers and tractors, being created---live entertainment with st...