Michael Burge's Blog, page 12
June 23, 2016
Nora Ephron’s all-you-can-eat primer
“Read this book as an affirmation of whatever education you’ve had as a wordsmith.” DON’Tlet Nora Ephron into your head. If you’re a writer she’ll make you a better one, but she’ll never leave (and she’ll raid your pantry). That’s an Ephronesque lead paragraph, a mix of her well-honed schtick and common sense. Whenever she … Continue reading Nora Ephron’s all-you-can-eat primer 
June 16, 2016
Writer, polish your publication!
“This is your chance to make your hard literary work shine!” AT the pointy end of independently publishing abook, creative decisions come rushing at usfrom all directions. The pressure is on to have everything ‘perfect’ and ready, but don’t be fooled into thinking that’s the way it is in the book trade! Traditionally published books … Continue reading Writer, polish your publication! 
June 10, 2016
Clive’s reliable boy’s-own tales
A Writer’s review of Clive James’ Unreliable Memoirs “Insights into the raw appetites that drove an Aussie boy.” CLIVEJames’ first memoir is a time capsule bursting with relics from a suburban Australian childhood. Thirty-five years after its first publication, it sits uneasily in a culture that may have evolved around it, yet it contains the … Continue reading Clive’s reliable boy’s-own tales 
June 2, 2016
Writer, format your ebook!
“The main difference between a paperback an eBook is the functionality afforded by an eBook’s menu.” COMPARED to the process of formatting a paperback, putting an eBook together is relatively easy. The key to understanding the difference is the ‘fixed vs. fluid’ concept. The content of a paperback is fixed – every page remainslockedin place … Continue reading Writer, format your ebook! 
May 26, 2016
Germaine Greer’s telling understory
A writer’s review on Germaine Greer’s White Beech. “Greer has a better time relating to animals than she does humans.” ONthe 2006 death of ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin at the barb of a stingray, Germaine Greer infamously declared: “The animal world has finally taken its revenge”. Portrayed as uncaring in the international media, Greer was … Continue reading Germaine Greer’s telling understory 
May 18, 2016
Don’t fund my art, just grant me access
“Australian artists will neverbe silenced by cuts to funding.” MUCH is being made of the recent wholesale cuts to arts funding in Australia. We knew it was coming, it’s shocking to witness, but does it mean anything to the average Australian artist? Well, if you’re an independent Australian artist, probably not. There is a simple … Continue reading Don’t fund my art, just grant me access 
May 12, 2016
LGBTI Labour’s Lost
A case for transgender players. “Aliases, gender dysphoria, cross-dressing, bisexuality, homosexuality and performing have always gone hand in hand.” OUTING lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) performers has long been an emotive and legal tightrope for historians, but 400 years since William Shakespeare’s death, it’s time to look where academics have feared to glance. … Continue reading LGBTI Labour’s Lost 
May 5, 2016
Garner giving us grief
A writer’s review of Helen Garner’s This House of Grief. HOWcan an average Aussie bloke be present at one of the worst deaths imaginable – the swift drowning of his three sonsinside his car in a deep, dark dam – without managing to recall a single coherent fact or memory about how or why it … Continue reading Garner giving us grief 
April 28, 2016
Play is hard work
I’M pleased to announce the publication of another work of non-fiction – Merely Players: Acting like Shakespeare really matters.Here’s an extract from the foreword:- Theatrepeople knowthe art of making a play is very, very hard work. Real life is simply a matter of turning on the phone-cam, whereas the creation of a piece of drama … Continue reading Play is hard work 
April 21, 2016
Writer, format your paperback!
“Nothing screams ‘self published’ louder than an author trying to economise by squashingtoo much text on apage.” CREATING a book for readers to hold in their hands is a craft. For independent publishers, it’s a chance to lovingly nurture our manuscripts into three dimensions, but can also lead to much hair-tearing angst, so it’s best … Continue reading Writer, format your paperback! 
