Zena Shapter's Blog, page 13
June 11, 2018
How Opportunity Knocks
Opportunity can be a funny old creature. It often hides in the shadows out of reach or lurks where you least expect to find it. It can disguise itself as a closed door or sheer cliff-face drop destined to destroy you. It can seem to offer itself to everyone else except you, then laugh at you with them behind your back.
At the same time, if you risk those shadows or that cliff-face, if you pause to peer closer at that closed door, and the gold glimmering under its black paintwork, it can give you exactly what you want or need.
Last month I had my 8-year Twitter anniversary. Last November I had my 10-year Facebook anniversary. I love social media! In fact, I wish I had more time to spend chatting on there. My new favourite is Instagram. I first got online when I was a recently-immigrated stay-at-home mum of two children under two, trying to find my way in a country where I had no friends or family who could help me through the tough times, and I simply needed to talk to people. It was a lifeline. Not only could I connect with real live adults, but I found story-loving tribes who wanted to talk about stories. Amazing!
Once the kids were old enough, I joined a face-to-face writing group and, on discovering my love of social media, they asked me to teach them about it – and they’d pay me! I had cut down on my work as a freelance editor and copywriter to have children, working only from home while the kids had their day-naps and then at weekends, so it had been years since I’d prepared or given a presentation. I was petrified!
My husband helped with my nerves. “Do you know more than those listening, Zena?” he asked me.
“Yes, I think so. Yes.”
“Then you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
So I prepared my talk, gave it and got paid.
Then another group asked me. Then another. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to get known for among writers, as all throughout this time I was also writing creatively and trying to sell and promote my stories. But you never know where opportunity will lead you, so I kept going and ended up teaching social media regularly at Mosman Community College, blogging and website-building too. I began to joke with students that I was part-cyber.
After a while, once I’d won several writing competitions, the college then invited me to teach an introductory writing course. Yes, please! Naturally, I was nervous at first.
“Do you know more than those listening, Zena?” my husband asked again.
“Not everyone, but most, probably, yes. Yes.”
“Then you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
It was such a success I began offering all kinds of writing classes. Soon libraries, writing groups, schools and even retirement villages were all asking me to teach creative writing classes, so I did. Not only that, but my students wanted to know about my own writing – I could finally sell and promote my stories! That’s what I’d wanted all along! And then, when my debut novel came out last year (Towards White, IFWG), I already had an established readership and fans.
Opportunity can indeed be a surprising creature. I now teach so many classes (check them out here if you’re interested) that I also mentor writers and tutor primary and high school students, judge writing competitions, and help publishers and authors publish print books and ebooks (check out my creative support services!). All of which pays well enough for me to still work from home, so I get time each day to write too. All from getting on social media.
Well, I’m sure if I were to analyse it more closely, there would be way more to my lifestyle than grabbing opportunities as they arise. But still, it’s helped.
Do you welcome opportunities when you find them, or look away because they’re not exactly what you want?
Did you know: you can get an idea of how much time you spend on social media on your phone? If you go into your phone’s ‘Settings’ and go to ‘Battery’, there’s often a usage table showing you which applications you use the most.
Did you know: if you turn off ‘locked-screen notifications’ on your phone it won’t bleep and distract you while working or, most importantly, writing. I often leave my phone in another part of the house too, so it takes effort to unlock that screen!
Thank you for connecting with me on social media – here on my blog, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn or anywhere else where our social paths cross!
Thanks for connect on my blog!
And Facebook and everywhere!
May 9, 2018
Book Launch Time & You’re Invited!!
1. ‘A Noise on an Island’– an anthology of short stories edited by me!
– Saturday 16th June, 2pm at Manly Bowling Club
What would you do if a long-abandoned quarry near you started emitting a strange noise? When things go wrong, we all react differently. Some things and people we will always care about. Others, not so much. One island, one noise, twelve authors – what could possibly go wrong?
“A ‘scream’ is always just that – a noise and not music.”
CARL JUNG
“I frequently hear music in the very heart of noise.”
GEORGE GERSHWIN
2. ‘The Guitar Wizard’– a novel for 8-14yrs for The Kids’ Cancer Project
– Saturday 30th June, 3pm at 3 Bernie Ave, Forestville
The sale of book is for charity, to raise money for The Kids’ Cancer Project. It says on the invitation that 50% profits go to the charity, but in reality it’s usually closer to 90%. So please take this opportunity to support a great cause, and come and buy a book. Don’t have children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews? That’s okay, you can still buy a book!
April 26, 2018
Whatever It Takes?
Life doesn’t always go to plan. This week I’ve received a career knock back every single day. Every – single – day. I celebrate a lot of my successes on this blog, but it’s just as important to share my behind-the-scene disappointments – that way you get to experience my journey with me! It isn’t always woo hoo and hurray! Social media is about sharing experiences after all. So, let me ask you this: how do you handle career knock backs?
Usually for me it’s a 5-stage process. It takes that long for things to settle after the storm of disappointment that’s swept through.
Stage 1
Stage 1 involves sadness. It fills my chest and drags down the corners of my mouth making it hard to smile. I consider giving up. I wonder, how much more can I take? I’m disappointed not only with whatever hasn’t gone my way, but all my previous disappointments cave in on me. Am I wasting my time? I want both to be alone, and not to be left with the grey loneliness of feeling miserable.
Stage 2
Stage 2 kicks in the minute my brain starts problem-solving. It’ll throw an idea at me, and that’s when I know I’m starting to move on, to adapt. Okay, I tell myself, so if this is the way things are going to be, what can I do next? What if I try this or that? I bounce around ideas. I accept the new way things are going to be and find a work around. Can I figure out why things didn’t go the way I wanted and try again? I analyse. More ideas come. This makes me feel better and moves me into stage 3.
Stage 3
Stage 3 involves connecting with others. I seek for reassurance that I’m not the only one having these same experiences. I often find that connection through talking with writer-friends who can identify, or through listening to music. I seek out songs that speak of fighting onwards, not giving up, facing unlikely odds and pushing on anyway. I look especially for songs about other artists pursuing their passions, aiming high and shooting for the stars. Today I listened to so many awesome songs I started a YouTube playlist for future use, and to share with you of course. I’m sorry, I like pop, so the playlist reflects this! Here are two examples:
The rest of my playlist is here:
Stage 4
Through listening to others’ similar journeys, I then move into stage 4, which involves gratitude. I take ownership of my journey and appreciate where I am, and what I’ve achieved to this point. I’m lucky to at least be I am who I am, where and when. Things could be so much worse.
Stage 5
Finally, with some ideas in mind, connections made, and my perspective adjusted, I reach the last stage – choice. I can choose to give up on the progress I’m trying to achieve, or I can choose to keep going. Most of the time, I choose to keep going, but not always. Ending a pursuit can be just as rewarding as continuing, as it can free you up to consider new opportunities. What else is out there waiting for me? Or if I just keep pushing a little further, will I achieve my goal? Either way, I tell myself that I’ll find my way eventually, and get busy searching for the how and when. I’ll get there, whatever it takes. It’s in my nature to persevere.
What about you, how do you handle knock backs? More importantly, have you got any tracks to add to my playlist?!!
March 31, 2018
What Does Impact Look Like To You?
Sometimes as a writer it’s hard to know how much impact your words are having in the world. After all, how do you monitor ‘impact’ – by sales figures, fan mail, awards, the number of stories you’ve published, Twitter follower figures, or something else?
I like to think of it in terms of whether my words are enabling me to do what I want to do in life. Right now I’m lucky enough to run a successful creative support business, which keeps me busy five days a week with editing, proofreading, book layouts, websites, giving talks, teaching, mentoring and tutoring. I also get to spend a few hours a day on my own writing, as well as spend time with my children, and even raise money for charity. My words enable me to do all that because of the impact they have. Since I’ve won over a dozen national awards, other writers want to learn from me in talks and classes, tutoring or mentoring; others want to hire me to help them make their own impact. Since readers enjoy my stories, they recommend them to others and send me emails like the one I got this week:
Zena,
I finished your book ‘Towards White’ last weekend
I really enjoyed it – you’re not bad
March 8, 2018
How Mentorship Can Help You Write A Book!
Victoria’s writing space #1
Over the years, I’ve mentored scores of writers on their quests to write or finish writing a book. Recently, I had the privilege of mentoring Victoria on her quest to write a children’s chapter book about the fashion industry. Her main character Georgiana dreams of one day becoming a famous fashion designer, but thanks to fellow students, demanding models and a degree of over-confidence, her first year at fashion school doesn’t go to plan.
It’s been fascinating watching Victoria develop her writing technique and for her book to bloom. So I asked her about the process.
What have you learnt about yourself through writing this book?
As a designer/patternmaker, I’m used to the tight deadlines that are so prevalent within the fashion industry, and I do my best work under that pressure. I’ve realised writing is no different, I focus best when I have a deadline, so it was good to have a mentor setting me targets. It wasn’t always easy. Sometimes I would get sidetracked, for hours, while doing research and end up knowing a lot more about the subjects I was researching but no further along in my book! Sometimes I also found myself doing anything to avoid sitting in front of the computer – my apartment was so clean!
I also learnt the power of taking a break from my story if I wasn’t happy with what I’d written or if I had trouble prioritising events within the story. The words would become a jungle for me so I just had to walk away from it for a few days. Luckily, Zena said that was a common technique to use! It did mean, however, that it was difficult to get back into the story after the break. Once I started writing again it would take an hour or more to get my headspace back into my characters and the storyline. But the break was always beneficial and afterwards the story flowed with much better energy.
I also discovered that my character often mirrored my life to a certain extent, and the story ran concurrently with mine in exactly the same months my story was set.
What was the most personally challenging aspect of the process?
Victoria’s writing space #2
That writing is such a solitary life! For me this is hopefully a career change, eventually, so I had no choice but to sit in front of my computer and treat it as a job and write. It’s actual work! In the beginning it was slightly easier, but as I got into the story I needed to create spreadsheets to keep track of events, and I kept a pad and pen beside my bed and in the bathroom – loads of scenes and ideas would come to me while I was in the shower! If I didn’t write those ideas down, in the time between having that idea and sitting down to write an hour or so later, I would forget them! I often got ideas while I was on long walks, so I started taking my mobile with me to work through scenes.
What was the most surprising delight?
After spending so much frustrating time rewriting paragraphs, layering the characters and story to add depth and substance, it was amazing to watch the scenes unfold and come together. When that happened I became so involved with the story, I burnt my dinner and pots, on more than one occasion, creating an awful smell for days in my home!
It also frustrated me that I couldn’t get a title for my book all the time I was writing it. Luckily, as I was scribbling words on a page after the book was finished and not really thinking about anything, the title came to me in a flash.
Writing this book has also stretched me to find new ways to use the English language in a more interesting structure.
How did your expectations match the practice of writing?
I realised, as I got into the story, that it was rather like a chess game. I thought my story would automatically fall into a flowing timeline, but I had to constantly revisit previous chapters to double check aspects of what I had written. I started a diary and wrote chapter summaries so I could reference the information I needed quickly. I have to be extremely well organised in my current job as a designer, so when Zena suggested spreadsheets it really started to fall into place for me. In fashion, we make large mood boards and put all our colours and emotion into them to get a feel for a new range. The same applied when I made large A3 pages blocking out each month of the story and then printing out calendar pages to work out the finer details of the story and timeline. This is when it really started to become a piece of magic for me, my story really started to come alive then. I had to be as organised as I was in my current fashion career, otherwise I knew I would flounder.
What technical aspects of writing did you find the most challenging?
Quotation marks and punctuation are my nemesis. I would write so fast to get the words out, otherwise I would forget them, but then I would put the commas and quotation marks in the wrong positions or omit them altogether, and I still do it. I also struggled to find a natural break in the story to end each chapter. I have always been a very good speller, being one of the top in my school, but my vocabulary was lacking and I found the Thesaurus an exceedingly good friend indeed. I kept notes of grammar and formatting from each of my sessions with Zena, but I still don’t find this aspect of writing easy.
What was your lowest point? Did anything bring you close to tears?
The first time I was on a computer it was in a CAD system for patternmaking, I had never worked with Word or Excel so struggled with those programs, constantly. Formatting my story was also an issue for me, and when things go wrong, I make a mountain out of what is usually a gentle plain. I had to re-read paragraphs and correct segments of my story and in the process I lost paragraphs on more than one occasion. One day I thought I had lost a whole chapter, possibly more. I sat in front of the computer and sobbed. I did find it again in another chapter, and have had other issues since that day, but I learnt a valuable lesson to download the book every time I worked on it.
Would you recommend mentoring to other writers? Why?
I do like to be in a class because it is very interesting having everyone bouncing ideas and suggestions around. But when it actually comes to the lengthy process of getting the book written, I highly recommend working with a mentor. I personally find I need to be accountable to someone when I am learning something new – there is absolutely no way I would have finished my book within the time that I had with Zena, or that it would be anywhere near as technically correct as it is now. A mentor is there for you during the time allocated for you, and you don’t have another student making demands on your tutor at the same time, so for purely selfish reasons, my mentor is mine only, for that time and it is GOLD.
Also as I got deeper into my story I found it hard to remain impartial to it. You need an outside influence to push your buttons and make you go deeper into the characters, even though you think there isn’t anything more to add.
Also the constant advice on hand with a mentor is invaluable.
Have you got any advice for writers setting out on their writing journey?
It is a long process and I had to learn patience, but I really believed in my story and characters. If you don’t write from experience or knowledge of your subject, then it is not going to be believable for your reader, so put as much of yourself into your characters as you can. I have had to learn all of this along the way and, even though I haven’t found it easy at all, it has been immensely enjoyable.
Also, make notes about the process as you go, and about anything you think might be relevant to your story, even if it appears inane at the time.
One piece of invaluable advice that Zena told me was to treat it as a movie, show the actions to the reader so it becomes alive, and watch relevant movies to the story you are writing. I now find I listen to the script and watch how the director has planned out a scene when I go to the cinema. It really helps with dialogue!
Thank you!
Wow, thank you, Victoria for sharing so much about your writing journey with us! You can follow Victoria’s progress on Instagram and Facebook as @victoriahannahstudio and read more about her work in fashion and print cards at https://victoriahannah.com.au/
Think you need a mentor? Get in touch!
March 7, 2018
Mentoring: Victoria Hannah
Victoria’s writing space #1
Over the years, I’ve mentored scores of writers on their quests to write or finish writing a book. Recently, I had the privilege of mentoring Victoria on her quest to write a children’s chapter book about the fashion industry. Her main character Georgiana dreams of one day becoming a famous fashion designer, but thanks to fellow students, demanding models and a degree of over-confidence, her first year at fashion school doesn’t go to plan.
It’s been fascinating watching Victoria develop her writing technique and for her book to bloom. So I asked her about the process.
What have you learnt about yourself through writing this book?
As a designer/patternmaker, I’m used to the tight deadlines that are so prevalent within the fashion industry, and I do my best work under that pressure. I’ve realised writing is no different, I focus best when I have a deadline, so it was good to have a mentor setting me targets. It wasn’t always easy. Sometimes I would get sidetracked, for hours, while doing research and end up knowing a lot more about the subjects I was researching but no further along in my book! Sometimes I also found myself doing anything to avoid sitting in front of the computer – my apartment was so clean!
I also learnt the power of taking a break from my story if I wasn’t happy with what I’d written or if I had trouble prioritising events within the story. The words would become a jungle for me so I just had to walk away from it for a few days. Luckily, Zena said that was a common technique to use! It did mean, however, that it was difficult to get back into the story after the break. Once I started writing again it would take an hour or more to get my headspace back into my characters and the storyline. But the break was always beneficial and afterwards the story flowed with much better energy.
I also discovered that my character often mirrored my life to a certain extent, and the story ran concurrently with mine in exactly the same months my story was set.
What was the most personally challenging aspect of the process?
Victoria’s writing space #2
That writing is such a solitary life! For me this is hopefully a career change, eventually, so I had no choice but to sit in front of my computer and treat it as a job and write. It’s actual work! In the beginning it was slightly easier, but as I got into the story I needed to create spreadsheets to keep track of events, and I kept a pad and pen beside my bed and in the bathroom – loads of scenes and ideas would come to me while I was in the shower! If I didn’t write those ideas down, in the time between having that idea and sitting down to write an hour or so later, I would forget them! I often got ideas while I was on long walks, so I started taking my mobile with me to work through scenes.
What was the most surprising delight?
After spending so much frustrating time rewriting paragraphs, layering the characters and story to add depth and substance, it was amazing to watch the scenes unfold and come together. When that happened I became so involved with the story, I burnt my dinner and pots, on more than one occasion, creating an awful smell for days in my home!
It also frustrated me that I couldn’t get a title for my book all the time I was writing it. Luckily, as I was scribbling words on a page after the book was finished and not really thinking about anything, the title came to me in a flash.
Writing this book has also stretched me to find new ways to use the English language in a more interesting structure.
How did your expectations match the practice of writing?
I realised, as I got into the story, that it was rather like a chess game. I thought my story would automatically fall into a flowing timeline, but I had to constantly revisit previous chapters to double check aspects of what I had written. I started a diary and wrote chapter summaries so I could reference the information I needed quickly. I have to be extremely well organised in my current job as a designer, so when Zena suggested spreadsheets it really started to fall into place for me. In fashion, we make large mood boards and put all our colours and emotion into them to get a feel for a new range. The same applied when I made large A3 pages blocking out each month of the story and then printing out calendar pages to work out the finer details of the story and timeline. This is when it really started to become a piece of magic for me, my story really started to come alive then. I had to be as organised as I was in my current fashion career, otherwise I knew I would flounder.
What technical aspects of writing did you find the most challenging?
Quotation marks and punctuation are my nemesis. I would write so fast to get the words out, otherwise I would forget them, but then I would put the commas and quotation marks in the wrong positions or omit them altogether, and I still do it. I also struggled to find a natural break in the story to end each chapter. I have always been a very good speller, being one of the top in my school, but my vocabulary was lacking and I found the Thesaurus an exceedingly good friend indeed. I kept notes of grammar and formatting from each of my sessions with Zena, but I still don’t find this aspect of writing easy.
What was your lowest point? Did anything bring you close to tears?
The first time I was on a computer it was in a CAD system for patternmaking, I had never worked with Word or Excel so struggled with those programs, constantly. Formatting my story was also an issue for me, and when things go wrong, I make a mountain out of what is usually a gentle plain. I had to re-read paragraphs and correct segments of my story and in the process I lost paragraphs on more than one occasion. One day I thought I had lost a whole chapter, possibly more. I sat in front of the computer and sobbed. I did find it again in another chapter, and have had other issues since that day, but I learnt a valuable lesson to download the book every time I worked on it.
Would you recommend mentoring to other writers? Why?
I do like to be in a class because it is very interesting having everyone bouncing ideas and suggestions around. But when it actually comes to the lengthy process of getting the book written, I highly recommend working with a mentor. I personally find I need to be accountable to someone when I am learning something new – there is absolutely no way I would have finished my book within the time that I had with Zena, or that it would be anywhere near as technically correct as it is now. A mentor is there for you during the time allocated for you, and you don’t have another student making demands on your tutor at the same time, so for purely selfish reasons, my mentor is mine only, for that time and it is GOLD.
Also as I got deeper into my story I found it hard to remain impartial to it. You need an outside influence to push your buttons and make you go deeper into the characters, even though you think there isn’t anything more to add.
Also the constant advice on hand with a mentor is invaluable.
Have you got any advice for writers setting out on their writing journey?
It is a long process and I had to learn patience, but I really believed in my story and characters. If you don’t write from experience or knowledge of your subject, then it is not going to be believable for your reader, so put as much of yourself into your characters as you can. I have had to learn all of this along the way and, even though I haven’t found it easy at all, it has been immensely enjoyable.
Also, make notes about the process as you go, and about anything you think might be relevant to your story, even if it appears inane at the time.
One piece of invaluable advice that Zena told me was to treat it as a movie, show the actions to the reader so it becomes alive, and watch relevant movies to the story you are writing. I now find I listen to the script and watch how the director has planned out a scene when I go to the cinema. It really helps with dialogue!
Thank you!
Wow, thank you, Victoria for sharing so much about your writing journey with us! You can follow Victoria’s progress on Instagram and Facebook as @victoriahannahstudio and read more about her work in fashion and print cards at https://victoriahannah.com.au/
Think you need a mentor? Get in touch!
February 15, 2018
First ever YouTube talk out NOW! #singletake
Wow, my first YouTube video is out NOW! Big thanks to the Thomas Keneally Centre at the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts for inviting me to give this YouTube talk about ‘Towards White’ (IFWG, 2017), to Phil for filming, and to Dom at Desire Books in Manly for hosting us. It was so much fun, and we did it all in one take – amazing! There’s some advice for writers at the end.
I hope you enjoy watching!
Here are some behind-the-scenes photos from the day…
Setting up.
Close up.
Action!
The crew! Back: Me & Phil. Front: Dom
All done!
Please share the video around, both to spread the word about my awesome novel and because there are heaps of other amazing author talks to watch on YoungPhil Yang’s YouTube channel over here. Thank you!
Oh, and if you’d like to buy a copy of ‘Towards White’, just follow the links over here 
January 9, 2018
Me talking to The Book Podcast & Booklovers!
Well, hello 2018, and what a wonderful way to start the year: an interview on The Book Podcast and giving an author talk!
The Book Podcast
The Book Podcast aims to celebrate Australian women’s writing and champion cultural change. In each episode, interviewer-extraordinaire Rosemary Puddy talks to an Australian woman writer about their books, helping to expand their reach and readers’ reading. In her words:
“We have a wealth of talented women writers in Australia and I will be talking to fiction and non-fiction writers from all genres. Some writers may be well know to you, others may not. I hope you discover new books or are inspired to re-visit old favourites.”
I highly recommend subscribing to her blog and listening to multiple episodes, as Rosemary is a great interviewer – she asked me some really tricky questions!
To listen to her interviewing me, please just click here.
Thank you so much Rosemary for including me!
Author Talk
Thank you also to the Narrabeen Booklovers’ Club for including me in your schedule of author talks for 2018. It was an absolute delight to introduce you to my solo debut Towards White and share my writing journey with you. Such great questions from the audience afterwards too! I’m thrilled so many of you were interested in (and bought!) my book, now on its second print run!
Anyone Else?
If you’re interested in having someone speak to your group, club, school, college, centre, colleagues, podcast, readers or listeners – please don’t hesitate to get in touch! I love talking about all things story, why we write and tell stories, how my own writing fits into that, how I became a writer, and everything I know about books and the art of creating them. All you have to do is get in touch!
In the meantime, don’t forget to listen to that interview here.
December 28, 2017
How I Keep Myself (and others) Inspired
Wow, what a ride of a year! I’ve had lots of ups, and lots of downs. I always try to focus on the ups, however, not the downs, in an attempt to continually inspire myself (and others), rather than drag myself (and others) down. So at this very self-reflective time of year, I make myself think about what I have achieved, rather than what I haven’t. In my last blog post, I also talked about the importance of dreaming small as well as dreaming big, as small dreams can help you get started on your path here, now, today. Perhaps in among the following there’s a ‘small’ idea or two to get you started on yours, whatever that might be?
Words
In 2017 I saw my words come to life in books, including:
one published to raise money for The Kids’ Cancer Project,
one that won an Australian Shadows Award,
one attempting to break a Guinness World Record,
one compiled by a Hugo-nominated journal, and
of course my very own solo debut: Towards White .
Readers got in touch with me about how much they identified with my characters and enjoyed my stories. Amazing! I’ll admit I encouraged this (and still do – send me your pics and post your reviews!) as hearing from readers is incredibly motivating for a writer.
Towards White was even immortalised in art! Can you spot its spine in this bookcase?
Teaching
I also taught, mentored or spoke to countless writers about stories and books in various courses and groups across the country: in Sydney’s Warringah, Dee Why, Forestville and Belrose, Mosman, Redfern, and Manly; in Canberra; and at the national awards for the Write-a-Book-in-a-Day challenge, where I co-won a writing award. I taught kids, adults and seniors, and found their passion for writing both timeless and insatiable.
Community
I examined how writers sign their books in a blog series that saw about thirty authors show us their handwriting. They were incredibly generous with their time.
I attended Supanova and Conflux, where I met with fans, readers and writers of speculative fiction. I spoke on writing panels about fairytales, writing across cultures, and crossover fiction.
Reflection
I reflected on my writing touchstone, science fiction and the future, what I wanted to be when I grew up, gave free tips to writers and kids, took a course myself in writing inclusive fiction, and was interviewed by:
Waking Writer
Australian Women Writers
Supernatural Underground
Life, Death and Iceland
More to come in the New Year too!
Resources
To finish off the year I wrote some free resources for readers to enjoy Towards White on a deeper level, including:
A set of discussion questions
An introduction to Mark’s thesis written by Becky Dales
A YouTube playlist offering a musical journey through character – Becky Dales at the novel’s start, through the story, to its end.
I hope these resources will inspire readers as I was inspired to put them together. They’re free to use over here.
Balance
Finally, I instigated a new way of working that gave me more balance. I wasn’t getting any new writing done at the start of 2017, as I was teaching a lot after hours and at weekends. Mid-way through the year, I became determined to make more time for writing – after all, it’s what I do best! The time slot I trialed was the first two hours after my kids went to school in the morning, after which I would then move on to client work (layouts, editing, mentoring, teaching and other creative support). It worked really well, so I hope to continue that into the New Year. I have so many stories to tell!
What about you – have you found better balance in your working day or something to give away to inspire others? Have you met any incredible people, generous with their time or insatiable with their passion?
More importantly, when you reflect on 2017, are you able to reflect on what you have achieved, rather than what you haven’t? Sometimes self-reflection can be more important than actually hitting the mark, he he…
December 14, 2017
On Dreaming Big AND Dreaming Small
Yay, we’re seeing Star Wars tonight!
We’re fans of the franchise, so my family and I often dress up for new releases.
In the past I’ve turned a long white summer dress inside-out to resemble Princess Leia and swirled my hair into buns. For The Force Awakens, my daughter dressed up as her favourite charcter, Han Solo (not the best choice as we were then to discover!).
This year, I wanted to wear a BB8 dress – BB8 being this cute robot:
There are some lovely BB8 dresses to buy online, though I debated the luxury of buying a dress for one night, they were pricey too.
In the end, I couldn’t justify the expense. Instead, I thought up alternatives, found some fabric locally, bought a metre of it and set about trying to make a skirt.
I’ve spent the last few nights stitching it together – I don’t have a sewing machine so it’s all been by hand. It’s not the best, it’s not what I initially envisioned, but it makes me feel star warsy, so it’ll do! I had some material left over and tried to make a top with it, but failed miserably, so settled for adding a BB8 cut-out onto a t-shirt and making a neck-tie:
This week, I also watched a video clip about the difficulties George Lucas faced while making the first Star Wars – not enough budget, things went wrong during filming (broken props, a storm, a car accident) and he had to find imperfect workarounds. When A New Hope first came out in cinemas it was only to 35 theatres. He had such big dreams, but had to start off small.
This felt familiar to me, and not just because of my BB8 skirt!
Writers often have to dream big in order to keep motivated, especially since the average wage of Australian authors is $12,900. I’ve often kept myself motivated by dreaming about the day I’d have my own book launch, seeing my book on the shelves, my name in print, readers actually reading my words, etc (yay, that all happened this year!). But there’s also something to be said for simply getting started, with something, somewhere, and moving forwards from there. Big dreams can keep you going, but it’s the small ones that get you started in the first place.
So today, and over the year ahead, I’m going to keep asking myself: is there something I can do right here, right now to get myself started on my next path – even something small? Is there something you could do too, to get you started on yours? It doesn’t have to be as big as your dreams, as long as it’s something.
I don’t have a BB8 dress to wear tonight, but at least I have a skirt! Yay!
