Writing Craft Blog

Though I am always working on ‘serious’ projects, I like to make time to write using a writing prompt at least once per week. Writing prompts allow me to experiment with new styles and to explore ideas that otherwise I may not have thought were worth putting on paper. These strange, varied creations generally appear here, as part of my writing portfolio.

I have mentioned before that I am one-part planner, one-part pantser; however, the planner part of me is definitely larger, particularly for major, ‘serious’ projects. Depending on whether my story is plot-driven or character-driven (or sometimes setting-driven), I might design characters, write lists, draw relationship webs, take photos of scenery, create timelines, or any combination of these.

The answer to the question ‘Are you published?’ used to be an easy one: you either were or you weren’t. Nowadays, with the internet providing so many publication avenues and with self-publication becoming a comparatively easy option for getting your work out there, grey areas are forming.

The Supanova pop culture expo is one of the major pop culture conventions we have here in Australia. This weekend, the Brisbane Supanova (or Brisnova as us Australian lovers-of-abbreviations like to call it) was held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. It was Supanova’s first year in this new location (having previously been held at the RNA Showgrounds) so there were plenty of hiccups with things like directing people and queuing. But, first time jitters aside, it was an excellent weekend, in close competition with the many other Supanova and OzComicCon experiences I have had.

Imagine you’re sitting in an English classroom, waiting for your teacher to arrive. Around you, students are mingling with one another. Behind you, a girl named Noun is standing on her chair. She’s practising her lines for the school play. She’s the subject, acting like a typical theatre kid.