Professional Writing and Editing 2009

Onwards to 2010

2010-03-09T15:07:00.001+11:00

Our 2009 blog is closed now, but if you're following us, we'd love to see you visit us in 2010. You can link to our new blog here.

Final Rotunda night

2009-11-09T14:17:00.003+11:00

Here's a reminder from Bruno about our final Rotunda event for this year:

Professional Writing and Editing (TAFE) presents

ROTUNDA in the WEST: Conversations with Australian Writers

Michael McGirr -“Lost Art of Sleep”
-“Things you get for free”
-“Bypass: The Story of a Road”
Enza Gandolfo -“Swimming” - recently launched at Melbourne Writers Festival by Helen
Garner and VU lecturer in Professional Writing and Editing
John Weldon -writer of “In Sunshine”(short piece) lecturer in Professional Writing(VU),
former CAE lecturer and much more

Thursday 12th November
6.30pm for 7pm start
@ Toniq BarBuilding M (level 0)
-drinks at bar prices
Footscray Park campus
Victoria University
Ballarat Road
Footscray
$10 or $5 concession (includes finger food)
PLUS MUSIC and SONGS

RSVP (Essential)

-Last Rotunda for 2009
William McInnes as promised will come in 2010

Wave back very soon per favore - let us know you’re coming and put on your dancing shoes http://groups.vu.edu.au/wws/arc/st.albans/2009-11/bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au 0422 29 86 43

Rotunda is proudly supported by
Office for Industry and Community Engagement
Office of Vocational Education

Another Rotunda event

2009-09-08T14:35:00.001+10:00

Here's a reminder from Bruno:

Dear Rotundians, dear lovers of books and beautiful language, dear chance visitors to Victoria’s, dear never-beens to Victoria’s (everybody welcome!!)

This is our last chance to gather there for..

An EVENING of

READINGS and MUSIC and delicious food and wine and heartening conversation
(and perhaps some dancing-who knows??)

Guest readers: Poet extraordinaire Kristin Henry
Local legend Barry Garner
“Westgate Sister” Margaret McCarthy
Plus music and songs
Light meal $20
Drinks available from bar

Wednesday 21st October
kicks off @6pm
Victoria’s Restaurant
Building 1
Sunbury Campus
Victoria University

We are strictly limited to 60 places. Please book early. We need exact bookings too

-per favore
RSVP (essential): bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au
0422 298 643
Please give me a wave to let us know message received! Grazie.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY PR0FESSIONAL WRITING AND EDITING (TAFE) @ VU

My Writing Process

2009-09-07T18:41:00.000+10:00

I have been writing since I was a small child, though back then most of my manuscripts never made it past the first chapter before I either got bored or had a burst of inspiration for another story. Cleaning out my desk a few months ago, I found about twenty different exercise books, in which I had scribbled out plots and character templates to use for a series of stories I was planning to write.
The matter is now humorous considering, ten or so years on, I am studying how to do that professionally. What seemed like years of mucking around and having fun, may in fact turn out to be what I do for a living one day. It goes to show that people can discover their calling even at so young an age.
Despite all those years, however—all of the high school English classes and a year and a half’s worth of studying professional writing, I find that my methods of creating a story haven’t changed that dramatically. I still write in exercise books and write out my ideas on post-it notes; I still draw inspiration from music, film, literature and art, and continue to plunge into a story that has not yet revealed itself to me.
I have always believed that characters make a story. If they are not strong or relatable enough, the story will not be as successful. This is why I tend to start with them.
I feel as though a writer must care for and treat their characters as though they are their own children. Of course, we all want to look after our characters, to protect them as we would our kids. But we also know that they have to make mistakes and run into trouble every now and then in order to survive and grow. It’s a harsh world and we cannot mollycoddle them forever. It has been a struggle to do so, but eventually I had to learn to just let go and let them experience that thing called life.
Once I feel I have a grasp on who my characters are, the rest kind of writes itself. Every other aspect of the story holds a smaller significance and I tend not to spend much time on those things. I choose whatever setting feels right for the characters or the storyline. Something I feel I know reasonably well and that speaks out to me. The rest, you can say, is history.
Lucky for the trees, I now have my own computer, so I don’t use as many exercise books as I did before. Though, I’ve still kept them all, hoping that one day I’ll finish one of them off.
They also serve as a security blanket and a reminder, on those days when I don’t feel as motivated or inspired, that this is what I have always wanted to do, and will hopefully continue to do for a great while longer.

Hayley Thom, novel student

Platform 4 calling for submissions

2009-09-01T14:00:00.002+10:00

In another email from Bruno. Contact me Tracey.Rolfe@vu.edu.au if you want me to forward the ideas list -- it's taken from a published book, which I don't have permission to post here...

Dear students, teachers, writers, support staff, counsellors, members of the western suburbs,

We are calling for new writing for Edition 4 of Platform due out in early term 4.

Platform comes out of the program of Youth, VCE and Community Education-within VU College, Victoria University

Everybody welcome to submit pieces and we will endeavour to give as many people a voice as possible.

Writing due: Friday 18th September

Platform is focused at the young student at VU...Platform is about
Age speaking to Youth
Youth to Age

Email your pieces to:
bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au

please find attached a list of ideas-but don’t be constrained by that at all...

keep writing!!!!!
Bruno Lettieri
on behalf of

Megan Green and Martina Michael

Another chance to workshop

2009-09-01T13:55:00.002+10:00

Want a fresh eye to look over some of your work. Here's an offer by the Higher Ed people, which all of you students are eligible to take up. Obviously the first few dates have passed, but this is in the current global email list, so there are probably spots in later dates...

Writing Central
VU General Writing Workshops for All Students and All Staff.
Up and Running Again for Semester two

This is a wonderful opportunity for all those who love writing or for those who keep their writing cards close to their chest.
Tuesday Aug 11 will be the first writing workshop for anybody at VU who would like their piece of writing read, workshopped, commented on, etc.
Any kind of writing is OK - poetry, short stories, writing assignments, hip hop/rap, lyrics, journalism, plays, early steps towards a novel ...
Anybody is welcome.
Even if all you have is a vague idea for a story.
All workshops will be held in an atmosphere of friendly support and advice.
The sessions are held at St Albans campus and will run for an hour. Bring your lunch, come when you can, sit and listen or contribute.

We can probably look at 4 pieces each workshop. If you have a piece you'd like feedback on send it through to me electronically for photocopying: michael.hyde@vu.edu.au . First in best dressed.
Feel free to pass on to your lists.

Workshop dates for this semester:

Tuesday Aug 11 Room 4C337 12 to 1pm
Monday Aug 31 Room 4C337 1 to 2pm
Tuesday Sept 15 Room 4C337 12 to 1pm
Tuesday Oct 6 Room 4C337 12 to 1pm
Tuesday Oct 20 Room 4C337 12 to 1pm

Next Rotunda event (after tonight!)

2009-09-01T13:24:00.003+10:00

And news of the next Rotunda event, which will be back in the Toniq Bar...

Just when you thought we'd never be back at the Toniq Bar @ Footscray Park and see that river and that racetrack and those open sports fields.
Just when you thought
Don Watson was only on Bruno's wish list and would never materialise.

Just when you were despairing that public language would never find its vitality and vibrancy and poetry.

Just when you thought music and conversation and wine and camaraderie couldn't all meet in the same space

Rotunda in the West: Conversations with Australian Writers
brought to you by

Professional Writing and Editing (TAFE)

presents

Don Watson,
"American Journeys"
"Recollections of a Bleeding Heart"
"On Indignation"
"Death Sentence-The Decay of Public Language"

Thursday, 17th September 2009
6.30pm for 7pm start

Venue: TONIQ BAR (drinks at bar prices)
Building M (level 0)
Footscray Park campus
Victoria University
Ballarat Road
Footscray

$10 or $5 (concession)

RSVP essential: bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au
0422 29 86 43

Please wave back and tell us you, your friends, your students are coming.
Grazie mille!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rotunda in the West is proudly supported by Office for Industry and Community Engagement
and Office for Vocational Education

Rotunda tonight!

2009-09-01T13:20:00.004+10:00

Here's the latest news from Bruno:

Rotunda in the West: Conversations with Australian Writers

in the spirit of community engagement

opens

Brimbank Literary Festival
@ Australian Technical College, Sunshine

A three way PARTNERSHIP between VU, Brimbank Literary Festival and ATC Sunshine

6.30pm
Tuesday 1st September
free event
Venue: ATC Sunshine
76 Suffolk Rd
Sunshine
(wine and finger food served)

Special Guests:

Hannie Rayson (playwright, columnist)
in conversation with

Michael Cathcart (historian, broadcaster)

Please wave back and indicate your interest...open to all.
Just a five minute drive from Rotunda's traditional home.
Please pass on this invitation.

Grazie mille
Bruno Lettieri
0422 29 86 43

bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au

Rotunda in the West is hosted by Professional Writing and Editing (TAFE) @ VU
and
Supported generously by: Office for Industry and Community Engagement
Office of Vocational Education

My writing process: A metaphorical musing

2009-08-25T00:37:00.003+10:00

Once upon a time, I approached writing in the way a builder approaches a satellite dish. Writing was the high point I was working towards, but there always seemed to be something more important to do first. I had foundations to lay, walls to build and all sorts of other things that needed to be in place before I had somewhere to install my dish.

After many years of construction, I bolted the satellite dish to my roof, positioned myself in front of the screen and waited for the stories to come beaming in. I realised then that I wasn’t just receiving Channel Write. I’d subscribed to an entire catalogue of entertainment, from blogging and online newspapers to movie reviews and Minesweeper, which tempted me into channel-surfing when reception from Channel Write faltered. Which, to my dismay, it often did.

Like many writers, I’d have some days when the signal was clear and flawless. It was as though words were beamed straight onto the screen from a dazzling distant satellite. Productive though those days were, they were rare and presented a standard against which ordinary days just couldn’t compete. On days when the reception was weak, I’d decide I just “wasn’t inspired” and tune in to something else.

It took years of not enough progress before I concluded that I needed to hire a team of electricians. I hunted around for recommendations, and decided that PWE were the people for the job. Once I had teachers clambering around my roof with tools like deadlines, marks and fellow students, my reception improved dramatically.

Alas, just when my dish was adjusted just right, the entire satellite was knocked off course by Comet Baby. These days, I can only tune in to Channel Write when he’s taken out of orbit, either by another carer or by sleep, something he only does for longer than 45 minute intervals at night.

Complicated Foxtel metaphors aside, a lifetime of procrastination has yielded a few thoughts for writers with self-discipline issues. These are:

1. When inspiration does strike, run with it as far as you can. When it doesn’t, make yourself write anyway.

2. Give yourself permission to write badly. If your scene isn’t working, don’t stop: sling something dodgy together and fix it later.

3. If you know what’s going to happen but can’t bring yourself to write the actual chapter, dot point your way to scenes you *can* write. Writing a scene that works usually helps you see how to write the scenes before it.

4. Don’t kid yourself that your genius needs no writing course! Writing courses can be very helpful for honing your craft and making you write, especially if you’re the sort of person who thrives on structure and deadlines.

I’d best be off to tend to the Comet now. Not sure if the above constitutes a discussion of my writing process, exactly, but hey – if I’m told it’s not appropriate I can always file it under item 2 and whip up something else.

Fiona.

Details of the next Rotunda event

2009-08-18T21:54:00.001+10:00

Fresh in from Bruno:

Rotunda in the West: Conversations with Australian Writers

in the spirit of community engagement

opens

Brimbank Literary Festival
@ Australian Technical College, Sunshine

A three way PARTNERSHIP between VU, Brimbank Literary Festival and ATC Sunshine

6.30pm
Tuesday 1st September
free event
Venue: ATC Sunshine
76 Suffolk Rd
Sunshine
(wine and finger food served)

Special Guests:

Hannie Rayson (playwright, columnist)
in conversation with

Michael Cathcart (historian, broadcaster)

MUSIC AND SONGS: LISA BARTELS and NAOMI EVANS

Please wave back and indicate your interest...open to all.
Just a five minute drive from Rotunda's traditional home.
Please pass on this invitation.

Grazie mille
Bruno Lettieri
0422 29 86 43

bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au

Rotunda in the West is hosted by Professional Writing and Editing (TAFE) @ VU
and
Supported generously by: Office of Community Engagement
Office of Vocational Education

PWE book

2009-08-06T11:30:00.002+10:00

Don't forget to submit something for the annual PWE book. This year's theme is fire and flood. Anything's welcome on these themes, so if you have a short story, poetry, script, novel extract that you want considered, we suggest you show it to one of your teachers first to get some feedback, then submit it to Susanna ASAP!

SEED is on the hunt for submissions

2009-08-06T11:18:00.003+10:00

This is just in from the Seed editors. Note that as well as offering publishing opportunities, there's a chance to put your hand up to grab some editing or proofreading experience! All three editors are past PWE students, so they know the type of experience you're like to have, so why not go for it? Help them out and help yourselves establish a track record at the same time.

Attention all VU Writers and Artists!

We want to publish your work, opinions, thoughts and ideas!

This is just in from the Seed editors. Note that as well as offering publishing opportunities, there's a chance to put your hand up to grab some editing or proofreading experience! All three editors are past PWE students, so they know the type of experience you're like to have, so why not go for it?

We are now taking submissions for Issue Four (Deadlines: articles/artwork – September 4^th; advertisements – September 6^th). The theme is CENSORSHIP & the UNDERGROUND.Censorship comes in many forms. There's self-censoring, censoring of children, billboard censorship, government policies censoring our media intake, military powerbrokers censoring what is reported to us—the general public. The underground: pretty straight forward in relation, so interpret however you will—go wild. Sends us your submissions, and do so uncensored. You can choose any topic, touch on any subject: just try to relate it (however remotely) back to the theme.

Submit your essays, reviews, fiction/non-fiction pieces, poetry, artwork, etc to: seedmag@hotmail.com

Guidelines are as follows:

Articles

Format: Times New Roman, 12pt, single space

Article word count: 1500 words (flexible for essays)

Reviews, Letters and Opinions word count: between 200-250 words

Any picture you wish to submit with articles will be considered, and should conform to the requirements below:

Artwork

High resolution digital photo or scan minimum of 300 dpi

.TIFF and .JPG file format

File title to include a brief description of work

Submissions

All email submissions must have a title and author name in the subject field. In addition, title, author name and contact details must be included in any article, review, poem or artwork.

Writers/illustrators will be notified via email as to whether or not their work has been selected for publication. Submissions will be edited and you may be contacted by an editor throughout the process.

A Few Sections to Poke your Pen at (hopefully regular)

· Letters and Opinions: respond to previously published work, comment on a current issue, or just have a good whinge about something (not a waxing rant though—about 200 words).

· Around Uni: Write about VU—events, services, faculties, internship programs, history, anything.

· Student Successes: know anyone whose taken off from the VU launch pad? Interview them—let us all know what they’re up to and how they got there.

· Reviews: give us your take on a record, book, live performance, festival, venue, sporting event, etc. You can either snatch the material we tee up (email your interest—first in best dressed) or bring your own gear to the party.

The following books are available to review from SEED:

Adam Creed – Suffer the Children

Julie Myerson – The Lost Child

Carlos Ruiz Zafón – The Shadow of the Wind

Anne Michaels – The Winter Vault

Glenn Cooper – Library of the Dead

Gail Jones – Black Mirror

Jason Goodwin – The Bellini Card

Contact the SEED email to express your interest in reviewing one of these titles.

Act Now

SEED avidly seeks contributions from areas across all VU faculties: Arts, Education and Human Development; Business and Law; Health, Engineering and Science.

If you would like to get your hand into a bit of editing/proofreading, SEED is now also looking for volunteers who would like to become involved in the production of SEED.

For any and all enquires, suggestions, questions and submission pitches, please contact us at seedmag@hotmail.com

We look forward to working with you.

Cheers,

SEED Team

Maria Matina Brewster Hipik Matty Buschmann

Managing Editor Editor Editor

Fresh in from Bruno

2009-07-21T21:46:00.002+10:00

Professional Writing and Editing (TAFE) @ Victoria University
Presents

Rotunda in the West: Conversations with Australian Writers
goes to

August Arts =Wyndham Arts Month

Helen Garner :

an afternoon

RETROSPECTIVE
(The Spare Room, Joe Cinque’s Consolation, Cosmo Cosmolino and more)

Plus

Quarter Hour Taster sessions in CREATIVE WRITING (poetry, short short story, non-fiction, life writing)

Saturday 15th August
2pm start for free taster sessions (4 sessions on a speedy rotation)
musical interlude
3.30pm Helen Garner readings

Wyndham Civic Centre
45 Princes Hwy
Werribee (Melways 206 B7)

Free Event

Guests are asked to bring along some wine or soft drinks or a plate for the communal refreshments table

A collaboration between Wyndham Arts and Cultural Development and Rotunda in the West

RSVP (essential): bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au
0422 29 86 43

Please let us know you are coming
Please circulate among friends and fellow students and writers
Wave back and tell us you’re coming.

Grazie!!

Bruno Lettieri

Ps-Look out for Hannie Rayson, Michael Cathcart, Don Watson, William McInnes, Sarah Watt @ Rotunda in the West

Poetry compilation from Rob's Poetry 1 class

2009-07-14T16:54:00.002+10:00

Food for thought

Pizza

Your light is like a pizza
It fills the pan and tastes like love
has been baked deep dish into the very crusts
I want to cut it up and share it with the rest of my friends
And I want to save some for the hungry days without hope
The uninspired, tasteless days where nothing is good
Or the crazy flavoured days
where the mix should be tossed out and tried again or given up
burnt pan, cold stove,
I want to melt in the warmth of your deliciousness and fold
generous portions in half and savour each bite
yet gorge myself ‘til I’m sick with you and
still lick up every last crumb.

Tarryn

Chocolate

Chocolate makes you feel sick
It rots your teeth, gives you ulcers
It melts into your clothes
It’s brown and disgusting
360 degrees fat.

Chocolate ate all your homework
It changed the score on your test
It killed your best friend
And when they came to arrest you
No one suspected.

Chocolate is evil
It will betray you
When you need it, it’s not there
It will break your heart and make your head spin
It will contaminate you.

Chocolate sank the Titanic
It started World War 1
It rigged the election
It spat in your face
It didn’t care when you cried.

Chocolate is a drug
It’s a crime wave, a mob boss
There’s no going back
You can’t help it
There’s never enough.

Robert

A Gourmet’s Delight

Mamma Mia an abundance of choice
Spaghetti, Ravioli, lasagne
Hot from the pan
Delicious and yummy
Filled with cheese
Layered with meat
Oozing with flavour
Spinach and ricotta
Tortellini if you please
No wait a minute, maybe
Macaroni and cheese.

My favourite dish
when I was a kid
Spaghetti and meatballs
piled high on my plate
Swirled around and around
On my fork,
Strands sucked in till
It hurts my cheeks
Dripping with sauce
Rolls down my chin
Play catch the meatballs
If you can.

Antonia

Cake
Cake is the Food
that everyone loves.

Cake is the Wedding,
the love, the dancing,
the icing.
The way to celebrate forever.

Cake is the Pan
on a cold winter’s morning,
smothered in butter,
strawberries and syrup.

Cake is the Fairy
that sprinkles its sugar
like dust across
eager fingers.

Cake is the Devil’s Food
that grows in Eden.
It’s forbidden, delicious
and tempting with every bite.

Cake is the Mud
spread across your face.
When you’re a child
everything brown is suspicious.

Cake is the Birthday
the presents and candles,
that represent
a passing year.

Cake is the Sponge
that soaks up the sadness,
bathes you in happiness.
Washes your worries away.

Chris

Death By CheeseCake

Soft
Creamy
Luscious
Decadent
I swallow
Spoonfuls
My eyes closed
Guilty
Enjoying the sin
I mourn
the calories
that will forever
blossom across my
ever-expanding hips
I grieve
loss of discipline
hours wasted in the gym
in just one mouthful
Finally when the last crumb
is laid to rest
On my tombstone
will be written
DEATH BY CHEESECAKE.

Antonia

Liquorice Allsorts

Liquorice Allsorts
are what they were called
Soft and sweet
a taste to behold.
Yellow and green
pressed between black
a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
A sugar attack.
Long sleepless nights
spent in awe of their taste
Where they hung in darkness
Full of soft sugar paste.

John

Cheese

The Cheese is not old;
it’s not mouldy anymore.
It no longer smells;
there is no offensive odour.

It no longer makes you
sick to your stomach.
No
it’s like Brie cheese;
A treat before dinner.
It’s turned into the
cheesy goodness
of a perfectly made sandwich
satisfying and fulfilling
like Christmas lunch.

But it is more than food
more than the fulfilment
of cheese and wine.
It’s a daily intake
of necessity
in my bones.

I could never turn vegan.

Judith

Eat this Poem

Overwhelmed with
choices.

The variety
freezes
hunger!

“If you don’t eat something you will die.”

But I can’t decide
what to eat!

“Just take from this fruit bowl for
‘yes to food is yes to life’.”

So
I
suck suck. suck that orange
swig swig. swig my champagne
swimming up through my nose and around my head

cut cut. cut the camembert
taste taste. taste the meat sauce
Dangle the olives still attached to the vine

try try. the Cajun trevally
sip sip. at the curry laksa
hot to kill any lurgy, taste buds at the fore

Now
I
swallow swallow the apple and guava juice –
Bite bite the papaya –
See see those northern lights –
Ride ride that motorbike –
So much to eat!

And if I see a vague customer I’ll shout at them to:
Eat the moment.
Eat the song.
Eat the book.
Eat the world
Eat the feeling.
Eat the person.
Eat the menu.
Eat this poem.

Melita

Layered biscuit dessert

Layered biscuit dessert
Unforgettable like yesterday
Mysterious like tomorrow
Like life, has three layers
Childhood, youth and adulthood.
Each stage is carefully layered

Layered biscuit dessert
Biscuits come first
Representing childhood
Sour cream next
representing mistakes
Thick custard last
representing consequences.

Layered biscuit dessert
Be careful with each stage
Once it’s done, it cannot be undone
Once a mistake is done it cannot be undone.

Control each stage.
Plan each move.
Perfect each layer.

Huda

Recipe for Poetry Class
Start with a tablespoon of Steph
to add decency
As well as a dash of Antoinette
to add loveliness.

Followed by a half a cup of Christine
to add simplicity
And a pound of John
to add wisdom.

Next add a litre of Judith
to sweeten things up
And a pinch of Mel
to add liveliness.

Mix in a teaspoon of Sarah
to make things sincere
Add a handful of Tai
to add romance.

Splash in some Antonia
to add generosity
as well as three drops of Andrew
to add life experience.

Plus half a loaf of Melita
to add quirkiness
and two cups of Tommy
to turn the mixture honest.

Add in seven grams of Austin
which will make things unique
and a touch of Huda
for wittiness.

Sprinkle in some Tarryn
to inspire
and five mills of Elyse
to add grace.

And last of all
add in an ounce of Rob
to make everything
extraordinary.

Bake in an oven with love
kindness and friendship.
And please
handle with care.

Elyse

My Writing Process

2009-06-11T17:18:00.000+10:00

A blank screen: I stare at that a lot. I know it as well as the back of my hand (I stare at that too). So much, so, that I’ve even named it…Blanky, Oh, when Blanky shows up I feel like throwing myself down a flight of stairs. Luckily for me, our house has no stairs. Instead, I scream out vulgar phrases at the screen, being typing, stop, delete everything (I don’t get far, maybe a sentence) I’ve just written, then go back to screaming. It’s a tedious routine.

And this only happens when I’m writing the one, the novel I’ve been pouring my heart and soul into (evil, soul-sucking novel, ggrr!). For this novel, (titled: Bloodstone), I can’t write a chapter unless I know EVERYTHING: from an insignificant butt scratch, to the bloodiest gun battle. I need to know, because if I don’t know, it doesn’t feel right. When it doesn’t feel right, I dump it into my draft folder and let it rot there for all eternity. Yes, I probably should see some counseling…after I write this damn thing!

So, my writing process? PLANNING, lots and lots of planning. Some say that too much planning takes away the ‘magic’, and so, you don’t want to write it anymore. I hope I’m not the only one, but it’s different for me. I don’t ever come across such feelings. I get a lot of joy from planning, a lot of inspirational thoughts, moments, etc. And then, when it’s a great idea, I’m hyped and ready to write. If I don’t plan, I feel like I’m stumbling around in the dark, looking for the light-switch.

And whenever I’m in doubt, I run to Jess and Marie. THANK GOD FOR JESS AND MARIE! Feedback can open your eyes to an undiscovered route.

So there, my not-so-amazing writing process.

By, JJ :)

My Writing Process

2009-06-08T16:51:00.002+10:00

I was never really a planner when it came to writing. I used to have an idea and just roll with it. But one day that bright little light bulb went off in my head and there it was. The characters, the storyline, everything and I knew that it was definitely going to be my biggest challenge yet. So my writing process had a major makeover and I was left with something completely different.

My characters are probably the most important things for me so naturally they come first. I want to know who they are in their everyday lives and that’s where profiles come in. I get to know my characters as best I can. I’m not too bothered with every little detail because the small things, and even sometimes the really big things, tend to reveal themselves later on down the track or even change from time to time.

The next step is setting. Where is this big adventure going to happen? This part of the planning, I have to admit, I don’t go into a huge amount of detail. I get the basic information I’ll need and go from there. I write urban fantasy so I tend to reshape and play around with my information anyway.

Now it’s time for the plot. What’s going to happen? Who’s doing what? You know the drill. I love this part. I get to put my main characters in scenes and come up with amazing things for them to be a part of. I like to use cards for this part. I first start small, so by small I mean chapters. I plan them out and each chapter goes on a different card. Once that’s done I dig a little deeper and plan out each scene in each of those chapters. I have a special wall in my room where these cards live, where I can change them and move them around. It is forever changing but I like that. I’m always having new ideas and I’m really happy with what I’ve got right now.

Now it’s time to get my hands dirty and start writing! I have to confess that I don’t write everyday. But on those days I don’t write, my mind never stops churning out ideas or finding out something new one of my characters that I never knew before. This is also the part where Marie and JJ come in. I would be lost without these two girls. They have been beside me from the start and know everything there is to know about my novel and my characters. I run to them when I’ve hit my brick walls. But even though they know the ins and outs of the world I’ve created, they are separate from it as well. They can look at the situation objectively and that is the best thing sometimes. Having people to bounce ideas off can be a great asset to any writer and is something I highly recommend.

My best writing happens in the afternoon and at night. After my family is asleep, I am free to let my mind wonder without any interruptions. During the afternoon I love to write with a cup of hot chocolate beside me, a big bag of chocolate chip cookies and background music. The music is always something instrumental that matches with the scene I’m currently working on. I think it helps to create the mood and get you in the right fame of mind. One of the best feelings is when you’re on a roll, when the words are spilling out and your fingers can’t hit those computer keys fast enough.

Writing is a huge part of my live and I love nothing more than creating a world where anything can happen. Where I can be anyone I want to be and I can escape the drama and complications of life. For me, writing is freedom. And weather my writing career takes off or it’s destined to be nothing more then a hobby, I don’t see myself giving up my freedom any time soon.

Jessica

My Writing Process

2009-05-12T21:25:00.003+10:00

Well it definitely isn’t structured. I don’t have a particular time that I write every day. I know when I don’t sit at the computer; that’s when the sun is out and it is a glorious day. Off I go to the beach or Melissa’s in Altona. Sitting outside with a pot of green tea and a spanacopita gets the creative juices flowing for me. I scribble away in a notebook on my current project. It is also a great place for observing people and getting ideas for characters.

But, alas, I must get down to writing at some point. Rainy days and early evenings are good for me. I suppose I work on plot, story line, character development and increasing tension, but I think a lot of that happens in my head when I let the characters take over. I enjoy a good yarn and hopefully that’s what I write. Writing should be fun and not a chore; so I don’t get too serious about it. There are other things in my life that are more important, like remembering to take my medication and not leaving the house in my pyjamas!

You can find me tapping away at the keyboard when there are dishes to be done, floors to be vacuumed or it is one of those “ We need to talk” times. I get a pained expression on my face and mutter, “Not now, I’m on a roll.”

I hope that helps.

Hugh Deacon

I have a writing process?

2009-05-11T21:55:00.006+10:00

I'd like to say that I always write at a particular time of day or I do x amount of planning before strapping myself into the chair and churning out a few thousand words of gold each and every afternoon, but unfortunately, it would all be lies. Horrible, horrible lies!

In reality, I write either just before a deadline or during a sudden surge of creativity, which only seems to come on when I'm supposed to be someplace else.

I do plan a bit, so, when one of these bouts of creativity comes on, I've got an idea of what it is I need to be writing about.

I have lists of things stuck up all over my study, prompting me to start such and such or read this, research that. It's pathetic really, but keeps me aware of what needs to be done.

Personal wellbeing is also a major factor in my writing process. If I've been out doing the whole social thing, I don't even bother sitting at the computer until I can get the cobwebs cleared out. This can be a day, maybe two, three after the really big occasions (birthday bashes, social gatherings, Friday nights, Saturday nights, Sundays afternoons etc.).

All joking aside, I've really put a focus on setting little goals this year. If I put something on a list, I want it to be crossed off by the end of the week. The deadline idea is something that really works for me and the added pressure forces me to get off my duff and actually do something.

I've just realised I have used the words 'I' and 'my' enough times to rival a Dermott Brereton newspaper article, so it is best I put an end to this drivel and sum up.

Make lists. Give yourself deadlines. Ditch your friends and family. Give TV the arse. These are my lesson unto you, use them wisely.

John King

Williamstown Literary Festival

2009-05-09T17:27:00.005+10:00

Writers write stories. But how do we know if our stories are good?

One way of knowing is entering our work in competitions. The Ada Cambridge Prize is run as part of the Willy Lit Fest and the Novel 2 class of VU was asked to help shortlist the short stories. As a reward the volunteers received a free ticket to the festival.

The 6th Willy Lit Fest was held on the 1st to the 3rd of May 2009. It is a fantastic opportunity for writers of all ages to find out if their stories are good.

Some writers like to plan before they begin their story. From Lucia Nardo I learnt a funky and fun way to produce a writing plan in visual form using magazine images.

Then you have to write the story. From Garry Disher I learnt how to start my story. Disher gave many examples of where to get ideas and begin writing. One important thing Disher noted was he believes in writing for yourself and not for publication.

Once your story is written and you think it is pretty good, you might send it out to a publisher. And if they think it is pretty good it gets published. Part of the publishing process is working with an editor. Sarah Brennan and Tess Moloney explained why the editing process is vital and how an editor can help you publish your work.

Once the story is published it's all about promotion. Claire Saxby, Corinne Fenton and Glenda Millard discussed how the book promotion process works and the difference between showing off and promotion.

So I guess, if you have a good idea for a story and finish writing it, it must be good. If the story is published, it must be great. It you promote it, without showing off, and people buy it and read it, it must be excellent. And if you want to know more about writing good stories attend the 7th Willy Lit Fest in 2010.

Rhiannon Lacy

Chris Baty on NaNoWriMo

2009-05-09T00:31:00.002+10:00

National Novel Writing Month

50,000 words in 30 days.

Chris impressed me with the manner in which he shared his NaNoWriMo experiences. He was honest and outlined many of the problems writers face, such as procrastination, lack of self confidence, and commitment to write daily. Chris suggested we look on writing as an enjoyable thing to do, not as a chore, and it’s okay to write crap with no editing until the end of the manuscript.

Writing a novel in a month gives you focus. All you need to do is commit to write nearly 1,700 words every day, during the month of November. Last year 119,000 people from 90 countries accepted the challenge and 21,000 of these completed a 50,000 word novel.

A miraculous thing happens to people when they are given a deadline and write daily. You only need to read the last couple of paragraphs from the previous day before starting again. And you do not need to do any editing in the first draft. This can help you get over the idea that novel writing is a scary thing and, knowing that no one will read your completed manuscript, helps relieve the pressure of what you write.

Everyday people who give themselves permission to write them write novels. Don’t think you can’t write a novel in 30 days. There will be some really good parts, there will be wonderful passages of language, and there will be parts of your novel that you do not remember writing. Your novel will also be crap in parts. It is important to get the first draft down on paper. The second draft is where the novel is born and you start to see it emerge. You can turn a bad first draft into a great novel, but you cannot turn anything from a blank page into a novel.

Lynette Stevens

Next Rotunda is filling fast

2009-05-08T00:03:00.007+10:00

And this is just in from Bruno. Make sure you contact him if you're interested! And, students, please do consider going. I know some of you didn't bother last time because you'd heard it was full, but there is always some space reserved for our students!

Professional Writing and Editing (TAFE)

Victoria University

presents

Rotunda in the West: Conversations with Australian Writers

{OPEN TO STUDENTS, FRIENDS, FAMILY,RESIDENTS-Please feel free to spread the word among your colleagues and friends}

cartoonist, poet, essayist

Michael Leunig

in conversation with Paul Bateman (State Library of Victoria) and Bruno Lettieri (VU teacher)

Thursday 4th June,2009

6.30pm for 7pm start-please come early, settle yourself in

Venue: Toniq Bar (drinks at bar prices)

Building M Level 0

Footscray PARK campus

Victoria University

Ballarat Road

Footscray

$10 or $5 (concession)

RSVP-Bruno Lettieri

bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au

0422 29 86 43

RSVP Essential

Don't delay - wave back and let us know you are receiving our good news

Our Rotunda conversations are proudly sponsored by Office of Industry and Community Engagement and Office of Vocational Education

Enquiries about Creative Writing and Professional Writing and Editing-

Susanna.Bryceson@vu.edu.au Tel: 9919 2904

Emerging Writers' Festival looking for volunteers

2009-05-07T23:52:00.005+10:00

Teresa Buchanan, one of our students, has passed on the Emerging Writers' Festival newsletter, and the festival committee are looking for volunteers. I've posted the email below (without a few bits like the unsubscribe directions). They have asked for this email to be passed on, so I hope they won't mind my sharing it here. Even if you can't volunteer, you might consider going. You can follow the link to their homepage to have a look at the program. The email link won't work in Blogger, so I've pasted it in.

Tracey

The Emerging Writers' Festival News

Volunteer for the 2009 Emerging Writers' Festival!
It’s just over two weeks until the Emerging Writers’ Festival kicks off and we're now looking for volunteers to support festival events.

Volunteers are needed to help out with a range of panel events, forums, room hosting, and to staff the information desk during the Melbourne Town Hall program on the weekend of the 30th and 31st of May.

All volunteers will receive passes to Melbourne Town Hall program, an invite to The First Word opening night event on 22nd May, and get to experience working on one of the most important events in the literary arts calendar! You can check out the program for full details online now

Volunteers will need to commit to at least one day over the weekend, and a briefing session on Tuesday May 19th at 6 pm at Arts House Meat Market in North Melbourne. We’ll also need your help that evening to help us stuff our famous Showbags.

Expressions of interest close Thursday 14th May.

Please email the Volunteer Coordinator Jodie Kinnersley [info@emergingwritersfestival.org.au] with your name, contact number, and the following details:

Availability for the Volunteer Briefing (Tuesday 19th May)
Availability over the Town Hall weekend (Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st May)
If you have volunteered for the Emerging Writers’ Festival before.

We are also looking for two volunteers to help out with The Page Parlour, our undiscovered press and (maga)zine event at Federation Square on Sunday 31st of May. If you’re interested in this, please let us know.

The 2009 Emerging Writers’ Festival will be held from 22nd to the 31 May at the Melbourne Town Hall, State Library of Victoria, City Library, Federation Square and the Empress Hotel in Fitzroy North.

Our mailing address is:

Emerging Writers' Festival

P.O. Box 21251 Little Lonsdale Street

Melbourne, Victoria 8011

More from our poets!

2009-05-07T10:27:00.007+10:00

Rob Corbet has forwarded some more poetry from our Poetry 1 students. Once again, sorry about the double spacing, which isn't in the originals...

Tracey

Little Lunch

Children’s laughter

Big front teeth

Swings and slides, bark flies

Running, confused and happy

Coloured balloons and merry go rounds

Playing kiss chasey, hide and seek

Shivneel, I love you!

Aeroplanes

Touch hair softly back from your face

Make me feel closer to you

Warm, fuzzy socks, soft blankets and snuggling

By the open fire on winter days

Bright eyes, hot lips, warm hands, trembling

Waiting

Red heart, red blood, chocolate kisses

Melted by tears and broken glass

Heart bursting

Dark clouds of disbelief

When you and I used to hug

Having felt cold ever since

I turn away from the old couple

Hand in hand

On a park bench

Time

The gold watch my mother gave to me

Roman numerals worn by the passing hand

An empty clock face and spilling sand

The clocks at Flinders Street Station

Needles moving quickly

Waiting, hurry up, hassle, worry

Grasping opportunity before it’s too late

Stressed out, busy streets, deadlines

People wearing black amidst chaos

Rush of life is constant.

It’s never enough. Are you enough?

Truth

Cold hands, cold heart, hot tears

He was a good man

A coffin being lowered

Life reduced to dust

Emptiness

A silence surrounds him.

All that’s left now

Final loving words on a gravestone.

A perfect world

White clouds spread across an open sky

Colourful flowers, a dove flying

Soft sunrise, a gentle rain.

From different backgrounds

Children playing, happiness

Friends that love each other

Together.

A hiss of steam, then I’m off.

by Tommy, Tarryn, Stephanie, Rhys, Melissa, Meady, Judith, John B, Elyse, Christine, Austin, Antonia, Antonette, Huda, Melita, Sarah C, Tomas V

Annie on Fiction Elements

2009-05-06T10:43:00.003+10:00

Hi. Annie Taylor speaking.

I started off this year doing Fiction Elements online thinking I was taking the easy option by being able to do it from home. I was enjoying the work but I found I was just managing to keep up with it all as I am doing two other subjects in the classroom. I also have two primary school aged children and a partner with his own business that I do the books for. I haven't studied for almost twenty years and when assignments were due as well my head started to spin badly. We were all feeling the squeeze.

Maybe I'm too conscientious or my typing is too slow or I'm just too new to all this but I found having to read everyone's writing, on top of all the course work, incredibly time consuming and frustrating. I was determined not to drop out but there were no places left in Robert's Fiction Elements in the classroom in first term. Then, at the start of second term, my new friends at school told me students had dropped out of the class and (hallelujah) Susanna, Tracey and Robert let me transfer. Fortunately for me the two classes were almost perfectly synchronised and I am now taking great delight in participating directly with the class in real-time.

Sorry for dipping out, gang, but I am so relieved. I know I'm lucky to be in a position to be able to attend classes on campus so I will take full advantage of that from now on. Farewell and good luck to my fellow onliners.

Annie

Chris Baty, the Willy Lit festival and student successes

2009-05-05T16:35:00.010+10:00

Hugh Deacon, Lucia Nardo and Denise Hughes

at the after-celebrations of the Williamstown Literary Soiree

(where the Ada Cambridge Awards were announced)

Well, it's been frantically busy in PWE this last week. We had the fantastic Chris Baty, originator of NaNoWriMo -- Mr Motivator, I reckon he should be called -- in to speak to a combined Story Structure and Novel 2 class, and then the Willy Lit Festival. I feel as if I'm coming off the Melbourne Writers' Festival or a good speculative fiction convention -- wanting to sit down and write, write, write. I hope you're all feeling the same!

Watch this space for student reviews of the different events...

Congratulations to our students who did well at the Lit Fest: Lucia Nardo and Hugh Deacon for being shortlisted in the Ada Cambridge, and Lucia for winning a commendation, and Denise Hughes for being shortlisted in the Seagulls Poetry Prize. Hugh, Denise and Marlene Gorman also all gave spirited readings in the People's Choice Awards for Fiction, and Megan Green and Louise Crossley read in the People's Choice Awards for Poetry. (I didn't hear their readings so can't comment on them, but did hear Denise, Marlene and Hugh! Well done, all of you, for participating.) Margaret McCarthy, one of our teachers, actually won the poetry section, so congratulations to her.

I also believe Lucia Nardo led a fantastic session on working out who you are as a writer. Students who attended this workshop were raving about it -- and I know it would've been great because we had Lucia do a session for us PWE teachers earlier this year. Lots of fun and insightful, and we have the colourful result pasted to the office wall (just in case you've wandered through and wondered what that collage is.)

Happy writing, everyone!

Tracey Rolfe

Hello from Heidi

2009-05-01T00:32:00.001+10:00

I hope this is going to end up in the right place. This is the first time I have blogged anything (seriously).

I am thoroughly enjoying the fiction elements online course. I have studied online before, and really enjoy the flexibility. Study would not be an option for me, if I couldn't do it at my own pace and at home. The fiction elements course has a lot more interaction than any previous course that I have done online. I really enjoy the opportunity to read other people's writing, and the comments that people make about each other's writing. It has opened my eyes to a whole new writing world out there. The interaction does increase the workload, but I am happy for that pressure as I learn to make room for writing in my life. I will get help from Tracey or George on how to get a photo uploaded if you really need to see what I look like.

Cheers from Hong Kong.

Heidi

Poetry 1 comes online

2009-04-30T12:14:00.008+10:00

The Poetry 1 class, under Rob's excellent guidance, have been writing a few group poems, and here's one they wrote in the beginning of April.

(Sorry about the double spacing -- the original wasn't spaced like this, and I don't have hours to pull the individual codes out of every line, which seems to be the only way to fix it!)

Tracey

A is for Alphabet

Announcing an archive

arriving ahead

an articulate attempt

at asking and answering

an awesome amount

about anything:

Art and artifice

abstract arguments

agreeable antics accepted

at any age

as anonymous authors

anxiously anticipate

automatic applause.

B is for Birthday

Birthdays come and go,

born a baby one day,

with child-like anticipation,

birthdays bring surprises,

presents,

an excuse for celebration

with long lost friends and family.

A flag to mark the milestones.

Reassurance.

You’ve not been forgotten.

C is for Congratulations

Congratulations on your achievement.

On your engagement, wedding

even your divorce,

because I’ll always be there with you.

D is for Diversity

Domineering, demonstrating, dominating

Dear diary, dear me

How do I decide what to do?

Do I dare to care? Do I dare to dream?

Do I decide independently?

Or do I seek deliverance?

Diabolical as the devil

I draw a diagram

Dedicated to destruction and depression

My destiny is to destroy

Destroy this ‘D’ poem.

E is for Elope

She thought she was happy with him

and he loved her more than anyone could.

It was just that

no one approved of their love.

They were going to elope

become two souls as one.

And that day she left him

standing at the altar.

He was left devastated

and uncertain.

She was not in love with him

anymore.

F is for fantasy

Fantasise what’s inside

fear no boundary

face reality

focus closely

forbid rejection

fly up high.

Fantasise what’s inside.

G is for Genius

Accomplishments I have many

Brain power times a million

Creativity is my middle name

Expertise in every field

Flair I do it all in style

Imagination beyond belief

Inventiveness I am original

Mature beyond my age

Reach, I won’t stop until it’s done

Talent you can’t bury

Wisdom of all ages

Genius is I.

H is for high

so high you couldn’t say

two poles held by a single rung

to ensure that they won’t sway.

Upside down or right side up

it makes sense either way

helping us ascend to a better place

a ladder to the sky.

I cry

I smile

I laugh

I pant

I sing when I’m alone

I talk

I yell

I whisper

I whistle

I speak when no one’s home

I run

I point

I stare

I walk

I sleep when I am tired

I forget

I eat

I drink

I love

I flip when I am wired.

J is for Joker

The joker jiggles jolly bells

he makes the children laugh

balloons and horns, he squeaks

so loud,

above the big giraffe.

KooKoo klutzy kimbas

kestle in kirth’s koreen

keesing and kasing into kove

the keenest kapoke of kanoodle.

L is for lonesome

looking for hope

lying alone every night

living alone.

L is for life

leaving, returning

learning to find ourselves

longing for meaning.

L is for love

laughter overload

lying beside the one you love

lonesome no more.

Machines are making money

Money makes man mad

No majesty in drudgery

A magnet for the had.

N is for North

You are in the Northern hemisphere

I am in the South

how far we are

how many mountains, forests

oceans are between us

but we have the same moon

to look at

and think of each other.

O is the shape of a ring, there is no end.

O is the halo that hovers above

pretending to be on your head.

O is the shape of the sun and planet Earth

the universe moves in circles.

It is hard to fathom the end of a circle.

Can a mind comprehend eternity?

P is for podium

a place to stand and speak

high above the crowd

(and rounded at the front)

just don’t forget

your words are not that great

because if you don’t watch out

you’ll fall off.

Q is for questions

which can never be answered

questing for the truth

in a queue too long to see

the end of

where secrets lie in quiet rooms

in the dark, to quicken pulse

Fears to be quelled

if truth is desired to quench

thirst of desire.

The need to know

calm quivering lip, still

heart, rest quill

remove the quilt of unknowing

from your quaking self

enter untreaded speeches

and seek, query all things,

Until all is yours

Do not

Quit.

R is for Red

Rich red soil in outback Australia.

Red sunset decorates the evening sky.

Red massive rock, Uluru.

Dust from the desert carried on the hot winds

lays like a carpet, covers the roads.

Bottle brush, Waratah, wild flowers vibrant in bloom.

Red, the colour of country, the colour of love.

S is for Sammy Snake

Sammy Snake sat snugly

beneath the sizzling summer sun.

Somehow, silly Sammy left his sun hat

somewhere on Sunday.

So while Sammy slept so soundly

snoring somewhat softly

poor Sammy became sunburnt

and slid home, sulking sadly.

T is for triangle

Any triangle has three corners

Sun, moon and star

Ocean, mountain and river

Or you, I and something

We are close on one side

Or far on another.

United we stand, united we make a front

you are either with us or

against us.

Detach yourself from this, break

the umbilical cord.

Recognise Utopia.

V for Voice

Shout out loud

What you believe

Voice your opinion

Verse your opposition

Visualise the future

Validate your views

Shout out loud!

W is for the watcher

Who waits beneath my window

Wishing for more

Wanting more

Willing to wade through

To get to the waves

Wishing for more

Wanting more

Wandering beside my shadow

Weak to my every whim

Wishing for more

Wanting more

Will you ever walk up

And welcome me with your warm embrace?

Wishing for more

Wanting more.

X is for Xperiment

Xtra Xtra! Read all about it!

Xtraordinary circumstances

Xponential discovery:

“Xpanding woman Xplodes unXpectedly”

Xilirating read

Xciting stuff

Xtra Xtra! Read all about it!

Y is for Yesterday

Yesterday, I loved you

and wanted you to know.

Today, I said ‘I love you’

and there was silence after.

Tomorrow, I’ll know better

than to give my heart again.

Unappreciated and misunderstood

Z stands alone

Z means completion, the final lightning strike

direct and sharp

the sound of sleep

completes our day.

Tommy, Tarryn, Stephanie, Rhys, Melissa, Meady, Judith, John B, Elyse, Christine, Austin, Antonia, Antonette, Huda, Melita, Sarah C, Tomas V

PWE online student musings

2009-04-29T17:42:00.005+10:00

Well, I think I'm in the right place - I'll know I'm blagging instead of blogging when Tracey asks why I haven't done the blog, and being virtually confused is a better excuse than the dog ate my homework.

Anyway, I'm Nikki, the Fiction Elements Online creator of dirty skateboarders, whinging trailer trash and Charlize Theron stalkers. I'm what VU politely refers to as a mature-age student (how nice). I have finally given in to the need to do something connected to my writing, even though it may not lead to the unimaginable riches and worldwide fame my ex-husband hoped for (I appreciate his belief in my talent tho'). I have not been in a classroom since the invention of the internet, mobile technology and when handing in your assignments actually required a hand.

I am loving the experience! I also do two actual classes as well as the one virtual class and find both are distinctly different but equally enjoyable. I realised that in order for this to work for me I had to submit to the process. This means that when I am asked to think, or write or discuss or read, then that's what I have to do.

I must say there is enough to complete online that sometimes I am tempted to take a day off work but I intend to finish the diploma without losing my job so my weekends now are all about keeping on top of my homework.

I like the opportunity to post my work without the face-to-face scrutiny of others regarding my work. There is such insecurity inherent in creating, in any artform, that I appreciate I can avoid any reactions that may be so-so or ho-hum and which would distract me from writing my words (although I must confess to reading my pieces out loud to my mum - nothing like a sympathetic audience!).

This, however, is a double-edged sword. The thing that I do miss very much is the feedback about my work - and before I offend my teacher, Tracey, I mean the phatic communion that sometimes follows the sharing of a piece of writing: the smiles, nods and grimaces that immediately shows you others have the got the point you tried to make. I hadn't counted on missing that part of the classroom experience.

The other big upside for me studying online is the obvious - writing in my pyjamas (sorry about the mental picture folks). It's wonderful that I can pour the act of writing into the gaps and spaces in my day that used to be filled with TV, chatter and inconsequential stuff.

So it's a big YES from me for online fiction elements and I'm really looking forward to reading everyone else's posts.

Please note that I have tried to post the classic middle-aged authoress photo with the hand on the chin to look studious and writerly and hide all the other chins. Honestly - check out lady authors, everyone does it except Jackie Collins! (long live plastic surgery)

Nikki

Event news

2009-04-29T13:18:00.001+10:00

Susanna has just passed this on:

Hi all PWE students – this event sounds like a lot of fun. Next Wednesday, lunch-time. We’ll try to make provision in your subjects for you to attend this, if you have classes on Wednesday.

If you are an Industry Overview student, you might be interested in using this event as one of your pieces to report on.

See you there!
Susanna

VU INVITES YOU TO JOIN A FUN CELEBRATION OF OUR WRITING TALENT!

VU is a proud sponsor of the 6th annual Williamstown Literary Festival. VU Library and Student Life (St Albans) are proud to bring you the first-ever Read Write Debate Fete featuring a fantastic array of reading, writing and debating from students and invited guests. Distinguished Visiting Professor Rodney Hall, a two-time winner of the Miles Franklin Award and prolific international author, will be joining us as our opening speaker and Scott McAteer, stand-up comedian, writer, blogger and VU Alumnus, will take on the role of debate adjudicator. Christine Croyden, playwright, novelist and VU teacher, will wrap up our day’s activities. Expect to be enlightened, entertained and energised!

Our programme includes:
· Readings of original works by students and invited guests
· The Debate: Don't biog, blog! In today's technology driven and socially networked world, writing a biography is a thing of the past. Blogging your life stories is the way of the future.

WHEN: Wednesday, May 6, 2009
TIME: 11.00am -2.00pm (the debate will start at high noon)
WHERE: VU St Albans Campus Library and Learning Commons - Level 2, Building 7, McKechnie St, St Albans
RSVP: By Monday, May 4, 2009
CONTACT: Ali Chizari, Marketing and Events Assistant
PHONE: 9919 2721
EMAIL: libraryevents@vu.edu.au
Coffee and cake provided!
SO COME ALONG, BRING YOUR LUNCH AND HELP US DECIDE WHICH DEBATE TEAM WILL WIN ON THE DAY!

Readings at Rotunda

2009-04-28T21:22:00.013+10:00

John King hooks the audience in with the beginning of his novel.

How fantastic are our Rotunda nights! Excuse me if I have a little bragging session, but I'm really excited about all that's going on in PWE at the moment. And this session didn't let us down. This session was entertaining and informative -- as you'll see if you read Kathy's report below. Sherryl looked like she was born for the interviewer's chair, and John Clarke was just sensational, and we followed this up with some pretty sensational PWE student readings, which John was generous enough to hang around for and to listen to.

Megan Green gets gritty in her crime novel.

I'm not joking when I say it was generous of John to stick around. I can't tell you how many readings I've been to where the guest readers get up and do their bit and then go off. If there's an open-mic session afterwards, you'll never find them there. They're long gone. And these are people not nearly as well known as John -- perhaps with fame comes grace. No, I know that's not true. It's obviously just something he has.

Christine Kowal shares some poems with the audience.

Many people find it hard to get up and read in front of an audience. Last year, we had Debra Byrne come in and do a performance workshop with the Poetry and Writing for Young Adults students, and for anyone else who wanted to join. I know, as the Poetry teacher, that it was one of the highlights of the year for most of us. Debra's workshop was lots of fun and informative, and I know it helped me deal with my own nerves -- yes, I admit it, even those of us who stand up in front of a class week after week get nervous sometimes. I know some of our readers were nervous, but they covered it well. They all looked like seasoned pros -- no-one rushed, and they all read well. They all read as if they were proud to "own" their work, and so they should be.

Lucia Nardo reads from her Ada Cambridge shortlisted entry.

One of the great benefits of Rotunda, is not just that we're engaging with the wider community, but that it does give our students a chance to strut their stuff. Last year we had performances by the Comedy 1 and Poetry 1 students -- on separate nights. I'm not sure I would've been grateful of the large audience when I was a student, but a few years on I can tell you it would've been good for me. And that's why I was so pleased with our five readers -- their readings was a late addition to the program, but you wouldn't have thought so. They looked very well prepared and did themselves proud. Thanks, guys, for having the guts to put your work out there. And, I can tell you from looking around, which I know you were too busy to do, that it was all very well received.

Hugh Deacon has everyone in stitches with his story.

ADA CAMBRIDGE EXPERIENCE

2009-04-28T08:12:00.006+10:00

Hey, guys, just wanted to share with everyone my experiences being apart of the Ada Cambridge Shortlisting group. When Tracey asked for students to put their hands up to volunteer, I have to say I was immediately excited about the opportunity. As mentioned, it is something respectable for the CV, but it also gave me an opportunity to experience the many different varieties of writers who must believe themselves to be accomplished enough to win such a prestigous award.

Thirty-nine stories later (if I remember correctly) I had created my list of 'potential winners' and when collaborating with the guys, exchanging opinions and their individual lists, we found many conflicting ratings on the stories. It's something I really enjoyed because it showed that everyone takes in what they read differently. What may seem a piece of trash to one person may be a complete gem to somebody else. Pretty cool I reckon!

Going through the stories submitted was one heck of a ride. There were the stories that at times (no offence) seemed painful. 'What the heck was that about?' was a question I asked myself at times. Yet at other times, 'This story's my favourite so far' was another statement I made. The variety on display during the shortlisting process was just phenomenal. At some stages, someone's preferred trash was another's treasure and it's not because some stories were necessarily bad, just purely a different preference of style. It engaged the reader differently, affected them differently or simply hit their emotions deeper. I understand exactly the need for several judges for a shortlisting process and why there's three judges and not just one.

Overall, experiencing such a competition teaches you to respect different styles of writing. You also gather a greater understanding of what Tracey goes through on a regular basis too. I grew a newfound appreciation for writing because of this experience. And if given another opportunity I'd do it again to. Adventures like this are why writing makes me a better person and re-establishes the power and influence of writing, regardless of whether it seems good or bad. One person's opinion is never a fact. I love that. In the end, the power's with the writer and not the reader, but the story's only what the reader makes it.

Cheers to all,
Meady

John Clarke comes to Rotunda

2009-04-27T10:29:00.008+10:00

John Clarke in coversation with our own Sherryl Clark

John Clarke was just as you imagine him to be. Down-to-earth and straightforward. Answering the question on everybody's lips of Why don't you ever dress up and pretend to be the person you are impersonating, he replied that he's not so good as an actor, and much better at just being himself, so rather than try and reconstruct the politicians, he deconstructs them. (Follow that?)

Like most of us, he hates pitching to the hierarchy to get his ideas across. Maybe we all need an agent at some time? His conversation about his early difficult home and school life gave an interesting insight: "It's nice to be getting paid for what I got kicked out of school for". Perhaps careers advisers might note that?

As a mature-aged student, it was enjoyable to take my husband whose only contribution to this blog post is "the audience were in awe of him. Everybody was silent and totally attentive". When asked if he'd have a blog, John replied "Never", which made some of us squirm a little, but then he added "I just don't have time". He did however, have time to chat while signing books, and to stay and listen to the five readings at the end of the night.

One of the messages I came away with was to be true to your own style, and to write for the audience. Try to remember what it's like to be the audience looking back at you.

Kathy Mexted

Chris Baty comes to VU

2009-04-26T11:45:00.003+10:00

Don't forget that Chris Baty, the man behind NaNoWriMo and Script Frenzy and author of No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days, is in Australia and coming in to speak to a combined Story Structure and Novel 2 class on Tuesday morning. All PWE students are welcome. We'll be in Room 10.220A and B at 9.45 am. We expect his talk (and your questions) to go for about an hour.

Tracey

My Writing Process

2009-04-25T11:09:00.005+10:00

Before I was hit by the idea for the novel I’m currently writing (a.k.a. ‘The Big One’) my writing process was very different to what it is now. I used to have an idea and just sit down to write it cold, no planning at all. Is it any wonder I hit so many brick walls? However, when Long Road Home (LRH) entered my conscious mind I knew without a doubt that everything I was used to would have to change. The backstory to Doyle’s character is pivotal to the plot of LRH and I was never going to be able to write the story without some serious planning.

Character planning comes first with me, mostly because when I have an idea for a story, it originates as just characters in my head acting out a role-play of scenes when I’m bored or have nothing else to think about. Yeah, it can take a few days for me to realise that I’m actually telling myself a story. So with the characters already existing in my mind, beginning my planning with them makes sense. Once I have them pretty well fleshed out, I go on to setting, which I don’t plan in nearly as much detail. I get things such as location, population and basic history down, and have a mental map of the main areas of town. Only after that do I sit down and plan out my chapters. With LRH I put in a lot of work doing this because I understood how crucial it would be to the success of the story. I had to have a complete timeline worked out so I could plant foreshadowing and make the characters develop at the right pace. Of course, the plan I have now is very different to the plan I originally came up with but I’m glad about that. I’m confident in the story I now have, much more so than the original version.

I would love to say that I write every day, but I don’t. I really try to get something down most days and really feel guilty when that doesn’t happen. Still, at least on those days I don’t write, I’m thinking about something to do with the story, whether it be plot, character, setting or voice. Ironing out those little details may not be as enjoyable as actually writing, but it’s just as important. Sometimes I can’t quite get all the creases out though, and that’s where Jess and JJ (and to a lesser extent, my brother) come in. Jess and JJ have been my sounding boards from the very beginning and they understand the intricacies of LRH as well as I do, so when I have a creative problem, they’re the ones I run to. While they know the story as well as I do, they’re also removed from it and that helps get over whatever problem I’m facing. My brother is a little different. He’s like a maths/science genius and sometimes I wonder if he’s got a calculator in his head. But he offers a very practical side to things, which I sometimes miss when I’m caught up in that surge of creative energy.

How much can I write in one sitting? It depends. I find Doyle chapters easier to write than Andie ones, and sometimes, even with Doyle, I feel like banging my head against a brick wall because the words won’t come out right. When I get on a roll though, I’m like a runaway train; I’ll only stop when I have nowhere else to go. That surge of adrenaline is a great feeling, and I love when I can stop writing, take a deep breath and look back over what I’ve done with a feeling of pride.

I think it’s definitely true to say that I love nothing more than writing. Seeing the product of my labours is great too, but it’s not nearly as exciting as actually sitting in front of a screen, hearing the tapping of the keys and watching the words appear as my fingers try to keep up with my mind. Some days I ask myself if there’s any better feeling in the world, and I guess there must be something that at least matches what I feel when I write; it’s just a matter of finding it. Until then though, I am content to tap away and dream of publication.

Marie

Fiction Elements Online comes online on the blog

2009-04-21T15:31:00.004+10:00

Hi, students (and others!),

I'm teaching our Fiction Elements Online class this semester and have asked all the students to blog about how they're finding the experience of being an online student, but I thought I should lead off and say something about how I'm finding the experience of teaching online. I've also suggested they may all like to post a picture, because some of our students aren't on campus -- for example, we have offshore students, and sometimes others from remote corners of Australia.

This is my second year of teaching this subject, and I must say I'm really enjoying the online class. It's great to have a mix of both on-campus and off-campus students, and to see everyone's different perspectives.

I love logging in and seeing who has been active on the Discussion Board -- who has said what, and who's responding to whose post, the new directions a particular discussion is taking. Generally, I try to follow up everyone's response to a particular activity, whether it's a writing exercise or a story analysis or a general discussion about an aspect of fiction. When a discussion does take off with the students responding to each other, I'll read all the posts but won't necessarily respond. I will, however, if I feel I have something to add or a question to ask, or if I'm just busting to say something.

It's funny, because I don't get to have that personal contact I have in a face-to-face classroom where I see people each week, but sometimes people will write things that they might not say face to face, and so I still feel like I'm getting to know everyone quite well.

What I'm looking forward to at the moment is our first chat session. I know last year this was a lot of fun -- it's just coordinating it, and trying to get a time to suit everyone that's a problem, but it's well worth the effort as it gives us the chance to all be together at the same time.

Tracey Rolfe

Seed reminder

2009-04-20T12:10:00.002+10:00

I bumped into Maria Matina, the managing editor of Seed, the other day, and she asked me to remind all PWE students to please send stuff in. They're particularly interested in nonfiction, as this seems to be what they get the least of, she said. (But send in other stuff as well!) See their guidelines a few posts lower down.

Tracey

My writing Process

2009-04-17T09:31:00.004+10:00

My Writing Process

I don't have a set time when I write because I usually write when there is something I want to get out of my system and that can be at any time of day. If there is something on my mind that I can't stop thinking about then I find a way to relate those same emotions to my novel and go! This is a good way to both make me feel better and to hopefully give my writing some kind of added emotion to a scene.

If there is nothing on my mind that I need to get out then I usually think of something that has happened in the past and think about how I felt at the time. This will usually help me as well.
It all depends on how I'm feeling at the time.

I always know what I'm going to write before I write it, but leave myself open to change because if something just doesn't feel right then I need to leave it until I figure out what does. If I force something then I just won't work.

And when I'm finished I reward myself with a bit of chocolate.

This is my writing process

Melinda

TWILIGHT POETRY BUS TOUR

2009-04-15T19:13:00.002+10:00

TWILIGHT POETRY BUS TOUR - 27th March 2009

BY GEORGE ATHANASIOU

The twilight poetry bus tour on a double decker bus turned out to be quite an adventure. The two stops at Williamstown and one stop at the base of the Westgate bridge memorial, which lists the names of those that died when it fell during construction, saw the participants brave the dark and cold to hear wonderful poetry from two gifted poets. Kristin Henry and Paul Mitchell kept us warm with their words. Both were eloquent and expressive and despite the cool conditions they both managed to light a fire within each of us to continue to write. We all got to share in some food wine and a few laughs by torchlight. The double decker bus was a bumpy but enjoyable ride.

Interestingly, the night fell on my wife’s 40^th birthday which made it quite special for both of us. Thanks, Bruno, for organising quite a memorable event that we all thoroughly enjoyed. I’m sure I speak for everyone who came along with us.

Fancy yourself as a reader?

2009-04-09T14:36:00.004+10:00

The Williamstown Literary Festival run a People's Choice Awards every year -- it's a great chance to showcase your work, put it up before an audience and let them judge you. Several of our students have won it in the past.

Details from the flyer are:

Two sessions will be held - the Prose Awards at 2.30 p.m. on Saturday 2 May and the Poetry Awards (poems should have a link to a nautical theme – the sea, ships, sailors, the bay) at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday 3 May.

Join a fabulous line-up of writers as they share the magic of their written words. Poets, novelists, short-story writers, song writers - anyone who loves to write - are invited to read. Others are invited to listen as the writers take us on their own personal journeys - thought-provoking, engaging, insightful, amusing - and then nominate the reader whose work they have most enjoyed. The People's Choice Awards will be given to the reader who gets the most votes at each session.

Please note: There is a limit of 4 minutes per reading, and readers are booked on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, so potential readers are urged to book their spot via the website . . .

Follow the link above to the website if you want to book yourself a spot. The word is that the prose section is almost full, so if you want to enter that you'd better get in quickly, but there's still plenty of room for poetry. So, if you've got something suitable, why not give it a go? Best part is that you can take your own cheer squad!

Tracey

Seed is looking for subs

2009-04-09T14:24:00.002+10:00

Hi, everyone,

Your student union magazine, Seed, is looking for submissions. Deadline is 20 June, and the theme is "wasted" -- they say this doesn't just mean getting wasted on a Friday, but includes "wasted time, wasted life, wasted money, wasted resources, wasted opportunities, wasted politics, wasted love...".

I'm sure you all will have something that could slide into that. (As a sidenote, I once subbed four antinuclear poems to a themed mag with the theme of "journeys". I wrote in my cover letter that it was my journey into understanding nuclear issues, which I thought was a bit of a stretch, but the editors took the poems.)

Submit your essays, reviews, fiction/non-fiction pieces, poetry, artwork, etc to: seedmag@hotmail.com

Here's the guidelines, straight from the editors: Maria Matina, Brewster Hipik and Matty Buschmann. They're all past PWE students, so they'd love to hear from you. (There, you want an idea for a success story -- why don't you go interview one of them?)

Tracey

Articles

Format: Times New Roman, 12pt, single space

Article word count: 1500 words (flexible for essays)

Reviews, Letters and Opinions word count: between 200-250 words

Any picture you wish to submit with articles will be considered, and should conform to the requirements below:

Artwork

High resolution digital photo or scan minimum of 300 dpi

TIFF and .JPG file format

File title to include a brief description of work

Submissions

All email submissions must have a title and author name in the subject field. In addition, title, author name and contact details must be included in any article, review, poem or artwork.

Writers/illustrators will be notified via email as to whether or not their work has been selected for publication. Submissions will be edited and you may be contacted by an editor throughout the process.

A Few Sections to Poke your Pen at (hopefully regular)

· Letters and Opinions: respond to previously published work, comment on a current issue, or just have a good whinge about something (not a waxing rant though—about 200 words).

· Around Uni: Write about VU—events, services, faculties, internship programs, history, anything.

· Student Successes: know anyone whose taken off from the VU launch pad? Interview them—let us all know what they’re up to and how they got there.

· Reviews: give us your take on a record, book, live performance, festival, venue, sporting event, etc. You can either snatch the material we tee up (email your interest—first in best dressed) or bring your own gear to the party.

Short story competition

2009-04-09T09:41:00.003+10:00

Here's a link I've been forwarded, in case anyone's interested in entering a short story competition and exhibition. Note that is has a 2,000 word limit.

Tracey

Masterclass opportunity

2009-04-02T13:11:00.004+11:00

I've just heard from Rjurik Davidson that Overland is running a masterclass for writers who are exploring political ideas in their fiction. Rjurik said the total cost will be $70, and the workshop will run from about 10 am to 5 pm over each of the three days. Please note that masterclasses are for writers already on top of their game, and entry is a competitive process, so don't waste their time and yours sending anything that isn't your best work!

Tracey

Writing for Change: Overland Master Class for Progressive Writers

The Overland Master Class for Progressive Writers is aimed at writers exploring political ideas in their fiction: investigations of race, gender, sexuality, class, etc.

The master class will feature special sessions with acclaimed writers Cate Kennedy, Tony Birch and Lucy Sussex, as well as peer-critiqued workshop time. The workshop will be held in Melbourne from July 10-12, 2009.

Applications should include a one-page cover letter, a CV, and a completed story to be workshopped, no longer than 7500 words. Applications should be sent to Overland Associate Editor Rjurik Davidson c/o Overland magazine VU – Footscray Park, PO Box 14428 Melbourne, Vic 8001 by June 5, 2009.

Successful applicants will need to confirm their place by paying $70 by 1 July.

All stories will be considered for publication in Overland magazine.

Website is here:

http://web.overland.org.au/?page_id=1018

News from the trenches

2009-04-01T23:54:00.006+11:00

Well, the term's quickly wrapping up. Sherryl and I came in today to be part of a panel, along with Christine, Julianne and Sue, for Industry Overview. The students were split into groups and each group got one of us to interview for five minutes, and then had to devise further questions to interview us in front of the whole class. I hope the students found it interesting and productive. I know I did. I learnt things about some of my fellow teachers that I'd never known before!

This week the five students involved in shortlisting for the Ada Cambridge and I met to have our shortlisting meeting. These students have been busy reading all of the stories and ranking them so that we could come up with a shortlist of ten stories to be passed on to the final judges. These ten stories will all be published in a booklet that will be available after announcement of the winner at the Williamstown Literary Festival. It's an interesting process, and one of the students is going to blog about it for me, so I won't say too much here, except that we came to our decision without the need to spill any blood, which is always a good thing.

This last week, we've also had the Poetry Bus -- I haven't heard any reports of this yet, but Kristin Henry is always a terrific reader and poet -- and Paul Mitchell and Lisa Gorton are great too, so I'm sure it was a brilliant night. (I'll see if I can get someone to write us a report).

In other Rotunda news, our next event is Sherryl Clark interviewing satirist John Clarke on 23 April, which promises to be hilarious. (Venue yet to be announced.) If you're interested, you'd better let Bruno know fast, because he's already had a mountain of interest. Email Bruno if you want to go (bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au). It's $5 for students or unwaged people, and $10 for everyone else.

In the meantime, you students will be on your mid-semester break. I hope you'll all be doing lots of writing. I know we teachers will be!

Happy writing!

Tracey Rolfe

Students from the Ada Cambridge shortlisting panel (from L to R):

Melinda Hall, Andrew Mead, Rhiannon Lacy, Andrew Ellis and John King

I write when sober

2009-03-30T19:38:00.006+11:00

That's the way I write stories and poems. They often start off on paper in a notebook, often messy to start with. I write in my notebook anytime of the day or night -- well, when an idea comes.

It's safer to write on paper when I'm still coming down or drunk. And if you're drinking shots at the same time as writing down the new ideas -- dudes, it's fun.

Quickly I type it up in words and build up each line with the right words (I hope) when sober. Not when I'm drunk or coming down -- that's when the ideas come to me.

Once the story's ideas have been typed into words, more ides come -- some as I'm typing or reading what I have written. The words just come from nowhere.

A poem could take 30 minutes or 1 day or 2 days. Often I'm thinking about the poem or 5 poems or 10 poems I'm often working at the time. When I'm doing something else better, ideas often come when I'm away from the computer.

It's the same with the novel -- I write each paragraph as if it's a short story or a poem. So far there's 21405 words I have written.

The ideas have changed a few time since class has started. I have fianlly come up with a better ending and desires for each characters.

That's how it's with me.

Steven Clark

MY WRITING PROCESS

2009-03-27T01:21:00.005+11:00

Most of my writing emanates at night. Rarely do I find myself typing away during the day. If I ever do, it's editing the work from the night before. I find myself in the zone when I'm alone in the living room, at 1am with the television and lights off, relying only on the light emanating off the screen. I find myself easily distracted otherwise.

Getting through high school, I realized fairly early that I had a strong desire for writing, especially fiction. I find that writing has great power: for the duration of any read, the writer takes you on a journey that eventually, regardless as to whether it was the ending readers hoped for or not, has been decided on by the author. As much as I enjoy the power aspect of it, I also enjoy the responsibilities of writing. The responsibility of presenting something that is realistic within the bounds of the story that is entertaining and gives the reader a great feeling of satisfaction upon completion. Possibly my favorite quote comes from Spiderman, "With great power comes great responsibility". I truly believe in this.

Some of my greatest ideas come at night as I try to sleep. One night I just developed this awesome concept for a story. First, I developed a main character and at least one other character that would help my main to survive. Then I decided on the character(s) that I wanted to be the offender(s). Strangely, in relation to story, I usually develop the ending first and from there spores the rest of the characters. Then I can finally begin to plot out the events that lead to the final confrontation. From there, I begin to picture the settings for the story, the key places needed withing my world (the cemetery, the town centre, the government building, etc). Then, I get caught up in the world I have created. I create my first major scene, and the direction is set. If I decide on something I want to happen in the middle of a story, I write it down with a list of other events I wish to take place. Suddenly, I have built everything and it's just a matter of linking everything together. I find the process so exciting.

I'm currently started on my second draft of this story (26,000 words). The first draft was 37,000, and using my first draft as a cross reference, I have developed even more ideas on top of the original. (I expect the finished draft to reach 80,000 with ease.) There is this one scene at the moment I'm extremely eager to get into. But I use this as motivation to get there -- I can't write out of linear time. I feel I have to get "A" done before I can move on to "B", but this is what drives me. I just hope that anyone who reads my finished drafts in the future can experience the thrills I get as I write. At the stages where I really can't wait to arrive at that one motivating scene, I can only hope that the reader can't wait to find out what happens next.

At this time, I currently have two other stories that I want to create, that I have already conjured up in my mind, and that I have written down. But I can't even begin to work on them until I completely finish the story I'm on now. And this story is so far from finished it's not funny. But it's one big adventure, full of great anticipation and excitement. My writing process is really just one big adventure, an adventure that won't end for a very (VERY) long time. I just can't wait to find out what happens next. :P

Yours truly,

Andrew,
aka Meady

Invitation...

2009-03-26T00:11:00.002+11:00

Hi, everyone,

You've probably all seen this in your student emails by now, but in case you've missed it: Sue has forwarded an invitation to you all to attend a guest lecture with the Higher Ed Professional Writing students. It should be fun, so you might like to go along.

Tracey

Catherine Deveny comes to St Albans

Age Journalist and Author Catherine Deveny will be guest lecturer for Introduction to Creative Writing next Monday, March 30. Take your pick from one of two lectures: 2 to 3pm in 4C436 or 5:30 to 6:30 in 4C404.

Catherine is well known for her courageous in-your-face, sit-up-and -think-about-this style. A wonderful person who doesn't know how to take a backwards step.

Michael Hyde.

Platform 2 is calling for student submissions

2009-03-24T21:27:00.005+11:00

Hi, everyone,

Bruno is calling for student submissions for Platform 2. (Platform's aim is to encourage or inspire struggling secondary school students, particularly in the later years, so you could put something in about your own experiences, or your ideas about school and schooling, learning -- whatever.)

Here's what he's said:

Send us pieces please-
funny,
reflective,
memoir,
observations,
recounts of formative experiences
tributes to mothers, fathers, teachers, admired mentors
poems
turning point moments
and the list is ENDLESS.

500 copies of Platform 1 have gone out.

Remember, you should all be trying to build your CVs while you're studying with us, so why not have a go? I've sent something in for this issue!

Email your pieces to Bruno (bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au). And if you're not sure what to send, go have a look at all of the examples from Platform 1, which are on the main noticeboard near room 10.220A, or have a chat to Bruno.

Tracey Rolfe

My writing process

2009-03-17T16:30:00.004+11:00

I'm a fairly organic writer. I don't spend too much time plotting in advance, but I do have a reasonable idea of where the story is going and how it's going to end, and if I get stuck then I will sit down and plot things out. (I do do a lot of character work though, and world building before I start.) If I feel like I'm floundering and don't know where the story is going (which doesn't happen often), I'll use "what if?" as a way of exploring my options. This works best for me if I can get a solid day to myself without interruptions, and I'll get wildly excited by some of these options and then dump them later when better ones come along. (It pays to have an understanding partner who can pack kids up and take them out for the day. I might be able to write with distractions, but for plotting I need clear headspace.)

In my day-to-day writing, I work best when I'm writing every day. There's no getting around this. If I'm only doing a couple of days per week, even for longer blocks, I'm not as productive: the cogs aren't oiled and the wheels aren't spinning as smoothly. It takes me too long to get back into the story.

What I like to do is start each day's writing with reading over the previous day's work. Copyediting this eases me back into what I was thinking and feeling and intending when I left the work off. If I'm forced to leave and the juices are really flowing -- i.e. if I'm dragged, kicking and screaming, from my computer -- I may leave myself a note to say what I was about to do, because I do forget. Yeah, getting old, I know! Usually, though, I don' t have anything but the white page. I'll sink back into the story, reimmerse myself in some character's head, pick up his sword and the reins of his horse and go.

I'm a fast writer, a splurger, and usually I can churn out 1000 words in an hour, easily. Not always. But usually. Some days, though, it's tough going, and I won't get anywhere near this. Can I tell the difference in quality on the days I struggled? No. So it's worth perservering. I know that, and keep reminding myself on those difficult days: bum on seat. Write. Write.

At the moment, I'm in the middle of a big edit. My story is long (currently 182 k, but I'm trying to cut this back) with lots of characters and multiple storylines, and because I've done a number of drafts, I forget sometimes what I've put in and what I've taken out. The broader elements, I know, but it does make it so much more critical to keep plugging away at it and keep myself "in" the story. If I haven't been working on it for a couple of weeks, it can take me a full day's reading to find where I'm at, and this is enormously frustrating because all writing time is precious.

I do have to say though, that I like having written more than I like writing. There are plenty of writers who love that first draft, the white-hot surge of creativity, but I'm not one of them. I love the reworking, the reshaping, paring back the language and fleshing out the action, making small changes to my characters and observing the flow-on effects. That's when I'm truly in heaven!

Tracey Rolfe

Rotunda Rocks

2009-03-12T14:21:00.002+11:00

Rotunda nights are a must! Get yourself to the next one and the one after that – hell, just go to them all. March 6 Rotunda was as entertaining as ever and excellent food and a great bar were nicely on hand. The fabulous, Bruno Lettieri provided the audience with his usual enthusiastic intro to guest speaker, Portland Magazine Editor and American writer, Brian Doyle. Brian was amusing, intelligent and generous with his time, even stopping halfway through to reflect on the recent bushfire tragedy we Victorians have suffered.

For any writer/editor with serious aspirations, you really need to come along to events like this. It’s a chance to listen to those more travelled who are willing to share insight and motivation to those of us far less travelled. It’s also a chance to get your name firmly in the mindset of those who matter within the industry, provided you’re prepared to stand up and put yourself ‘out there’. (Sometimes this means making a bit of dolt of yourself, as I did by giving the James Button, Age reporter and now Speech Writer for the Prime Minister, a deadline to submit for Platform. But, hey, at least he’ll remember me.)

Mingling, with respect and openness, has afforded me some great contacts in the writing world. As a student, I’ve made sure I’ve put my name down for everything, gone to every event possible and above all, treated everyone: teachers, peers and industry heavyweights with the value they deserve.

It’s easy as a fledgling student to feel slightly dismissive of these sorts of writing events. But therein lies your first mistake. If you are someone serious about being a writer/editor, you can’t afford to pass up any opportunities that could make the difference to your career. Submit to every uni publication going, attend every event and get out into your local community. Find out what you can write/edit for and send it in.

Confidence is everything in this game and the more faith you have in what you do, the more likely you are to succeed. Listen to your teachers, (they actually know what they are talking about) and take on board the advice given from the many invaluable sources our course provides.

Good luck.

Megan Green

News from the trenches

2009-03-12T12:31:00.005+11:00

Well, the Novel 2 class (or at least selected members) is busy reading stories for the Ada Cambridge Award, which is an award for a piece of short biographical (or autobiographical) writing, and is part of the Williamstown Literary Festival. (If you click on the name, you'll go to their website and can have a look at what they're offering this year.)

In the meantime, we've just heard that Megan Green, one of our students, has had a request from the State Library of Victoria (in association with the National Library of Australia) to include her articles on the recent Black Saturday bushfires for their bibliography database. The articles were published in a newspaper, but one of the library's researches found them online and decided they had "cultural historical significance", which was what they needed for inclusion -- so, as Megan says, it pays to have a blog and website! And I guess it also shows that you just never know where your work might end up.

Novel 2 comes online

2009-03-06T15:47:00.005+11:00

Each year I ask my Novel 2 class to respond to F Scott Fitzgerald's quote: "All good writing is swimming underwater and holding your breath." They have just ten minutes to think about and write their responses. Here's what this year's class have made of it.

First of all, I would never compare writing (especially good writing) to swimming. Why? Simple. I hate swimming and I love writing.

I suppose, though, that some aspects of writing can be compared to swimming through murky water. Sometimes you have no idea what's in front of you; other times you can make out some things but not the whole picture. When I think about it, holding my breath is something I do figuratively as I write. No matter how sure I am or how planned the work is, I write hoping that, when I reach the end, it will be a story someone else will want to read. Finishing a story is like letting out that breath, like a huge sigh of relief that it's over and that it actually exists.

Being struck by inspiration is a lot like holding your breath too. Wanting to get it out, but not being able to write fast enough can be physically painful. But I love it. Seeing the finished product is worth the pain.
-- Marie

For me, who has had experience in writing and swimming underwater, these can both result in having to hold your breath. For swimming, the phrase can be regarded by its literal meaning, but when writing, it comes across more figuratively. I suppose when writing, you need to "hold your breath" during the whole process: from the first word to the final draft. We all take a leap of faith for the paragraphs we construct, and we need to have an unconditional devotion to our work. Sometimes that involves cancelled plans, loss of sleep and an endless amount of stress and exhaustion. We give up a lot for our writing, but at the end of the day, we can take in that long deserved breath, sit back and how we got to be so clever.
-- Hayley

It is about looking at life from a different angle, being disciplined and prepared not to give up.
-- Hugh

The quote to me is about perspiration and patience. Bad writing is rushed, overlooked, and never given any thought. Each sentence should add value to the story, either setting-wise or plot-wise. Therefore the author should be aware of what they are writing.

And if words aren't coming to mind, or you are stuck: patience. Patience. Patience. Patience. Of course this is just my opinion and I could be horribly wrong.
-- JJ

It's all about taking risks, and this refers to bad writing too. But with good writing, these are the pieces that are published. Holding your breath is about taking your time and hoping that what you write will succeed. All you need to do is swim under water (work your best) and never give up.
-- Anon

This quote shows us that writing is a difficult task, one which is always heavily scrutinised by peers and critics. It tells us that the difference between good writers, good writing [and bad] is distinguished by the applause or criticism received; therefore, we are constantly holding our breath, waiting for that judgment while we are in the dark -- or under murky water.
-- Tom Pinchen-Hogg

Groping for air as you try to propel yourself forward and knowing that the agony won't finish until you get to the end -- that is the essence of the line. That is the pain of writers.
-- Daniel

Writers take great risks when writing. When we first put our ens to paper we are swimming underwater, searching for the perfect sentence. We then have to distance ourselves, separate ourselves from the work. When we eventually bring it out into society, we hold our breath hoping it will be accepted. But sometimes it is rejected. So we delve back underwater.
-- Anon

To write is to submerge yourself in a world of your own creation, where the light bends and changes, and everything flows around you and into your ears and eyes and nostrils. You cannot live there indefinitely because you have to surface every now and then to breathe; you can only stay there for as long as you can fill your lungs and plunge in.

Sometimes you have only a mouthful of air, enough to glimpse a coral forest, or the mouth of an underwater cave; sometimes the air fills your longs and spills over into your bones and heart and feet, so you have enough to carry you beyond the coral fast and deep into the watery dark of the labyrinth that lies beyond the cave.

On a bad day, you might emerge choking with seaweed between your fingers, and sand in your hair; on a good one, you might climb out onto the beach with your arms full of treasure.
-- Fiona Price

The good writer goes through lots of pain before the good stuff rises from the mind to the paper.
-- Steven Clark

I agree in some ways with the above quote, in that writing can show you many wondrous things, and yet still feel like you're drowning. However, not all good writing can support like buoyant water. It more often feels like climbing a rock wall to me -- physically and mentally tiring, but when it's over there is a great feeling of relief at the thought that you've done something to be proud of, before the insanity of finding the next wall to conquer kicks in!
-- Andrew Ellis

It’s true that writing is like swimming -- the water is all of your ideas melded into a body that continues to swirl and change, and you, the swimmer, must explore the depths while still finding a way to come back up to the surface to take a break and suck air back into your lungs before diving back in.
-- Luke

A well-written story can leave you breathless? A well-written story can make you want to go swimming? In order to write well, first you must learn to swim? In order to be published, first you must master deep-sea diving?

Who knows what crazy old F Scott was on about. I know I don't. Besides, how can you write under water? I think I'll stick to writing badly, on land, whilst breathing, and you can quote me on that.
-- John King

Welcome to our student blog

2009-03-04T16:04:00.012+11:00

Hi, everyone,

And welcome to the student blog. We're only three weeks into the semester and already it seems like everything is happening.

A couple of weeks ago, Sherryl and I attended the launch of Scribe's new publication New Australian stories, edited by Aviva Tuffield. It's always exciting to see a new book come out, particularly a short story collection, but this one was more so than usual for us because one of our past students, Demet Divaroven, has a story there. (And it was one she workshopped in one of Sherryl's classes!) Demet's story sits very well alongside those of authors such as Margo Lanagan, Carmel Bird, Cate Kennedy, Max Barry and Michael McGirr, and it was terrific to see her up on stage as a reader on the night. It was also lovely to see another of our students, Karen Sertori, there, supporting Demet. Friendship groups, which often become workshop groups after the course has finished, are one of the great benefits of doing a course. Keep a watch out for photos of the night -- if I can find the cord to upload the photos! In the meantime, keep an eye on Demet. She was shortlisted last year for the Vogel Award, and we just know there are lots of exciting times ahead for her!

Sherryl and I have also been out and about to the poetry reading at The Bank in Yarraville, where Margaret McCarthy, one of our PWE teachers, read along with Paul Mitchell, Lisa Gorton and Jillian Pattinson. This reading, which was part of the Yarraville Festival, was also the first of our Rotunda events for the year and was very well attended.

Our next Rotunda event is this Friday night -- The Age writer James Button in conversation with US essayist Brian Doyle. If you regularly attend Rotunda nights, you'll know how great these are, but just be aware that this one is at a different venue to usual: it's at the Terrace Restaurant at the Footscray Nicholson campus (the campus is on the corner of Albert and Pilgrim Streets). It's almost booked out, so if you do want to come, you'd better respond to Bruno pronto (bruno.lettieri@vu.edu.au). Admission prices are still $10 or $5 concession.

If you're looking for something a bit different, there's the poetry bus tour with poets Kristin Henry, Paul Mitchell and Lisa Gorton (to be confirmed) on Friday 27 March at 6 pm, departing from the Footscray Nicholson Campus. The bus will be visiting a range of venues including piers and rotundas in the Williamstown, Altona and Westgate Bridge areas. Tickets are $15 or $10 concession, and you'll need to book with Bruno. BYO picnic basket, torch and wine bottle!

Tracey Rolfe

Karen Sertori and Demet Divaroven at the launch of New Australian Stories