On Perfection…

by Amanda on May 21, 2013

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Skip the boring bits!

by Amanda on April 2, 2013

empty Image:Teenylauren

It’s probably pretty fundamental that you don’t want boring parts in your novel. Most of us don’t set out to be boring in our writing or life. But it happens that you’re at a party and, relaxed by a cocktail or two, you decide to share the thrills and spills of tracing your family tree with another guest who increasingly looks like he’s caught in a wind-tunnel. While he may be stuck – your reader will make a run for it.

Of course, you can write about things that interest you but do it in a way that captivates the reader and skip the boring parts. If you don’t – they will.

It doesn’t necessarily mean you need to deliver end-to-end non-stop excitement. It means that everything needs to contribute to the story or the character development in some way. So that every scene, every description, adds to the experience of your story.

Here’s a few scenarios to avoid:

Character wakes up in the morning, slowly opens her eyes, looks around, realises it is a new day etc etc. We wake every day of our lives so, unless there is something unusual such as an unexpected bedmate or the bed’s on fire,  zip along to when something interesting happens (preferably after breakfast which is also not very interesting).

Character takes a taxi to the airport, gets in a queue, checks in her baggage, waits in the departure lounge. That’s as long as the description of that activity needs to be. 21st century readers have, in the main, experienced air travel – it’s tedious and boring – they don’t want to read about it unless something significant happens.

Character has to go to outpatients/emergency at the hospital. Tell us (in as few words as possible) anything we need to know. It’s crowded/empty, the wait will be long/short – keep the story moving. Ditto character in doctor’s waiting room with crying baby, supermarket queue with rude shoppers. We’ve all been there.

Essentially, anything a character does which is part of most people’s everyday lives you can use shorthand for – we get it – make it snappy, tell us what is different from the everyday we all experience.

A good way to identify boring bits is to take a hard look at scenes you may have over developed because they feel comfortable and familiar. Ask yourself  would you ring a friend and inflict a blow-by-blow of waking up this morning? Now if something unusual happened – that’s another story. writing tips for beginners

 

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Interview: Jennifer Egan

by Amanda on March 9, 2013

‘A Visit from the Goon Squad’ is one of my favourite novels. In this Authors@Google interview with Jennifer Egan she offers some useful insights into her writing process and this novel in particular.

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Big Girls Don’t Cry

by Amanda on February 7, 2013

Huge congratulations to Frances who has recently published her memoir entitled ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’. Frances came to my memoir class three years ago and then joined my 12in12 programme. A year later she had captured many wonderful tales of her life, and of times past, in a 90,000+ word manuscript. She spent another year editing, fine-tuning and collating her old photographs and finally in early 2013 all her work came to fruition. A priceless legacy for her family and generations to come.

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Memoir Made Simple – 6 week Workshop

by Amanda on January 5, 2013

Where: NSW Writers’ Centre – Rozelle, Sydney.
When:
6 x Saturday mornings: 27 April; 4, 11, 18, 25 May; 1 June, 10am-1pm
Cost:
Full Price: $600; Member: $420; Conc Member: $360

Writing your life story or family history can be a valuable and enriching experience and a priceless gift for future generations. It is easier and more fun than you might imagine. In this workshop you will discover simple techniques to capture memories, how to make your stories engaging and you will make a substantial start on your project.

Expected Learning Outcomes

  • How to plan and organise your material
  • Find and create a unique structure for your book.
  • Turning fragments and anecdotes into a story.
  • How to stay motivated and find time to write.
  • Using dialogue, setting and description to bring your story to life.
  • Revision and editing your own work.
  • Finding a publisher or self publishing your book.

BOOK HERE

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First Five Pages – Online Assessment

October 9, 2012

Your first five pages are pivotal. They are the springboard of your manuscript. These early pages must dazzle and draw the reader into the story. The first five pages should introduce the main protagonist, setting, genre, conflict and the tone of the work as well as a hook that encourages the reader to push on [...]

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The Love in Food

October 1, 2012

I’ve recently started a new blog with a designer friend. It’s called ‘The Love in Food’ and is about personal stories connected to recipes. We’ve had a lot of fun putting together the first couple of entries and now we’re looking for contributions. ‘The Love in Food’ pays tribute to dishes passed on and shared [...]

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The Room

October 1, 2012

This is the inside of Dylan Thomas’s writing shed. I love the shabby comfort of it, although that chair looks seriously uncomfortable. I’m sure it’s the dream of every writer to have a room to retreat to. A place to keep that mess of notes and to concentrate into that trance-like state. It seems to [...]

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50 Tips for Writers

September 9, 2012
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Rose’s Story

September 5, 2012

A very proud moment for Rosanne Collins who attended my Memoir workshop three years ago and subsequently got on board the 12in12 programme. She has just spent the last year polishing her manuscript and finally has the completed printed copy in her hand. We looked at all the different options for self-publishing (which can be [...]

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Steve Hely’s Five Tips For Writers

September 5, 2012

1.  Only writing is writing. Talking about writing isn’t writing. Reading isn’t writing. Thinking up ideas isn’t writing. Only sitting down and writing words counts. There’s a quote I’ve heard attributed to Kingsley Amis that summarizes this nicely: The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of one’s trousers to the seat [...]

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A Visit To Hemingway

August 23, 2012

Have just returned home after an awesome trip to Los Angeles, Sun Valley, Idaho and Vancouver Island – some work, some play. It’s my second visit to Sun Valley and was remiss last time in not paying homage to the legendary writer who lived and died here. Hemingway first came to Sun Valley in 1939 [...]

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