Express Media – We're here for young writers

• black ice
• cate kennedy
• dark roots
• Interview
• the new yorker
• the world beneath
• Writing

Q&A Monday: Cate Kennedy

5 comments

Sam Cooney

May 31, 2010

Cate Kennedy. Female. Lives in north-east Victoria. Has published a novel, a travel memoir, two collections of poetry and many stories (including the short fiction collection Dark Roots). Born in Lincolnshire, England before moving to Australia in her childhood. Has won a variety of short story accolades, and just last month won the People's Choice Award at the New South Wales Premier's Awards for her novel, The World Beneath.

Creative Writing Bootcamp Online – Image Based Exercise

0 comment

Madeleine Crofts

May 28, 2010

Get on it! The image based exercise for the Emerging Writers Festival is up here now. Featuring gorgeous photos by Hannah Crofts. Respond to the images in any way you want to, often visual stimulus is a great way to get the words going. Also if you share your response in the comments section you've got  a chance to win copies of the Emerging Writers' Festival Reader. Which is a lovely, interesting publication - especially for emerging writers.

• death row
• letter writing
• lostvault
• pen pal
• penpal
• prison

'be my pen pal…or else'

20 comments

Sam Cooney

May 27, 2010

You may remember a few weeks back when Maddie Crofts posted about how much she loves getting mail - how she uses Postcrossing.com to find friends in different countries (God help them). Anddemonstrating our penchant for all things epistolary, in a different post VW editor Jojo bemoaned the decline of letter writing (due to emailing and other technology) and the difficulty of recording such an intangible medium for future reference. Well, I have a solution of sorts, and it's a wonderfully unique one.

Emerging Writers Festival Writing Exercises

2 comments

Madeleine Crofts

May 25, 2010

I'm sure you know that the Emerging Writers Festival is on from now until the end of this weekend, and I'd encourage you to get out and get involved! One really easy way to get involved is to head over to the Online Program website and try your hand at my Online Creative Writing Bootcamp. Friday writing exercisers, there won't be an exercise posted this Friday - so get writing over there instead! Also catch me running a real-life workshop at the City Library, Seminar Room, tomorrow from 6-7pm. Bring yourself and pen and paper. More info here.

• 15 minutes of fame
• andee jones
• carla del vecchio
• estelle tang
• EWF
• joel magarey
• karen andrews
• lucienne noontil

15 Minutes of Fame

4 comments

Jodie Kinnersley

May 25, 2010

As many of you may know the Emerging Writers’ Festival is going on right now and there’s so much great stuff happening. Last night I made it to the Wheeler Centre for the first of the 15 Minutes of Fame launches. It’s a fun little event that will launch or relaunch 16 books, journals and zines over four nights. What’s more it’s hosted by Estelle Tang, a young woman with many skills including a most resonant and alluring voice. It’s on at 7pm every night until Thursday. And did I mention they serve lovely wine! The first in the spotlight last night was the ever-charming Karen Andrews and the 'landmark' book of blog writing she published, Miscellaneous Voices. Her project of publishing blog-writing in a book is a deceptively simple idea but very innovative. I find the process and the problems she had to solve endlessly interesting and the metaphors that come out of it translate so well to all sorts of writing and publishing. I was struck by the imagery in a phrase one reviewer used to describe the editing process the posts went through as ‘gussied-up’. It’s quite vivid and I think I’ll keep it in mind when editing my own and others' writing.

• art
• tai snaith
• Writing

Q&A Monday: Tai Snaith

0 comment

Sam Cooney

May 24, 2010

Tai Snaith. Female. Melbourne-based artist. Former Voiceworks EdCommer. Exhibits and performs around the world. Works with a diverse variety of media and has performed in all sorts of spaces. Known in the arts community for organising collaborative works. Has a regular spot on Melbourne radio station Triple R's Smart Arts program. Is also a curator, teacher, lecturer and volunteer.

• EWF

EdComm at EWF

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Johannes Jakob

May 23, 2010

Some of us are doing things for the Emerging Writers' Festival this week. If you aren't already booked out with EWF coolness, it would be nice to see you. Sam Cooney is hosting a panel on writing family history on Monday night. Maddie Crofts is running a writing workshop on Wednesday night. I'll be talking about pitching on Saturday night.

Friday Writing Exercise

3 comments

Madeleine Crofts

May 21, 2010

A couple of weeks ago the illustrious Sam Cooney drew out attention on this blog to the beauty (or horror) of opening lines. There he was simply drawing our attention, but I say let's go back to this and use them. Exploit them! I've picked out four opening lines that Sam posted, both here and on his own blog. Your challenge is to take one of these lines and write a paragraph, a scene, a story or heck even a novel from them. Try and write freely and without self-censorship. Leave that silly editing and rewriting for later. Take an opening line and just write. See where you go. From Wells Tower we get: 'Bob Munroe woke up on his face. His jaw hurt and morning birds were yelling and there was a real discomfort in his underpants.' 'Sometimes, sometimes, after six or so large drinks, it seems like a sane idea to call my little brother on the phone.' And from Peter Carey: ‘My father was in his fifties but he kept himself in good shape. His skin was brown and his muscles still firm.’ ‘The first reports of dematerializing people were not generally believed and were suppressed by the media.’ For the adventurous types out there, try a paragraph from each of the four lines. Or grab the nearest book to you and take the opening line from that and write from there. Try not to self-censor, reread or edit. That stuff is for later - the exercise is for writing! Remember, if you try the exercise and don't want to post the results, please post comments on how it went anyway - what you got out of it. We'd love to hear.

• Carver
• gripes
• pumps

Everyone stop talking about pumps

5 comments

Johannes Jakob

May 20, 2010

There are some words that I've never heard anyone use in conversation, but read all the time in fiction, especially in descriptions. One of these is an allegedly particular type of shoe: pumps. Frankly I never know what to imagine. Are they flat sneakers, are they wicked sick basketball shoes, formal shoes, heels? Wikipedia suggests it could be any of those. Well so what the hell, stop using them to describe particular things. 'She was wearing pumps' gives me minimal insight into what is on her feet, let alone her character, because it's totally ambiguous to me. While I'm here and whining, could non-fiction writers who can't think of a title for their piece, please, please, stop using 'What We Talk About When We Talk About X.' It was cute maybe once, now it's annoying. You're no longer referencing Carver, you're invoking dozens of other unimaginative/rushed title-writers.

• Borders
• ebooks

Borders eReader

6 comments

Johannes Jakob

May 18, 2010

Got a press release this morning about Borders launching their own ebooks platform and reader for the Australian market. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out - I assume it's going to get a big marketing push in the next few weeks since this is the first I've heard of it. How do people feel about something like a localised ebooks market? Starting to get that dawning sensation of big monopolies controlling ebooks, ie. Apple, Amazon and Borders. Weren't Borders meant to be going out of business or something? Anyway, the launch is tomorrow at 11am, Darling Island Wharf, Doltone House, Sydney. Featuring Garth Nix and Text's Michael Heyward.