Excuse #23 - Bowling a Maiden Over

When players from Afghanistan and Bangladesh run up and down the pitch at Manuka Oval as part of the Cricket World Cup, I might try to write a pitch for my latest story.

It would not be the first time I’ve whiled away my time at a cricket match. All those Saturday mornings keeping score at junior cricket or the time I got sunburnt at the Prime Minister’s XI come to mind. And filling in a blank scoresheet is a whole lot easier than writing words on a blank page.

Given that junior cricket is a few weeks away, the answer for writer’s block could be a trip to Bowral. Pottering through the Bradman Museum and International Cricket Hall of Fame or having a picnic at the picturesque Bradman Oval is bound to be inspirational. I’ve just got time to dust off the folding chair and fill the esky before the game between Cootamundra and Bowral on 15 February.

Cricket Captains Walk Cootamundra

As for Cootamundra, serious procrastinators would enjoy the Cricket Captains Walk where it’s possible to admire Australia’s cricketing greats, soak up the ambiance and think about statistical probabilities. I have calculated the likelihood of producing a quick 500 words after this kind of nostalgic reflection to be 500 to 1 against, with the usual standard deviation – much like a cricket ball off a crack in the wicket.

Statistically speaking, I might be better Setting Up My Starting XI for success. This is where I channel the Australian selectors online and pick a World Cup Team full of players like World Cup debutants Glenn Maxwell (122 off 57 balls in the warm-up match) and David Warner (127 off 115 balls against England at the SCG). It’s like writing that virtual best-seller where I can be Margaret Atwood and Ursula Le Guin all at once.

To even up the odds, when the Australian Cricket Team plays England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Valentine’s Day, and my loved one steps up to the remote control, I’ll pick up my pen, and like any good opener, settle in. I should be able to show some resilience, develop a relaxed style, get some runs on the board, and hit a six or two in my allotted overs. If I get drinks as well, I’ll know someone’s bowled a maiden over.

Do You Need an Agent?

This is the question facing all budding authors and there is no straightforward answer.

Before you decide you are willing to share at least 10% of the earnings from your published book, ask yourself: ‘What can an agent do for me?’

Some of the key things an agent can do are:

·         Make sure you only submit polished work for consideration by publishers

·         Pitch your manuscript to publishers (knowing which publishers might be interested, working their networks to bring your manuscript to attention and keeping it out of the ‘slush pile’)

·         Act as an intermediary between you and the prospective publisher

·         Negotiate terms (not only for the book rights, but also potentially for other forms of reproduction as well as add-ons like merchandising and film rights)

·         Help you keep to deadlines and publishing schedules

·         Act as your advocate and help manage financial affairs connected with your writing.

Even if you decide you want an agent, being able to secure one is not guaranteed. You will need to be persistent, shop around, and make sure you know something about the agent, their experience and the types of manuscripts they handle before you approach them.

Not Judging

What would you do if you really couldn’t judge a book by its cover? This is the proposition being offered by one Melbourne bookshop which is giving customers the opportunity to choose and buy a book in plain packaging.

The idea is not really new. We’ve seen it in other contexts; the ‘cleanskin’ approach to wine, the mystery hotel or destination booking and the good old lucky-dip. But will it catch on for books?

From a marketing point of view an eye-catching cover will attract the reader (and buyer), but in the digital age you can buy an e-book from a list (no cover in sight). When you make the download, many e-readers jump straight to page 1, by-passing the cover altogether. I have one friend who refuses to buy an e-reader for this reason. With recent data showing a 2.2 per cent jump in hardcopy book sales in Australia this past year, she's not the only one opting to see the cover first.

What do you think – is the cover an essential ingredient for a quality reading experience? 

Grand Designs

2015 opens up the possibility of a fresh start, a renovation or at least a makeover. 

I’m not referring to something requiring an architect’s plan although knowing the overall design, understanding the purpose of the various compartments, crafting the specifications for all the fixtures and fittings, and placing the details on the page seem apposite. 

I mean a re-write; in this case for my HARDCOPY novel. I’m taking it apart, adding a new room or two, improving the entrance for maximum impact and giving it a new colour scheme. 

Like all good makeovers, there is an estimated time to completion and an expected blow-out. Seems like I’m the project manager so here goes…

Adding a new room

The Caravan has Arrived

Tonight at Gorman House, the Emerging Writers Festival Canberra Caravan took a virtual tour through Cambodia, China, Dubai, the United States and Mongolia as writers shared their stories and poems. Across the landscape of relationships, adventure tourism, 'anti-semantism', escape routes and equine entrails, the panel touched down before heading to Sydney tomorrow. And not a guide book in sight !

Canberra Caravan Panel

A Day at the Races

K.A.L.O.I.

This past month has been a rollercoaster of emotions. The excitement and intensity of the three-day HARDCOPY 2014 workshop on 26-28 September was followed by a week of introspection while I tried to process all the information that we had been privy to. How on earth is it possible to juggle my writing, my social media strategy, my networking activities and my ongoing professional development while holding down a full-time job, raising a family and staying even a little bit sane? The jury is out on which ball will fall first. Assuming of course that I can get them all in the air at once.

Then I spent ten days being too afraid to check my emails.  This is not the ordinary form of technophobia but a much more visceral concern. Although quite common, there is no official definition for this but I can say with authority it has something to do with the possibility of finding a rejection letter lurking behind a benign subject line.

The un-Ken HARDCOPY workshop at Tilleys reminded me that all of us HARDCOPIERS were in the same boat (some even brought their computers...but I can’t speculate on the level of email checking that occurred). And let’s not get started on the implications of a mixed metaphor in which electrical implements could be juggled in a flotation device. It seemed at that time that the HARDCOPY Round II result was still weeks away.

So buoyed by the prospect that my current email list was in fact benign, I chanced a look and found to my amazement a missive from the ACT Writers Centre (one juggle ball takes a tentative throw and catch). I had to read it three times to double check that I really understood what it said. My manuscript had been selected!  This was followed by a feeling of euphoria (all balls thrown wildly into the air) which was immediately tempered by the Facebook posts of others who had not made it through (balls on the ground).

This morning I woke up and realised I’ve been holding my breath all week, waiting for the official results to be posted on the ACT Writers website.  Using a sporting analogy, I’ve been Keeping A Lid On It.  Strangely, the emotional rollercoaster came to land at the feet of my high school PE teacher, whose astute observation that I had no ball sense might even have nudged me closer to my writing future.  So thanks Mrs Barnes. And by the way, I think my ball sense is improving.