Goodwill Everywhere

A few days out from my first blogging deadline. My usual study is taken over by spare beds for visitors, so I am back on the kitchen table. At least it's warm here in the sun.

I've been working on a piece about becoming a successful writer. The key message appears to be that it's hard work. Certainly it takes perseverance.

Navigating distractions is the first step. Yesterday these included the TV (football was on, of course), making a cup of tea (Canberra's cold weather is designed for it), and the dog (surely he doesn't need to go out again). This morning it's the prospect of a school shuttle since the resident teenager has missed the bus. Perhaps I should go to the gym on the way back......

Despite these distractions, my first post is progressing well, thanks to the generosity of the people who have agreed to be interviewed at short notice. I'm also amazed by the level of support and goodwill from the ACT Writers Centre whose warm office last Friday was a welcome respite from winter.

More on the blog journey soon!

Blogger in Residence

Exciting news this week that I will be the next Blogger in Residence for the ACT Writers Centre.

If you haven't already followed Capital Letters, it's a great way to keep in contact with the writing scene in the ACT and surrounding regions.

A recent post featured the  e-journal, Softcopy, which I launched with Lesley Boland and George Dunford in May 2015.

As I continue my writing journey over the coming weeks, keep an eye out for new posts featuring writer profiles, what it takes to be a successful writer, and the highs and lows of blogging.

Mr Percival All Over Again

Fingerbone: Mr Percival all over again, a bird like him never dies. Stormboy (1964)

Whenever there is a deluge in the outback, Lake Eyre fills with water and birds fly in from everywhere to take advantage of the brief oasis it offers. Pelicans nest and breed, somehow sensing the urgency of the season.

This cycle is a fantastic metaphor for writing. There will be dry spells, even droughts, but, like the Warburton River, the creative inspiration will flow again. When it does, write like your life depends on it!

Spinning

The sensation of writing a book is the sensation of spinning, blinded by love and daring - Annie Dillard

Some days I'm so wrapped up in my writing that I lose track of time. It's as if my head is spinning in a universe where the story is being manufactured, word by word. 

When this happens, the characters take on a life of their own and their actions feel almost autonomous. Writing becomes euphoric and a giddy sense of daring takes over - like running across stones in a river. If you stop and look down you'll fall. But if you keep your focus, and skip across, you will surprise yourself.

Here's to reaching the other side - with dry toes!

Riddles

Alive without breath, 
As cold as death; 
Never thirsty, ever drinking,
All in mail, never clinking.
The Hobbit

Writing is like solving a riddle. There is a puzzle and the writer has to find all the pieces. 

Fishing for the internal logic that brings the different parts together as a coherent whole, requires patience and ruthlessness. There is no room for a kiss and release approach. You need to be prepared to snag and bag the ideas wherever and whenever you find them.  

Like riddles, the act of writing is sometimes ridiculous, frustrating, challenging, hilarious and nonsensical. But if you can work it out, the satisfaction whumps you like a punchline.

No Agony - Let the Bird Sing!

'There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.' Maya Angelou - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Everyone has at least one story to tell. If you have ever tried (and failed) to keep a secret, then you know how insistent the urge can be to pass on the story you have been given for safe-keeping. 

As a writer, the story inside is like a secret that is beating its wings against the bars of the cage, trying to escape.

Frogs Trilling

'If we can discover the meaning in the trilling of a frog, perhaps we may understand why it is for us not merely noise but a song of poetry and emotion.'- Adrian Forsyth

If you've ever walked through a wetland you will know the trill of a frog. But did you know these multi-lingual creatures offer poetry no matter where you travel?

cra-cra (Italian)
ribbit (English)
vrak (Turkish)
kwaak (German)
kum-kum (Polish)
op op (Thai)
brekeke (Hungarian)
kerokero (Japanese)

Next time you hear them, make sure you sing along.