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Monday 28 November 2016

You've Reached Your Destination





You've travelled this far - making your Softcopy submission is the final step.

SoftcopySubmissions are open until COB 30 November 2016. There's still time!

Sunday 13 November 2016

If not now, when?

Surely this week is one that requires a creative response.
Let everybody know! SoftcopySubmissions are open until 30 November.

Sunday 6 November 2016

Dare to Dream?

If you dare to dream of being a writer, Softcopy is for you.

We are looking for creative, fresh and unpublished Australian short fiction and non-fiction up to 1000 words for our next edition.

Let your muse free and check out the submissions info at SoftcopySubmissions

Submissions close 30 November 2016.

Tuesday 18 October 2016

Don't Wait - Softcopy Submissions are open!

One of the challenges about starting out as a writer is having your work accepted for publication.

Leaving aside the question of whether your story is compelling and well written, too often emerging writers do not think enough about the market for their work. I'm not suggesting that you constrain what you write. The genre, style, tone, theme, character and plot will depend on you and your experiences and imagination.

What matters is, having created something original, that you make informed decisions about where to send your work. An agent or publisher whose speciality is young adult fiction will not be interested in your post-Nordic crime thriller, while the crime fiction publisher won't consider your teen romance. Research those agents and publishers who handle your type of writing. Target these, keeping a keen eye on their submission guidelines and requirements.

Having your short stories published will give a fillip to your writerly credentials. Softcopy grew out of the ACT Writers Centre Hardcopy  2014 Professional Development Program and is designed for those writers starting their writing journey. If you have a short story of no more than 1000 words, Softcopy would love to hear from you. 

SoftcopySubmissions close 30 November 2016. Don't wait!




Tuesday 27 September 2016

Softcopy Submissions Open

Entering its third year, Softcopy is calling for submissions from emerging Australian writers.

Softcopy is looking for creative, fresh and unpublished Australian short fiction and non-fiction up to 1000 words for our next edition.

Submissions close 30 November 2016.

Buckle up and check out the submissions info at SoftcopySubmissions

Monday 29 August 2016

Wild at Heart

If you are going to write well, write wildly, write with heart.


Omar Musa urges writers to avoid 'anodyne fence-sitter art'. Inspire the reader, encourage them to imagine and grow with your story.

Letting someone else into the world you create is a wonderful gift to give.

Monday 1 February 2016

Adventure Calls

I have travelled to a lot of places in my lifetime, but never to India - until now.  The inspirational lightbulb is on and dozens of ideas are buzzing around.

You can keep up-to-date with my writing journey on my special blog Mullum to Mumbai where I will be documenting my travels as well as the process of writing over the next two-three months.






Monday 25 January 2016

How Full is Your Cupboard?

‘We find what we are looking for in life…if you look for happiness you will see it.’
Alexander McCall Smith – The Full Cupboard of Life

Even when I sit down to write, I'm never quite sure what kind of story will emerge. The characters seem to have a mind of their own. There they are, skating off when I thought they were going to look inside the broken box, or picking up a gilded spider when they should be watching the road for smugglers. That's part of the excitement.

When this happens, I keep writing because something unexpected and wonderful might flow.

Still, there are times when the plot takes a turn for the worse. A character is sick, has an unhappy life experience, is no longer talking to their significant other, seems to be dwelling in the darker spaces. At these times, I wonder whether I have the courage to take the story where it needs to go. Will I be happy with the outcome? Will the character recover, be better for the experience? Will people enjoy reading the end result?

At this point, I remind myself that readers will bring to the story their own life history. A sad or confronting story can be meaningful, satisfying or even uplifting. So with a full cupboard of life, I can carry on even if the wayward characters eschew the broken box, or fail to safeguard the pass. All I have to do is open the cupboard door.

Saturday 9 January 2016

Guest Blog on ebookrevolution

In 2015 I had the pleasure of meeting Emily Craven, author, professional speaker, blogger, podcaster and entrepreneur. She is an inspiration for anyone interested in epublishing and other opportunities in the digital age.

We share a fascination in reading practices now that the digital revolution has taken hold.

Emily has been kind enough to host my blog about (subversive) ways of reading Peter Carey's True History of the Kelly Gang on her ebookrevolution.

If you've read Ned, let me (and Emily) know how you went about it.