Kirsten Krauth - Talking Writing. 50 Contemporary Writers on Novels, Short Stories, Non-Fiction, Poetry,...

Published by the

NSW Writers Centre

www.nswwc.org.au

PO Box 1056

Rozelle NSW 2039

This collection is an online archive of articles originally published in Newswrite, the NSW Writers Centre magazine. Reproduced with permission.

First published in 2013 by the NSW Writers Centre.

This collection is the NSW Writers Centre.

Copyright for each individual piece is retained by the author.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher of this book.

ISBN: 9780957973510

Editor: Kirsten Krauth

Designer: Xou Creative (www.xou.com.au)

Cover illustration: Marc Martin (www.marcmartin.com.au)

Project managers: Sam Twyford-Moore + Rose Powell

Preface

by Julia Tsalis

Talking Writing is a vibrant and new conversation about writing. As a digital-only publication it collects the best pieces from the NSW Writers Centre magazine, Newswrite, a trusted and much loved resource for writers. The pieces represented here were published between 2010 and 2012 and, as is evident from the contents list alone, in those three short years the magazine has covered an incredibly diverse range of genres.

We decided very early on when building this ebook that we wanted to have a very wordy title to feature as many writing genres as possible. So weve gone for: Talking Writing 50 Contemporary Writers On Novels Short Stories Non-Fiction Poetry Playwriting Digital Fantasy Sci-Fi Blogging Criticism Comedy Erotica Crime Young Adult Screenwriting Picture Books Memoir And Much, Much More.

Its another way of saying that theres something here for every writer. Talking Writing covers influence, inspiration, manuscript development and getting your writing to the best possible audience. Here the writers (and there are more than 50, but we rounded it off) confront many issues like how to engage with social media, collaborative processes, writing dynamic short stories, making characters likeable, writing about sex, going global, the healing power of writing, the terror of public speaking and thats just for starters. We talk to luminaries like Academy Award winning writer/illustrator Shaun Tan and Margo Lanagan.

Talking Writing will be the ideal resource for the aspiring, emerging and developing writer, and a great read for those wanting a peek into the writing life.

Get in on the conversationstart Talking Writing!

Julia Tsalis

Program Manager

NSW Writers Centre

INTRODUCTION

by Kirsten Krauth

People keep telling me I have a limited concentration span. I must, because I live in a digital age, right? Im time-poor. I have the internet, Facebook, Twitter, my blog, my freelance writing and editing jobs, two kids, a husband and two dogs who need a walk. I have a phone that takes pictures and plays music. I have an iPad where I read newspapers and magazines. I watch the internet on my television, and the television on my internet, because I cant get reception now theyve gone digital.

I dont have time to read long novels in bed. Or time to forge a writing career with all these distractions.

But is that really the case? I suspect it may be the opposite. Now, more than ever, I appreciate longer forms of writing: the author who invests the time in cooking up great fiction, memoir or biography; the critic who makes me desperate to buy the book, see the film; the blog post where the writer takes the time to work through an idea, catches me up in a passion.

Most of all, I like hearing other writers talk about the work and the process: who inspires them; how they started out; how they got published; how they got the momentum to keep going; and how they coped with the frustrations, the heartaches, the rejection (and a writers life is full of those).

So much great writing exists today, in literary journals and online mags, that its easy to blink and miss it as links scroll by on Twitter. But thats why you have an e-reader in your hands, right? Youve done a search with keywords. Youre keen to get started. (Youre not really procrastinating.) You just need someone to inspire you.

Talking Writing is a collection of articles by literary types in love with all aspects of the written word. Weve cultivated the best advice by the best in the business. Sure, some of our writers may berate you (John Safran), scare you (Adrian Deans), or even seduce you (Kate Holden) with their publishing tales, but all are here to help. Whether youre emerging, have a few publications under your belt, are into genre, or just want to reach the biggest audience possible, theres something here for you.

What if youre stuck in a writerly rut? Sometimes it can help to work with someone else. For John Safran, collaboration can be key:

Heres the simplest, most practical way Ive found to overcome creative sloth. Work with someone else. Even if you come up with all the ideas and have to give them 50 per cent of the credit, work with someone else. I just get on with it, if someone else is in the room. I dont lose the plot and go through the seven stages of grieving with every sentence I type and delete.

Putting a collection together (like this ebook) is a collaborative experience too. Along with the writers, many have helped shape its content. In particular, Id like to thank my fellow editors, Sam Twyford-Moore and Jacqui Dent, who were instrumental in helping to bring many of the following pieces to life.

Another way to get your creative juices flowing is to revisit favourite authors. Our Writer on Writer section looks at the greats: Graham Greene, Zadie Smith, Ernest Hemingway, Michael Ondaatje, Ray Bradbury, Anna Akhmatova, Irvine Welsh, Janet Frame, David Foster Wallace.

If you had to contribute to this column, who would you choose to write about? The writer you return to again and again?

Ive got an idea. Get a favourite book by this writer and start reading. Unfold the words in your mind. Then get your laptop (or your pen) out and confront that white page. Let the characters, or your own stories, emerge. Imagine yourself inspiring others. Keep going.

Thats all you can do.

Kirsten Krauth

Editor

NSW Writers Centre

Inspiration: Writer On Writer

Emily Maguire

on Graham Greene

In Graham Greenes memoir Ways of Escape he wonders how those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic fear which is inherent in the human situation.

Its a quote that resonates with me on a personal level Ive written my way through many anxious, sleepless nights but it also demonstrates why I am so attracted to Greene as a writer. Even as he admits to writing as an escape from personal suffering he is wondering about the suffering of others. This reflexive compassion and curiosity about the lives of others infuses all of his work, from the lightest adventure romp to the darkest examination of human despair.

I first came to love Greene through his travel writing, which documents his experiences of visiting the most dangerous and desolate places he could get to. Like writing, travel is a way of escape and, like writing, its not an entirely pleasant or uncomplicated one. Greene moans constantly about insects, dirty water, uncomfortable beds and unpleasant locals, but never implies that these are reasons not to travel. Indeed, he writes in The Lawless Roads that: You couldnt live in a country in a state of preparedness for the worst you drank the water and went down to bathe in the little stream barefootedin spite of snakes. Its great travel advice, but as with most of Greenes travel writing, its also much more than that.