Editing is both an art form and a numbers game. Writers are constrained by word count, so every phrase must be sharpened and polished like a jewel. My first editing job was Nigerian Gems. Since then, I’ve spent hours revising my own work, been mentored by Michele Rubin, head of Cornerstones US and had the opportunity … Continue reading My Top Four Editing Tips
(Photo : This is one of my original Lagos “blogs” (sent via email) back in 2004) The concept for Nigerian Gems, Expatriate Tales of Adventure was simple—to create a snapshot of our Lagos experience through stories, snippets and photos. Many expats had already written emails or blogs about quirky moments, outrageous anecdotes or insightful observations. … Continue reading Tales from Lagos
Something a bit different today. After I wrote about writing resources in The Adventures of Sexy Legs and Pipsqueak, I was invited to write a blog about my experiences on the Curtis Brown Creative Novel Writing Course. So, I teamed up with my Pen Pals, the marvelous Sarah Linhart and Sarah Hawthorn, and our thoughts were … Continue reading Curtis Brown Creative Guest Blog
The problem with writing a book to raise funds for a school building is not only do you have to write, edit, publish and market the book, you have to actually build the school. The entire scheme was completely nuts. But it worked. The key to our success—our secret weapon—was community. We arrived in Nigeria … Continue reading Ishahayi Beach School Foundation
Our decision to move to Nigeria (back in 2004) felt like stepping off a cliff. We wrote a pros and cons list and mulled it over ad nauseam. Many of our Melbourne friends and family were aghast, especially as Brutus and Maximus were only five and three years old. By contrast, my boss at the … Continue reading Sunrise Court
I have a whole hour before I have to pick up Son Two from school, so I set myself a bite-sized task. It’s a small, niggling job I’ve been avoiding—to choose monikers for my husband and children to protect their privacy on The Winding Narrative. Continue reading The Writer’s Hour
There was The Wolf of Wall Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street and a Miracle on 42nd Street. Even Desperate Housewives had Wisteria Lane. Not me, I gave my first novel the woebegone title 29 Brown Street. The book explored the impact of place—a specific address—on the central characters … Set in Melbourne, Australia, in 2002, 29 … Continue reading 29 Brown St
(Photo by Susan Bradfield Photography.) My first BFF was Sally Nicholes. We met in grade 2 at Brighton Primary School and she lived just around the corner from me. Between our houses lived Georgie, a big black brute of a dog. He was a bitza (bits of various breeds), and every little bit of him … Continue reading The Adventures of Sexy Legs and Pipsqueak
(Photo by Susan Bradfield Photography.) In 2016, I spent A Night With Christos Tsiolkas. No, not that kind of night, I didn’t even shake his hand. I watched from afar as he was interviewed about his writing journey at a Writers Victoria event. I’d read The Slap (and seen the miniseries), but when he spoke … Continue reading The Value of Failure
My firstborn son turns 19 this month. Besides
his birthday, it marks another significant milestone—the anniversary of my decision to become a writer. Nearly two decades. I’ve almost come of age. Continue reading Baby Steps
Brightside Story Studio 