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Month: June 2009

Kathryn Heyman – Emerging Writers Festival, 7 Enviable Lines

Kathryn Heyman – Emerging Writers Festival, 7 Enviable Lines

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Kathryn Heyman was the last Ambassador to speak, novelist and with a very sharp mind. After her speech I chatted to her over coffee and she was very thought provoking. In addition to her writing she teaches workshops and occasional mentoring. From my brief and fascinating encounter with her I would not recommend her for a shy author still finding their voice… perhaps because I think it’s important to write that self indulgent poetry without fear when finding your voice (which is very different to expecting that work to be published).

Once you’ve found your voice and are prepared to be properly challenged and made uncomfortable she’s fascinating, fearless, intelligent, will ask you hard questions and won’t let you wimp out on the answers. I can see why she’s very picky about who she mentors. After and while I was speaking to her I went through a rainbow of emotions… and then went back to the hotel and made the script stronger.

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David Milroy – Emerging Writers Festival, 7 Enviable Lines

David Milroy – Emerging Writers Festival, 7 Enviable Lines

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If Ambassador Milroy has a website I can’t find it, but google David Milroy and you will find his name attached to a range of really interesting and well regarded projects. He’s a musician, writer, playwright, artistic director, he’s won Deadly Awards and he has a really nice presence. I found him to be a really down to earth interesting guy with that rare combination of thoughtful plus active plus playful mind. His key points were:

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And in other news

And in other news

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And in other news I’m writing and doing all sorts of things while waiting for our flight. Update of our adventures by the numbers:

  • 15 minutes until we board our plane for Los Angeles
  • 45 minutes until the plane takes off (nominally)
  • 10am Monday we leave Australia, we travel for 14 hours and arrive 7.30am Monday. Ah the joys of time travel.
  • 7 days in Los Angeles
  • 10 days in Portland
  • then 6 weeks at Clarion
  • 1-14 days amount of time I need to have my ankle in a brace. Given my physiotherapist will be on another continent I’m going to go for the conservative end of things.
  • ?????? amount of time we will live in America.

It still hasn’t quite sunk in. We’re going, we’re on our way. I am so full of enthusiasm and excitement. We are in a state of becoming.

Rachel Hills – Emerging Writers Festival, 7 Enviable Lines

Rachel Hills – Emerging Writers Festival, 7 Enviable Lines

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Rachel Hills was the third Ambassador to speak at the Emerging Writers Festival. Rachel’s a widely published journalist and editor. She’s also an awesome blogger (with many of her articles available to view) and posts interesting tweets linking to interesting articles. I wish I was half as retweetable as her. I was excited to finally meet her, having met her virtually years and years ago when she was working on a story about labiaplasty (now that’s a long story).

Rachel has in her fabulous blogging way put up a transcript of her full talk, you may find it interesting to see the difference between what I distilled and what she said. The distillery says:

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Luke Devenish – Emerging Writers Festival, 7 Enviable Lines

Luke Devenish – Emerging Writers Festival, 7 Enviable Lines

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Five skilled wordsmiths, each providing seven gems of knowledge at the Emerging Writers Festival. Luke Devenish was the second to speak. Ambassador Devenish witty, charming and, as is appropriate for a screenplay writer, does good punchy dialogue. He’s a novelist, coming from the land of TV and the stage. He also teaches for AFTRS and has got me seriously considering going back to school. He too has a website. Here’s my paraphrasing of his enviable lines.

  • I wish somebody had told me not to believe my own PR. Don’t get a hyped up, bloated ego head.
  • I wish somebody had told me the importance of doing more than clever dialogue. To start with I was just a dialogue monkey (ed: Luke didn’t say monkey, Liz just likes to say monkey). Good story takes you to the next level and writing for TV forces you to be a story machine.
  • I wish somebody had told me the real deal about agents – you don’t need to have them to get published.
  • I wish somebody had told me to keep my gorram mouth open. You must learn how to talk about your work and promote your work. It is a skill you can learn and get better at with practice.
  • It pays to be multi-skilled
  • It is impossible to have a career without spelling and punctuation
  • There is no shame in the lowest common denominator. Next to my computer I have two words SEX and DEATH.
  • Just do it

Tomorrow, Ambassador Rachel Hills.

Pooja Mittal – Emerging Writers Festival 7 Enviable Lines

Pooja Mittal – Emerging Writers Festival 7 Enviable Lines

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Five skilled wordsmiths, each providing seven gems of knowledge. That’s how the Town Hall program at the Emerging Writers Festival (EWF) is kicked off. The Ambassador Program at the Emerging Writers Festival (or #ewf on twitter) quite simply rocks. The Ambassador’s role is to be available, be ready to have their head picked, brain meats fossicked and have curly questions thrown at them. It sets a wonderful atmosphere of availability and open conversation for the rest of the festival. I hope other writers festivals go for this kind of thing. It’s a wonderful, wonderful program.

Ambassador Pooja Mittal, poet and geek girl was the first to speak and share the seven things that she learned/wished people had told her. Pooja has a lovely fresh voice, crisp intelligent language and a blog. Here are my imperfect notes and interpretations:

  • There is no Ivory Tower. Find community, it will help you create, it is important
  • All criticisms are constructive. If it’s true and hurts it’s because they’ve found you out. If it has absolutely no grain of truth (and make sure you look)… well then it isn’t a crit.
  • Conserve your syllables – it’s a useful tool to help you show not tell. Make sure every sound serves a function and has elegance.
  • A writer’s block is just a block in the road, it is no the end of the road. Fallow fields, dry seasons allow the soil to rest.
  • Inspiration doesn’t strike, it surrounds
  • Change is natural, don’t pigeonhole yourself. Explore different media and different forms. Most creators create in more than one way.
  • Give no excuses for your writing – don’t explain what you’re trying to do. Do.

Tomorrow I’ll post Ambassador Luke Devenish’s lines (novelist and highly experienced screenplay writer).

Comikaze this weekend – 24 hour comics challenge

Comikaze this weekend – 24 hour comics challenge

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Make comics. Make comics fast. Make comics with good company (virtual or there may be physical outposts in your area). Make comics with people encouraging you every step of the way, with inspiring artwork and stories popping up around you and people laughing, going mad with sugar rushes, not sleeping or having a nice nap.

Make a comic over 8 pages and be eligible for prizes (people’s choice, probably only Aussie residents for prizes).

Make a comic 24 pages or over and be eligible for a Nintendo Wii Console plus 3 games (Judge’s choice).

Make comics this Queens Birthday long weekend.

Going off previous years there will be people participating that have never made comics before and there will be seasoned veterans…. I won’t be making comics, I get to look at them later as one of the judges and I can tell you now everyone who gives it a go is awesome, rockin’ and has my admiration.

Go to the Comicaze Website , register, participate and have an amazing time.

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