WRITING AS A SOLITARY ACT Let's face it: Writing is often a solitary business but one that is worth every drop of blood that you shed as you lock yourself [...]
Judith Wright has been called 'the conscience of the nation' for her commitment to the environment and Aboriginal land rights. Nevertheless, it is for her poetry that she is best [...]
MECHTHILD OF MADGEBURG: 1207-1282Of all that God has shown meI can speak just the smallest word, No more than a honeybeeTakes on his footFrom an overspilling jar BASHO JAPAN: 1644In Kyoto,Hearing the [...]
A Personal Journey The 1970s were a time of great change in Australia. This post is based on my memories of that time and the beginning of the Women's Movement [...]
What are the four waves of feminism? And what comes next? I have republished this article by Sharon Crozier-De Rosa from "The Conversation" under a Creative Commons license. Sharon Crozier-De Rosa, [...]
Anne says: I'm reposting this today, as it is so very relevant to all of us as we age, and risk losing loved ones who are also ageing. My dear [...]
The Mardi Gras festival for the Gay and Lesbian community (LGBTQ) occurred as usual in March, within stricter guidelines than in the past, because of Covid. Randwick Council showed great [...]
What is Meditation? "It's what happy and successful people do," I was told, when I first started learning about meditation and how to do it. The Dalai Lama and other [...]
uguries of Innocence To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour. A Robin Red Breast in a Cage Puts all Heaven in a Rage. A dove house fill’d with doves & Pigeons Does the winged life destroy; But he who kisses the joy as it flies Lives in eternity’s sun rise.
The Metaphysical Poets wrote as if God was in heaven and all was well down here on earth
This piece is loosely based on my husband’s life, as a child spent in the Sydney suburb of Bondi, and as a man trying to make up for past lacunae. [...]
In the Sutherland Shire 32 kilometres south of Sydney is a hilly tree-rich suburb on the edge of the National Park with an indigenous ring to it: Yarrawarrah. It lies [...]
I’m remembering the Jacaranda Festivals of my childhood at Grafton in northern New South Wales, with a certain nostalgia. Did such a time of innocence really exist? Is this celebration [...]
Saturday 14 October, 2023 The date will be forever etched in my mind, like that of my father's death, two days before this date back in 1978. He was the [...]
The Parable of the Twins I came across this parable at the time my daughter was about to give birth to her first son and was enchanted by it. I [...]
In 2008 I attended a Convention in Singapore for followers of the New Kadampa Tradition of Buddhism, introduced to the West by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso in 1977. He now resides [...]
My Story I've always been afraid of things. Psychologists in this country use cognitive behaviour techniques (CBT) on people like me. This involves teaching you how to change thoughts, to [...]
This is a short story expressing contrasts between two cultures and the beauty and awe associated with the new one.
Jeannie is one of these inch worm types. One toe in, one toe back. The cold has always been alien. From birth, really. Even today, she shivers with the water [...]
High Flight Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds, — [...]
I've always liked Susan Johnson's writing, ever since I found a piece by her in the Griffith Review Journal (Number 32), in which she painted a picture of motherhood that [...]
The Golden Ratio Many buildings and artworks reflect the Golden Ratio: the Parthenon in Greece, and many other classical buildings in Europe. But it is not really known if it [...]
Several years ago, a young Englishwoman donned a backpack, set out for Australia and rented premises in Bondi; she’d brought the New Kadampa Tradition to Sydney from the United Kingdom. [...]
In 2008 I attended a Convention in Singapore for followers of the New Kadampa Tradition of Buddhism, introduced to the West by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso in 1977. He now resides [...]
A Guest Post on The Art of Creative Writing website, this post written by Roger Britton How it all started We had been hosting Chinese students in our home for [...]
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... We all know what this means, right, that it's subjective! But do you know who said that first? Google says this link [...]
The reason people choose atheism rather than belief or agnosticism, may simply be that professed atheists have not experienced, at least in this lifetime, the “numen” (adj. “numinous”). See meaning [...]
written by Anne SkyvingtonJanuary 8, 2023 The Benefits of Positivity It seems like such a small movement to go from “half empty” to “half full”, but it’s a universe of [...]
written by Anne SkyvingtonAugust 22, 2013 Pandora’s Box and Other Myths It is striking how ancient myths link up with modern-day thought and religious ideas if you dig a little [...]
Small Steps In The Tidal Pool written by Anne SkyvingtonJanuary 19, 2023 Getting In… I do some of my best thinking these days in our tidal pool in winter. Mum [...]
Active Imagination Dr Stephani Stephens, a Jungian expert, took us on a brief journey with our eyes closed, exploring ‘Active Imagination’—the term coined that describes the process developed by Carl [...]
Just look around you… on the ground and in trees... in the sky: The Fibonacci Sequence is everywhere! In Plants In Pine cones the spiral pattern of the seed pods [...]
written by Anne SkyvingtonSeptember 2, 2021 A metaphorical interpretation from the perspective of a believer My Thesis Perhaps what the Christian crucifixion and the Jesus story is all about in [...]
That I brought on myself by choosing therapy and... written by Anne SkyvingtonDecember 28, 2022 That Led to Healing From Past Trauma I was in my early thirties when I [...]
written by Anne SkyvingtonDecember 28, 2022 A Neurosurgeon Changes His Beliefs Dr Eben Alexander is an American neurosurgeon. He was a staunch atheist, who believed that NDEs were the result [...]
written by Anne SkyvingtonMay 7, 2018 A mother is often the first positive influencer in one’s life Mum’s favourite poem, when she was alive, was “If” by Rudyard Kipling. She [...]
Several years ago, a young Englishwoman donned a backpack, set out for Australia and rented premises in Bondi; she’d brought the New Kadampa Tradition to Sydney from the United Kingdom. [...]
written by Anne SkyvingtonMay 13, 2014 I’ve always been fascinated by the moon. There is a strange beauty about the moon as viewed from Earth. It must have been a [...]
Meditating written by Anne SkyvingtonSeptember 29, 2016 What is Meditation? “It’s what happy and successful people do,” I was told, when I first started learning about meditation and how to [...]
And my connections with the Parable of the Cave by Plato written by Anne SkyvingtonJanuary 22, 2016 The Parable of the Twins I came across this parable at the time [...]
Do you live by a personal myth? written by Anne SkyvingtonOctober 14, 2018 A Myth is a story of the gods, a religious account of the beginning of the world, [...]
written by Anne SkyvingtonJanuary 13, 2020 The Myth Linked to the Earth Today We earthlings are being jolted by human damage to our natural home. Climate Change is causing huge [...]
written by Anne SkyvingtonAugust 22, 2016 The Inner Journey I had, for a long while, been addicted to self development. It was like peeling onion layers; more were always waiting [...]
written by Anne SkyvingtonFebruary 1, 2020 There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio/Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Hamlet [Act 1, Scene 5] Something extraordinary occurs at [...]
written by Anne SkyvingtonJune 10, 2021 My Links to the Myth I have for a long while been drawn to the archetype of Persephone, who must descend into the underworld [...]
written by Anne SkyvingtonAugust 24, 2016 I was never interested in mathematics at school, perhaps because of the way it was taught; it was seen as a subject for boys [...]
written by Anne SkyvingtonAugust 22, 2016 What Is The Golden Ratio? Many buildings and artworks reflect the Golden Ratio: the Parthenon in Greece, and many other classical buildings in Europe. [...]
written by Anne SkyvingtonDecember 30, 2022 And helped by a Jewish family he becomes a legend I wonder how many Americans know this story about Louis Armstrong’s difficult childhood. I’d [...]
written by Anne SkyvingtonJanuary 1, 2023 But not in the way I expected… I turned thirty and wanted to change. Engaging a therapist who utilized a post-Freudian type of psychoanalysis, [...]
Extreme Fear in the Time of Covid The only thing we have to fear is fear itself! The above quotation from an American Second World War time president has become [...]
General de Gaulle and his Daughter Written by an Aussie who demonstrated against General De Gaulle in 1968 It’s not surprising that I found the following story online, or that [...]
Mother/Daughter Pair Persephone and Demeter written by Anne SkyvingtonJanuary 4, 2023 Why This Is My Chosen One In a way, this myth chose me. And that’s what myths are meant to [...]
And How It Is Interpreted Today A myth is a story about gods, often told in an attempt to account for the beginning of the world, such as in the [...]
Or Did I Conceive It All Along? Does Free Will Exist or Not? What was it about age 31, which made me, as I reached this milestone, want to change [...]
written by Anne SkyvingtonJanuary 6, 2023 What Are The Different Forms Love Can Take? During my university days, I fell into and out of love easily and frequently. So did [...]
Perhaps A Little Of Each? written by Anne SkyvingtonJanuary 6, 2023 Blaise Pascal said all those years ago — in the seventeenth century — that the tragedy of being human was that we are [...]
On the Paranormal Debate? written by Anne SkyvingtonJanuary 7, 2023 Believer Agnostic or Atheist? It's not about being right or wrong… It's just about interesting differences in perspectives. Don't worry, [...]
Linking two polarities with similar goals in mind written by Anne SkyvingtonJanuary 1, 2023 Between the East and the West I’ve written about this before, both here and for New [...]
And To Share The Love … written by Anne SkyvingtonJanuary 9, 2023 7 Points to Follow in Order to Achieve a Good Life First A Note: Writing on Medium over the [...]
Extreme Fear in the Time of Covid The only thing we have to fear is fear itself! The above quotation from an American Second World War time president has become [...]
I live in Coogee near the beach with my husband of 47 years. Coogee is located on Sydney’s famous Coastal Walkway, which stretches from Bondi Beach to Maroubra Beach. The [...]
Most people who write a book will never get it published; half the writers who are published won’t see a second book in print; and most books published are never [...]
Getting Off The Ground In this month of November, I see that there are many colleagues and friends on Medium starting out to do just that in National Novel Writing [...]
The Past Lives in Us Charlie Perkins, an Aboriginal activist, who was the first indigenous person to study at the University of Sydney in the sixties, believed that “the past [...]
This is a pertinent story for northern hemisphere dwellers who are coming into winter soon. It’s from a Down Under dweller with a good-luck story and precious advice about creating [...]
Okay, I’m curious like a lot of writers on the planet. It was only a little thing, but I’m ashamed to admit that there was a teeny bit of the [...]
Yes, but not everyone has the same sense of humour to share, and some may even lack a sense of humour completely. I wrote this article on Medium some months [...]
Swallowed By The River She’s not had such fun in a long while. Donny is like a dolphin in the water, all slick and oily skinned, diving down and up [...]
I was brought up on pictures of real-life kings and queens: of princes and princesses, dukes and duchesses. Mum loved the photos of the royals in glossy publications, such as [...]
Writing and Publishing On Social Media Platforms There aren't many Social Media platforms that encourage confidence in writers these days. Look at what has happened to Twitter, and to Facebook. [...]
A short story based on a life well-lived This piece is loosely based on my husband’s life, as a child spent in the Sydney suburb of Bondi, and as a [...]
But not in the way I expected… I turned thirty and wanted to change. Engaging a therapist who utilized a post-Freudian type of psychoanalysis, seemed to me to ensure a [...]
The must-do broadening experience of a lifetime I travelled rough when I was young. Now that I’m much older, I will only travel in style, accompanying my husband, if possible, [...]
Definitions “Culture Shock” is the term for an individual’s surprise, dismay and/or euphoria when first meeting with an alien or different culture. I experienced culture shock as euphoria, when I [...]
And suffered intense pain and a nervous breakdown as a result of my choices I was in my early thirties when I first started looking inward, which I conceived as [...]
When Grace Tame from Tasmania fled to Santa Barbara in California in 2019, she was diagnosed with high functioning autism. This diagnosis, coming nine years after the abuse event began, [...]
The Class of 1961-1962 A large group of us seated in front of the hallowed walls, doors and columns, of the College on the Hill, in wet October weather. A [...]
A true story of karmic proportions...if you believe... Let me state at the outset that a soul mate is not necessarily a perfect match, in fact rarely is that the [...]
I've only just started to realise that the cold can be therapeutic. It's not for everyone, I know. But why don't you try it out? Wim Hof, from the Netherlands, [...]
How would you fare if, like Alan Parkes, you were sent to "Bourke and Beyond" to run a small school in your first year out of Teachers' College? Anne Writes: [...]
A unique love story, the many sides of love, modern music and much more The Movie I loved the film Bohemian Rhapsody. Seated next to my partner just before the [...]
Ways of Facing Fear Fear, like pain, is often a good thing. It's normal to be afraid of dangerous creatures, such as funnel web spiders. It's only when fear is [...]
Did you know that Australia is a world leader in Stuttering research and treatments? See: The Australian Stuttering Research Centre. But first, let me tell you a story. Many years [...]
I first saw the following video on a Facebook group that I belong to: Armidale Teachers College: The Class of 1961-1962 This was the year, 1963, that I started teaching [...]
The reason people choose atheism rather than belief or agnosticism, may simply be that professed atheists have not experienced, at least in this lifetime, the “numen” (adj. “numinous”). See meaning [...]
My Travel Journal Continues: "From Paris to Russia and Back" Because of the events in Ukraine today, I have re-published this post with sadness in my heart at the thought [...]
My writing started out as therapy for a polarised — to be explained later on — childhood. My own background had been stamped indelibly by my not having had a [...]
This is a guest post by Gordon Forth, a fellow student at Armidale Teachers College, who started there in 1962, a year after me. Gordon writes: Please find attached my [...]
From Amazon's Online Book Club I'd received lots of reviews from family and friends of my debut novel, Karrana. But I never quite believed the veracity of these reviews, being [...]
A story of eternal love Dearest, I was telling our grandson, Andreas, just the other day, how he possesses the feeling function more strongly than I. He had just espied, [...]
Just look around you...on the ground and in trees, in the sky... The Fibonacci Sequence is everywhere! In Plants In Pine cones the spiral pattern of the seed pods tend [...]
I'm reposting this Conversation article by Denis Altman, to mark my backing of the new model being set up by the ARM. The republic debate is back (again) but we [...]
Appropriating the American way while writing for Medium 1. Keep physically fit and eat well Fitness: There are so many ways one can manage to do this these days: go [...]
Worth a thousand words: the top ten best Australian children’s picture books Reading from an early age can instill healthy habits for a lifetime. “Possum Magic”, by Mem Fox and [...]
My daughter leaves parts of herself all around the place. She especially sheds bits and pieces chez moi. As if she doesn’t want to be apart from me for any [...]
A little on point of view first... Point of view refers to who sees the action within a story or novel. You can have multiple points of view, so long [...]
Reference: ABC Online: Future Australia While the Federal government has come to the party at the COP 26 (Glasgow) on net zero CO2 emissions by 2050, our 2030 targets still [...]
The Voice that Comes to You Mystery is part of the writing process, and for some writers there are those thrilling moments when a voice “just comes” and takes them [...]
A Hermit State Forever More? The normally united states of Australia, have entered a chequered phase of mistrust and anger. Victoria hates New South Wales for not locking down sooner [...]
That is, reading on the beach I live at Coogee, close to the beach in a unit with my husband of 47 years. Coogee Beach is located on Sydney's famous [...]
by Ian Harry Wells (Wellsy) Armidale is a city of learning, being home to the first NSW Teachers' College established outside of Sydney. The Armidale Teachers' College is a heritage-listed (now [...]
What would you do, if you lost your long-term partner? How would you cope with the grief? My Armidale Teachers' College classmate, Ian, writes about just this. Feel free to [...]
A Perspective from Two Young Women https://youtu.be/Pgy4PlX9EWM Covid isolation and protesters as seen through the (younger) eyes and voices of 2 women I am proud to call relatives: https://www.facebook.com/coronavirus_info/?page_source=covid_vaccine_faxit&hoisted_module_type=covid_vaccine_development Ange [...]
Coronavirus (COVID-19) SARS-CoV-2, The Australian Government is managing the COVID-19 outbreak in Australia as a health emergency. A glossary of terms in daily use in the media in Australia in [...]
What is Storybox? "STORYBOX is a clean energy digital cube, designed for inclusive media and storytelling in public spaces. Partnering with different organisations to activate public spaces, and to connect [...]
Three colleagues who assisted me in getting my writing off the ground, have just published new works: Dina Davis with A Dangerous Daughter (Cilento Publishing), who avoided lockdown and actually [...]
https://dinadavisauthor.com/2021/04/24/why-i-wrote-a-dangerous-daughter/
Escaping to the NT from virus-ridden NSW in March, I was confined to home in mandatory quarantine for fourteen days. What bliss! The tropical weather, the smiling faces, the feeling [...]
Click on the following links: Karrana: https://books2read.com/b/3GeoKLWriting a Novel: https://books2read.com/u/m2r6Nj How does Books2Read work? Books2Read is an author site featuring book discovery tools developed by indie-publishing service Draft2Digital. We’re 100% [...]
The Story of the Novel Those in the know say Write about what you know. This could be my parents' love story, with the boring bits left out. My story [...]
I am proud to introduce you to our new publication, Sharing Writing Skills. As the title implies, this book is the result of six members of the Randwick Writers Group [...]
A book about writing groups Joining a writing group is very popular these days, at least in Anglo speaking countries. There are many different types of writing groups, just as [...]
It seems like I've only just published and launched my novel Karrana, and uploaded a new cover, when another book I've been involved in creating is about to be launched. [...]
NIELSEN BOOKSCAN In December 2000 the situation for publishers began to change a little with the establishment of Nielsen BookScan, a local affiliate of US polling company A.C. Nielsen. Nielsen [...]
Someone said it takes a village to bring up a child; it’s the same for writing a novel. This was certainly true for me. Experts say you should write about [...]
Can this myth assist us in understanding a little better, and in coming to terms with what is happening here?
There's an innate problem with writing about your life, and that is that your relatives might not want to be shown up, warts and all, in a publication. Clive James got around that issue by using humour to recreate his childhood narrative, which is part of an autobiography, Unreliable Memoirs.
Words in a book... Esther learnt of my existence and found me through words in a family history tome. My older brother had written and published A Little Bit of [...]
In search of a voice… My writing started out as therapy for a polarised — to be explained later on — childhood. My own background had been stamped indelibly by [...]
Self publishing may require you, the first-time author/publisher, to invest time in learning the ropes by accessing online forums and videos provided by Amazon KDP.
Do you ever wake up with a song playing in your head? With lyrics by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, this one, I discovered, was originally recorded as a demo [...]
As a child growing up in a valley where diversity was met with suspicion, I learnt, first-hand, about racism. However, I also saw paradoxes within my cocooned world, and turned [...]
It is an unfinished, personal and spiritual account that was, and still is, at odds with the atheistic and scientific direction of society.
What a month it has been! No, make that two—or three.... First a hasty trip to Croatia and to Spain with my husband. I always like to record my travels [...]
We're here in Cavtat on the southern coast of Croatia, for the 4th International Symposium on Stuttering that my husband convenes. Participants come from more than a dozen countries, from [...]
1. Self Publishing Is Easy (according to some!) Firstly, choose a size for your print book, format your Word manuscript to fit that size, turn your Word doc into a [...]
This post from December 2016, has been re-edited and re-published in April, 2019. Broad and Narrow Genres Since the proliferation of Creative Writing courses in universities in the Anglo world, [...]
More confusion surrounds the concept of Point of View in fiction writing than any other term. One of the problems is that writers, and I have been guilty of this [...]
Note: I first published this post on this blog in February, 2013. I have added little to the original for re-scheduling it in April 2019, apart from photos and some [...]
Planning or Not Planning So much has been said and written about this topic, that it is almost fruitless to comment. All you need do is Google the topic and [...]
In 2015, I titled this post "A Crafty, Callous and Curmudgeonly Crew", which was a boating metaphor for the members of cabinet at the time. I found their lack of [...]
Why design an ebook? I wanted to include a special offer for new subscribers to my blog. This is called a lead magnet. I decided to create an ebook based [...]
I am still recovering from the excitement of my author event at Waverley Library, Sydney, a few weeks ago. It took the form of a Q&A with the wonderful Susannah Fullerton [...]
Definitions of a Scene A scene is the smallest unit of narration. It is a story with a beginning, middle, and an end. One editor calls it the DNA of [...]
How to Write a Novel After gaining a Teaching Certificate in 1965, I embarked on a journey from Australia to England, passing along the Suez Canal shortly before its forced [...]
Many people lump black birds (crows or ravens) and pied ones, such as the Australian magpie, all together, and think of them as “birds of ill omen” or some such. [...]
Alone not lonely is Maureen Mendelowitz's second novella to be published by Ginninderra Press (2018). See my post about her first book on this site. I attended the successful launch [...]
Dina Davis, the author: I gave the following brief talk at a recent meeting of Waverley Writers, so that my colleagues could share in my newfound knowledge of the publishing [...]
A Unique Love Story The Movie I loved the film Bohemian Rhapsody. Seated next to my partner just before the pandemic broke out, in the uber comfortable lounges at the [...]
A Myth is a story of the gods, a religious account of the beginning of the world, the creation, fundamental events, or exemplary deeds of the gods. The Swiss psychologist [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL (Friends of Waverley Library) COMMITTEE, September 2018 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 39th meeting on the 3rd Sunday of September from 2-4 [...]
Whenever I walk through Sydney Hyde Park, past the Archibald Fountain, along Art Gallery Road, and up to the steps of the Art Gallery of NSW, I remember our six-year-old [...]
A recently published book by two researchers into the role of Greek families in the cultural history of Australia, got me thinking back to my childhood in the Clarence Valley [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL (Friends of Waverley Library) COMMITTEE, August 2018 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 38th meeting on the 3rd Sunday of August from 2-4 [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL (Friends of Waverley Library) COMMITTEE, April 2018 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 34th meeting on the 3rd Sunday of April from 2-4 [...]
Magnetic Island Magnetic Island is part of the Great Barrier Reef. Just outside our unit is a marked underwater reef that one can follow, either with a snorkel or by [...]
Psychology is a relatively recent area of research and treatment for “inner” emotional problems, with Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) creating his famous brand of psychoanalysis in the late nineteenth and early [...]
GREEKS of ANTIQUITY I had my first taste of philosophy at Armidale Teachers College in 1961. This was one of the options that I chose to study, apart from the [...]
First a note about the painting, Botticelli's Birth of Venus, that serves here as a symbol for Joni Mitchell's song. Both speak of life, love and beauty. For Plato – [...]
I really enjoyed this novella, published by Ginninderra Press, about an unrequited love relationship set in South Africa during apartheid. The voice is unique: poetic and full of beauty from [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL (Friends of Waverley Library) COMMITTEE, March 2017 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 33rd meeting on the 3rd Sunday of March from 2-4 [...]
I have recently been researching diagrams to represent the Narrative Arc. I had completed a personal memoir, River Girl, based partly on childhood memories, that was complex in structure. How [...]
En Route to Croatia We just flew over the mountains of Eastern Europe en route to Frankfurt from Dubai. Qantas have teamed up with the United Arab Emirates airline, so [...]
View Post Definitions of Narrative Personas According to Ernest Hemingway, the writer’s job is “to sit in front of the page and bleed”. But it’s not the person in flesh-and-blood [...]
Cargoes by John Mansfield I woke up the other morning with an old verse I’d learnt at school — not sure which year, but it was at least half a [...]
From the Hall of Fame at the North Sydney Pool: “The North Sydney Pool was, in its heyday, one of the most advanced olympic facilities in the world”. “It was [...]
WHERE IS VACY? Vacy is in the Dungog Shire, not far from Paterson in the Lower Hunter Valley. It’s a 197 km drive north and then north-west from Sydney. Or [...]
Italy: Fast Cars Driving on the autostrada is a relief after Rome. Watch on the right, my partner says repeatedly, having been traumatised when the mirror on our rented manual [...]
Moree, with a population of about 8,000, is situated in the north-west of NSW on the Mehi River and at the junction of the Gwydir and Newell Highways. It is [...]
My Writer’s Voice: A Childhood Spent on the North Coast of NSW The historical photograph of my hometown, with the Clarence River and Susan Island across the water, brings me [...]
My Writer’s Voice Linked to A Childhood Spent in the NSW Clarence Valley The historical photograph of my hometown, with the Clarence River and Susan Island across the water, bring [...]
Every year around this time, some lucky members of Waverley Library, and other interested parties, are invited to a special breakfast for The Nib Awards. The award, in its 16th [...]
THE NIB AWARD The Waverley Library Award for Literature, established in 2002, is entitled ‘the Nib’. Organised and financed by Waverley Council, it is managed by Waverley Library, with the [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL (Friends of Waverley Library) COMMITTEE, October 2017 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 29th meeting on the 3rd Sunday of October from 2-4 [...]
An Excellent Seminar In July I attended an excellent seminar held at the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) in Ultimo, Sydney, titled “Pitch Perfect”. The convenor, Emily Booth, an editor [...]
Typical of Australian art is an appreciation of contrasting styles. At Everglades Gardens, it's mainly European flowers and trees, but at some places in nature, and in botanic gardens, such [...]
Point-of-View in the 19th Century In his fictional work, A Million Windows (Giramondo 2014) Gerald Murnane writes: "At one extreme is the boldness and directness of the nineteenth-century writer of [...]
Some Definitions Twins can be either monozygotic (“identical”), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic (“fraternal”), meaning that they develop from two [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL (Friends of Waverley Library) COMMITTEE, September 2017 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 28th meeting on the 3rd Sunday of September [...]
Online Dating If you have never thought about trying Online Dating services or downloading the Tinder App, you are probably in a loving, monogamous relationship, and you might just be, [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL (Friends of Waverley Library) COMMITTEE, August 2017 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 27th meeting on the 3rd Sunday of August from 2-4 [...]
Sick Earth The earth is sick, its lungs stuffed and out of puff, its bones brittle near to break cancer cells spreading throughout its crests amid tumescent landfill dense as [...]
Galactic Address What are we doing here on this moving globe Earth insects swimming in the Orion Way far from the centre of the Galaxy clinging to the cavity of the [...]
Most people can only claim to have known one truly great love in their life. In the same way, it is likely that you will remember having had no more [...]
John Cade wrote in 1979: "Depressive illness is the most painful illness known to man, equalling or exceeding even the most exquisite physical agony. The patient is inconsolably despairing, often [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL (Friends of Waverley Library) COMMITTEE, July 2017 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 26th meeting on the 3rd Sunday of [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL (Friends of Waverley Library) Meeting Report, 18 June Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 25th meeting on the 3rd Sunday of June from 2-4 pm in [...]
What is A Pitch? A pitch in publishing can be verbal or written and often a combination of both. Verbal pitches are for face-to-face meetings with an agent or publishers. [...]
Way back then, at Armidale Teachers' College, Liz was reminiscent of one of those Botticelli angels, but without the curls. She looked a lot like Miranda from Picnic at Hanging [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL (Friends of Waverley Library) COMMITTEE, May 2017 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 24th meeting on the 3rd Sunday of May from 2-4 [...]
We live at the northern end of the beach in Coogee. This was once the “poor cousin” side of Coogee Bay, with dilapidated buildings and a rusting dome on top [...]
Did you know that one in five Australians will personally experience clinical depression or a bipolar disorder over their lifetime, there are the families, partners, friends and work colleagues who [...]
Japan was a very easy country to travel in, as most people tried to help us tourists despite the language barriers. We had a lovely stay with my brother and [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL (Friends of Waverley Library) COMMITTEE, March 2017 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 23rd meeting on Sunday 19th March from 2-4 [...]
Traditional Versus Modern Voices Why have I chosen the following photo from my place of birth, Grafton, taken in 1924, as an introduction to this post? For several reasons: I [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL (Friends of Waverley Library) COMMITTEE, February 2017 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 22nd meeting on the 3rd Sunday of February from 2-4 [...]
Photograph: Peter Magubane The Maid I come into your home barefoot With calloused soles of uncouth shape and tramp the carpets of your stairs The glass of [...]
The photo below is of my first childhood house at Waterview, via South Grafton. It was taken several decades after my time spent there within the bosom of my first [...]
We live near the beach at Coogee, so we are fortunate enough to get a fairly constant sea breeze. But other areas in Western Sydney and in the Western plains [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL COMMITTEE, December 2016 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 21st meeting on the third Sunday of December from 2-4 pm in [...]
The Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung (1875-1961) created many of the enduring terms for the mind and for the unconscious that have enriched literature and humanity during the twentieth century. Certainly [...]
A highlight of 2016 was travel with my husband to the cooler climes of Croatia and Bosnia Herzogovina for a week in their autumn (October), followed by another week in [...]
The Road Not Taken - A Poem by Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I [...]
The Craft of Writing Please note that I have recently changed the description of my blog to “The Craft of Writing”, which correlates with the main goal of my website. [...]
Zac followed my partner along the footpath near our home, one afternoon when Mark was walking towards the gym. An Aussie Terrier, starving and weary. These gym sessions were daily [...]
An Australian Story Set in the Forties and Fifties POV Choices: Say you are writing a story set in the forties and fifties. You have a character in mind, a [...]
My Writer’s Voice Linked to A Childhood Spent in the NSW Clarence Valley The following historical photograph of my hometown, with the Clarence River and Susan Island across the water, [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL COMMITTEE, November 2016 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 20th meeting on the third Sunday of November from 2-4 pm in the [...]
The Ageing Dante holding a copy of The Divine Comedy Sentiments in the poem are of loss, love and melancholy related to growing old. Eliot was reading Dante Alighieri's main [...]
Eliot’s poem, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, and especially the second and third lines, are said to herald in modernism in poetry. His is an excellent example of [...]
We're coming into summer here Down Under, while you in the northern hemisphere head towards winter. I have decided, paradoxically, to go into blogging hibernation now, while the outdoors activities [...]
New Horizons Those past two weeks had seen me have 2 new artificial lenses put in my eyes: that is, cataract surgery on both eyes; seek digital assistance with making [...]
I've always been a bit of a risk taker in some ways. [See My Travel Journal: "From Paris to Russia and Back in 1968"]. Different cultures and new landscapes, tasting [...]
Sensitivity or Mental Illness? In our family, I was the overly sensitive one. Recently, I was rated high in intuition, feeling and perception, in a Myers-Briggs personality test. Fate had [...]
The bridge is pleasing to the eye. It's perfect in its simplicity. You can only appreciate the grace of its arcs from a distance, or from the pebbly beach down [...]
It’s on the opposite side of the earth from Sydney, the language spoken is very different, and it’s much colder in autumn. But Copenhagen is an amazingly liveable city. We [...]
Hotel Croatia En Route to Cavtat in 2013 We just flew over the mountains of Eastern Europe en route to Frankfurt from Dubai. Qantas have teamed up [...]
Short Fiction by Kay Dunne: First published in Bondi Newsletter in June 2012 There is a moon in your ceiling. It must have wandered in while I was sleeping. [...]
From Susan Beinart’s Thin Skin manuscript: This excerpt first published in Bondi Writers' Newsletter in July 2013 Lisa has gone to Sorrington Rehab to visit her brother, Leon, who is [...]
A Poem by Pamela Trustrum Out on the Sea Where are we in this boat we have lost the anchor of the land The sea the sky are everywhere and [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL COMMITTEE, September 2016 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 19th meeting on the third Sunday of September from 2-4 pm in the Theory [...]
A Post by Cleo Lynch Lost and found... Who am I to write these memoirs? What delusions am I under? How presumptuous of me to inflict my life’s [...]
A Short Story by Dina Davis He stands before me, fist raised. My mother places herself between him and my swollen belly, her arms held out in a gesture of [...]
Swedish love coach, Carolin Dahlman, gave a presentation to our writers' group on the idea of networking in order to be published. Most of the large group of writers who [...]
I must tread carefully here... I have to be careful when discussing the concept of left versus right brained people, as I'm married to a scientist, who also happens to [...]
In the movie "The Great Beauty", the 2013 Italian film by Paolo Sorrentino, a tourist, after taking photos in Rome, collapses and dies. The message is clear: See Rome and [...]
I was recently advised by doctors that I should take statins to lower my blood cholesterol reading. The statins lowered my reading quickly to half what it was before. Originally [...]
I was drawn to the exotic name Ein Gedi, when coming across it in my brother's first novel set partly in Israel. Then in a friend's writing based on a [...]
Cavtat Harbour is one of the prettiest places I've ever been to. Slate toned mountains against green hills, turquoise waters and blue skies; in the village terracotta roof tiles and [...]
“Flame Trees” was sung by Jimmy Barnes to commemorate Australia Day on 26th January this year (2016). The song depicts for me the two sides of Grafton, its polarities. This [...]
We’re heading for the air space over la Belle Paris, where we will spend such a memorable few days, meeting up with Véronique and Thierry, and Manya and Hakeem. You [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL COMMITTEE, August 2016 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 18th meeting on the third Sunday of August, from 2-4 pm in the [...]
Gorgeous Sicilia! It's been on my bucket list, ever since hearing about its marvels and beauty from my Italian hairdresser. Over the years I've explored the north, middle and south [...]
My Travel Journal through Italy and Yugoslavia in 1968 My journey from Paris towards the Ukraine in Russia continues … with entry into our first Communist country, Yugoslavia, and the [...]
My Travel Journal The first leg: Paris to Italy I set out from Paris, with two girlfriends, Liz and Kay from Melbourne, in the summer of 1968. We were studying [...]
Ancient Greece Ancient Greece gave such a lot to the world, including architecture, philosophy and theatre. I thought about this when I visited Greece with two friends in the late [...]
My European travels in a downbeaten French deux chevaux car, shuffling and chugging through 15 countries, is a metaphor for my earliest attempts at self development. During the months' long [...]
I was never interested in mathematics at school, perhaps because of the way it was taught; it was seen as a subject for boys in the 50s. Today, things may [...]
According to American author Marian Roach Smith’s definition, “Memoirs are selections from your life story, shaped by theme, driven by a few burning questions. So the question the reader brings [...]
The Vitruvian Man is a drawing created by Leonardo da Vinci circa 1490. It is accompanied by notes based on the work of the architect Vitruvius. The drawing, which is [...]
The Inner Journey I had, for a long while, been addicted to self development. It was like peeling onion layers; more were always waiting for you to deal with. But [...]
When I was sixteen, a boyfriend said during one of our many debates on the existence or not of God: “What if we decided not to believe, and woke up [...]
Most people don't admit to being afraid; this refers especially to men. That's one of the reasons for the denial and stigmatising of mental illness. Showing vulnerable feelings is shameful [...]
WE ARE indeed NOT ALONE on this earth that we call home! I joined WANA tribe, after having read a book entitled: Rise of the Machines: Human Authors in a [...]
While Sydney is known for its spectacular beaches and warm weather, there are still plenty of places to visit and things to experience in The Harbour City during winters. What [...]
I manage to write more in winter, because there’s not the pull of the outside and nature: swimming, walks in the sun by the sea and all that to tempt [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL COMMITTEE, JULY 2016 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 17th meeting on the third Sunday of July, from 2-4 pm in the [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL REPORT to FOWL COMMITTEE, 19th June 2016 The following report was written by Maureen Mendelowitz, one of our Waverley Writers’ Committee members, who attended this exciting [...]
Ever wondered why some writing groups you've attended are successful, while others fail early on? Because writers are typically anxious about their writing, it is common for members to feel [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL – 15th REPORT to FOWL COMMITTEE, 20th May, 2016 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 15th meeting on the third Sunday of May, from 2-4 pm [...]
“My Brilliant Friend” by Elena Ferrante, is a brilliant read, if somewhat elusive at the start. This mirrors the enigmatic aspect of the novelist herself: Who is she? Is part [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL – 14th REPORT to FOWL COMMITTEE, 17th APRIL, 2016 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 14th meeting on the third Sunday of April, from 2-4 [...]
Meet the Author, HELEN O’NEILL, in conversation with Suzanne Leal Thursday 21 April 2016 6.30-8pm Waverley Library I attended an interesting conversation in 2016 at the Waverley Library, Bondi Junction, [...]
I've just had my review of My Year with Sammy by Libby Sommer published in the Quadrant Magazine under Reviews. The review is entitled "Retrieving A Childhood. I'm chuffed! The [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL – 13th REPORT to FOWL COMMITTEE, 20th MARCH, 2016 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 13th meeting on the third Sunday of March, from 2-4 [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL – 12th REPORT to FOWL COMMITTEE, FEBRUARY, 2016 Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 12th meeting on the third Sunday of February, from 2-4 [...]
This House of Grief The First Stone 1995 Monkey Grip 1977 Congratulations to Helen Garner Helen Garner, one of my favourite Australian writers, deserves this [...]
Harper Lee Source: Sad News: Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird has died aged 89 See book reviews on her most famous book: To Kill a Mockingbird https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2657.To_Kill_a_Mockingbird [...]
A Genteel Ghost a true story by Roger Britton I never believed in ghosts before, but now I am not quite sure … perhaps a “presence” is what I mean [...]
My Year with Sammy by Libby Sommer Have you ever had, or known, or heard tell of a child who was amazing, beautiful, special, and … difficult? Not just difficult, [...]
Here's a story from my Teachers' College friend, Ian Wells. It's great for me to re-live that all-important primary school teaching experience through his words. It's the kids' future that [...]
There really are FEELINGS IN YOUR HEART you don’t even know exist until you have a child of your own. It’s a sensation without description. When our first-born finally arrived, [...]
River Girl I lived at a place called Waterview, a lush, fertile valley, with a river swollen like a pregnant woman coursing through it. Despite the name ‘Waterview’, the Clarence [...]
"Snakey" by Roger Britton I soon learnt Death Adders were dangerous in more ways than one. The common belief among us school boys was that, once you were bitten by [...]
The Preface by Ian: Aged over seventy and I fell in love, unexpected to say the least. I will never forget the date; 31st October 2014, Halloween! Is that prophetic? [...]
Balls Head Reserve, Sydney Harbour I recently lived for eighteen months on the north side, in Waverton. One of the precious finds across the bridge was Balls Head Reserve, flanked [...]
About Rumi Born June 03, 1207in بلخ / Balkh, Afghanistan Died August 20, 1273 From Wikipedia: Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (Persian: مولانا جلال الدین محمد رومی), also known as Mawlānā [...]
[et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text]Hello to all my blog readers at the beginning of 2016, as the Year of the Goat (in Chinese Astrology) is coming to an end. And the Year of [...]
Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way(Leo Tolstoy 1878) Tolstoy’s Impact Tolstoy is a philosopher/narrator within his novel Anna Karenina. He invites the [...]
A Happy Childhood … by the beach Memories of Freedom and Security As a kid, I lived in a treasured place and time. It was the forties and fifties in [...]
Life is a Beach Have you heard the saying, Life is a beach? Have you ever strolled along a sandy shore? Scrunching wet sand deliciously between your toes? I have [...]
This beautiful poem fell upon my desk one morning out of the world wide web : I am your moon and your moonlight too I am your flower garden and [...]
Lambs in Spring Donny Me Billy The humid scorching heat of the sub-tropical climate engulfed us; the sun’s rays tore at our skin with ruthless intensity and sent [...]
Firstly: All things are connected, but distinctions need to be made… This may seem academic—and it is—but sometimes a subtle distinction makes all the difference in practice: The writer is [...]
Roger writes... One night, on hearing a piece of music, grief overwhelmed me. I sat down and wrote this poem, fifty-seven years after the event. I rushed into it with [...]
Waverley Writers of FOWL Monthly Report Speaker Event, November 15, 2015 We had an attendance of 19, including the speaker: 10 members, and 9 visitors. Waverley Writers was grateful for [...]
Waverley Writers of Fowl October 18 Meeting Report Dina Davis convened this meeting in the absence of Anne Skyvington. There were nine in attendance. Two new members joined the [...]
Example 1. Optical feedback (Photo credit: Wikipedia) WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL – 8th REPORT to FOWL COMMITTEE Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 8th meeting on Sunday, 20th [...]
"Life in the Forties and Fifties" by Ian (Harry) Wells “Take-away” back in the forties and fifties, when I was a kid, meant a sum in arithmetic at school. Nothing [...]
Voice as Metaphor The elusive concept of Voice is one of the most difficult aspects of the craft of writing to explain in words. Like persona in Jungian psychology, it [...]
December 13th November, 2008 a scorpio You can't know the sheer joy and wonder of grandparenting, until it happens to you. It was around 4am when Grandad Mark’s [...]
Is there an optimal time for a woman to give birth? Is it once you have an amazing job — when money is no longer a problem? Or maybe not [...]
Garth Alperstein was born in South Africa. As well as having spent a career as a paediatrican, he has worked with indigenous Australians in the outback. And in recent times, [...]
WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL – 7th REPORT to FOWL COMMITTEE Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 7th meeting on Sunday, 16th August, 2-4 pm, in the Theory Room in Waverley [...]
Double Madness by Caroline de Costa Published by Margaret River Press, 2015 If you like detective stories and a rollicking good read, with a nice dose of voyeurism thrown in, [...]
Susan and Anne: Meet and Greet FOWL morning tea WAVERLEY WRITERS OF FOWL – 6th REPORT to FOWL COMMITTEE Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 6th meeting on [...]
One of the last remaining wild areas on the eastern seaboard of Sydney has recently been rescued from the hands of developers through protest and last-minute government intervention. Malabar Headland, [...]
Susan's Report on the Meeting Waverley Writers of FOWL held its 5th meeting on Sunday 21st June, 2-4pm, in the Theory Room in Waverley Library. Again, we had 13 attendees [...]
Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia (la Nouvelle Calédonie) is situated at the southern-most tip of the main island, directly east of Australia. It has a similar history to Sydney, [...]
Cleo Lynch spoke about her book, "Careering Into Corrections", and her publication journey. Cleo is a passionate speaker, and managed to motivate the group into a lively question-and-answer mode. Her [...]
I attended my first ever Webinar one day, about a year ago. It was a web-based seminar on Characterisation, organised by the TBA Lounge, an American site, and was set [...]
The Anthropos is rising! The age-old, original man is coming to claim us from our shadow imitations of manhood! Patriarchal Man is dying! You know him well – the one [...]
I’ve always enjoyed reading Helen Garner’s works, from the very beginning when my girlfriend Julie gave me the first novel by this gifted writer, Monkey Grip. Admittedly, her reputation as [...]
Many writers on literary structure and theory present a linear figure to portray the format of a short story, the narrative arc, of a memoir or a novel. Kal Bashir, [...]
We welcomed some new members today; there are now 16 names on our mailing list. Thanks go to Geraldine for sending out the reminder notices each month. This was a [...]
Meeting Two Sunday 15 March 2015 Apologies: Garth, Gavin, Madelein Present: Anne, Dina, Susan, Geraldine, Pam, Erica, Libby, Rolf, Toni, Maureen, Charmaine. Anne convened the meeting: Members introduced themselves to [...]
Sunday 21 February 2015 Present: Dina, Anne, Susan, Prim, Pamela, Libby, Madelein Apologies: Garth, Geraldine, Gavin, Sunny Anne Skyvington convened the meeting, and talked about the Guidelines for giving and [...]
This is a short excerpt, still under review, from Chapter Twenty-Seven of Karrana. Bridie thought Stella, curled up in the corner of the mail train compartment, her red curls squashed [...]
This is an early excerpt from a chapter of my novel "Karrana", second draft well under way at this stage. When he got to Halfway Creek, he had to stop [...]
One of my favourite examples of "showing" is from Australian writer Tim Winton. In the following example from Cloudstreet, Lester Lamb and his sons, Quick and Fish, are netting for [...]
How is Fiction Writing a Form of Folly? In order to understand the features of fiction, it is helpful to examine the features of an opposite type of writing: the [...]
"Only in Australia" Thanks to Brian Moore for alerting me to the video clip below: Four black swans seen riding waves at Kirra Beach on the Gold Coast (Queensland) in [...]
Emerging from the metro station, Hannah opened her eyes on a strange world into which she’d stumbled by chance. All was new and filled with a radiance she’d never known [...]
After some confusion, I started at the Angel in search of a boy, my long-lost Ern, my namesake, darling. A perfect starting point for my research. I felt sure your [...]
If any creative person deserves to be discovered it is Paul Atroshenko: Artist, Photographer, Video Maker. Have a look at his website displaying his eclectic works of art, including symbolist [...]
I recently attended a seminar on Publishing at the NSW Writers Centre entitled "Open Access". The main message I came away with was: "You must be an author entrepreneur. You [...]
I came across Nancy Andreason in 2014 while researching the brain of creative people, to assist me in writing the next chapter of my novel-in-progress: about a young gifted boy [...]
This morning, the postwoman brought my brother a first copy (from the printer in the UK) of They Sought the Last of Lands, which can be thought of as a [...]
English: A Picture of a eBook Español: Foto de eBook Беларуская: Фотаздымак электроннай кнігі Русский: Фотография электронной книги (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I have been researching e-book and traditional book [...]
Same reason for being in Oxford—the Oxford Dysfluency Conference that my partner helped organise—same train trip from London; same College for accommodation. But this trip, instead of visiting university landmarks [...]
HOW TO WRITE A BOOK REVIEW: At a Bondi Writers Group meeting, we discussed the question of how to write a book review. One of our long-term members had just [...]
The Trouble With Flying, from the 2014 Margaret River Short Story Competition, edited by Richard Rossiter, Published by Margaret River Press, 2014 Review first published by Margaret River Press This [...]
Establishing Parameters and Guidelines One of the main benefits of joining a writers group is to receive feedback on your writing. We'd been talking a lot about giving and receiving [...]
I've always been fascinated by the moon. There is a strange beauty about the moon as viewed from Earth. It must have been a wonderful sight for the cosmonauts to [...]
Elizabeth Jolley (Photo credit: Wikipedia) A Short Story Literary Prize "Entries are now open for the 2014 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize worth a total of $8000. This year, [...]
This post contribution is from my Randwick Writers colleague Garth Alperstein, originally from South Africa, but obviously a citizen of the world now, who delights in other places, faces and [...]
LIFE IN A QUAINT VILLAGE: PATERSON A Watershed Year: 2014 My husband Mark Onslow and I went to bed one night with three grandchildren, and woke up the next [...]
I love my brother Donny to bits. He’s the funny one in our family. He sings and yodels “There’s a Track Leading Back” and plays the guitar like his heroes, [...]
He is waiting for me again this morning, out on the same post, watching me with one eye slanted as always, my jet black crow. He is out for what [...]
I've just finished reading a memoir by a writer, Alan Close: Until You Met Me: A Memoir Of One Man’s Troubled Search For Love about his lifetime struggle to have [...]
Pandora's Box and Other Myths It is striking how ancient myths link up with modern-day thought and religious ideas if you dig a little deeper. For the ancient Greeks, Pandora [...]
Cover of Salvation Creek : An Unexpected Life Lately I've been reading reading reading ... especially memoirs, as I come closer to sending one of mine off to [...]
We caught a plane to Dublin from London. Here we had our toughest passage through Customs yet. Admittedly Heathrow is difficult; it's being renovated and we had to catch several [...]
I'd stayed in the Brisbane CBD previously, also in the south-eastern suburb of Morningside, when I used to visit my late brother in Georgina Hostel there. And I'd stayed in [...]
Knitting and Other Stories from the 2013 Margaret River Short Story Competition, edited by Richard Rossiter. Published by Margaret River Press, 2013 (First published on Margaret River Press website). The [...]
Our house was a simple tin roofed ‘shack’, as Mum called it, sitting on two acres of land divided into three paddocks. There was an outdoor wash-house and a lavatory [...]
Are you a planner or a laisser faire type when it comes to narrative structure? Do you put plot, character or language first? Aristotle, in Poetics, claimed plot as the [...]
Aristotle (Photo credit: maha-online) Our writers' group recently invited a speaker from the University of Technology, Sydney to present a talk on "Poetics", which he defined as the [...]
Ave Maria was one of my mother's favourite songs. Although she'd been brought up in a Catholic school and had an Irish Catholic father, she was not religious. However, she [...]
It's that time of the year again when people start talking about the best books read during the year. I recently attended the 2012 "Nib Prize" awarded by the Waverley [...]
I’ve recently reviewed Women Authors by Linda McMahon and would like to share with you some of its content and my appraisal. Linda interviewed five Australian women writers (Wendy Harmer, [...]
A Return in 2011 Armidale, a regional University town, is situated in the northern tableland area of New England, halfway between Sydney and Brisbane with a population of 25,000. In [...]
Every year at the end of spring, there's a council sponsored exhibition of sculptures by local artists, displayed along our beach front walk between Bondi and Tamarama Beaches. no [...]
One of the advantages of living where I do in Sydney is that there is water all around me. I've always lived near the beaches of the eastern suburbs, Coogee, [...]
Many well-known writers and artists down through the ages have suffered from melancholy or melancholia. This sort of ongoing negative feeling that artistic people often suffer from is different from [...]
Charlotte was a much longed-for baby. I had waited five years into my marriage before I conceived. The experience of being pregnant, of giving birth, and of holding her in [...]
We were so close … you were my golden angel! How could I have let this happen? Was it all my fault? Our faults? Of course not, it was no [...]
1. The lion statue that features in the central courtyard of the Museum once sat at the top of a building and weighs 7 tons. It had a much fiercer [...]
We sped in a First Great Western train towards Oxford via Slough and Reading, passing through picturesque countryside, woolly green hills dotted with slate-roofed red brick houses; no water restrictions [...]
Tonight: Despite our best-laid plans, our travel was initially upset by the Qantas engineers’ “requirements” (strike). We were bused to the Ibis Hotel in Darling Harbour in Sydney to spend [...]
Armidale Teachers' College in the New England Tablelands, was an impressive building where we went for courses each day during the week. We trudged up the hill with a group [...]
Where does the title of this book come from? In 1978, Jessica Anderson won the the Miles Franklin Literary Award for her fourth novel, Tirra Lirra by the River, published [...]
My very first water experience is in my mother’s womb. I'm safe, secure, warm. I swim, mermaid-like, do somersaults and swallow the magic fluid. I imagine that I'll never leave [...]
An editor at a recent workshop stressed the importance of "keeping it real", when writing fiction. That is, at least partly, why I started off on the writing journey with [...]
I am not an expert on writing haiku, but I am fascinated by this form of poetry. What I like about it is the discipline it requires. You must write, [...]
I have finally purchased a Kindle. Amazon had just released this bigger model (9" diagonal) that suited me well, since I was wearing reading glasses at the time, and often [...]
I have been very busy these last few weeks and months, assisting with the organising of the "Bondi Tides" Anthology. We have had to make decisions on the venue; food [...]
Cynthia Rowe was a long-term member of Bondi Writers Group. She was President of the group for nearly four years and is currently the Editor of ‘Haiku Australia’. Cynthia is [...]
The Art of Creative Writing Blogannestg2025-04-07T03:29:21+00:00
