tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52738222009-02-21T15:22:17.756+10:00Adventures in writingThis is the spot to read up on Susan's writing efforts, life, and opinions. There will be lashings of misplaced punctuation, angst and joy and hopefully the odd literary moment.Susannoreply@blogger.comBlogger259125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-25094577330944706632007-09-20T20:24:00.000+10:002007-09-20T20:25:49.330+10:00Tonight, right now, very now in Melbourne Overland 188 is being launched.Go to the website, order a copy now!Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-69111633072673041772007-08-23T18:01:00.000+10:002007-08-23T18:05:13.354+10:00Such a hive of holiday activity I am.I have finished my synopsis, my bio and my re-write of the novel. (OK I have one more change I want to make to the last chapter - but so close I'm going to call it done!)I have emailed first three chapters to a very obliging friend who has offered feedback (thanks Z).I have made some slight changes to 'The Chance' short story (recent 2nd prize getter in the Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-80455557185245401642007-08-21T09:15:00.000+10:002007-08-21T09:20:00.271+10:00I'm back!Yup - one week of playing with family and doing rewrites in Bowral (not to mention the odd jog and a bit of pub trivia) is now over.I'm almost through the entire manuscript and hopeful that by the end of the week I might be almost in a position to call it done!In other news I have for the third time picked up 2nd place in the Katherine Susannah Prichard Fantasy and Science Fiction AwardsSusannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-8065648823081874422007-08-09T22:30:00.000+10:002007-08-09T22:33:59.141+10:00The galleys for Overland arrived yesterday - so I spent this evening proofing them. A couple of minor typos - but nothing significant. I'll send them back tomorrow along with my ATO Statement for why I'm not quoting an ABN.Otherwise spent the evening snuffling a bit and doing a re-write of a story that is about 3 years old. I've decided if it cleans up ok I'll shoot it off to a historical Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-82433883853072692962007-07-23T18:38:00.000+10:002007-07-23T18:40:12.794+10:00So in order to get the novel ready in time for the Manuscript Competition I need to:Rewrite 10 pages a day (so 20 tonight cos I've got other stuff on tomorrow)Write a 1 page synopsis (I hate those things)And hopefully at the same time throw the odd word down on other projects.That's the plan.Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-65751768499815264762007-07-11T22:36:00.000+10:002007-07-11T22:37:19.397+10:00In Tasmania a giant squid washed up on a beach last night. Australian scientists have gone into a feeding frenzy. That's a whole heap of calamari.Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-64910248767653073262007-07-06T18:39:00.000+10:002007-07-06T18:40:55.667+10:00An acceptance landed today - from Overland Magazine. And there was much rejoicing.Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-7696548138548898652007-07-05T15:47:00.001+10:002007-07-05T15:50:33.816+10:00A treasure trove arrived at the Post Office in a great big Australia Post sack! Books and magz and all things wonderful from Kelly and Gavin in the US. They said they would send a sampling of the US spec market when they got back - such an abundance!I have bought full cream milk to assist in scone making."Plain scones are delicious and very simple to make, but it is equally easy to throw in a Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-16939597956056543722007-07-04T18:02:00.000+10:002007-07-04T18:07:39.093+10:00The great scone-offL and I are engaged in a scone-off.How did this come about? Well last week, hunting through my recipe book, I came across onion and parmesan scones. "How cool!" thought I and proceeded to cook.When L turned up I plied him with said scones (very excited at my creativity). "What do you think of them?" I asked."They aren't as good as the ones my grandmother used to make," says Susannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-75304472920360239152007-07-02T18:33:00.000+10:002007-07-02T18:35:16.328+10:00There's a great big cargo ship called 'Pasha Bulka' stuck on the beach at Newcastle. It got blown in on the last big storm and has become an overnight sensation. People drive from the country to take a look at this boat parked on a beach.I just like the name. In high school, when you went to a party and kissed someone it was called a pash. The Pasha Bulka - my kind of boat.Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-18355108157291038542007-07-01T16:17:00.001+10:002007-07-01T16:21:18.944+10:00It was chewing too much of my life I tell you. It just has to go! University that is. Having made the decision I feel I find myself much more in a mood for writing again...Took my YA novel MS to the 'Writing for Children and Young Adults' Festival yesterday and had a one-on-one session with Mark McLeod. He gently but firmly pointed me at some flaws (like there wasn't enough tension early Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-1758568024367499422007-05-25T23:52:00.000+10:002007-05-26T00:02:34.142+10:00Scattered thoughts....In writing I have got two things into circulation in the last week or so. The first is a new story - sent out to the Shoalhaven Literary Awards. The second is Clarion 05 story subbed to the KSP Science Fiction / Fantasy Awards.The original story was approx 4200 words. So to make it eligible for the KSP I had to carve 700 odd words off it. The first 400 were amazingly Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-2979046132740109412007-05-08T21:28:00.000+10:002007-05-08T21:34:56.300+10:00So sue me - maybe I'm not the smartest kid in town but....It seems to me that both the Federal (Liberal) Government and the State (Labor) Government are both doing their best to be seen as caring for the environment. Yup - we've heard about global warming, we've seen 'An inconvenient truth' and now we're going to make a token gesture and give people money to change to solar hot water services Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-22713912336626790072007-05-01T21:12:00.000+10:002007-05-01T21:13:14.110+10:00A scattering of bits.Good marks at uni - 27/30 for a short story, 9/10 for participationHowever - didn't win an Australian Society of Authors Mentorship.... sniff.Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-64803941797517690022007-04-25T09:15:00.000+10:002007-04-25T09:19:21.410+10:00So have you ever heard of focalization?It's kind of point of view of a story - except it goes one step further. Tricksy hey? So your point of view might stay the same - but the focalization might shift.So there - I have learned something from going to university!Got a few hundred words on paper last night before class sitting in the foyer of the Uni Library. Hoping to go gangbusters on it over Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-79803969716956393712007-04-23T18:30:00.000+10:002007-04-23T18:31:37.733+10:00Alexandra Pierce at Asif! has posted a review of Ticon 10.Medieval history, particularly its tortures and punishments and when suitably filtered and enhanced by modern eyes, is a ripe source for fantastic stories. Just so in “The Iron Shirt”, by Susan Wardle. Written in the first person and the present tense, it elaborates the trial of Dan Langdon, to figure out whether he committed murder or notSusannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-32728905509570377832007-04-22T19:34:00.000+10:002007-04-22T19:36:45.789+10:00Attended a cocktail party last night with some of the Spec Fiction types. Go here if you want to see the pics.L decided that seeing as how he'd had his photo taken, and how everyone there was a writer therefore he must be a writer too. I've tried to explain that it's just not that easy.... he won't be convinced.Now enough of this - I have jotted notes today and am planning on words tonight.Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-90947871560672866422007-04-17T20:08:00.000+10:002007-04-17T20:09:57.496+10:00Ticonderoga Publications have just announced the contents list for 'Workers Paradise'.Check it out.Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-81612269622652103832007-04-12T07:55:00.000+10:002007-04-12T07:59:25.614+10:00I guess some updates on my little world of writing are due.I've had a story 'Arianne's Event' accepted into 'The Workers Paradise' being produced by Ticonderoga Publications and due out around the middle of the year.Also a micro accepted for 'Black Box' e-anthology - following on from the much acclaimed 'Shadow Box' editted by CS05er Shane Jiraya Cummings.I also think I've decided (although I Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-6801975569774220902007-04-11T20:21:00.000+10:002007-04-11T20:26:24.077+10:00Back from a whirlwind 6 days in Tasmania with L. It was a wonderful escape - and every place we went to we came away from saying 'just another day would have been good'.We splurged a little on accommodation - as a result every night was extra specially good. From rainforest retreats, to historic bed and breakfasts. There was a steam train and historic diesel engine trip - and I managed to talk Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-34234849837653546182007-03-26T17:49:00.000+10:002007-03-26T17:54:20.385+10:00Once upon a time, in a far off galaxy....I used to play an online multi player game called Everquest (or Evercrack as the addicts knew it). I spent a couple of years adventuring in this world, slaying monsters, making friends, winning magical items.Then one day I realised that while I'd been off adventuring I'd let my other life fall apart. So I turned my back on Everquest and set about working Susannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-79084917587995581892007-03-24T08:54:00.000+10:002007-03-24T08:57:08.870+10:00I'm a bit annoyed with modern society. We cannot live without passwords.At work I have mutiple passwords for the various computer systems I use, passwords for the bank, passwords for hotmail and blogger, passwords for yahoogroups and other such things.Is it any wonder that I forgot my blogger password?I have voted this morning. May the prettiest party win!Susannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-55529550426967876012007-03-06T19:44:00.000+10:002007-03-06T19:48:19.165+10:00Macabre.I've written a gentle little story, from a young adult perspective. It involves a small session of hitting a spirit or ghost over the head with a stick - but nothing too scary. Barely speculative I would have said.Macabre Dark GothicFrom the non-spec crowd. Interesting thinks I.There was general agreement on the fact it needed work.Susannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-72460304687798505492007-02-26T16:59:00.000+10:002007-02-26T17:04:34.981+10:00In just a few weeks there will be a State election. A whole bunch of people who have made some poor decisions and bad mistakes (I hate the privatisation of roads) will go up against a whole bunch of people who are entirely capabale of making equally poor decisions and bad mistakes.It's sort of depressing really.Added to that is the fact that, because I live in a 'safe' seat, my tiny vote will Susannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5273822.post-53826447293718795782007-02-19T21:21:00.000+10:002007-02-19T21:25:54.122+10:00I'm both enrolled for uni and I've paid for it. For some odd reason it was no-where near as expensive as I initially calculated it. I'm not complaining mind you.I've worked out that I'm way behind on my New Year's resolution of 1,000 new words a week. I think we're about 9 weeks into the year and I think I have about 5,000 new words written. So I'm going to have to pull my finger out to catchSusannoreply@blogger.com0