Tag: Writer

Writers Trip to Italy and New Books with Zanni Louise

A few years ago I was part of a creative writers group named the Duck Pond. Its participants, flourishing new authors, are nicknamed Duckies. Yes, I was one of those Duckies and so was Zanni Louise. As is the way of the world, I faded away but Jen Storer’s Duck Pond and independent Zanni are still creating. Naturally I follow them closely although I’m not writing as much in the way of children’s stories these days. Currently I have discovered the fun in limericks and force them upon my unsuspecting friends. But I digress, this blog post is all about Zanni Louise, her soaring literary career and super-exciting writers trip to sun-soaked Tuscany, Italy. My apologies for the small typeface and random display of images (my technical glitch) but you can still read the exciting highlights in Zanni’s personal newsletter below!
❤  Gretchen Bernet-Ward

“A NEW MONTH, A NEW BOOK… AND COME WRITE WITH ME IN ITALY” SAYS ZANNI

Hi! I’m Zanni Louise, living and writing full-time in Northern NSW, Australia. I’m the author of over thirty-five bestselling and internationally published books for kids. My latest middle-grade book Cora Seen and Heard is out this May with Walker Books. This newsletter takes you behind the scenes of my writing life, and keeps you up-to-date with latest books, retreats and courses. A new month, a new book… and come write with me in Italy. This month, I am excited to launch my new book Cora Seen and Heard. Plus, hear about Deborah Abela’s new book, enter a two-book giveaway and register for our Italian writing retreat in 2025.

My new book Cora Seen and Heard has been launched into the world… image how you felt when you were twelve? A while back, I was reconnecting with twelve-year-old Zanni—phew, there was a lot going on in that little brain. Questions like, How come everyone has it sorted? and How can I unify the person in my head with the person in the world? and Does anyone like me? If so, why?! Are they mad? I kept reams of journals full of questions. It wasn’t until years later, I realised so many people wrestle with these thoughts and feelings. I also realised that being vulnerable and embracing my flaws meant I connected with others. Connections have always been one of the most important things for me. Fast forward to grown-up Zanni, who still doesn’t have it sorted but no longer worries so much about it.

Inspiration: Grown-up Zanni came across a picture of an abandoned ballroom by French photographer Francis Meslet and boy, was I moved by this image! I wanted to set a story here. Twelve-year-old Cora moves to an abandoned theatre in a small country town called Caroline Creek, Tasmania, and the poor thing has to wrestle with the headspace of twelve-year-old Zanni. I started writing Cora Seen and Heard in lockdown 2021. To hold the actual book in my hand years later is the dream. To read the lovely reviews, to sit with film producers at Adaptable this month to talk about it, to know it’s in bookshops as of today.

My friend Deborah Abela asks me if there’s any of Zanni in this book. Well, yes. There’s a lot. My thoughts, feelings, personality, blood, sweat (thankfully no tears) and a whole lotta love. Because every book deserves that, at minimum, and every reader does too. So this is my soul laid bared. I hope you enjoy the ride. Have a read of the first few chapters here. Buy the book at any bookstore you’d like to support. Signed copies are available through Book Room Collective and a special 20% bulk discount + free Zoom visit for book clubs and classrooms is available through Gleebooks. Contact Rachel for details.

Cora Seen and Heard
Author Zanni Louise—Junior Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Cora Lane gets tongue-tied, is often ignored and would rather hide in the library than step onto a stage. However, when her parents decide to renovate an old theatre in small-town Tasmania, Cora realises this is the perfect opportunity for her to reinvent her personality.
Cora quickly slips back into her old ways and once again makes friends with the librarian rather than kids her own age. She feels lost, frustrated she’s not the person she wants to be and she shares her deepest feelings with her imaginary pen pal. The last thing she would expect is for her letters to go missing. And now, the real Cora Lane is about to go public—but is she ready?

Introducing The Kindness Project—This month, Deborah Abela launches her brand new book The Kindness Project which is a verse novel about four kids who are flung together to work on a school project and come to understand the meaning of kindness. It’s one of the bravest, most experimental, most moving books I have read in a long time. If you’re in Queensland, please join Deb and I for a joint launch Wednesday 22 May 2024 at Where The Wild Things Are bookshop in West End, Brisbane. A family ticket will get you a book!

Creative Corner with Deborah Abela. Each month, I invite an author friend to reflect on their creative process. This month, we hear from Deborah Abela. THE KINDNESS PROJECT – The Novel that Demanded to be Verse. ‘It all started with a scene’ says Deborah. A young kid called Nicolette kidnaps her nanna from a nursing home—AKA Alcatraz. I thought it would be a light-hearted novel about the love between a kid and her nanna, in the same way I loved my strong, feisty nanna. But, as with all my novels, I started asking questions and everything changed. Who is this kid? Why are she and Nanna so close? Where’s Grandpop? Why is Nanna in a nursing home and why does Nicolette want to kidnap her? What about her friends? And her mum? And most importantly… what is the story really about? That kidnapping scene became just one part of the story. In fact, it’s the inciting incident that hurtles the novel into the second act, where much bigger dilemmas are faced. I’ve written 30 books, all in prose, but this novel demanded to be written in verse, which I’ve never done before. I’ve always LOVED verse novels, but I kept thinking, ‘I can’t write in verse! I have no idea what I’m doing’. But the novel was insistent, so I tentatively started and soon found it freeing and fun! Not only did I have to tell the story in short, sharp verses, getting to the point of each verse very quickly, I also played with form, fonts, font size and verse length, which together, create the feel and meaning of the story.

Signed Book Giveaway! To help Deb and I celebrate our new books, we’d love to invite you to join our competition where we will be giving away a signed copy of The Kindness Project and Cora Seen and Heard. To enter, share our news with a friend or your community and let me know. Entries close midnight 5th May 2024. Australian addresses only please.

So, how about that Tuscan writing retreat? Yes, it’s happening! Spend three days with me in the Italian countryside next April 2025 alongside two wonderful US literary agents, Lori Kilkelly and Ammi-Joan Paquette, and an exceptionally talented Italian illustrator, Gaia Bordicchia. Lori and Ammi-Joan will offer pitch and first page critiques. Gaia will run a workshop, as will I. The location is beautiful. Honestly. I nearly fall over every time I look at the pictures. Held at picturesque Ancora del Chianti, 30 km from Florence, you can relax in your own room, wander the gardens and enjoy the communal areas. Fresh meals will be provided for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Vegetarian options available. This could be you! Between workshops and private sessions, you will have ample opportunity to work on your creative projects. We will also facilitate peer-to-peer feedback. The retreat will be held just after the Bologna Book Fair next year, meaning you can travel to Italy for more than one children’s book experience! There are very limited spaces. And honestly, I think this is going to be one of the best experiences of my life. I hope you can join me. Register here.

Until next time… Exhale. Thanks for reading Notes From The Sunshine House! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
www.zannilouise.com
https://www.zannilouise.com/contact
https://www.facebook.com/zannilouiseauthor/
www.facebook.com/groups/sunshinehousewriters
Zanni Louise,
Sunshine House,
Australia.
Information and images courtesy author Zanni Louise 2024

Time Is… by Henry Van Dyke

Poem from Henry Van Dyke ‘Music and Other Poems’ 1904.

Time Is… © image Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2023

Henry Van Dyke (born 10 November 1852, Germantown, Pennsylvania, USA, and died 10 April 1933, Princeton, New Jersey USA) He was a Presbyterian minister, short-story writer, poet and essayist popular in the early decades of the 20th century. Van Dyke married Ellen Reid in 1891 and they had nine children.

A leading writer of his age, Henry van Dyke wrote profusely in the fields of religion, literature, diplomacy, education, nature and public service. He was an admirer of Alfred, Lord Tennyson and met him while overseas.

Van Dyke’s great love of the outdoors was a crucial part of his Christianity, and in the early twentieth century he became a conservationist speaking out for the preservation of Yellowstone. His belief in nature and religion drove his literary criticism and other writings throughout his life.

❤ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Audre Lorde, Poet

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Audre Geraldine Lorde was born on February 1934 in New York City, and went on to become a leading African-American poet and essayist who gave voice to issues of race, gender and sexuality.

Lorde’s love of poetry started at a young age, and she began writing as a teenager.  She attended Hunter College, working to support herself through school.  After graduating in 1959, she went on to get a master’s degree in library science from Columbia University in 1961 and was head librarian at Town School Library in New York City.

‘The Black Unicorn’ (1978), a volume in which Lorde explored her African heritage, is considered one of her greatest works by many critics.  In addition to poetry, Lorde was a powerful essayist and writer.

In terms of her nonfiction work, Lorde is best remembered for ‘The Cancer Journals’ (1980) in which she documents her own struggle with breast cancer.  She died November 1992 on the US island of St. Croix.

Information from The Biography.com website  https://www.biography.com/scholar/audre-lorde

Citation Information

Article Title
Audre Lorde Biography

Author
Biography.com Editors

Website Name
The Biography.com website

Access Date
November 27, 2019

Publisher
A&E Television Networks

Last Updated
April 16, 2019

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Shopping – Bombeck and Kinsella say…

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“The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three billion to one.” ― Erma Bombeck (February 1927 – April 1996) ― American writer and humourist Erma Bombeck achieved great popularity for her newspaper column which described suburban home life from mid-1960s until late 1990s. She published 15 books, appeared on television shows, and wrote over 4,000 newspaper columns, all featuring her entertaining and eloquent humour. Irma Bombeck wrote before social media, achieving world-wide fame through her books, and in 1970s her columns were read twice-weekly by 30 million readers of the 900 newspapers in US and Canada.  Interestingly her work featured domesticity during the women’s liberation movement. She hid a life-long illness which was disclosed three years prior to her death. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erma_Bombeck

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Synopsis Writing for Your Novel – Advice from Senior Editor

Synopsis

Poetry Clipart 13The agony of writing a synopsis!  For writers who find it hard to chop their synopsis down to size, this video from Nicola, senior editor of HarperCollins Publishers, steps us through a seamless 500 word synopsis.  It will grab that attention your manuscript deserves.  And, yes, a synopsis does include plot spoilers.

 

First Page

Poetry Clipart 08Read why the first page of a manuscript is so important.  Anna Valdinger, HarperCollins commercial fiction publisher knows – she reads a tonne of submissions every year.
Click Importance of Manuscript First Page

 

The Banjo Prize

HarperCollins is Australia’s oldest publisher and The Banjo Prize is named after Banjo Paterson, Australia’s first bestselling author and poet.  His first collection of poems The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses was published in 1895.  Who’s up for 2019?

The Banjo Prize is annual and open to all Australian writers of fiction, offering the chance to win a publishing contract with HarperCollins and an advance of AU$15,000.  Submit entries via HarperCollins website.  Entries opened 25 March 2019 and close 5pm AEST on Friday 24 May 2019.  Good luck!

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward 

✏✏✏  Give it a go! ✏✏✏

Rattling the Book Club Cage ‘The Noise of Time’

Do you ever throw a literary stink bomb into your book club meetings?  Does a particular book annoy you into spewing a non-positive review?

My recent attendance at a book club gathering certainly raised eyebrows (I guess I’m not highbrow) when I panned Julian Barnes 2016 quasi-biography ‘The Noise of Time’ based on Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich.

I believe book clubs should read a wide variety of books and not just ‘literary stuff’.  Out of 12 people, only two of us spoke up and voiced our critical opinions without fear or favour.

Read my review below and make of it what you will – this is not a discussion post but it is my opinion and I totally respect yours –

Book Review – ‘The Noise of Time’ by Julian Barnes

The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes

Author Julian Barnes fictionalised biography of Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich begins in 1930s and is about the man himself, not necessarily about his music which is a disappointment.

Barnes wants to immerse us in the inner world of Shostakovich, therefore most of the story takes place within the previously uncharted waters of the composer’s own mind.  The rest appears to be gleaned from conventional sources.  There’s a lot of telling and not much showing.

Russian Composer Dmitri ShostakovichFirst up, Shostakovich’s opera ‘Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk’ is denounced, and while there is tension and foreboding throughout the story, there’s no significantly dramatic scenes after this point.  Shostakovich smokes heavily and is understandably nervous.  He has the fear of Soviet Communism hanging over his head all the time (there’s a peculiar phone call from Stalin) and the dread which Shostakovich seems to pile upon himself.  Like the bookcover illustration, he’s a man always looking over his shoulder but this doesn’t necessarily make edifying reading.

Politics aside, Shostakovich later wrote his Fifth and Eighth Symphonies yet Barnes glosses over a lot of this, using a series of vignettes without delving into that emotional side, so there’s minimal mention of his creative process or the effects of his wife’s death on his family.

The interior dialogue does not expose Shostakovich as an eccentric creative, nor do I think it makes him a likeable protagonist.  Barnes portrays his inner world in an obsessive manner (think clocks, bad luck in a leap year, the elevator scene) and I think he comes across as a bullied child.  One who needs encouragement yet gets slapped down at every turn.

British Author Julian BarnesMy favourite paragraph is when Shostakovich is staying in New York and a woman working at the Soviet consulate jumps out of a window and seeks political asylum.  So, every day a man parades up and down outside the Waldorf Astoria with a placard reading “Shostakovich Jump Thru The Window!” but according to Barnes and other writers this gave him great inward shame.

In strides man-about-town composer Nicolas Nabokov who kindles Shostakovich’s shame so that Shostakovich is trapped by his own timidity, unable or unwilling to stand up and be counted, preferring to talk through the medium of music which is later used to punish him.

For me, this partly true reimagining is not very engaging.  I did learn a couple of new things but even allowing for Julian Barnes writing style, this book doesn’t add anything special to my reading list.

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Publisher Penguin Books
https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-noise-of-time-9781784703332
Author Julian Barnes
http://www.julianbarnes.com/
Composer Dmitri Shostakovich
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitri_Shostakovich

Why Writers Write

Is acknowledgement a cherished goal?
Is reimbursement the final accolade?
Or will a writer write regardless?

On a writer’s wishlist, there would have to be the thrill of seeing their name in print.  My name under a bold heading on a hardback cover would show that I’ve made it.  Throw in a display stand, a book launch with signing table, coffee and cupcakes, and I would be in literary heaven.  No doubt hell would follow with the necessary writing of a sequel…

Recently a member of my writers group asked the question “Why do you write?” which seemed innocuous enough but there were vastly different answers—-see below.

My earnest reply went something like “Because I think in words hence the title of my blog.  Most things I experience can become a potential story.”  I am always mapping out first lines, or an introductory paragraph, or setting the scene.  This, however, does not mean I will be traditionally published.  I just keep doing it.

I believe a writer’s inner core is made of words and emotions which must be written down.

If I’m undertaking a complex household chore like chopping carrots, I may not jot down a sudden literary gem, but, no matter, I will find myself composing another while out grocery shopping.

For example “See that bloke over there, he’s uncomfortable and he’s trying to get up the nerve to...”

(1) ask the sales assistant out (2) steal that expensive car polish (3) abandon his trolley at the checkout (4) inquire about a job (5) hide behind the refrigerated cabinet to avoid his mother/parole officer/ex-boss or chatty neighbour.

See, I can’t help it!

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

I Only Need This To Write 01
“All I Need To Write” by Grant Snider – A room with a view, No other work to do, A child-proof lock, A ticking clock, Natural light, A chair that fits just right, New paper and pens, Some animal friends, The right phase of the moon, Ambient tunes, A world of my creation, Or internal motivation – http://www.incidentalcomics.com/


GENUINE RESPONSES FROM 31 WRITERS WHEN ASKED THE QUESTION
“WHY DO YOU WRITE?”

A form of self-expression, the joy of crafting something meaningful.

I write because I can’t imagine my life without writing in it.

I started writing because I wanted to explore my creative side.

Because I can’t dance.

Mostly it’s because I have loads of inspiration and story ideas and I need to write them to get them out of my head!

It sets my soul free and my heart on fire….storytelling is an inextricable part of who I am.

I write because I want to.

I write because ideas, images and words come to me and they seem important to share.

I can’t help it, stories bubble and whirl around in my head all the time.

So I can draw the pictures, to be honest I find writing really tedious – I just want to illustrate.

I do not know why. It just is. And sometimes or often, it isn’t.

Because I like making people laugh and feel other feelings.

I’ve always imagined myself writing one day, but now that I’m finally trying to make it actually happen I’m finding it a lot harder than I expected.

If it’s any help, writing for me is mostly agony.

Starting is great fun…I love cracking the problems.

Because I know how it feels to not create.

Writing is, for me, a personal freedom.

Because I like making things.

Because I think in words, the title of my blog is Thoughts Become Words.

For me it is almost a subconscious act that I’m completely driven to do.

Because I have to, it’s not a want or a need, it’s an in-the-bones thing.

Writing is always there with me, sometimes we’re best of friends, often we’re not.

Cos I have to! I do my best to avoid it, I really do.

Can’t help it.

To put something wonderful out into the world.

It does get easier especially when you get a download in your head.

I think it’s a wonderful form of escapism.

It’s part of me.

At the moment I’d say that writing is a kind of masochism for me.

I love writing and hate it in equal measure.

Because it’s fun and because I find it impossible not to.

Pen Paper Clipart Boy Holding Pencil

EAGER FOR MORE LITERARY INSIGHTS?
Frank McKinley, author and writing coach, also raised the question—-
https://www.frankmckinleyauthor.com/54-writers-love-writing/

Blogging Pleasure and Pain

I’m reading blog posts which say ‘Posting has become a chore’ or ‘It’s hard to post regularly’ or ‘Feeling the pressure to post’—-stop right there!

Take a break, the earth, the sky and the stars will still be there, the world will still turn.

Conversely there are serious blog posts coercing, er, cajoling the writer into a formula.  Or worse, a winning formula to be the best blogger in the blogosphere.

There’s even a blog ideas generator, how unoriginal can you get!

YOUR WORDS, YOUR WORLD, CREATE YOUR WAY!

Does a technique overcome bloggers block?  Better blogging supposedly comes with strategies, structure, schedules, regularity, planning…bah, humbug I say!  There’s probably enough pressure in your world without adding more via your blog.  If anything, blogging should be

a freedom,

a release from the daily grind,

your little patch of calmness,

a zone of personal creativity,

a focus on what you want,

how you want to say it,

and most of all, don’t worry,

let your originality take over.

The old hippie saying ‘go with the flow’ is appropriate when doing morning pages and you may like writing in the morning or writing in the evening.  Don’t push yourself to write to someone else’s rule, someone else’s timetable.  Free-writing is better than no writing.  You can actually write anywhere, anytime, and I don’t mean social media.

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Self-control up to a point.
Yeah, I know people who have to have a hammer hanging over their heads on a piece of string.  If they stand up, the hammer hits them on the head, they sit back down and do another 500 words of pain.  One famous writer actually tied his body to the chair to write.
Then there’s that annual trial by acronym.
Which does not spell  g-o-o-d  w-o-r-k  to me.

Do you really want a target audience?  Do you personally know anyone who is making a decent living from blogging?  They’re the ones in the pressure cooker.  If you are not commercially selling, I say ‘Do your own thing!’ and that’s exciting.

I speak from experience.  You will find your own rhythm if you truly want to write.  And nobody, least of all me, will help you or hinder you.  You’re on your own, kid.

YOUR WORDS, YOUR WORLD, CREATE YOUR WAY!

‘Work hard to create great content’ – if it’s too hard it won’t work.

‘Blog often while controlling quality’ – we all know quality varies.

‘Find your competition and observe them’ – nothing worse than a lurker.

‘Write to please your readers’ – first ask yourself ‘Am I pleased with it?’

‘Improve your blog writing formula’ – your creativity is not a prescription.

‘What is your target market searching for?’ – don’t pander to the people.

‘What type of content do readers prefer?’ – write your content and let them Follow.

‘Start internal link building’ – in other words Liking but not liking.

‘You need to know the right audience for you’ – other bloggers will work that out.

‘Make your blog post titles catchy’ – why get hung up on headings.

‘Don’t have time to write then reblog or hire a ghost-writer’ – ha ha ha ha ha.

‘Images are important to highlight your post’ – keep them relevant, naturally.

‘Good eye-appeal in formats and layouts’ – beauty is in the eye of the blogger.

‘Learn basic SEO’ – because it’s basic but not life threatening.

‘Reply to Comments daily’ – meaning a proper reply or else deactivate Comments.

‘Bill Gates once said Content Is King’ – well, hey, that’s a given.

‘Keep wordcount down’ – there are people who can still read lots of words.

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

YOUR WORDS, YOUR WORLD, CREATE YOUR WAY!

Typewriter 15
A refreshing nap or agony for hours…

Pre-Christmas Reading Done

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Was going to wait for the holiday season but…four authors, perennial and well-seasoned storytellers who can spin a yarn which kept me absorbed to the final chapter.  Highly recommended!

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Writers and Their Imaginations

(c) Walker Art Gallery; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation
Walker Art Gallery; The Public Catalogue Foundation

“For a consciousness to be capable of imagining…it needs to be free.”
― Jean-Paul Sartre, ‘The Imaginary’.

 

“In a work of fiction, everything is invented, even the things that are not, because once a true event is brought into the realm of the imaginary, it becomes imaginary.”
― Paul Auster, American writer.

 

“Things need not have happened to be true.  Tales and adventures are the shadow truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes and forgotten.”
― Neil Gaiman, ‘The Sandman #19’.

 

“Creativity is the brain’s invisible muscle that, when used and exercised routinely, becomes better and stronger.”
― Ashley Ormon, writer and poet.

 

“Living alone, with no one to consult or talk to, one might easily become melodramatic, and imagine things which had no foundation on fact.”
― Agatha Christie, ‘Murder Is Easy’.

 

“It is only through fiction and the dimension of the imaginary that we can learn something real about individual experience.  Any other approach is bound to be general and abstract.”
― Nicola Chiaromonte, Italian author.

 

♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Writing Passion Quotation