I’ve just been reading what Margo Lanagan has to say about
writing in Charlotte Wood’s interview with her. If you’re interested in
interviews with writers, and I think it’s a great way to find out more about
the process, Charlotte’s Writing Room interviews
are fascinating reading. She’s interviewed Amanda Lohrey and David Roach and
Margo so far. You can sign up for the series at her website at - http://www.charlottewood.com.au/writersroom.html
I’ve been thinking about the writing process again because I’m
getting ready for the my July short course, Kickstart your Writing. I’ve completed two
BIG writing projects and learned a lot on the way. The Eleanor Dark biography, Eleanor Dark: a Writer's Life, was a major research project as well as an adventure in writing, and I worked
with a friend on the book, Judith Clark, through the research and interview stages, and then she read my drafts. I had very good editors, Drusilla Modjeska wrote a report on the ms as a structural editor, and Carl Harrison-Ford came in at the end of the process. My
Verandahs book was another big project, this time a memoir that crossed over into fiction. It started
as a memoir of my English grandfather and his life in India. It's not published yet, but it will be on its way soon. I’ve been reading about creativity and
process and I’m intrigued by the patterns that emerge across different art forms and different projects. For example, we've all experienced that lovely surge of energy and enthusiasm when we write a first draft of something new, usually followed by a
bit of a crash, when we discover that what’s on the page is disappointing because it isn’t earth-shatteringly brilliant and exactly what we had in
our heads. It’s a time when you might get despondent, give up, walk away from
the desk. But it’s a stage in the process. It's the beginning. Artist Anne Truitt said, in her
Daybook, the energy of
beginning is different from the energy of continuing and completing.
The Kickstart your writing course is a short course, over
two weekends in July, designed to help anyone who’s starting a project, or has
one under way but has had a break, or run into problems, and wants to be re-inspired
and energised. There will be a lot of presentations on different aspects of the
writing process and the creative process. But I’m keeping it as practical and
hands-on as I can, with short exercises focusing on getting you thinking and
planning and writing, and you'll send an example of your writing for a
workshop session at the second meeting.
More information about this class and my Masterclass at the Masterclass tab at the top of the page. The Masterclass is designed to guide you and help you make real progress with your writing project. There are 6 fortnightly meetings of four hours each over 3 months. There's time to focus on your work. It's somewhere between a writing class and a mentoring experience, because of the
small group and individual feedback.
