Writers Sauce - WWC - MWS 18-July-2021
Welcome to Writers Sauce. We have one new topic for you to check out.
See CONTENTS below.
Graham and Lauran are our our newest subscribers. We now have 331 subscribers. You’ve joined a great group of writers :)
If anyone would like to invite friends to join us, just forward this email to anyone anywhere in the world.
Also, we need more members for our writer website! You will have your own author profile page and special promotions once you become a paying member.
https://www.worldwriterscollective.com/wwc
Do you want to add to this email with your own words of wisdom? Well, we want you to as well. Get in touch with anything you think writers would like to know. We can also/otherwise add info to our NEWS section on the WWC website.
It’s all free and it’s off our own backs’. Please get involved if you have the time.
Thank you,
Mat Clarke
www.worldwriterscollective.com/mat-carke
Contents:
(Look for the *NEW* stamp below for content you haven’t read yet)
1. Book Review (more reviews on books wanted)
2. Writing competition
3. Promote your blog
*4. How to: Write your way to a more miserable life *NEW*
5. How is screenwriting different from other writing?
6. Melbourne Writers Social Group upcoming events
7. All Write! upcoming events NEW
8. We want to hear from you
9. Join us and we’ll promote you
10. Essential Information for Writers
11. Important links
1. Review a book title - It will be posted on the WWC website
READ MORE HERE: www.worldwriterscollective.com/writers-sauce
Are you someone who likes to review books (poems, short stories, movie scripts, blogs, non-fiction, etc.) and give honest feedback on content, interest, characters, structure, or if you think it was just really good reading? Submit your review via this email.
For 2021 please review any book or script or poetry you like (yes, you can submit a review done on your story if you like).
Here’s a review by Magz Morgan of Cecile Ravell’s story: https://ravellc.wixsite.com/ravell-the-writer
‘Coming, Frankwen’. The voice of the three-year-old child calling to her brother and hero, opens Child Magical. Cecile Ravell’s story is a memoir of a childhood in transit, from Brooklyn, New York, to Malta then Melbourne, Australia.
In a series of poignant and funny cameos, seen through the eyes of a little girl, Ravell brings to life an intimate immigrant tale. The vignettes follow this feisty little girl from moments of triumph, to moments of indignation, as she becomes aware of her position as an outsider in a society that values fair-haired children, and as a girl who plays second fiddle to a family culture that reveres boys.
Child Magical provides valuable insights into the reality of what it feels and looks like, for a girl, growing up; in particular, an immigrant girl.
Read it slowly, savour it in your favourite armchair, or read it quickly on public transport. Either way, Ravell’s story is a good read, piquant and thought-provoking.’
Magz Morgan, author, ‘Motherlands’.
2. Current Writing Competition (FREE)
Short story competition - World Writers Collective
Top five to six winners are published in our anthology: https://www.worldwriterscollective.com
Become a World Writers Collective member, which helps support everyone in the group as indie writers and allows you to collect prizes if you win.
Want to get published or publish your own works and have our members spread the word about your works, book launch, or other? It’s only $20 a year to join which helps pay the few hundred dollars it costs for the domain and host the website each year.
www.worldwriterscollective.com/writing-competitions
If you are one of the top winners of the competition, you will be included in the 2022 anthology. That's just one of the great reasons to get involved with the anthology!
We also want to promote you. All you have to do is say the word.
3. Promote your blog
We want to promote your blog. Email us a link of one of your blogs and an explanation of why WWC people would enjoy reading it.
Here’s one from Mat Clarke:
https://matclarke.blogspot.com/2019/12/roadside-thriller-story.html
It’s an interesting short thriller story written and performed as a podcast by Mat Clarke and directed and produced by Noel Anderson.
4. How to: Write your way to a more miserable life
“Writing is a pursuit naturally fraught with difficulty. But don’t worry, you have the power to make it much worse.”
By Laura Gilmartin
Link: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012075519045
They say nothing worth doing is ever easy, but throughout history, artists have often imbued their task with a special sense of burden. Artists have reported dissatisfaction so consistently, that, for many of us, it is almost synonymous with the process of creating. From not being able to use your God-given gift to make any money, through to feeling like your skills are ill-equipped to express the weighty truth of human experience, being an artist is replete with challenges.
But isn’t it true that at least part of the reason we keep going is because a good dose of misery actually makes us better writers? Whether through the fact that adversity gives us greater life experience and insight into the human condition, or because sometimes the only thing that will force us to sit down at the damn computer is that we need to work through our stuff before it spills over? After all, if it wasn’t for relationship breakdowns and the passing of loved ones, the world wouldn’t have many of its great stories and albums (Just listen to Marvin Gaye’s divorce-court mandated Here, My Dear).
Over the course of the next few issues of Writers Sauce, Mat has indulged me with the chance to explore some of the foremost things we as writers can do to make ourselves more miserable (Cos that’s where all the good stuff is). But be careful. We’re not talking about your garden variety misfortune, here. In order to sufficiently fulfil the trope of tortured artist, the source of our anguish must be the artistry itself, as though it has its own agency and we’re not actually making all these misguided decisions.
Today’s topic:
Put your life on hold until you’ve finished your project
If you really want to make a life of creativity truly unsustainable for you, I highly recommend refusing to do things that would improve quality of life for you and your loved ones because you believe they will interfere with your writing. Note here that you’re not required to be right about the idea that they will interfere with your craft, you just have to be defensive enough to believe they might. One of the quickest ways to do this is to reject stable work and make yourself a financial liability.
As already stated, making a living from writing right out of the gate is not realistic for most people, and everyone knows that being able to sustain your own basic needs tends to make things easier on the people around you, but that kind of stability doesn’t win writing awards. For that, you’re looking to either quit your non-writing work altogether, or scale back to the point where most, if not all of the burden of breadwinning is placed on your ageing parents, spouse or adult child. Don’t have one of these? That’s ok! Loan sharks are often viewed with suspicion, but only by people who aren’t looking to blow up their lives for some tremendous content.
It’s important to note here that it’s not good enough to simply not be able to find paid work. This is an all-too-common situation and doesn’t sufficiently distinguish you from the non-creative plebs. To be a tortured artist, you have to have legitimate work prospects and actively choose to reject them.
Financial considerations aside, no one knows the pointless frustration of putting life on hold better than the family and friends of a creator obsessed with a project. Can’t bring yourself to try for a baby until you are finished your novel? Sorry hubby. I don’t care how committed you are to co-parenting, it stays in your pants. Been putting off a visit from your mother for years because the third bedroom is ‘Your space’? Sorry mum, I might be creative, but I just can’t see how that is going to work - try Airbnb. If you’re lucky enough to have a family member or friend abandon you until you improve your behaviour, pay close attention. If they characterise your behaviour as similar to a drug addiction, you’re getting tantalisingly close to prize-winning material.
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In the next issue we’ll explore a topic which is very close to my heart, and the natural continuation of our exploration so far. Any guesses what it might be?
Until then, do as Ralph Waldo Emerson did: Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.
5. How is screenwriting different from other writing?
by Graeme Farmer
Graeme enjoyed a successful full time professional career as a screenwriter for iconic shows such as Neighbours. At our Tuesday event in the city, we were given the opportunity to see into his world and learn how screenwriting can be a different career choice to novel writing. See below for the main points covered. If you have any questions, we encourage you to attend our Tuesday night events in the city where Graeme is happy to chat to you in detail.
- Length of novel, play, screenplay. Brevity, focus, compression or concision. Leave out most things you put in a novel.
- Reductive rather than proliferative.
- Eye of god - privileged POV. The screen is more democratic than the novel.
- Present tense, not past tense - arrow of time.
- It is a visual medium. You must try to articulate the visual - words creating sight. Visual fluidity so that it mimics our monkey mind.
- It is the most cold-blooded of all writing and yet it stands or falls on inspiration. Your illusion of control erodes your humility. You must renounce yourself in favour of your characters.
- Leave out, don’t put everything in, don’t make sense quickly.
- How powerful the pause, beat, incomplete sense, ellipsis.
- EXCITE EXPOSE EXIT
6. Melbourne Writers Social upcoming events
During the virus outbreak we suspended some of our events, with most returning January 2021. Our main flagship event is running again at the Wharf Hotel on the third Tuesday of the month. Please join us - all are welcome even if you are only thinking of starting out in a creative field.
This may change as the Victorian COVID condition changes. Click here to RSVP, check time and place of events: https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Writers/
We meet online every Monday from 6.30pm and show each other our work and chat about everything creative.
South Bank Write Now: Second Saturday of the month. The venue is generally quiet, opens early, free wifi, good coffee, food as well as drinks if you need them for later ;) There is music, and it is a cafe, so bear this in mind and wear head phones if you need them while you write.
Melbourne Central: Fourth Sunday of the month. We are nestled in the back corner of the upstairs food court near the windows, past the colourful piano, behind the big clock. We meet to write mostly, but you are free to chat with others who would like to do so.
Eastern suburbs meet. Laura, Stephanie and Mat are exploring a cafe in Croydon to meet at, which will be run on certain Sundays. We will get back to you soon on how it will be run and what the format will be. Likely it will involve the return of our writing games event with prompts to get you writing and enjoy yourself.
Not currently running: Writers of the South, let’s write: This is for southern Melbourne, down as far as the Clayton and Mentone area. Anyone can attend and join in and write your heart out (and have ice cream).
Not currently running: Writers Workshop: If you want to work through a piece, then come along to the Eltham Library and let us help you create your best work.
Not currently running: Treehouse Writing: Join us in Olinda for a sanctuary in the hills where we write and relax.
As with all our events, please get in touch if you would like to help with running events. The best way to do this is to come to one of our events and chat to the current event hosts about what you would like to do. We prefer to have two event hosts at each event, so where there is an opening we are happy for you to get involved.
There are many other Writing groups in Melbourne that you may be interested in as well. Go to them all and see what you like . . . but then come back to MWS and bring more great people with you. Haha ;)
https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Writers
More links below
7. All Write! upcoming events
A place where you can write in Melbourne Central. All you do is turn up and write with others. You can chat to other writers as well if you like and grab a bite or a cuppa.
Most of all, enjoy yourself.
https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Writers
More links below
8. We want to hear from you!
Yes, we really do.
We want feedback in any way shape or form. Even if it is to tell us you love us.
Stuff you may wish to reply about for our next Writers Sauce:
1) A few sentences on what writing means to you.
2) A paragraph or two about how you became a writer (or want to).
3) A great skill you picked up regarding editing, writing, publishing, etc.
4) The best place to write.
5) How chatting to others about writing made you a better writer.
9. Join us and we’ll promote you
You're Not Alone
Come Take the Journey With Us
Become a Member for $20 per year
This is a collaborative group created so that in greater numbers we will be heard rather than forgotten
JOIN
Your $20 helps to pay for this website and member writers' platforms
10. Essential Information
Sites Authors Should Know
This is an unofficial list I have created as a useful writer’s tool. I receive no royalties, or kickbacks from any sites below. Use as advice only.
-(Dean MacAllister)
SELFPUBLISHINGADVICE.ORG- Before submitting to a publisher or self-publishing I highly recommend you check out the ‘Writers Beware’ section of this site! It has lists of scams to look out for and lists the less-than-reputable companies that have ripped writers off globally. Learn from the mistakes of others.
Smashwords- Creates and publishes E-books in all formats for free.
Takes some getting used to and has to be done properly. For a small fee people on site will convert your file through the “meat-grinder” converter for you.
Kindlepreneur- Writer who joined most author sites to compare.
Links to the best author friendly tools. Marketing advice included. Free website with free manuals. (Highly recommended!)
Goodreads- Author/Reader site. Many discussion forums. Very popular. Good place to find fans, create an author profile and source reviews.
Librarything- Poor-man’s version of Goodreads, but much less commercial.
READ MORE HERE: www.worldwriterscollective.com/writers-sauce
11. Important Links
Post news about your writing, book launch, events, or event just a link to your latest blog/post/tweet: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1629658520414716
Important information about writing in general, and the Melbourne Writers Group: https://www.facebook.com/MelbWriters
Discuss anything you like that’s creative: https://www.facebook.com/groups/169777419779168
For people who want to discuss writing on a forum that is for everyone around the world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/570847673015529
Your work edited for free by other writers. Give feedback to other writers to gain more practice editing your own work: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mx9e9m43ljweh11/AAD3I7-VKOT5XSL8As6k1UOxa?dl=0
Information on writing, writing competitions, professional editing, getting published, and more. Become a member for discounts: https://www.worldwriterscollective.com
Near Melbourne? Come to our group and meet other writers and chat. Everyone is welcome:https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Writers
Previous email-outs with great information.https://www.worldwriterscollective.com/writers-sauce
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Writers Sauce - WWC
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