The Office

by Amanda on March 4, 2010

Like everyone else who wants to write for pleasure, I am engaged in a daily, weekly, monthly battle to find the time and space to write. The easiest it has ever been for me was when I had an office to go to. I paid rent and was committed to going at least three half days a week.

The rent was not expensive, it was fairly grim with just a desk and a chair and the smell of rancid oil from the chip shop downstairs – a luxury nevertheless and I loved it.

Anyway, recently I was frustrated with my lack of discipline and turned the creative mind to where I could go to get some space and quiet to think. Where is my beautiful office when I need it?!

Then I realised – I have an office. Comfortable seat, coffee holder, complete mobility, no email – and check out the view!

So now I have a new habit which involves dispatching off-spring in various directions and driving up to the headland to do a minimum of one hour before I go home to get on with other matters.

I’ve found that once I’m there and get into the story, I really don’t want to leave even if I’m desperate for loo/coffee break – I can’t stop. From ‘can’t start’ to ‘can’t stop’ – that’s good!

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No Excuses

by Amanda on March 3, 2010

Quote from Linda Seger author of  Making a Good Writer Great

Great writers are not afraid to put themselves on the line. Writing is scary. It’s the full range of emotions. What I have discovered through writing these six books — and I’m almost done with the seventh — is that there’s always a period when I’m writing that I get petrified. Sometimes it lasts for three or four months, or sometimes it lasts a weekend, or it comes and goes every three weeks. What I’ve learned is that you can write when you’re petrified. A lot of excuses people use for not writing is that they’re scared. Well, of course! People who write are scared. And the people who would like to write are scared. The difference is people who write are scared, and they write anyway. Being petrified has nothing to do with your ability to write.

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Salvation Creek

February 19, 2010

I had a brainwave about my new website (which is having an elephantine gestation period) and that I could record relaxed casual interviews with authors about writing ( how they approach their work, the highs and lows etc. to give  aspiring writers a look behind the scenes) and  make them into podcasts to be downloaded [...]

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This is what it takes

February 9, 2010

This is what learning one new skateboard move did to my 13 year old’s new shoes over the school holidays.
Mastering a new move takes dedication, practice, over and over until you have it right – then it’s time to learn something else.
Mastery over your writing takes the same sort of insane dedication. As you write [...]

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GETTIN’ SWEATY

February 8, 2010

Just finished a two-day ‘Write a Page-Turner’ workshop at the NSW Writers’ Centre.
I have to confess I was pretty excited when I heard a couple of weeks prior to the workshop that it was booked out and there was a waiting list!
I was thrilled because this was one of my New Year resolutions for 2009 [...]

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It’s worth the work!

February 3, 2010

Christine did my Write Your Life workshop last year and her writing has absolutely blossomed. She’s on the 12- in-12 programme and the stories are just pouring out of her.
She has generously shared the response from her grand-daughter to the first chapters – if this doesn’t get you memoirists motivated I dunno what will!
“What a [...]

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100% Pure

February 2, 2010

Ahh…summer time in NZ where the air is fresh and the water temperature is extremely fresh. Had a busy but relaxing holiday with various family members in Hahei on the Coromandel Peninsular (North Island). Naturally beautiful and still simple despite the relentless march of tourism to every corner of the planet.
My daughter and I went [...]

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A Writing Year

September 30, 2009

I ran my first workshop in January 2009 and over the last 12 months have had more than 50 people take part in subsequent workshops. It may not sound like a vast amount of people but every workshop – apart from the one at the NSW Writer’s Centre – was small and I got to [...]

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WRITE! January 2010

September 11, 2009

Resolutions Rock!
I truly believe that setting goals or resolutions is the secret to getting what you want out of life.
Yes, I know, the same goal (ie. get fit) sits on the list year after year and it doesn’t flippin’ happen – go figure!
The problem is ‘get fit’ is not a properly developed goal. It’s not [...]

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Running Naked

September 7, 2009

Just finished the last workshop of a series of six run in Avalon through August/Sept.
We’ve spent 12 hours together and talked about a lot of personal things  – not to mention the ‘running naked’ experience of reading your work to strangers! It’s hard to start but it’s the one thing that really builds trust and [...]

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