Suggestion from Celia - Re Members Writing

[marquis01]

I would like to be able to read a bit about other TW members and their writing in our newsletter. It’s not always easy to write about ourselves, so I thought up some questions. If members find it too difficult to write a piece about themselves, as long as they answered the questions, we could exchange the info with each other, so that we write about each other. Some members might even be happy to include a piece of their own writing work. Here’s my suggestions for another questionnaire!

1. People write for many reasons. It could be that you are writing with specific goals in mind. Maybe you find writing therapeutic or just want to explore your own creativity. Some people find writing is a kind of compulsion - they just have to do it. Do you know why you write? What kind of writing do you do?
2. Are there any authors/books that really stand out for you?
3. Have any of them inspired your own writing in some way?
4. Do you have a favourite place/time/circumstance for getting down to writing? What sort of methods/tools do you use to assist you?
5. If you could pick three things that stand out as milestones or achievements in your writing, what would they be?
6. If you could wave a magic wand so your writing dreams came true, what would they be?
7. What aspects of being a member of the Tropical Writers do you rate as important to your own writing development?

Perhaps those who wish to share can respond here and we can pick different ones for the newsletters. I think this is a great idea ... what do you think?

[Rob Farquhar]

Oh, boy - getting writers to write about their favourite subject - it could be very dangerous!

Still, I'd give it a whirl! I'll get back to you.

[Talitha Kalago]

Were you thinking we would post our answers in this thread?

[marquis01]

We'd post it in whatever thread you feel is best Talitha. This one narrows it down to the request and we could copy/paste them into the newsletter from time to time. Sally is always asking for members to give her new info. to post ... perhaps this could fit the bill!

[Talitha Kalago]

1. People write for many reasons. It could be that you are writing with specific goals in mind. Maybe you find writing therapeutic or just want to explore your own creativity. Some people find writing is a kind of compulsion - they just have to do it. Do you know why you write? What kind of writing do you do?
I would like my writing to be a career. However even if I had a whole other career, I know I would still write every day. It's necessary for me. It's something I have to do.

2. Are there any authors/books that really stand out for you?
China Mieville. Wow.

3. Have any of them inspired your own writing in some way?
China certainly does--after reading his work I tend to adopt his style a little. However I know I need to avoid doing that as he's generally considered rather inaccessible to most readers, despite his genius.

4. Do you have a favourite place/time/circumstance for getting down to writing? What sort of methods/tools do you use to assist you?
I get up at 6am every day, shut the door and write until 8am. If the door is open, I get nothing done. It's a madhouse here.

5. If you could pick three things that stand out as milestones or achievements in your writing, what would they be?
Finishing the first draft of my very first novel. Getting an offer from TOR (even though it fell through) and probably getting the contract offer from Carina Press this morning.

6. If you could wave a magic wand so your writing dreams came true, what would they be?
Stephen King level fame and fortune for writing hardcore steampunk fantasy.

7. What aspects of being a member of the Tropical Writers do you rate as important to your own writing development?
The community.

[marquis01]

Great start. Now c'mon everyone get behind this so we've got lots of input for our newsletter.

[tborella]

1. People write for many reasons....What kind of writing do you do?

I'm not the most prolific or disciplined writer (and need to work on lifting my game there) but ever since I was a schoolkid, even before that, I've been fascinated by the idea that you can take a blank page and do whatever you want. I feel a compulsion to keep coming back to it, either in songwriting or prose. I'm always a sucker for science fiction, and tend towards that in my writing.

2. Are there any authors/books that really stand out for you?

Probably my favourite book ever is Captain Corelli's Mandolin, by Louis DeBernieres. Brilliant story and characters, and it totally captivated me.

Some of Brian Aldiss' sci fi short stories and books really stick in my mind (eg Hothouse and the Helliconia series), and as a teenager I read John Christopher's 'Tripods' series over and over.

3. Have any of them inspired your own writing in some way?

Without doubt, though it's hard to pin down influences exactly. I think the main thing is, when I read a really good book I see that it's possible to produce something that can profoundly affect the reader on many levels. Even if I feel I couldn't measure up to some of the authors in a million years, it's inspiring to see what's possible.

4. Do you have a favourite place/time/circumstance for getting down to writing? What sort of methods/tools do you use to assist you?

It's good to have some kind of deadline, like a competition to work towards.

Normally I write when the kids are at school, but if there's work to be done around the place I find it hard to ignore! That's not to say I don't just procrastinate, because I certainly do.

I find exercise, like a run or a long walk, really helps free up my mind to keep a story moving along.

5. If you could pick three things that stand out as milestones or achievements in your writing, what would they be?

Not that it led to anything, but I was proud of having an 80 000 word YA sci-fi manuscript considered by Random House when I pitched it in response to a call for unsolicited manuscripts. The rejection letter was quite encouraging in a strange way - they were reasonably complimentary but said it just wasn't what they were after at the time.

Getting published in 'Category 5' will be my first fiction in a 'real' book, so that's definitely a milestone.

One thing I'm also pretty pleased about is having acted as a kind of 'expert advisor' on aviation-related matters to an American author, Keith Thomson, who I struck up an internet correspondence with when he posted some questions on a flying website when researching for some spy novels he's written. That's been going on for a few years now, and I find it fun and satisfying to have that kind of input into the flying scenes in some of his work.

6. If you could wave a magic wand so your writing dreams came true, what would they be?

Have my current sci-fi manuscript on the bookshop shelves and be working on the next one!

7. What aspects of being a member of the Tropical Writers do you rate as important to your own writing development?

Just knowing there is a strong local community of people who value what we do and are willing to give encouragement and support is a real spur.

It's funny, but no-one bats an eyelid if you spend all day working in the shed, or walking around a golf course. If you sit inside writing, though, that's weird!

Knowing there are other weirdos out there is a good thing ...

[windspider]

1. People write for many reasons. It could be that you are writing with specific goals in mind. Maybe you find writing therapeutic or just want to explore your own creativity. Some people find writing is a kind of compulsion - they just have to do it. Do you know why you write? What kind of writing do you do?

* Poetry's best for me. it helps make sense of things, then the creative buzz takes over and there's nothing like it when the piece is working. I can't force a poem, just need to listen for the ideas and give them mind-room. Journalling is therapeutic and may lead to a memoir but structuring is the hard part for me. I've helped others with this but it's much harder with my own work!

2. Are there any authors/books that really stand out for you?

* Love natural history which is well written eg Rachel Carson; poets such as Rainer Maria Rilke, Rumi, Sylvia Plath...

3. Have any of them inspired your own writing in some way?

* Usually reading stuff I like opens ways into my own thinking/patterning approach. At Uni I encountered a Women's Lit subject and it changed the way I viewed my own experiences, in that I could relate directly to the material. Poems and journalling had been happening previously but this subject, and specifically encountering Janet Frame, unleashed a floodgate of work. That flash of recognition when you're reading is invaluable; it's treasure, like finding a long-sought-after relative.

4. Do you have a favourite place/time/circumstance for getting down to writing? What sort of methods/tools do you use to assist you?

* Reading poetry I like usually gets me inspired so I get into that mindset of feeling. Often early in the morning, or waking in the night. I can't direct the creative flow too well, usually sabotage myself if I start trying to fit into tight routines.

5. If you could pick three things that stand out as milestones or achievements in your writing, what would they be?

* Getting published in Hecate while still at uni; winning the Forde Memorial medal for poetry while at UQ; being placed third out of 500 in what was then the Warana Poetry Prize. Haven't put much out there though.
.
6. If you could wave a magic wand so your writing dreams came true, what would they be?

* To get that memoir finished to my satisfaction; to assemble all my poems and publish them; to find a fairy godmother editor to help!

7. What aspects of being a member of the Tropical Writers do you rate as important to your own writing development?

* Was it Dave who said "community"? Being around people you can talk writing matters with helps me validate my own identity as a writer. Who'd willingly be a poet? So few people are interested and the pay's lousy:) A writers' group is like an intentional family.

Thanks folks
Alison.

[windspider]

Sorry Talitha, you mentioned "community", not Dave!

[Rob Farquhar]

1. People write for many reasons... What kind of writing do you do?

I write because I want to write the books I'd love to read and I enjoy the challenge of turning my idle fantasies into works that iother people would find entertaining. Yes, the idea of making a wage out of entertaining through the written word is in there too!

there are a few kinds of writing I do. The heart of my writing is action-adventure science fiction, and the novel I'm working on at the moment will probably have a hefty dash of romance in it as well. Aside from that, I want to become a solid, regular blogger, as both a marketing tool and a way to keep my hands busy on something other than prose fiction.

2. Are there any authors/books that really stand out for you?

Books that have really strong voices, as though the author (or lead character) is in the room with me.

Some that come to mind are H. G. Wells' the War of the Worlds, David Gerrold's War Against the Chtorr series. Also the sheer and utter hopefulness of Spider Robinson's Callahan's Bar books.

I think I've also learned a lot about writing from different perspectives from, of all places, the romantic fantasies of Elizabeth Vaughan.

3. Have any of them inspired your own writing in some way?

I've heard the phrase "Write the book you'd want to read!" - Recently I found myself thinking, "Write the book you'd want to read out!" - but I think I wouldn't have had the guts to write SD as a romance had I not read Elizabeth Vaughn and, before her, Anne McCaffrey.

4. Do you have a favourite place/time/circumstance for getting down to writing? What sort of methods/tools do you use to assist you?

I used to try and write in the computer room of Vickie's and my house, but I'm foinding that I prefer to write on my netbook in one of the big chairs out in the yard. I find that I want a chair that doesn't impede my arms in any way, which rules out my computer chair and a lot of the chairs at the library (bloody armrests). I try and get some writing in every morning before I go to work - I love my wife but there's something about uninterrupted quiet!

More directly, I do like using Write or Die when I have a block of time that I Want To Do Some Writing in, and I got Scrivener for Windows at half price recently - I used it during NaNo last year and found it pretty handy!

5. If you could pick three things that stand out as milestones or achievements in your writing, what would they be?

- The first would be Mongoose Publishing running an aticle I wrote in their free Signs & Portents PDF magazine - it wasn't a paid gig, but it gave me the chance to write about something fantastic as a how-to article and gave my confidence a boost!

- The second: Reading an old blog post of Elizabeth Vaughan about how she used to tell everyone she was a writer but didn't actually start writing until her friends called her on her big talk - and then just decided to write a novel!

- And the third would have to be joining the Tropical Writers. Talitha had it right - it's a community of fellow writers and being part of it is a huge help even if you dion't have something to bring to a meeting.

6. If you could wave a magic wand so your writing dreams came true, what would they be?

- Having my writing work pay for my mortgage! Beyond that, having writing as a full-time, better-than-my-current-job-paying, ever-challenging job!

7. What aspects of being a member of the Tropical Writers do you rate as important to your own writing development?

The encouragement to write that my fellow members have given me since I first came in with my work, as well as the opportunity to be exposed to others' work in progress.