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The myth that publishers have stacks of manuscripts  and that writers have to line up in a long queue was deflated by Jennifer Bacia during her talk at the Gold Coast Writers Association meeting . ‘Actually, that is not the case’ she stated. According to Jennifer, publishers are always looking for something that will make […]

Answers from Anya Tretyakova. The notion that theatre and film share many similarities, is not a new one.  Both are their own ‘stage’ for the trials and tribulations of the characters that inhabit them.  Either medium affords the creator a great depth of exploration into the human character; what it means to be a person in any given place or time, but more importantly, what it means to be at all.  Two such ‘creators’ or authors of theatre and film, vital to each medium, are Luigi Pirandello and Woody Allen, respectively.  Not only are both authors important, but they are clearly intertwined in their works, the former clearly influencing the latter, albeit perhaps indirectly; a legacy stretching over a period of more than a century.    Luigi Pirandello was born in 1867 in a farmhouse in Il Caos, located between Porto Empedocle and Agrigento, Sicily (Giudice).  From such humble beginnings, he became one ... Read the rest of this post

Personal Confession My name is Elena Ornig and I confess to encourage you to live your dreams.   At four, I was the only child in kindergarten who could fluently read.  Often, the nannies would sneak out for an extra gossip break, leaving me inside of a circle of children; I just loved it. At 15, as a dedicated volunteer researcher of Moscow Regional history, I was invited to write for a local newspaper and I just loved it. At 16, known by every local librarian as a book monster, I was encouraged by one of them to write my own book and I put all my effort into it. And I just loved it because I dreamed of becoming a great writer. Nevertheless, I thought I needed a professional opinion to be sure I was on the right path.  At my school I approached a teacher who was regarded by almost everybody as “the guru” ... Read the rest of this post

The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl (July 2010)   The Clean House is at once a hilarious and tragic peek into the lives of four women brought together by life, circumstance and choices made.  Set in America, the story follows Matilde, a young Brazilian woman who is hired to clean Lane’s house.  Unbeknownst to Lane, Matilde despises cleaning and wants nothing more than to think up the perfect joke, whilst Lane’s neurotic sister Virginia scrubs away her obsessive thoughts by taking over Matilde’s housekeeping duties.  Enter Ana – the woman Lane’s husband is leaving her for – and suddenly, keeping a clean house is the last thing on anybody’s mind.   The straight-forward metaphor for life – a clean house – is surprisingly explored with wit and raucous humour.  Not only does this play avoid the seemingly inevitable cliché which may be expected from such an overused premise, the comedic style in which the ... Read the rest of this post

There are countless ideas for the Plot, and of course, not all of them are worth writing about.  Answers from Elena Ornig To feel an insight that you are a writer is not enough to become a successful writer. You need much more in order to become a successful writer. You need motivation, determination, discipline and most of all, persistence. The same applies to plotting a Plot! Plotting a Plot means planning a Plot in order to unite with the readers through intricately and powerfully designed sets of actions, reactions and resolutions. What is happening? Why is it happening? What is the course of conflict and how it will be resolved? These questions are systematic and apply for every possible Plot. If you think you can just create fascinating characters without a powerful Plot – Think again! Characters are able to play only a supporting role to the Plot, where the Plot is the ... Read the rest of this post

First and foremost, publishers will look for the mighty sense of your written story. Answers from Elena Ornig. “… I want a book so filled with story and character that I read page after page without thinking of food and drink, because a writer has possessed me, crazed me with an unappeasable thirst to know what happens next.” – Pat Conroy. A well written novel flows as a melody and the only way to comprehend and to feel the rhythm of a well written narrative is to read as many great novels as possible and analyse why they are great. Analyse by reflecting back on your own feelings: which characters did you like and why, which descriptions of the scenes were the best and why, how the developing plot of the novel kept you wondering to the end; or simply, what was it in general, and also specifically, that was so likable about ... Read the rest of this post

Answers from Elena Ornig “The task of a writer consists of being able to make something out of an idea.” Thomas Mann For a long period of time from initial human’s need of recording important information, the writing activity has become the vital instrument of generating meaning. Obviously, the written language and the spoken language are not the same. So, when you write, you have to take into consideration the differences between the literary (written) language and non-literary (spoken) language which you surely remember from school lessons. At this point, I would like to bring to the writer’s attention an extra matter.   When you write a story, narrative or novel, you must clearly understand who you write it for.  When you write you have all the time you need to be precise, deliberate and sophisticated; therefore, take your time and analyse what is the purpose of your written creation. What statement do you want to ... Read the rest of this post

Answers from Elena Ornig Eagerness to write and a hesitation to start. I have met many new writers who agonised over their eagerness to write and a hesitation to start. The biggest problem for them was the structure of a book. Sure, I can understand it very well. One cannot build a house without a structural outline, and one cannot cook a meal without following a general recipe to achieve the great outcome. Yes, to write a book you need to understand and know the structure of a book. But this is not a problem because the structure of a book is quite simple and in current time – very flexible, particularly in creating electronic books.   Let’s just follow the main aspects of the structure to make sure it’s not a problem, rather a resolution to overcome any hesitation.   First remember that the average size of a printed book is about 250 pages (approximately ... Read the rest of this post

Answers from Anya Tretyakova. Boy Girl Wall  Review Boy Girl Wall is a love story – despite what its star, co-creator and co-writer Lucas Stibbard would have you believe with his opening line.  Throughout Stibbard’s (essentially) one-man show, we meet Thom and Alethea, the romantic wall that separates their two apartments, a perverted alien and a murderous, necrophiliac magpie, amongst a host of other animate and inanimate, but charmingly anthropomorphised characters.  Boy Girl Wall is a contemplative, optimistic exploration at what it takes for two people to meet and fall in love, against all odds.  It is a love story, which is concerned with everything that happens before the boy meets the girl and how the universe conspires to make it so. From the people who brought you Attack of the Attacking Attackers!, also presented at La Boite, Stibbard, wife Neridah Waters (music, realiser), Matthew Ryan (co-writer, realiser) and newcomer Sarah Winter (realiser) ... Read the rest of this post