eWriteabout Volume 7 • Issue 11 • December 2012
December Monthly Meeting Saturday, December 15, 2012 2:00-4:00pm, Fradgley Hall, Burleigh Heads
Christmas Party! Fun, Food and Frivolity Free to members!
Wishing you & your family
a Merry Christmas, Joyous Festive Season and a Happy, Healthy
Secret Santa - if you wish to be in it, bring along a gift to the value of $5
and Prosperous
Charity donations - we will be collecting non-perishable food items
New Year!
Do you have a Christmas story or skit? Contact Angelika to book in - editor@goldcoastwriters.org.au SEE YOU THERE!
January Monthly Meeting Saturday, January 19, 2013
Open Mike Contact Martin Line to book in for your 3 minutes of fame! Share up to one page of your writing on any theme or perhaps something about your journey as a writer. info@goldcoastwriter.org.au
eWriteabout 2013
What’s inside President’s Report
page 2
Book reviews
3&4
Featured Member
4
Member Poem
5
Support Group info
6, 8
Lending Rights Claims
7
Writing Challenge
7
Competition
9
Photos
2, 3, 5, 6, 7 & 8
Upcoming Dates Christmas Party
15 December
Please note: There will be no edition of eWriteabout in January.
Meeting
19 January
The next edition will be sent out in February 2013.
Meeting
16 February
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VIDEO INTERVIEWS Watch Robyn Davidson, author of TRACKS, in conversation with Caroline Baum @mscarobaum @booktopia http://t.co/L7w8gCEo Allison Green, CEO of Panterra Press on writing, pitching and publishing: http://bit.ly/RIN3UF Podcast with Joanne Harris, author of wonderful novels including Chocolat is now up: http://bit.ly/ RHeJei
president@goldcoastwriters.org.au
President’s Report Hello everyone
Greetings from sunny Melbourne. We are safely ensconced here after another eventful road trip involving a close shave in the Blue Mountains, brake failure, and a THOUGHTS highwayman! The stuff that Meaningful writing happens when you only have Julie Boyd stories are made of. 140 characters to get your message across. Try it. I hope you enjoyed Hanabeth Luke’s talk at our last “Everybody does have a book in them, but in most meeting. I found her story and the work she is now cases that's where it should stay.”― Christopher Hitchens doing to be quite inspirational. READING A short story from @BlackIncBooks’ Best Australian Stories 2012 collection: http://bit.ly/PBYiSy Judi Sutherland asks, "What's wrong with poetry?" http://fb.me/2zgIHoHC1
WISDOM eBOOK Thanks to all who have contributed so far to this year’s Wisdom book. More entries are welcome until the extended date of December 10. It will then be ready by the next meeting. Don’t forget the winners ebooks from the festival and GCWA competitions are also up on the website for you.
COMPETITIONS Have you read The Life and Times of Chester We’ve had a terrific number of new members join in Lewis yet? It has a $2000 short story comp: http:// recent months, so welcome all. chesterlewis.net/fan-fiction-competition … The annual Christmas Party will be held on the 15th Check out the Stella Prize thestellaprize.com.au/ December. Everyone is reminded to bring along a news/post/the-stella-prize-2013-entries-now-open/ Kris Kringle gift valued at a maximum of $5.00 and Best wishes to each of you and your families for the any short pieces including skits what you would like holiday season. I hope you are each blessed with to perform. Please coordinate with Angelika to health and happiness, and I do hope you enjoy the Christmas Party. ensure fun and games for all. Cheers, Julie
No doubt you have your Christmas reading planned. Below is a collection of bits and pieces that may be of interest/assistance to you. WEBLINKS Neil Gaiman’s eight rules of writing: http://bit.ly/ NV8c0J Provocative but interesting. Book publishers have long been playing into Amazon's hands http:// gu.com/p/3bgyb Good how-to post on getting exposure for your book: http://bit.ly/TD9z33 Stop worrying about book deals and write. Just write: http://bit.ly/RLJyOf http://www.writingbar.com/2012/11/writing-tips/soyou-want-to-write-for-kids/
Penelope Churchward, winning artist of the Paint ‘n’ Prose Competition, with her entry 2
December Meeting Highlights Christmas Party! Come and celebrate! Free for members.
January Meeting Highlights OPEN MIKE - your chance for 3 mins of fame! Raffle Tickets - 3 for $2 and 7 for $4 Prize $25
Afternoon Tea Networking
Book Review by Gary Ivory Title: Child of the Raj Author: Pamela Cameron-Clarke Published by: Publicious www.publicious.com.au In a row of books “Child of the Raj” stands out at a glance. The front cover depicting a childhood picture of Pamela Cameron-Clarke, the author.
keep the reader involved and looking for the next story of interest. Each anecdote brings into clear view the fascination and vibrancy of another time and another culture, one which has its own intrigue. Reading this collection of short tales is entirely possible in one session. That is what happened for me and I felt quite exhilarated by the end. As a long time history student and teacher, I found Pamela’s writing brought to life in a personal and insightful way so much of this period in India’s long history. These memoirs are such a welcome contrast to the old history books which left out the lives of real people and in fact were often quite boring. Pamela has very successfully painted a colourful account of a life which of itself both in time and place is extraordinary and thought provoking. Our lives are so different today. History study or no history study, Pamela’s adept turn of phrase with some wonderfully descriptively accounts of her past life will indeed intrigue the casual armchair reader and give a good account of history as well. The photographs, thoughtfully included are just a delight. Pamela’s story of a young life is compellingly told. I thoroughly enjoyed this anecdotal memoir “Child of the Raj” and I am looking forward to my youngest writers meeting Pamela.
New Members We welcome new members:
Born in India in the days of the British Raj, Pamela provides a unique view of the past – now history. As a journalist, popular columnist and former film maker, Pamela writes in an easy to read style which will appeal to all readers. A glance through the chapters, all short and to the point, it is indeed tempting for the reader to jump to chapters with intriguing titles which expertly convey the start of a new story, a new episode in Pamela’s young life. “A Touch of India”, “Hell and Heaven” and “Love Story” are three chapter titles of forty nine which soon get the reader involved. These clever titles and the carefully crafted descriptions
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Paula McDougall
Anne Herron
Leonie Blair
Hayley Coates
Carillon Faery
Kate James
Steve Houlihan
Moya Lightfoot
Patricia Allis
Thomas E Jones
Donna Barnett
Charmaine Clancy
Book Review by Jill Smith Title: Mrs Echidna’s Dilemma Author: Betty Johnston Publisher: Self Published http://mrsechidna.com
This is a delightful story that gives children and their parents a wonderful sensory experience. The story pages have raised cardboard designs to touch, and the information about native Australian animals is fascinating.
year olds, and the information about the animals will be something they explore as they get older. I plan to make the puppets with them as we sit and watch the DVD and have some fun.
A Conversation with.. John Tassell Early morning swims in the Tweed River, first with thirty vigorous strokes and then negotiating the current by ‘flopping around‘ is John’s regime on fine days before breakfast. He retired to the Gold Coast with his wife twenty years ago, and has been living the good life ever since. He calls it Paradise and would live it all over again if he could.
A year into his retirement he joined the Gold Coast Writers’ group ‘Southern Short Story Writers’ mentored by Joan Songaila and began writing his All this was born out of a simple request by Betty’s memoir ‘A Lucky Life’, now published in daughter who worked in the Early Childhood sector. smashwords.com and also available in hard copy. She asked for finger puppets with native Australian His style put one reader in mind of Len Deighton, animals, so that she could help the children his favourite author, which pleased John greatly. increase their vocabulary with more than ‘farm’ The Principal of his Secondary school advised animals (cow, horse, sheep) or ‘wild’ animals (lion, John’s father to take his boy out of school and get elephant, giraffe). The children loved them, so now him a real job. So at 14 years of age he began his she needed a story to go with them. Naturally Betty working life as an errand boy. Eventually he joined obliged. Her daughter then requested that Betty put the British Navy. Training there as a Radio and it all into a book and Betty crafted a stunning Radar technician led to his owning an independent embroidered quilt depicting ‘Mrs Echidna’s TV Service Company for thirty years, which in turn Dilemma’ that won ‘Viewers Choice First Prize’ at gave him fodder for his ‘TV Murders’ series. the Queensland Quilt Show in 2009. You can read John’s story in his own words on the The back of the book provides more for readers, website at with the patterns and description of how to make www.goldcoastwriters.org/?s=John+Tassell the finger puppets of Echidna, Possum, Blueby Dianne Morris tongued Lizard, Kookaburra, Kangaroo and Joey, Platypus and Galah. The last page includes a DVD and invites children to ‘watch the DVD with your friends and act out the story with the puppets you’ve made.’
This Month’s Quote Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best. ~ Henry Van Dyke ~
I bought this for my grand-daughters and will keep it as a special treat for when they visit. The story can be read to them now, as two and three 4
Sharing Achievements
THE SMALL PICTURE
by Caroline Glen
Birds will know when we have sung our last, most beloved, songs. Winds of sweetest breath will carry them to our native shores and gift them to those who remember us. Would we want again these days of mental grit in the big picture? In the small picture we grew with coloured stories from seabeds, from languid eyes, ocean smiles, brows close to ours. We grew with the flesh of fish luminous in water of no beginning, no end. We sauntered amongst elders’ legs the colour of earth, the colour of the moon; always the wind and sun nomadic between them.
From the Editor
The smells of wild grasses seasoned our senses. Native flowers, coveted by leaves, random on roadsides, spoke to us. We stole them with guilt to honour our houses;
editor@goldcoastwriters.org.au Hello Members What an amazing year 2012 has been, and here we are about to celebrate another Christmas festive season and welcome the New Year once again.
then, with heads grown wide, ideas under armpits, garmented for success, plans articulate in suitcases, we left for the big picture.
A reminder that we do not have a newsletter in January, our next edition due out in February 2013.
We walked city footpaths under traffic lights of discipline, treading dreams from street to street to streets that weren’t there, to people who t ripped us with complacency.
I would like to wish all of you great joy throughout the festive season and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2013. Wishing you a wonderfully creative year ahead! Many blessings to you and your family,
We paused beyond weariness at mental cul-de-sacs where someone looked at us, held us quiet awhile, marriage murmuring in their loins.
Angelika
Member Achievement
Sometimes under the curled moon of midnight, Caroline Glen achieved second place in the the International Poetry Competition of the 2012 Ipswich flowers, bought from a street vendor, fall from hallway to floor. limp, waterless, Poetry Feast with the following poem. We bend to save them, to save ourselves. Congratulations, Caroline! 5
The All Genres
Support Group Contributions e-Publishing Group The Gold Coast Writers Association e-publishing group was formed in mid 2012 to provide a means for those of us working in the new electronic publishing formats to get together and share experiences. We are an eclectic group that meets once a month in a private home to socialise and learn from one another. It is a ‘flat’ group, which means there is no hierarchical committee and the group makes all decisions by consensus. The one criterion is that we are all published writers and we are all in some way or another involved in electronic publishing. Our November meeting took the form of a workshop on using WordPress and over coming months you will see more of us contributing to our cooperative blogging site and providing excerpts from our books as well as reviews and publishing details. The group is growing and we will shortly be welcoming new members into the group who have indicated an interest in joining us.
At our November meeting we discussed PACING. In 'Write a Blockbuster and Get it Published,' Weatherly and Corner say, 'Pacing is your story's heartbeat: how quickly it moves at any given moment. Good stories seem to fly along during the exciting bits, then slow down so that readers can catch their breath before picking them up and rushing forward again, all with a definite sense of direction and purpose This is what blockbuster author Stephen King calls, 'the gotta' factor: When readers feel that they 'gotta' keep reading to find out what happens next. If your readers stay up until three in the morning to finish your book because they can't bear to put it down, then you've got the 'gotta' factor - and your pacing is sure to be excellent.' The authors go on to say, 'Tension is the cornerstone of drama. Without tension in your scenes and overall storyline, readers are unlikely to find your story interesting. A good rule in fiction is to up the stakes and make things as difficult as possible for your characters.' We also discussed Dan Brown's mega blockbuster novel, 'The Da Vinci Code.' Weatherly and Corner say, 'Brown's novel is crafted masterfully around a central secret that the reader is eager to find out about. With great skill, Brown takes readers through a trail of clues as his protagonists attempt to discover the truth about a secret society called the Priory of Sion.' Our December meeting will be held at Pinnacles Restaurant, on the top floor of Myers, Pacific Fair, at 12 noon. Meetings will resume in 2013, on the first Saturday of each month, commencing in January, at 12 noon, at the Meeting Room in the Broadbeach Library, adjacent to Pacific Fair. Newcomers welcome.
Our final meeting for 2012 will be on Saturday 1 Di Baker 55 383568. December at which time we will introduce new members to the group and discuss our program for 2013, which will include monthly workshops related to electronic publishing. The core group is reviewing options at the moment for discussion at our next meeting. Michael Clancy email: thecreativegenie@gmail.com 6
Lending Rights Title Claims Lending Rights would like to advise that new claimants are now able to lodge registrations and submit their first title claim online at https://lendingrights.arts.gov.au/lendingrights/ NEW CLAIMS CLOSE 31 MARCH 2013 Australian creators and publishers are invited to submit title claims for the 2013–14 Public Lending Right and Educational Lending Right programs. Publisher payments Payment is only made for a claimed title if at least one eligible creator is receiving a Lending Right payment for that title. If an eligible creator has not lodged a claim by the closing date you are not entitled to receive a payment.
Writing Challenge - ABC Open ABC Open is a great way for regional Australians to create, tell and share their stories with the ABC through photography, video, audio and text. A number of different projects are run through ABC Open, and the one for writers is called ‘500 Words’, a monthly blogging project where a challenge is put out to bloggers all across Australia. This month’s theme is Family Rituals where you are ask to tell about the weird and wonderful things that you do together that only your family understand. Last month’s 500 Words theme was Someone who shaped me. You are invited to contribute to the 500 Words projects at www.abc.net.au/open Solua Middleton, the ABC Open Producer for the Gold Coast is available to meet with members to explain ABC Open and how they can get involved.
The Public and Educational Lending Right programs make payments to creators and publishers in recognition that income is lost through 07 55 26 5217 the free multiple use of their books in public and educational lending libraries.
Mob. 0427 216 114
Member Opportunities
If you are a book publisher or creator – author, editor, illustrator, translator or compiler – you may be eligible for a payment under these programs. Title claims should be submitted for books published after 31 December 2007 and up to 31 December 2012. All claims must be lodged by 31 March 2013. The quickest way to make a claim is through Lending Rights onlineor for more information visit www.arts.gov.au/literature/lending_rights Phone 1800 672 842 Fax 02 6210 2907 Email lendingrights@pmc.gov.au
Member Book Sales at Meetings A reminder that if you would like to sell your books at a GCWA meeting, it is essential you contact the president to reserve a place by the Wednesday prior to the meeting: president@goldcoastwriters.org.au 0431 443 385.
Business Display at Meetings Members with a business service can also book a display at one of our meetings for just $20. Display your products and promotional materials, and network with members before and after meetings. (Note: This service is restricted to current GCWA members.) For more information and bookings email info@goldcoastwriters.org.au.
Legal Queries If you have a question on a legal issue relating to writing, please email it to the editor editor@goldcoastwriters.org.au Our Honorary Solicitor, Darryl Greer will respond to queries via the newsletter as time and space allows.
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Member Support Groups e-Publishing Group This group is aimed at the technicalities of publishing especially writing for electronic publication. Numbers are limited.
Publish Your Book!
Contact: Mike Clancy email: thecreativegenie@gmail.com
Southern Short Story Group
For GCWA members living on the south end of the Gold Coast or northern NSW. (membership limited to 10) When: The second and fourth Saturdays of each month at 9.30 am Where: Joan's unit in Coolangatta southernshortstorywriters.blogspot.com Coordinator: Phone: Email:
Visit our website at: www.publicious.com.au
Joan Songaila 5599 2581 joanmay@connexus.net.au
Call Publicious on 07 5534 9528 or contact Andy on 0402 807 440 email: andy@publicious.com.au
The All Genres Includes crime, life writing and nonfiction Meetings are held on the first Saturday of each month at the Broadbeach Library in Sunshine Boulevard, opp. Pacific Fair at 12 midday. Coordinator: Phone:
Copyright © 2011 Publicious Pty Ltd
Promote your book on the Gold Coast Writers’ Assoc
Dianne Baker 5538 3568
Online Bookshelf
The Ten Penners
Include your author bio
Adults writing for children Meetings are held on the1st Saturday of each month at Broadbeach library or a cafe from 9:30 to 11:30am. Phone Marion to confirm venue details. Coordinator: Phone:
Keep control of your book Retain all of your rights Earn 100% royalties Editing, appraisals, proofreads Cover Design, illustrations Book shop quality printing Global POD distribution ebooks, author websites and more...
Links to your website, Amazon listing and social media pages
Marion Martineer 0416 027 016
Display your book cover image and author portrait only $10 per book webmaster@goldcoastwriters.org.au www.goldcoastwriters.org/books/ Please note: The GCWA does not sell members’ books on this site. Buyers will be redirected to the author’s point of sale. 8
eWriteabout Submission Guidelines Copy is to be submitted by email attachment and to be no more than 300 words in length. Please ensure that all graphics are jpgs.
Disclaimer
The Gold Coast Writers’ Association, voluntary management committee, and The management committee, the other organisational volunteers present eWriteabout in good faith editor, and the voluntary staff and accept no responsibility for accept no responsibility for the any misinformation / typing and/or return of work. formatting errors or problems Submission is not a guarantee of arising from any such matters. publication. Some submissions may be rejected or held over for The views expressed by another month. contributors and advertisers are Contribution Deadline Submissions must reach the editor four weeks prior to the publication date (the first of the month). Please contact the editor if you are unable to meet this deadline for any reason.
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Gold Coast City Council Libraries
Full page
$50.00
Double your Summer reading competition
Half page
$30.00
Closes January 31, 2013
Quarter page
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All copy or images can be sent to editor@goldcoastwriters.org.au The Editor Gold Coast Writers’ Association PO Box 441 Pacific Fair QLD 4218
For locations, book clubs, workshops & events, as well as access to newsletters, online catalogue e-books, newspapers & more visit www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/ library/ 9
PO PO Box Box 441 441 Pacific Fair QLD 4218 0431 0431 443 443 385 385 www.goldcoastwriters.org.au www.goldcoastwriters.org.au info@goldcoastwriters.org.au info@goldcoastwriters.org.au
GCWA GCWA Committee Committee GCWA Committee President
President President Julie Julie Boyd Boyd Jeannie Barker Vice President Secretary Kathy Stewart Vice President Martin Line Angelika Heurich Secretary Treasurer Martin Line Secretary Gavin Fisher Treasurer Elena Ornig Gavin Fisher Treasurer Membership Secretary Gavin Fisher Membership Secretary Christina Jablonski Membership Secretary Christina PublicityJablonski Officer Christina Jablonski Vacant Publicity Officer Publicity Officer Vacant Webmaster Marion Jeannie Martineer Barker Webmaster Newsletter Editor Webmaster Jeannie Barker Angelika Jeannie Heurich Barker Newsletter Editor Senior Events Coordinator Newsletter Editor Angelika Heurich Angelika Senior EventsHeurich Coordinator Catering Catering Coordinator JennyCoordinator Ruibal Helga Glinatsis Helga Coordinator Glinatsis Catering Speaker Coordinator YouthHelga GroupGlinatsis Coordinator Vacant Marion Martineer Competition Competition Coordinator Coordinator Speaker Coordinator Dianne Dianne Morris Morris Ceresse Gardner GeneralCommittee Members General Julie Baythorpe, Gary Ivory, Competition Receiving Members Chris Low, Louisa Wright Officer Di Morris Julie Baythorpe Gary Ivory Christmas Party PatronsChris Low Louisa Wright Organiser Caren Sattler Founder - Mary Maclaren General Members Darryl Kay Patrons Danes Greer, Gary Ivory, Caren Founder Mary Maclaren Sattler,- Gloria Swan Kay Danes Patron and Founder Mary Maclaren