It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. - Charles Darwin

CHANGE - such an innocent looking word - why does it make most of us need to change our undies?

Maybe it's because when we let change in we have to loosen our grip on control, and we humans have an unnatural fascination with control. How much more could we suck out of life if we embraced change?

This week I've decided to run with that thought. To apply it to my goals for writing, to see beyond what is traditionally considered a writer and delve into a world where people are open to many forms of writing.

I spent a lot of time at TAFE listening to,'publishing is hard,' 'don't expect to be published,' 'if you make it through the 5000 plus slush pile you'll be lucky'. Traditional publishing is a tough market place, but the beauty of change is that when it comes it allows us to do things in a better way. That's what's happening in the publishing industry now. The power of the few is being redistributed amongst the many.

Writers now have an ocean liner of choice if they are willing to try something new. We can choose to be heard on blogs, we can self-publish, contribute to on-line content, publish e-books, p-books, pod casts, audio books and the list goes on.

All we have to do is to be willing to be explorers in our own time. To slip our toes outside the door of convention and be willing to hitch a ride on an uncontrolled wave. What's the worst that can happen? We crash - is that really as bad as we think or is it really an opportunity?

6. - "Life doesn't require that we be the best - only that we try our best." - H. Jackson Brown Jnr.

Its Friday my new blog day. Yeah! Here's the treasure I've unearthed this week...


I don't often allow myself the opportunity to hang out with a room full of 15-18 year olds on a Saturday night, to be honest the memories of my own teenage years have left me too jaded. But earlier this year, Yasmin (the 16 year old apple of my eye) had participated in a programme called Kool Skools (yes that is the correct spelling, and yes it is a lame name).


It is a programme in which a variety of state schools support their musically talented year 10 students by allowing them to experience a week in a commercial recording studio laying down tracks. The aim is to produce a cd of original works by the end of the week.


Yasmin, as an art/media student, was invited to join this adventure into the hedonistic world of music production. Her job was to help design and produce the cd cover for the finished product. Needless to say she had a blast. She arrived home every night after a long day (8am-8pm) with that special glow that people who are living there passion often have.

So on Saturday night Bailey, Yasmin, a couple of her friends and I got to go along to the State Award Ceremony for the Kool Schools programme. Let me fess up here, given the choice, I would have stayed home and perfected my Homer Simpson but responsible parenting excluded that choice. All I can say is I'm so glad it did because those kids deserved all of us who attened and more as an audience.

There was so much courage and passion in that room that you couldn't help but coming down with a case of it. Each performer worked hard for their place on stage and the quality of the music and performances was something everyone of them could be proud of. As an adult I struggle to put myself out there, so it was an inspiration to be sitting in this room full of teenage talent watching what the future has in store for us.


It was the best reminder for me that the creative spirit of this world is as vibrant as it has always been. The future looks brillant.




Did you know? - Avra Kehdabra (which has been transformed into Abracadabra) is actually and old Aramaic phrase for "I will speak as I create".

5 - Look and you will find it - What is unsought will go undetected. - Sophocles

Summer has arrived in Melbourne like a chilli bomb and, just like winter, it brings with it the opportunity to be confined to my quarters with nothing to do but write - we've already established domestic duties are no longer on the list haven't we?

So still not totally cured of my aversion to honing my craft with actual writing I took the easier road today of trawling the Internet for motivational sites. And in particular, sites that would magically transform me into the next Margaret Mahy or J.K. Rowling within the next 24-28 hours. (Old habits!)

What I did discover, as you may suspect, was a community of supportive writers who dwell on the Internet in varying stages and phases of their careers. The majority of which confirmed my worst kept fears - that mastering a craft like writing takes about as long as it takes to live. Hmmm. It was like finding a very sensible but loving family.

So when the mercury hits the high notes tomorrow think of me hunched over my keyboard gleaning from those who have cleared a path before me and considering myself extremely lucky to be creating my writing self in the age of information and sharing.

4 - Making Time

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the
bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

Anais Nin

I wanted to share this quote with you as it is one of my favourites and it felt particularly relevant for me today.

You see today I had a date with some dirty undies, spent some quality time with some hardened grime, murdered a few hours on the phone (which was enriching for my soul unlike the other two tasks), donned the chauffeurs hat and ferried my daughter to and fro, created a saliva inducing meal, whipped up a double batch of chocolate-chip shortbread, kept my cool while dealing with Optus (the Dalai Lama would be proud), co-ordinated contractors, made appointments and collapsed on the coach in front of the television. Can you see what's missing?

That's right I forgot to write. Well forgot is a bit misleading isn't it - neglected too, avoided, made excuses not too, would be a fairer portrayal of the situation. Today I really had to look at why I've become an industry leader in procrastination. Why I insist on holding back from blissfully tapping away at my keyboard. Why I resist connecting with the magical 'other' that takes over my mind and produces strings of words that I can't even remember writing.

What I discovered wasn't particularly original. Once excavated I found a festering pile of fear buried underneath of those tired excuses. This left me with two choices, either I could, a) beat myself up (which I must admit I do have a strong skill set in) or b) acknowledge it, love it and move on from it. I decided to go with option b).

As a result, tomorrow I'm throwing open the windows so I can't smell the funky washing, I'm donning a pair of good sunglasses so I can't see the grime and I'm duck taping my curvaceous backside to my office chair until words have been typed, sentences have been strung and inspirations have been harnessed.

I'm moving myself one step closer to all of you reading me on a paper page.

3 - The return of the manuscript

My manuscript assessment lay in wait for me when I checked my email last night. It was one of those moments. You know the ones, the weigh in at weight-watchers, the reveal at the hairdressers. You want to look but you're afraid what you'll find.

One click and I was in. I did the scan through, looking to pick out keywords like brilliant, book deal, prize-winning. Strangely none of these appeared. Then I went back, slowed down, did a more thorough search for said words. Again no fireworks, no six figure offers, no singing angels. By this time my ego had awoken and the familiar patter was filling up my head - I told you so, What were you thinking, and my personal favourite, Are you delusion what did you think was going to happen?

Yes I was hoping for a fantastic review of my first book. Hell I've been working on this story for what feels like the last fifty years. Okay that maybe dog years or I may be exaggerating slightly in an attempt to curry sympathy. Either way I wanted that assessor to be blown away and she simply wasn't.

Don't get me wrong she did a fantastic job. The job she was hired to do, to find the holes in my story, pick out the grammar and spelling issues and give me a professional opinion. But in my heart of hearts (the one I'm mending with chocolate as we speak) I wanted so much more, I wanted her to love it. But also a part of me wanted to be let off the hook. I wanted her to say, 'Hey lady your a little long in the tooth and really your work sucks so give it up walk away with some dignity.'

She gave me neither. So I guess I'm going to have to work harder, stop whining and toughen up. I'm going to have to sharpen the pencils, read more books, write more often and believe in myself more fully.

As much as writing drives me nuts the need to do it is too strong to walk away from. Oh sure I can procrastinate like a professional, I can avoid the page like its got herpes but that doesn't stop them. The parade of people who reside in my head. The strong willed characters that appear at inappropriate moments, the lines of prose that arrive at 3am and disappear at 6am. No this is not something I can walk away from, there is a writer in me, an angst ridden slightly neurotic writer who wants to love her words if she can only find the courage to commit her soul.

So I guess this means we're still on safari.