Emerging Writers:

Hear from key people in Melbourne's best loved organisations supporting new voices in writing, and from freelancers making their way in publishing. In this session we discuss ideas on finding a community as a writer, routes to getting published and building your profile on your way to success.

Lisa started the panel by explaining her role in and The Emerging Writers Festival. Then Johannes explains about Voiceworks. “I think young people have a lot more potential to do and create great things than older people give them credit for,” Steph says.

What should you do with a piece of writing you’re happy with? Johannes suggests leaving the piece for a month and then going back to see if you’re still ...

It's kind of funny: at the beginning of this session, it's almost deathly silent. The kids here are whispering quietly.

Again with the need to loudly clap so the kids get the idea :P

Gabrielle starts by telling us a bit about the background to her books in the OAG series - Poppy. She says that she set it in the gold rush as her ancestors came out during that time.

Because Poppy is half-Aboriginal, and Gabrielle writes about the Aborigines, all the books had to go through and be approved by Aboriginal elders.

Then Sherryl talks about Rose - and just quietly, I think Rose is my favourite Our Australian Girl!

She spoke about being asked to write about Federation, and had no idea what that was! So she, of course, set about researching and spoke about her journey doing that, including finding out that over-arm bowling ...

In The Family:
Dynamic duo Carole and Lili Wilkinson describe their books for children and young adults, and what it's like to be part of a whole family of writers.

This session promised to be interesting – mother and daughter!

It’s not the first time I’ve heard them both together, but talking as writers and family was something I wanted to hear about!

They spoke about their personal histories (After having Lili, Carole left her job as a laboratory technician and went to uni to study Arts and had her first book published when she ...

Before I get started on Lili’s fantastic session, I have to send a huge apology her way: I was quickly trying to upload the last wrap on Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton and then wordpress was being stupid and I lost everything.

I had no idea what happened! I hit the preview button to check that the photo was centered correctly and the preview was a big fat blank.

So for about the first fifteen minutes of Lili’s session I was trying to control my panic – I’d written 850 words on Andy and Terry!! – while I tried to save it.

I still don’t know what happened, but I finally tried the good old ‘undo’ button on Word.

But then I was scared I’d lose the notes I’d written on Lili already, as I just deleted the Andy/Terry post to start Lili’s. Never ...

As the kids trickle in, I’m hoping that the three people that take up my row – myself and a father and his daughter – won’t be moved. We’re in the middle of the second row. I have prime position as do they: chosen carefully.

I can hear Andy and Terry talking about the plan for the session (talk for twenty minutes, then questions). If I look behind me, there’s the sea of school kids, majority of them holding The Thirteen Storey Tree-House, reading intently. There’s a teacher taking a photo of her students on her iPhone, and then she moves around in her chair and takes one of Andy and Terry.

Oh listen! Music is playing. Random music, with a good beat. Andy and Terry sit down. Someone takes a photo, you can see the flash.

Oh! The MWF opening is starting. ...

So this Nick Earls session is coming to you via Microsoft Word as apparently there isn’t internet connection in the ACMI cinemas.

Sigh!

However! The best thing about this situation is I actually got in!

This session was sold out and my pass beeped up red when the volunteer scanned it but she let me in anyway. Success!

I’m with the lovely Steph again and we’re sitting in the middle, one row back. Perfect!

After the last session, I got my book signed and embarrassingly told him I loved him. To his face.

I’m pretty ...

 I read because I love it. Because good writing is beautiful, amazing. Because stories are engulfing, enlightening.

Oh. You don't want to know why I read? You'd rather know why MWF authors read? Pfffft....

Why I Read
Why spend your time reading when there are so many million other things you could be doing? Maggie Stiefvater, Kate Grenville and Nick Earls share how reading has inspired them, and reveal their favourite classic and new books.

Maggie:

"I want my emotions toyed it" - why Maggie reads, and writes.

She told a story about reading The Time-Travellers Wife and, upon the second reading, started crying. But not the good type of crying, she quickly told us, the ugly, snot kind of crying :P

Nick:

Nick took us on his reading life from The Famous Five to Gabriel Garcia Marquez. 

Okay. I fully meant to write during Nick's speech, to inform you ...

What an outstanding line up for my new MWF session!

Melbourne Stories

A discussion chaired by Mary Delahunty, CEO of Writing Australia, on bringing Melbourne to life on the page, whether via fiction set in the postwar suburbs (Steven Carroll's Spirit of Progress) or in contemporary Brunswick (Rosalie Ham's There Should Be More Dancing), through a memoir of the city's 60s counter-culture (Michael Hyde's All Along The Watchtower), or a biography of the whole place (Sophie Cunningham's Melbourne).

I'm sitting next to Andrew Wrathall and we're both in the front rows, taking photos and on our laptops - I comment what nerds we are :P

Sophie Cunningham begins by reading from Melbourne. I could listen to Sophie read all day - I just love her voice and the way she reads.

They discussed the sense of place of Melbourne in all their works, and Michael said, "It ...

One of the things I love most about MWF is the sense of friendship between strangers. I’m sitting in a session, waiting for the artists to come out, and three women, who don’t know each other, just sat down next to each other and started talking. Even if you seemingly have nothing in common, you always have one thing in common: the session you’re about to see. And most likely a shared love for books.

Last night at the opening party, I started talking to a guy standing by himself. I had no idea who he was (turned out he worked for MWF) but it was that sort of a place where you could. I lost count the amount of times Paul Collins introduced me to someone (thanks Paul!!).

(Saying that, I totally just saw Kate Holden sitting outside in Fed Square ...

LOOK AT THIS! A mere twenty or so minutes until midnight and I can still claim this post as Saturday! Hoorah!

Tonight was the MWF opening party and twas lots of fun.

I put on my best party dress and some cute whale tale earrings I picked up on my research holiday and headed on in.

It was actually really exciting as I decided to drive my new car! I'm super-lucky that my dad has a reserved car park in the city so I grabbed his pass - free parking! (Some of you may remember the first time I used dad's pass and the trauma that ensured - I, of course, upon making it to the car park safely, without getting lost or crying, sent dad a text saying as much!).

So I felt rather good heading on down to Fed Square!

I immediately saw ...