‘The Silver Witch’ is now available up at the Daily Science Fiction website. If you’re interested, check it out – and take a look at all the other great stories while you’re there 🙂
Category: 1. Writing Page 4 of 5
Next week, my first pro-rate sale will be going live at Daily Science Fiction. It’s a short piece called “The Silver Witch” and it’s a bit of a departure from my usual style and genre. If you want to read it when it’s first available on the 18th, you’ll have to sign up for the email – which is well worth doing anyway. Otherwise, it’ll be available online a week later, and I shall try to remember to post a link soon after that!
I’ve not been doing a lot of writing lately, because I’ve been focussing on being ill 😉 My creativity has been directed towards sewing projects instead. I’m hoping to get back to it soon, though, because I find that the longer I take a break from writing, the harder it is to get back to it, because the need to be perfect takes over entirely.
I have been extremely tardy in posting this link, alas! I’ve been up to my neck in moving house and all that it entails, and now have very limited internet access. Thank goodness for personal hotspots and iPhones!
Finally, however, I can point you over to Every Day Fiction to read my story, “Wound”. It’s one that was initially inspired by something that happened in my own childhood, although it’s been reworked and refined a lot since its first incarnation. It was my first time playing with magic realism, and I’m really glad it’s found a good home 🙂
I’m afraid I’ve been neglecting this site rather dreadfully over the past half year or so. I’ve been in something of a transition period, but have come out the other side more focussed and inspired.
Quite a few things have been happening, but here are just a few snippets by way of an update.
- ‘Speed Dating’ had a very successful season in Sydney, polling well with both the judges and the audiences. We just missed out on the Gala Final, but that didn’t do anything to dull my enjoyment of the process. Glen was a great director to work with, and I loved what he and the actors did with my words. I didn’t get up to see the production, but I was able to watch it on DVD, and it was a strange, but exciting, experience watching my play being performed.
- My short piece ‘Wound’ was accepted for publication by Every Day Fiction. It’ll be up on the site on the 18th of April (almost in time for my birthday) and I’ll update when it’s available to be read.
- I’m moving to Melbourne! I’m still a country person at heart, but my partner and so many of my people are in Melbourne, so I’m headed back there myself.
- I’ve started studying towards a Master of Letters (Creative Writing) with CQUniversity. As of today, I’ve completed the first draft on two short stories, one for each of my first two units. I’ll probably talk more about those pieces in the coming months as I move through the editing process and eventually seek homes for them.
- I’ve done a minor site update, taking the focus away from other people’s writing and placing it upon my own.
The Sydney Short + Sweet season of ‘Speed Dating’ begins tomorrow night. This is the end of the play’s Short + Sweet experience, but it’s been a very fun ride. It was accepted into four festivals in two countries, and will be performed in three of those four festivals. For a novice theatre writer such as myself, it’s been an excellent experience, and one which I hope won’t be my last encounter with having my work performed.
Chookas to my Sydney director and cast!
I was excited to find out recently that “Speed Dating” has been accepted into the original and biggest Short + Sweet festival in Sydney. It’s been chosen as a Top 80 play, which means multiple performances, and I’m hoping to be able to fly up there to finally see a production myself!
The director is Glen Pead, and the cast for the production is as follows:
Kate: Alannah Robertson
Megan: Lisa Hassens
Jill: Orlena Steele-Prior
Alicia: Karina Bracken
I look forward to seeing what they do with the script!
Two more reviews of the Auckland production of “Speed Dating” came through today. One is more of a review of omission, although “highly observational” is the kind of comment that is great because it makes you think about what you’ve written.
The second was a lovely review to receive. I am always happy to have the words “excellently written” attributed to something I’ve created. I’m also interested that two of the three reviews have spoken of the majority of the piece being very cynical. It shows you that the outlook of the writer really does slip into their work, even when it’s not intended!
Thanks to all of the reviewers and everyone who has taken the time to see some or all of the plays involved in the festival!
“Speed Dating” opened in Auckland last night, and is apparently going well so far. A brief review is up at The New Zealand Performing Arts Review & Directory. It’s exciting to have a play reviewed for the very first time, and “surprisingly uncynical and moving” is a unexpectedly non-scary thing to hear. (And an amusing thing to hear for anyone who knows my super-cynical self.)
Meanwhile, I heard earlier in the week that “Speed Dating” has also made it into the Melbourne Short + Sweet festival. It’ll be a wild card this time around, and will be directed by Harriet Devlin. I’m going to be abroad when it’s on, but it’ll be nice to have something produced in my own state – even if it is a little daunting to think that people I know might see it!
The program for Short + Sweet Auckland is now available at their blog, although the running order has not yet been finalised. “Speed Dating” is scheduled for the third week of competition and will be performed from the 2nd to the 6th of October.
I’ve been in contact with my director, Jessica Joy Wood, who is obviously very competent and who has good ideas about the piece, including the decision to have two actors doubling-up on roles. She’s cast two very experienced actors, Ria Vandervis and Kura Forrester, who are sure to bring a lot to their roles. It looks to be a great production of the piece and I’m sad that I won’t be in New Zealand to see it!
Short + Sweet Queensland is over, which means that the focus for me moves onto Short + Sweet Auckland.
I was excited to find out last week that ‘Speed Dating’ has been accepted as a Top 30 play for the Auckland festival, and will be directed by Jessica Joy Wood.
We’re likely still a while away from confirmation of performance dates, but I shall update with these once they’re available.
(Meanwhile, there are photos of the Brisbane production available here and here.)