Rhiza Edge have opened a fabulous new short story competition and I’m thrilled to be co-editing the resulting anthology with Bethany Loveridge.
‘Hidden Creatures‘ will gather together weird and wild stories featuring cryptids of every kind. We’re open to stories of fantasy, horror, sci fi, action, and crime. With a focus on cryptids / cryptozoology we invite exciting stories that embrace folklore, mystery, speculation…and all the shadowy places in between.
The competition is open until September with full details in the link below, including T&C’s and prizes. We’re looking forward to reading your creative take on this expansive (and fabulously fun) theme!
Literally Hilarious brings together family-oriented stories for the junior fiction market with a percentage of proceeds going to the amazing Indigenous Literacy Foundation who work with remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities across Australia
This project is supported by so many visionary folks and wonderful authors and illustrators. Special thanks and shout outs to: Daisy Lane Seeds, Debra Tidball, Rose Ahearn, Adam Wallace, Jeremy Kalbstein and Romi Sharp. #justwriteforkidsaustralia
As writers (indeed, as practitioners of any form of art) it’s often too easy to dwell on what we haven’t achieved, rather than what we have accomplished.
I’m guilty of this. I often raise my creative bar impossibly high, and set myself productivity goals and benchmarks of success that simply don’t align with my work and family life. As a consequence, I’m often left feeling like I’ve failed myself and my art. Silly, huh? I’m working on it.
My two words for 2023 are: Balance and Vitality. I aim to use their themes to underscore all aspects of my life this year, and help guide my intentions and mindset.
Many writers post a list of their ‘year in review’ and I think it’s a great way to overthrow any negative feelings you might hold about your personal output. You might not have set the world on fire (according to your own goals), but you’ve written, damnit! And maybe, along the way, and in between the rejections, you’ve had a few wins, in whichever shape they take.
As we move into 2023, my creative advice is simply this:
Be bold.
Be patient.
Be kind.
Share.
Do not compare yourself to others.
Remember, a high tide raises everyone’s boat.
Make the art you love, regardless of whether it’s deemed ‘commercial’ enough. Writing to a trend or market when it’s not your jam does not a happy writer make. When you attempt to shoe horn your work into a space and place not carved from authenticity it will also show in your writing.
HAVE FUN.
With that said, below is my 2022 Writing Year in Review. Despite my inner critic telling me otherwise, it’s actually been a very positive year.
Why not make a list of your writing activity from 2022? Even if it’s just a word count. You’ll be surprised at what you’ve achieved.
Happy New Year to you all, and of course happy reading, happy writing, and happy days for 2023.
Awards and Honours
Finalist – Ditmar Awards – Best Collected Work
Finalist – Ditmar Awards – Best Novella / Novelette
Finalist – Aurealis Awards – Best Fantasy Novella Finalist – Australian Shadows Award – Long Fiction Category Finalist – Australian Shadows Award – Poetry Category
