New website

As of January 2018, I will be blogging through my new author website at

alexfairhill.com

All posts up until December 2017 will remain on this website until July 2018, and can also be viewed on the new site

Thanks for visiting me here, and I hope you'll drop in and see me at my new home!

Procrastiwork: It's a thing

Goodbye, 2017. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out

It’s that time of year again when the rush of catch-ups with family and friends causes a flurry of to-do lists (or maybe that’s just me?) that make you realise exactly how much needs doing before that arbitrary end-of-year deadline clicks over. Or before school ends for the year (in 45 minutes! Eeek!).

Mini-comps the perfect prompts

Social media as a source of inspiration

I’ve been writing a lot in the past couple of weeks. In fact, I’ve completed several stories – and a few have been published. And I’ve developed the urge to see my words up in lights.

Week packed with writing

EWF, NWC, workshopping, Writing Disability, Fan Fiction, YA’ll for Brunch. And words on the page!

The past week – and the weekend especially – has left me both energised and exhausted to the point where I can’t decide whether to get stuck into my MS or lie facedown on the floor with the music up full-bore. Or write a blog about it. Apparently.

The writing meet-up started, as normal,
with coffee. The first of many!

Social media watch

This week I was reminded that not all media is social

I’m careful about how I use social media. I keep my location and other personal details off Twitter and Facebook, and my personal Facebook page is locked down.

My writing page is open to anyone, but I still keep certain personal information off it.

Like many, if not most, women I receive constant friend requests from men – usually middle-aged, widowers, American and ex-armed services – because obviously we all have soft spots for guys who’ve fought for (in this case) another country. Not many posts on his timeline? He’s new to Facebook, reaching out because he’s alone with no woman to look after him. Who’s cooking his dinner? Will he remember what day of the week it is without someone there to remind him? Hmm… maybe I can be the one to nurture him. Then there’s that post-army pension he’s getting, and he’s standing on a yacht… You get the idea.

Three months of turmoil

To say the past few months have been chaotic doesn’t cover it.

A period of ups and downs, tumultuous. Good news, bad news. A little from column A, a little from column B. Insert relevant cliché here.

I finally took the plunge and subbed manuscript no. 1 out to agents, sending either queries or the opening chapters depending on their submission guidelines, and received some feedback and a couple of no thanks.

#LoveOzYA book challenge

A month of great Australian YA reads

This month I've taken part in a fantastic online challenge run by Michael Earp - AKA @littleelfman on Twitter and Instagram. Michael runs these challenges occasionally, involving posting a book in a specific category that matches a set theme each day of a month, and this time that category was Australian young adult books. 

Michael also took over as chairman of the #LoveOzYA committee this month, and will be a fantastic successor to Danielle Binks, who's done an amazing job as one of the driving forces behind the campaign to encourage Australians to read local books.

HARDCOPY is back

Non-fiction writers: this one’s for you

*Applications for the 2017 HARDCOPY program are now closed. Good luck to all the applicants, and I look forward to meeting you all online!

Not too many things have me out of my chair doing an actual happy dance, but the news that the Australia Council funded the ACT Writers Centre’s HARDCOPY program for another year did just that. 

Applications are now open until 17 March 2017 for this year’s intake of non-fiction writers.

I was lucky enough to be selected as one of thirty emerging writers from across Australia to take part in HARDCOPY in 2016, which focussed on fiction. The program alternates between fiction and non-fiction year to year, and was the most valuable experience I’ve had so far as a writer.

End-of-year check-up

Goals check: AKA Things I forgot to do

This year has been big. Busy big. Lots of unexpected pluses big. Lots of hits and misses big. BIG. So big I didn’t do my usual mid-year goal check.

In my usual tradition, I’ve left it to the almost last minute to look at my goals, when I have about three clear days between now and the start of School Holiday Hell. So anything not done now won’t be. And I’m okay with that.

Last year's TBR pile.

Set up writing room

Done, done, done! New desk, new desk chair (which has since broken and I’m using a dining chair), and a bookshelf!

Pluses: Not spending anywhere near what I did last year time-wise or cash-wise at the café. Have perfected ninja sneak down the hall to avoid waking the child (mostly). I can play my music and sing badly. Able to do housework during breaks away from the keyboard.

Minuses: Am doing more housework than I should because it’s a distraction. The internet’s connected: great for research, not so great for distraction. The trail bike noise from next door’s still loud – but not as bad as it was – and remains a distraction.

This year's TBR shelves. I have a book addiction problem.

Read more

I have read more books that I did last year, but my TBR pile has grown, not shrunk. It’s like an alien that doubles in size every time I touch it. I read one book, two more appear from nowhere.* The bookshelf/containment unit is already near-full.

*Bookstores/library/borrowed from friends.

Finish current YA novel

First: finish the first draft. Second: leave it for a couple of months. Third: rewrite, rewrite…
First: has been rewritten twice this year – once off the back of the mentorship, and I’m reworking again now following feedback from my beta readers. And I have a deadline for Some Thing which is right at the end of the school holidays.

Also… I’ve rewritten my second YA MS, got into a national program, and will tackle it again after reworking the first MS. I went through a patch of switching between them, but the protagonists’ voices began to sound the same!

Work on MG series

Edit/finish the first book. Write the next couple. Plan the rest.

Finished the first, but it’s probably due for a fresh look. Wrote half of the second, vaguely planned the rest.

Look into manuscript assessments
Gain some experienced feedback into one or two manuscripts. Take it from there.

Done – through a mentorship and feedback from beta readers.

Submit, submit, submit!
Manuscripts, short stories, competitions, industry opportunities. I just need to do it, dammit! Let’s say… three a month. And keep my submission spreadsheet updated.

I’ve kept the spreadsheet updated, but there hasn’t been much to update. But I’m counting this as a pass, because the reason the subs dropped off was because I had a couple of major programs I was involved in (see below), plus surgery. All up I submitted/applied for/entered… (checks spreadsheet) 14 times. Huh. More than I thought!

Build on pitching/synopsis skills

This is a weak point for me and one I’m working to improve.
Still working on it. I’ve attended pitching and synopsis-writing workshops, and the skills are definitely getting better.

Do more exercise

A write 2000 words, walk around the block schedule might work.

Ahahahaha. Nope. I did start walking, then rolled my ankle in September. And apparently the injury was worse than I thought because I kept walking and am now booked in for an ultrasound on my still-buggered ankle this arvo. Fingers crossed it’s not the ‘you’ve torn the tendon and need to stay off it for weeks’ diagnosis, or whatever scary Latin term the doc used for that was.

Other things that happened this year:

To be completely honest, I was worried about how I’d go after finishing my Masters last year. I was feeling pressure – and still do – to make the writing thing happen because I’d taken a risk in writing full-time. So I’m happy to report that Good Things have happened this year.

Shortly after going through last year’s goals I found out I’d been offered a Maurice Saxby Mentorship through CLAN for my first YA manuscript. Over two weeks myself and three other mentees visited publishers, libraries and bookstores and sat in on author and illustrator talks. We were completely immersed in the publishing industry and learnt about it from every angle. I also had a mentor read through my manuscript and give me feedback.

In April, just before starting the mentorship, I was offered a place in the ACT Writers Centre’s HARDCOPY national professional development program – for my second YA manuscript. This too was an amazing program, with two three-day stints in Canberra – the first a Masterclass and the second dubbed Intro2Industry. We met publishers, agents, booksellers, sales reps, authors… and the other writers in the program were incredible, warm, talented. All the good words. For a group that was pulled together from around the country, it was uncanny how well we all got along.

I had my first creative piece published. I’ve had two writing-related non-fiction pieces published, plus several pieces on the internet.

I’ve developed a strong network of friends through writing, and have swapped manuscripts with several to gain feedback.

This network has also supported me through a difficult period when a major rejection, surgery and issues with my son all hit at once, and I’m constantly touched, humbled and grateful for the messages, emails, and conversations of encouragement and acknowledgement, as well as those who booted me up the backside when I needed it.

So, all up, didn’t meet some goals, exceeded in others, and feeling pretty damn happy with how the year's turned out.

My new goals:

Finish this rewrite by the end of January.

After that, reassess.

Beta readers are 'gold'

A step not to be missed

You’ve written your manuscript, redrafted, polished. You’re ready to send it to a publisher or agent. But there’s a vital and valuable step to take first: beta reading.

A beta read is when someone who’s not an editor or other industry professional looks at your entire manuscript; the concept being that you are your own ‘alpha’, or first, reader and your beta readers are your second readers.

Real mates kick your arse when you need it

Status update: exhausted. But in a good way.

I had the chance to check out one of
my favourite buildings in Melbourne:
Clyde House in Collins St.

I arrived home in the wee hours of this morning after four days in Melbourne. Last night I had about three hours consecutive sleep (which was the most in several nights thanks to a dodgy rented room in the city), due to drinking caffeine on the train. But I made it home in one piece. So that’s a win. However, after so little shuteye this post might ramble a bit. Bear with me.

Crisis talks

I’m having a crisis of confidence.

There. I’ve named it. Like one of the online articles on having a crisis of confidence says to do.

However, I wouldn’t have looked up ‘crisis of confidence’ if I didn’t know what I’m going through. It’s not writer’s block – I know what I need to do, and I have another story tunnelling its way out of my skull. The article also says the mind doesn’t know what’s really going on, that the body and the heart know. But I feel like I’m the opposite – emotion’s overriding logic to the point where I can’t bring myself to open my WIP.

Writer, care for thyself

I’ve been thinking about self-care for writers a lot lately.

Life. Sometimes it's like this.

A friend has recently left her job to write full-time, and this triggered a discussion among some of us who’ve made that transition, either temporarily or permanently, about what to do and what not to do.

And I realised during an interview with IH Laking for his blog, when he asked me about tips for moving into writing full-time after a career in another field, that I fall firmly into the 'learn from my mistakes' camp. In hindsight, I tried to do too much too soon and it contributed to an episode of depression.

Knock, knock…

A different take on gatekeepers

Image: FreeImages.com/Alicia Evans 

There’s an author coming to my child’s school. I’ve met this author several times. After learning a lot from sitting in on workshops earlier this year during the Maurice Saxby Mentorship, I thought I’d take a chance and ask if I could sit in on Author’s school visit (details kept vague for privacy reasons).

Two weeks in the City of Literature

Creative immersion therapy at its best

The dome reading room
at the State Library of Victoria.

The past month has been Huge. Life-changing. One of those periods that could prove to be a pivotal – or starting – point in my creative writing career.

Review: Frankie

“Don’t judge me, bitch. This is a high-stress situation.” - Frankie, p. 9.

Shivaun Plozza's debut YA novel Frankie.

Shivaun Plozza’s debut YA novel Frankie (Penguin, April 2016) will slice you like an electric knife through kebab meat. The title character’s sassiness, cynicism, mistrust and anger hooked me immediately, and I seesawed between wanting to hug her and boot her up the backside throughout the book. The writing is smooth and immediate, and pinballed me around the full range of the emotional spectrum.

Frankie Vega’s 17 and lives with her aunt Vinnie in a flat above Vinnie’s kebab shop. Xavier contacts Frankie claiming to be her half-brother, and she’s suspended from school after breaking a boy’s nose. When Xavier disappears, Frankie reluctantly accepts help from his partner in crime (not a euphemism) Nate to help find him.

Review: Forever

Forever

Judy Blume

Macmillan (2015 reprint)

The 2015 reprint of Judy Blume's Forever.

My son pulled Forever off a shelf in a bookstore. It was next to Enid Blyton in the young readers’ section.

He thought I’d like it because it had a cherry on the front, and I like cherries. He’s a young, innocent child. Thoughtful – but innocent.

Why the message matters

We’re sending our children mixed messages. 

On one hand – be confident to be yourself. On the other – don’t be too much like yourself, because difference is something to be feared.

Between the failings raised by the current inquiry into institutionalised child abuse, the treatment of asylum-seeker children in offshore detention centres and the attacks on the Safe Schools program, which provides “resources and support to equip staff and students with skills, practical ideas and greater confidence to lead positive change and be safe and inclusive for same sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students, staff and families”, Australia is not acting like it’s kid-friendly.

Make that Australia’s not kid-friendly to those who don’t fit into a constructed view of ‘normality’.

Ending the year the write way

Reviewing goals, avoiding resolutions

This year I went from being a part-time writer/part-time student to being a full-time writer. My official blurb line after a publicity workshop is, ‘I am a writer. I write dead-end town fiction for teenagers.’

I updated my goals mid-year in the interests of balancing study and work, and there’s nothing like waiting until there’s no time left to do anything more to check over them. So here it goes:

Complete 10,000-word research project (5000 theory, 5000 creative)
Done! Killed it! Masters complete. Ended up with the marks to apply for a PhD. Maybe in another year.

Submit one more PB MS to publisher
Yeah, nah. Didn’t do it. Was firmly in MG/YA mode for the last six months of the year.

Submit two pieces of writing to mags, comps or other opportunities
(Pulls up trusty spreadsheet, spends 20 minutes updating it…) I submitted four different pieces to three magazines, two competitions and three fellowships/mentorships. I think that’s a tick.

Continue writing schedule
Done – up until the child finished school. I pushed my initial Christmas deadline back to New Year’s, and am unlikely to meet it. I’ve been getting up at 5am to try and steal some writing time, but the child knows. HE KNOWS. He has this uncanny ability to amuse himself until the moment I start writing, including when he’s supposedly asleep.

Plan out rest of middle grade series
I planned out the next book, and started writing it. Only five more to go.

Finish drafting first book in series
Done. I’ve even rewritten it a couple of times.

So not a bad hit rate. All up this year I’ve:

• Completed one YA novel to a (hopefully) submittable standard.
• Wrote about 40,000 words for the sequel to the first novel.
• Wrote 65,000 for another YA novel during NaNoWriMo (also known as How The Hell Did I Put On That Much Weight in Four Weeks-Mo), and that draft is now up to 84,000 and nearing completion. I just have to decide how to end it.
• Completed several drafts of a MG book: 20,000.
• Finished my Master of Arts (Writing and Literature) with specialisations in Children’s Literature and Professional Writing: word count this year about 20,000.
• Written three short stories, totalling about 10,000.

Total word count (excluding editing and rewriting) is about 172,000 words. Criminy.

Had two items published on the Writers Victoria website: Q&As with author Amra Pajalic and screenwriter Ben Michael.

Read 48 books out of a target of 52, but I may hit this in the next couple of days with a few short books. I’ve failed my goal of posting reviews of every book on Goodreads, but I have a few in reserve to post on this blog first.

Spent a day a fortnight volunteering with a local writers’ organisation. This has been a great way to meet other writers, learn more about the industry, and work with an amazing, dedicated group of people. And I get to write on the train.

My to-read pile.

Next year’s goals:

Set up writing room
I’m ridiculously excited about the impending move up the other end of the house away from the trail bikes hooning around next door. Also, new desk!

Read more
Self-explanatory. My to-read pile is in danger of collapsing and taking us all out with it, and there are so many new books coming out next year.

Finish current YA novel
First: finish the first draft. Second: leave it for a couple of months. Third: rewrite, rewrite…

Work on MG series
Edit/finish the first book. Write the next couple. Plan the rest.

Look into manuscript assessments
Gain some experienced feedback into one or two manuscripts. Take it from there.

Submit, submit, submit!
Manuscripts, short stories, competitions, industry opportunities. I just need to do it, dammit! Let’s say… three a month. And keep my submission spreadsheet updated.

Build on pitching/synopsis skills
This is a weak point for me and one I’m working to improve.

Do more exercise
See above. A write 2000 words, walk around the block schedule might work.

Thanks for reading in 2015. Stay safe over the holiday break, and I’ll catch you next year.

Diversity prominent in new Oz YA titles

Diversity is a hot topic in young adult book titles set for release in Australia in 2016.

Two hundred people received a crash course
in upcoming YA releases in Australia,

Publishers travelled from all over the country to Melbourne last night, spruiking their upcoming releases with the five-minute time limit strictly enforced by the tambourine of doom in a crazy reverse Literary Speed Dating session where the publishers were pitching to the punters.