Three Perspectives on “Write What You Know”
All writers are familiar with the adage “write what you know”. But what does it actually mean? Should it be taken literally? Or does it...
“Juggling the Books Doesn’t Stack Up”: Why Book-sellers and Publishers Should Care about the 2015 Fe
It is well known that the number of bookshops in Australia is dwindling. What is less well known is that the Australian book and...
Narrative Tension: Is Serialisation an Answer?
Narrative tension is vital in a novel and writers often struggle with how to introduce it. Can it be done with shorter chapters? Can it...
The Literary Agent: A Bridge to Publication
A good literary agent is a bridge between the novelist and publication. He or she understands the publishing industry, knows who the most...
Purple Patches
Probably every school child has seen the words purple patch scrawled in red pen on her essay. When I was in Year 5, I found the phrase in...
Literary Lifespans
Life expectancy at birth was 50 years in 1890s Britain. Now it stands at 80. In this month’s Literary Review John Sutherland has an...