Getting the words on the page
I've started blogging weekly on my website - www.pdmartin.com.au - but will also post the blogs here too.
Friday 19 June
A couple of weeks ago I was on a panel for the Emerging Writers’ Festival (EWF) here in Melbourne.
The topic was Just write Dammit! and the brief was to discuss our writing techniques.
The other panellists were:
Victoria Carless – a playwright who also works in fiction, film and feature writing.
Andrew Hutchinson – award-winning author of Rohypnol.
Tiggy Johnson – poet and short story writer.
During my 10 minutes I talked a little about my writing routine. Although I have to fit writing in with my 2yro, compared to many other authors I’ve got it easy. I rarely stare at a blank page for more than a few minutes. I don’t agonize over a sentence for hours. And I’m not particularly prone to procrastination. Of course it’s still hard work, but I do have the ability to just sit down and write.
The panel got me thinking – why do I find it easy to get words on a page? It’s probably partly related to my genre – crime fiction books tend to be page-turners and I think the writing process somehow reflects this. You read it fast, we write it fast. I can also thank my 10+ years of working as a corporate writer. I’ve always written to deadlines and always had to simply sit down and write. While short corporate writing pieces are very different to a 100,000-word book, the pattern of behaviour is ingrained.
After initially feeling that my writing process should be at least a little more torturous, I’ve now decided I’m extremely happy and grateful that it’s not!
For more information about the EWF, please visit their website.
Friday 19 June
A couple of weeks ago I was on a panel for the Emerging Writers’ Festival (EWF) here in Melbourne.
The topic was Just write Dammit! and the brief was to discuss our writing techniques.
The other panellists were:
Victoria Carless – a playwright who also works in fiction, film and feature writing.
Andrew Hutchinson – award-winning author of Rohypnol.
Tiggy Johnson – poet and short story writer.
During my 10 minutes I talked a little about my writing routine. Although I have to fit writing in with my 2yro, compared to many other authors I’ve got it easy. I rarely stare at a blank page for more than a few minutes. I don’t agonize over a sentence for hours. And I’m not particularly prone to procrastination. Of course it’s still hard work, but I do have the ability to just sit down and write.
The panel got me thinking – why do I find it easy to get words on a page? It’s probably partly related to my genre – crime fiction books tend to be page-turners and I think the writing process somehow reflects this. You read it fast, we write it fast. I can also thank my 10+ years of working as a corporate writer. I’ve always written to deadlines and always had to simply sit down and write. While short corporate writing pieces are very different to a 100,000-word book, the pattern of behaviour is ingrained.
After initially feeling that my writing process should be at least a little more torturous, I’ve now decided I’m extremely happy and grateful that it’s not!
For more information about the EWF, please visit their website.
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