All posts filed under: My writing

My reflections on life, including my newspaper column, Balancing Act (Sound Telegraph, 2007-2011).

Guest Post by Monique Mulligan

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Originally posted on Nadia L King:
What makes someone a writer? Is it the fact that you’ve had something published? Does writing a novel make you a writer? Or, is it just the act of writing that makes someone a writer? Is being a writer different to being an author? (Going by the definition above, no, but the definition and peoples’ perception differ greatly.) When I first started exploring fiction writing, this question preyed on my mind. All. The. Time. If you’re a writer, you’ve probably experienced something like this: Q: Are you a writer? A: Yes. Q: Would have I have read anything you’ve written? THAT question. The one that sends self-doubt ricocheting through any writer’s fragile soul. The answer, which could be anything from “Probably not” to “I’m writing a novel”, or “I’m working on a short story”, rarely satisfies the asker. I’ve always been a writer. I wrote children’s curricula for several years, which included writing stories, rhymes, and two plays. I’ve written training packages and compiled a book on the history…

A NEW JOURNEY BEGINS

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In case you missed it, I’m spending time on my own writing, following my dream of becoming a published fiction author. I’m excited to share that my short story, “The Point of Love”, has been accepted into the Rocky Romance anthology being compiled by Serenity Press. It’s due out in November, so expect to see a cover reveal soon. I’m also working on a full length novel, but this will be contemporary fiction, rather than romance. It’s in its early stages … I’ve set up an author blog and I’d love for you to be part of the journey there. All you have to do is click here or visit moniquemulligan.com and you’ll get all my writing news, as well as poems and lots more photography. Once there, you can choose to follow the blog or subscribe via email. I hope to see you there. The Write Note Reviews site will continue, but will be dedicated to reviews, author insights and guest posts, rather than my own writing. In terms of reviews, I will have …

MIDWEEK MOMENT #3

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Louise and I don’t plan a theme in advance for each week’s Midweek Moment, so it’s funny how we seem to end up with a theme by default. This week, Louise and I have been inspired by music, possibly inspired by our attendance at different concerts at the weekend. My photo is of a jonquil on a music book – it’s actually an old Labour Party song book I found at the Save The Children book sale last year. Look closely and you’ll see the lyrics: ‘O Don’t Deceive Me, O Never Leave Me’. Louise’s red gerbera pops from the screen, drawing the eye back in to sheets of classical music. Once a week, Louise (of Louise Allan: Life From the Attic) and I will team up and share our favourite photos on our blogs.

MY WRITING WEEK #2

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Editing. How do you know when to stop? When to say, that’s enough, kiss this darling goodbye? This week I submitted my 10,000-word romance to Serenity Press after tinkering around with minor edits. When Karen, the publisher, asked when she could read the story (I’ve been sending her teasers for a while), I went home, checked the manuscript one last time and pressed send. Lexie and Andrew’s story of finding love in Rockingham, amid the real-life controversy of a marina development, is now one step closer to publication. Called “The Point of Love” (a reference to the beautiful Point Peron pictured below with a teaser), it’s due to appear in the Rocky Romance anthology later this year and it may be published individually on Amazon. Watch this space. With that story sent, I turned my attention to another project – “Valiant Return”, a short story for a local writing competition. The words flowed easily for this one – I finished the first draft on Friday afternoon and asked my special reader, Blue Eyes, to read it …

MIDWEEK MOMENT #2

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Welcome to Midweek Moment! Once a week, Louise (of Louise Allan: Life From the Attic) and I will team up and share our favourite photos on our blogs. You may already know us as writers and readers, but we also enjoy taking photos. It’s yet another way we express our creativity and joy in life, however, it must be said that we are amateurs. For us, this is an exercise in learning about this art form as much as it is in sharing. This week we took a bunch of photos and the ones we selected both featured yellow. I decided to get up close to a gerbera in a vintage cotton reel, while Louise artfully arranged flowers and a pencils. Enjoy!     You can also visit Louise’s website here.

MY WRITING WEEK #1

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Forget word counts, forget signing contracts … this has been a big writing week for me. Why? I finally made the brave decision to call myself an author on my Facebook page. It’s just a word, but for me it represents a big step forward into writing fiction for publication. I’ve always been a dabbler, scribbling down bits and pieces of stories here and there, only to wallow somewhere on my computer’s hard drive. Searching through it recently, I found some gems – including one about a farting dragon I started writing when Bear and Monkey were about 10 and 8. They are now 20 and 18 … Over the last few months, I’ve been shifting my focus to allow more time for writing – writing for me, that is. It’s taken a lot of encouragement from some wonderful friends and an even more wonderful husband, as well as a kick up the butt that emerged from the pages of Fiona McIntosh’s How To Write Your Blockbuster. It’s meant I have to get up early to write, since it’s …

MIDWEEK MOMENT #1

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Welcome to Midweek Moment! Once a week, Louise (of Louise Allan: Life From the Attic) and I will team up and share our favourite photos on our blogs. You may already know us as writers and readers, but we also enjoy taking photos. It’s yet another way we express our creativity and joy in life, however, it must be said that we are amateurs. For us, this is an exercise in learning about this art form as much as it is in sharing. This week our photos were taken around the home. I decided to get up close to a candle, while Louise artfully arranged flowers and a spoon. Enjoy! You can also visit Louise’s website here.

PLAYING WITH WORDS: HAIKU

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For the last week I’ve been getting up early, making a cup of tea and writing. Those who know me, know I’m not really a morning person, so this is a BIG deal. Getting up earlier does have its advantages – it’s quiet and all my usual distractions are at work or in bed (save the four-legged purring one who is miffed at missing her morning cuddle). I also get to see the sun rise, rather than be rudely awakened by its attention-seeking behaviour in warmer months. I’m not ready to share the bigger pieces of work I’m playing around with, but I thought I’d share two haiku I scribbled down earlier today. This one was inspired by the soft dawn light this morning: Palest pink! Dawn’s palette gently awakens my mind to a new day. This one was inspired by the lake I drive past each morning for school drop-off … I wish I’d had my camera (and the time) to stop and take a photo, but I’m hoping words work: Rising mist on …

A NEW YEAR OF READING AND WRITING CHALLENGES

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Happy New Year! I rang in 2015 in true book-ish style – reading (after I watched the fireworks on TV because I’d rather not watch them with the crowds) while I waited for teen son to return home. My book of choice was Euphoria by Lily King, which was recommended by The Incredible Rambling Elimy and sent to me by Pan Macmillan Australia. It’s a rather enthralling novel set in New Guinea, with beautiful imagery and an exotic tension … and isn’t the cover fantastic? Backing up a little to the final days of 2014 – a sudden desire to redecorate led to the removal of a big bookcase to open a room up and make way for a reading corner overlooking the garden. We moved in a smaller bookcase, bought another to replace that one in another room and I was given the task of sorting out books. Some family and friends will be very happy tomorrow when I turn up with a few dozen books for them to fight over. It’s always hard sorting …