Sydney-based writer sporadically blogging about writing, life, and dystopian moments.
World-building is hard. I don’t mean physically and literally building a world, although I can only assume, not being an All-Powerful God Being, that such a task would also be extraordinarily difficult. The type of world-building I’m referring to involves developing an imaginary yet believable universe, with consistent and somewhat reasoned qualities, such as history,... Continue Reading →
If you want expert advice on writing, Stephen King is at the top of the hierarchy (see how I made a pun there? I AM SO FUNNY.) I highly recommend you go out and buy his book On Writing. I like it so much I have two copies (okay, it’s also because my mum accidentally... Continue Reading →
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that as soon as you dedicate time to writing, and teaching others to read and write, you will suddenly have so much less time for your own reading. When I was completing my teaching degree, one of my English tutors specifically said that it was entirely unacceptable to be a... Continue Reading →
I’ve always loved creating, and imagining worlds and writing stories was an important part of my childhood. I’ve also always loved reading, and I think that often comes first. When I was little, I’d spend almost every Saturday morning with Dad and my brother at the beach, then in Manly library, trying not to drip... Continue Reading →
I wanted to write a post that summarised five or six or seven of the books and websites I most frequently turn to when I need advice on writing. Instead, I got stuck on the first one on my list; The Little Red Writing Book, by Mark Tredinnick. This is probably because I’ve never been... Continue Reading →
My first novel, Children of the Solstice, follows the journey of Rory, an Australian teenager who discovers she is part of a secret race of supernatural beings called Elementals. Her excitement at finally finding her place in the world is shattered when she learns that the whole fate of Elementals – and humanity – might... Continue Reading →
The NSW Writers’ Centre’s ‘Newswrite’ Issue 230 had an interesting piece by Adeline Teoh on “the minefield of writing from a cultural viewpoint not your own”. As a white, heterosexual, middle-class woman, I’m only one step away from being the dominant narrative in Australia, but from a young age I remember feeling very passionate and... Continue Reading →
Over the past several years, I’ve been lucky enough to explore quite a few different locales, all of which have inspired my writing in their own ways. Sometimes, it might just be an encounter on the street, other times a whole culture, a setting for a scene, a character’s backstory… so here are some places... Continue Reading →
Social media, in various forms, has been big since about 2005. Most social media pages have always required some kind of tagline or bio, to go with your profile. In these taglines, I’ve always made copious use of words like ‘aspiring’ ‘amateur’ and ‘wannabe’. While the Spice Girls’ song (yes, I’m a nineties kid) is... Continue Reading →
Samantha Todd 