I am ashamed to say, I often buy books from chain stores. In my defence, the closest truly independent bookstores to me are a 40 minute drive from where I live on the south-western outskirts of Sydney. Just over half-an-hour away are a few larger book-specific retailers. My cousins live in Orange, in regional NSW, and have an independent bookstore closer to their home which I love to visit.
During the session about publishing at the South Coast Readers and Writers Festival, I discovered the reason book prices have risen is due, at least in part, to the impact of Covid on paper prices. Paper manufacturers are able to make more money producing cardboard packaging than book printing paper. Consequently, they now charge more for the paper. Also, impacting book prices are general increases due to the rising cost of living, causing higher costing for all aspects of publishing.
I have been challenged to frequent independent booksellers more often. What a hardship! I do love a wander in a good bookshop, and the drives to those closest to me are not unappealing – Collins at Thirroul is beautiful and The Bowral (Kiama) Bookshop a veritable treasure trove. Furthermore, in my ongoing endeavour to support authors, independent booksellers and publishers I will more often make a purchase in store.
Well, it’s been a while since my last post. Best laid plans, and all!
As mentioned previously, in November 2023 I was unemployed. I was grateful to be offered work as a teacher for Term 1 of last year and then again in Term 2. About this time last year I had just applied for a permanent teaching position at the same school. Then on my birthday, last August, I was offered a position commencing this year. It has been a refreshing change after the conclusion of my previous employment.
During this time I have also been studying to complete my teacher-librarian qualifications, though I am not sure what I will ultimately do with this. When I first started the course, I planned to work as a teacher-librarian, but now I don’t know. As I have been studying and settling into a new school, creative writing has been hard to access. Academic writing is very different (at least I think it is), and writing content for history and science lessons for six-year-olds is a different type of writing, again. Throw in some professional writing in the form of school reports, and my brain just can’t seem to cope with then doing some creative writing.
However, I have been making the rounds at author talks and literary festivals. In the last year, I have heard Michael Robotham, Sophie Green, Dervla McTiernan, Joanna Nell, Sue Williams, Karen Viggers, Andra Putnis, and Chris Hammer. Additionally, I have purchased their books, exponentially growing my pile of books to read. I counted them this morning and there are 50 – this does not include the ones at the post office awaiting collection, or Christian living and school-related books I’d like to read.
Over the weekend, just gone I attended the South Coast Readers and Writers Festival at Thirroul Library where I was, yet again, compelled to buy books despite deciding I WOULD NOT be purchasing any books. Adding insult to injury, I am now inspired to read some fantasy books which I have never had any interest in doing.
All of these things do not, however, make me a writer. So, when people ask me about my writing I find it hard to say I am a writer. Making chit-chat at a writers’ festival about my writing is challenging when I am not really writing anything.
Next week, I am off to my first Writing Retreat and am looking forward to having nothing to do but think about my writing and spend time writing. I had planned this coming Saturday to commence an online writing course. Unfortunately, due to low numbers that course is not running anymore, but there are several course from the Australian Writers’ Centre I have yet to complete; I plan to dedicate time each weekend to doing these. I am going to start right after I’ve finished this post.
When I was informed the online course had been cancelled I was send a copy of the coach’s text,The Creative Writer’s Toolkit which has a chapter entitled, Imposter Syndrome. I think I have that and not actually writing anything is no antidote.
At the beginning of summer I was pumped to get into my writing and crafting and reading. I had a long seven-week break stretching before me filled with empty days for me to fill with routines that would allow me to start the year with a bang! Hmm!
I think my first mistake was choosing to study over the summer and allowing this to take precedence until it was finished. This is no way to develop routines. Recently, a new study session commenced and will need to be conducted amidst the detritus that is everyday life – work, cleaning, emergency trips to the dentist, establishing regular gym habits, family celebrations, grocery shopping, exercise, navigating storms with Cressa, and on it goes.
I learnt, for me at least, my routines are best established during the normality of the day-to-day. About four weeks into the school year I have done very little in the way of writing, but am much better positioned to add writing routines to routines I have been establishing since starting in a new school. Of course, being sick last week threw a spanner into that plan. Last Saturday, I had the sorest throat I have ever had in my life. After heading to the doctor I had some magical antibiotics in hand and began to feel somewhat normal. My throat is still recovering.
In the midst of it all I have been reading – always a mainstay. Seems summer wasn’t so wasted, after all. As a new session of uni gets underway and I feel more settled in a new workplace I will set up those routines and prioritise my writing.
In my desire to soak in the activities of writer’s I began listening to podcasts. I listen whilst walking the dog and am quite selective about what I listen to (as we should all be – why waste time listening to something you are not engaged with?).
I found the challenge of coming home after walking the dog and writing was impeded by the piquing of my interest in the book the author had been talking about in the podcast. As I am exploring narrative non-fiction these tended to be what I would be intrigued by. As the books were not immediately to hand (for some reason, I’m averse to putting non-fiction on my kindle) I would google to find more information about the author or the book the podcast centred on. My To Be Read Shelves were added to by the purchase of narrative non-fiction; books I did not immediately read, on account of the already extensive To Be Read Pile I am making my way through.
I enjoyed listening to the Hope 103.2 podcast interviewing Walkley award-winner Dan Box about his latest book, The Man Who Wasn’t There that explores the issues around mandatory sentencing in the Northern Territory and their impact on First Nations people. Interestingly, to me anyway, Dan Box is English and wrote much of the book after returning to England to live.
Due to my toppling pile of books I’ve yet to read I can take a while to decide to buy some books. Then the summer holidays rolled around and I went shopping to an actual bookshop where I spent a pleasant few hours buying Christmas presents and discovering books ‘off the shelf’ – a never-tired of thrill. Hence I bought You Called An Ambulance For What? by Tim Booth. Having listened to the podcast I knew the events in the book largely take place near where I grew up. I also wanted to increase sales so the important message of the book has more chance of being heard.
Just over a month ago I resigned from my teaching position. It had been a long-time coming and, unfortunately, my overwhelming emotion was relief. I have no idea what is next. I know I want to pursue my writing and am in my first semester of study to become a teacher librarian. I also know I need to find some sort of employment to pay the bills. Casual teaching is an option and I have been doing some of that. Longer term, though, where will I end up. About six months ago I was excited to see where I would be at the end of the year. Now, 2024 is nigh and, apart from being glad a tumultuous year is coming to a close, I’m not sure what comes next.
I have, however, enrolled in four – yes, your read that right, four – courses with the Australian Writer’s Centre. There was a sale, and each course is available for 12 months, and I’m not doing anything else (much!), right! I’m looking forward to exploring short story writing, creative non-fiction and crime writing. First up, is Dare to Dream with Kate Forsyth. This course is designed to get creative juices flowing. I’m excited to get started.
It has been an exciting month. I submitted two picture book manuscripts to publishers. It can take up to four months to hear anything and, maybe, I won’t hear anything at all. In the meantime I completed the final assignment in my first Teacher Librarianship subject which was quite an effort. I am having quite a lot of trouble in recent times with procrastinating, especially around uni which was never a problem in the past. Perhaps, I was too ambitious and just have too much on my plate at the moment.
I finished reading The Things that Matter Most by Gabbie Stroud. It was excellent. I believe education should be easily accessible to all people and that an ability to access information independently is important. However, there is so much more to the challenge of educating our children and young people. I encourage you to read Gabbie’s book, give it to your friends, talk about the themes it covers. Perhaps, this will be the catalyst for new approaches to many areas of public policy.
I am now reading a historical novel set in Norway during WWII, The Resistance Girl by Mandy Robotham. It tells the story of the Norwegian people who were occupied by German troops for just over five years. During most of this time, bus boats were operated between Shetland in Scotland and Norwegian ports, generally transporting agents in and out of Norway. I had never heard of this aspect of history so am looking forward to being edified.
Trish Lewis 