Due to continued lock downs this year, I found myself attending quite a few online writing courses streamed by the Queensland Writers Centre. The latest one was about planning out your writing – not plotting stories but making a plan for how you’re going to approach the daily action required to be serious about your writing.
In a gem-packed presentation this one shone the brightest…
‘What is the one thing you can do over the coming year to elevate your writing?’
Looking back over 2021 I can see the things I did that elevated my writing this year.
- The number one thing I did this year was to attend a writing retreat. In June, I joined 60+ writers of all persuasions at the Rainforest Writing Retreat and immersed myself in learning from and networking with so many interesting people. I would highly recommend a writing retreat to any writer who wants to level up. The RWR also publishes a themed anthology each year and it was in writing a piece for this that I got the bug for entering writing competitions.
- Masterclass. I have been working my way through all the writing classes on the Masterclass platform. The app can be clunky and annoying but the content is brilliant. I sit with pen and paper like an obedient school child. I always was a ‘pleasure to teach.’
- Workshops and courses. These were particularly good while we were in lockdown. I highly recommend the great workshops offered by the Queensland Writers Centre.
- Reading craft books. Consider This by Chuck Palahniuk is probably the pick of the bunch for this year for sheer usefulness. I’d say this one is better geared to anyone who has been writing for a few years rather than a newbie. When I was starting out I read Stephen King’s On Writing and Austin Kleon’s little graphic books.
- Entering competitions was a late addition to my plan for the year and it’s been worth the effort. I’ve entered around 17 competitions since August and have managed to jag a shortlist for the Sisters in Crime Scarlet Stiletto Awards. I’m still in shock! I think entering competitions helps because you’re simply writing more often and writing more often is always a good thing. Join me at 8pm AEDT (Sydney time) for the presentation ceremony for the Scarlet Stiletto Awards. Go to the Sisters In Crime Facebook page on the night to join in the fun
I’ve already decided what my one thing for 2022 is and it’s more of the above. So much fun!
My husband said he’s getting me a Kobo eReader for Christmas but I’ll still buy print books because they’re lovely! If you love a print book, you can support me and other Indie authors by buying a book as a Christmas gift, even if that gift is for you!
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