I have been writing productively at my weekly residency at Footscray Community Arts Centre.  Which may be why I haven’t been blogging at all! For my birthday I was given a book “Writing from the inside Out” which talks about writer’s block as something to work with rather than something to get over. I also read Jane Smiley’s 13 ways to read a novel which has sections on how to write a novel. What I took away from the craft section of the book was her guidance on editing, how often you have to smooth out the climax and restructure with an eye on pacing during the redrafting process. Which is what I’m doing now with my new novel “The Other Shore”. I also handed in my masters thesis which has really set me free. Being aware of a supervisor or a publisher reading my work makes me constipated creatively I think. I like writing because you do it in the privacy of your own mind. Having said that my next public outing is at the Melbourne International Arts Festival from Oct 22-25 as part of the Go Show in Footscray. I will be workshopping “I could be you” the commissioned play by White Whale Theatre with Diana Nguyen and Ai Diem Le as my actors as part of a series of community experiences in the west.