But probably won’t go back despite learning a few good tricks — Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash In 2015 I launched my first self-published book, Drive. It was a novel that took me almost six years to write, principally because I used it as my subject matter for a three-year writing course I’d taken in Sydney, Australia. First Draft to a…

It was a cold day by the beach. Piha’s black sand was empty, calm — a rare day when only the smallest of ripples made it into shore. No hint of the usual south wester’s that came roaring in from across the Tasman. Matt reached into a backpack and pulled…

Understanding how you write can help you finish what you start — Find a writing style that works for you I’ve read that Stephen King hates to plot. So, does George R. R. Martin, though how on earth the latter manages to keep track of so many characters and their dark deeds without some serious planning baffles me. Margaret Atwood is also a Pantser, which in all truth sounds like…

6 things I’ve learned about becoming the writer I wanted to be — Be open to story I’ve always been drawn to stories. It didn’t matter where they came from, books, TV, movies, a lie from my brother, a conversation with my mother, a napkin or a poster on the wall. I loved them. I was the kid that hid under the blankets with the lights out…

Johnny boy!’ cried Uncle Ray. His arms outstretched, pulling me in, body enveloping mine, his belt buckle close to bursting, holding nonetheless. He wore a purple shirt with an open neck. A large hei matau pounamu on his chest, buttons are straining against his stomach in their private battle to…

Billy wiped tears from his eyes while driving his father’s grey ute into the cemetery. He hadn’t been an easy man to live with, though he’d do the right thing by him — no matter what they said. The night was dark, no moon. Light came from the corner plot…

Ship’s log: Captain Julia Stanton of Drake X236. Day 380; 2042; deep space. The team have woken from three months of supported sleep. The crew are healthy, excited, having woken to see an unknown planet on our horizon. It’s similar in size to earth, has no orbiting moons, only a…

It’s a bright morning outside. I’ve slept through most of it. Head hurts from light seeping in through curtains, though more likely from the night I’ve all but forgotten. Where did I go? The other side of the bed is empty. It smells of someone else. The house is silent…

I inhale the night air, a deep draught fills my lungs. I hold it for as long as I can to savour its flavour, then ever so softly, let it leak out of me. Vapour forms then gradually dissipates in the air overhead. It tastes good up here. Not like…