Monthly Archives: January 2013

Throwing away material without a sense of failure

When I finished my Masters in Creative Writing, three agents wanted to meet and talk about my novel. I remember thinking: I’ve made it! Despite being tongue-tied in one interview, turning up a week early for another, and being paranoid … Continue reading

Posted in Essay, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 82 Comments

Trying to submerge a plastic bag with an air pocket

I have several recurring dreams. In one of them, I’m at university, faced with having to find a group to move in with for the coming academic year. But I’ve left it too late. Everyone has already made their plans … Continue reading

Posted in Essay, Fiction, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

The boy whose butter I ate: writing from the inside out

When I was fifteen, I wanted, with a desperate force, to fall in love. This desire was mirrored over a decade later – though it wasn’t love I was urgently wishing for, but a career as a writer. In the … Continue reading

Posted in Essay, Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 62 Comments

This is the year to land on your feet!

New Year’s Eve 2011, Dan and I are on a bus from Mount Barker to Perth. It’s full. People are already drinking, even though it’s not yet midday. Outside, the sun is vivid, passing through the window with ease, warming … Continue reading

Posted in Memoir | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments