Recently the Australian Writers’ Centre interviewed me about my travel memoir, Destination Dachshund: Three Months, Three Generations & Sixty Dachshunds. I am so excited to share the interview where I talk about the book, self-publishing and why I chose to do it, and how I became a best seller on Amazon.
I’ve done four (or maybe five) courses at the centre and all have been beneficial to honing my skills as a writer – all of which contributed to my eventual publication. But there is more to just doing writing courses than working on the craft of writing. It’s about the people you meet there. Generally speaking your writer friends are your allies, the bright sparks at the end of a disappointing day writing (or not writing), your wing-ladies and men.
Prior to 2011, when I began to regularly attend courses, workshops and literary events I was doing it alone. I was writing with no-one to bond with, no one to discuss a plot hole with, no one to help me push though writers block, and no-one to rant to when everything I just typed mysteriously disappeared from my computer.
The people I’ve met at courses, workshops, conventions, and festivals are the ones who encouraged me to reach for stars. Yes, of course, my lovely family and other friends do this all the time too – I feel very fortunate and grateful – but there is nothing like bonding over a shared goal… to be published. We all know that no on else gets it like another writer. It’s just a fact.
There are so many positives to writing courses than just the content of the course and fan-girling over legends of Australian literature Kate Forsyth and Garth Nix. Whether it is online or face-to-face these are the places that you will start to meet your writing tribe who continue to support, help, and motivate.
Read the interview with the Australian Writers’ Centre below: