Yo Yo!

I had a lovely time at the Sutherland Shire Writing Festival. Day 1 was for the adults on Sunday at the Gymea Bay Community Centre. I spoke about writing comedy…it’s always tough doing these talks because the actual teaching of comedy isn’t that funny but you also want it to be entertaining as well. SO I mixed it up, adding jokes and examples to my teaching of comedy. One hour was just enough to cover the basics.

I got to meet up with Melina Marchetta again, and hearing her speak was like Writers’ Tonic. It’s refreshing to hear great writers like her having the same doubts and fears as I do. She spoke about her own process, the way characters have to earn their trust before she can write the story. I loved how she treated first drafts, don’t stress that it won’t come out. It’s the second draft that cements the friendship. I’m currently going through my raw first draft of Nothing’s Prefect (my fifth book) and it’s been like that, just writing for the sake of it…I wanna get to the second draft stage!

Yesterday I went to Grays Point PS for the kids festival, kids traveled in groups and rotated around myself, Sarah Davis, Chris Morphew and Francis Watts. Four different authors meant they got a great variety…and it was good to catch up with Chris again, we end up at all these random events, it’s nice :-0

I tried out some new jokes in my set, reworking it for the younger years. I love primary schools, I really do. Things just come more easily, and while high schools are great, it takes awhile before they warm up…the kids in primary schools are ready when before you speak…that’s what you call keen lol.

Thai-riffic! and Con-nerd both sold out at the bookstore so I guess my ‘buy my book or I’ll kill this chicken’ routine worked again 🙂

O.W