Tomorrow's Vision
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TOMORROW’S VISION ISSUE 270 Anna Whateley – Debut in a Pandemic Sep 2020 – Nov 2020 Philip Neilsen – QWC Chair 1992–94 WE SEE YOU TAKING YOUR TALENT FURTHER STUDY THE MASTER OF LETTERS Whether you’re a part-time hobbyist or seasoned novelist, postgraduate study can help equip you with advanced knowledge and skills to expand your career in the field of creative writing. CQUniversity’s online Master of Letters is a ACCESSIBLE, three-year, part-time degree that will help turn FLEXIBLE STUDY your interest in creative writing into expertise Study online with confidence through structured reading, research and writing in our 40-years distance under the guidance and support of a supervisor. education experience, plus access to facilities and support “I wasn’t working in a creative job at the time and at 20+ national locations. I thought that undertaking a masters might be an * avenue for me to get to where I want to be. The TOP 10 NATIONALLY qualification’s helped me to hone my craft but also We’re among the best for postgraduate skills to earn more money.” development, starting salary Dallas, Master of Letters and full-time employment. C_AD_2002_210×297_WQMagSept * The Good Universities Guide 2021 APPLY NOW TO START IN 2021 CRICOS: 00219C | RTO: 40939 PUBLISHED BY ISSUE 270 Sep 2020 – Nov 2020 ISSN 1444-2922 Editorial and Production Sandra Makaresz Contents Editor Jandamarra Cadd Guest Artist 3 Philip Neilsen Green Fox Studio Design 4 Debuting During a Pandemic CPX Printing & Logistics Printing By Anna Whateley Submissions 6 Life Story Writing Members can submit Milestones or details of Events or Competitions and Opportunities, By Robin Storey or pitch articles for WQ, by emailing us at [email protected] QWC reserves the right to edit all 8 Ways to Save Money on an Editor submissions with regard to content and By Callum McDonald word length. Advertising 9 QWC Quills Member Robyn Sheahan-Bright Advertising rates, deadlines and dimensions and other information on how to advertise remembers Sue Pechey in WQ is available at qldwriters.org.au/ advertise. For advertising enquiries please contact [email protected] 10 Disappeared into Thin Air: QWC members enjoy a reduced advertising Gone Girls in Children’s Fictions rate. Before booking an advertisement potential advertisers should read QWC’s By Shannon Horsfall Advertising Terms and Conditions at qldwriters.org.au/advertise 12 How to Impress Competition Judges Staff Lori-Jay Ellis 15 Announcing the Flinthart Chief Executive Officer Our New Writing Residency and Online Writing Course. Charlie Hester Social Media Officer Craig Cauchi 16 Memoir through Poetry Livestream Officer By Anna Jacobson Meredith Taylor Financial Officer Callum McDonald 17 Chasing The Wild Pineapple Aleisha Yu Aimee Cheung Project Officers 18 The Geography of Love Management Committee By Patty Beecham Kym Hausmann Chair 20 Writing Competitions Ann Wilson Vice Chair Vacant 24 Publisher Update Treasurer Carleton Chinner Secretary 26 Events Sandra Makaresz Andrea Brosnan 28 Member Milestones Sarah Thornton Angela Samut Judy Gregory 29 QWC Membership Benefits Ordinary Members WWW.QLDWRITERS.ORG.AU.MAGAZINE 1 ISSN 1444-2922 ISSUE 270 PUBLISHED BY GUEST ARTIST Editorial Jandamarra Cadd Sandra Makaresz Cover Illustration: Editor Ancient Dreaming; Tomorrows Vision Biography: Jandamarra Cadd – a Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Warung descendent, Welcome to our second ‘created in isolation’ edition of WQ. Once again, is an inspirational man with many it’s been a challenge. But it’s definitely been worth the effort! stories to tell. With his vibrant and expressive portraitures, The title Tomorrow’s Vision comes from our beautiful cover image by Jandamarra’s artwork is emotive Jandamarra Cadd, Ancient Dreaming: Tomorrows Vision. I think you’ll agree that and insightful – and is a powerful it’s a stunning image and I’m so happy to feature his work both on the cover medium to bridge the story telling and the writing competitions page. Please take a moment to visit Jandamarra’s divide between Aboriginal and website and explore his work. mainstream Australia. Each of this month’s articles holds something of our vision for tomorrow. Painting has been a way of life Whether it’s Philip Neilsen drawing on the past to advise emerging writers that has enabled him to express about the future, Anna Whateley and Shannon Horsfall speaking to new his creativity and story telling. In representations in fiction or our articles aimed to grow your skills as a writer, many of his paintings of the human they are all filled with a positivity about the future of writing that is inspiring. condition he seeks to be a peaceful I hope you will take that inspiration and use it to motivate whatever creative voice for unity. Jandamarra uses project you’re working on or would like to be working on. a variety of styles and mediums; By the time you read this our newest competition, Scriptable, will have with his unique blend of traditional opened. If you dream of seeing your words come to life on a screen of any aboriginal art techniques along with size, now is the time to finish those manuscripts and send them in. This is his own signature contemporary an excellent opportunity with up to 15 winners receiving mentoring from portraiture. industry professionals. We’ve also arranged for a special meet and greet with our industry partner Screen Queensland, so our winners can start making valuable connections! The Queensland Writers Centre, Management Committee and staff present WQ in good faith and accept no responsibility for any misinformation or problems arising from any misinformation. The views expressed by contributors or advertisers (including advertising supplying inserts) are not necessarily those of the Management Committee or staff. 2 WQ Philip Neilsen QWC Chair 1992-1994 Philip Neilsen is an award winning poet whose latest book which often engage critically and in depth with social, Wildlife of Berlin was shortlisted for the Kenneth Slessor Prize in environmental, gender, race and health issues. 2019. He has written or edited 16 books, received an Australian Notable Book Award, and an Australia Council fellowship. He The continued existence of QWC is critical to develop founded the creative writing program of degrees at QUT where and sustain writing in Queensland. From the beginning he was a professor in Creative Industries and now teaches we were concerned to include regional writers, and the poetry writing at the University of Queensland. recent development of online workshops helps serve that purpose. Helen Horton, Craig Munro and I headed a team that worked for years to establish Queensland Writers Centre. My advice to emerging writers always includes joining A lot of paperwork and lobbying followed. Craig became QWC, entering the competitions listed in the newsletter, the first chair and I the second, from 1992 to 1994. It as well as submitting work to literary magazines. And to was an exciting time to be a writer in Queensland, as it attend readings and book launches by the many world- coincided with a buoyant feeling of self-confidence here. standard writers who live here. Writers who had fled ‘south’ during the Bjelke-Petersen years started to return, and there was a Labor government Study creative writing if possible and read widely. (Too with a more supportive attitude towards the arts. many beginning writers have read too little). You are either born with talent or not, but a great deal can be It’s not widely known that the National Party premier Mike learned to develop your talent and craft. And the maxim Ahern had supported the new QWC being incorporated ‘writing is rewriting’ is true. into South Bank. There followed years of battling to gain a permanent location − but with hard work QWC thrived, Writers may need to be flexible to succeed as professionals. becoming the largest centre in Australia. And we finally Though I began exclusively as a poet in my 20s, I have gained the ‘promised land’ by the river with our leased also had quite a few short stories anthologised, written space at the State Library of Queensland. five fiction books for young adults and children, and ABC radio scripts. I’m working on an adult time-slip novel as It has always been harder for literature to receive funding well as a new poetry collection. Find ‘critical friends’ who than art forms providing ‘colour and movement’, despite will tell you constructively when you are writing badly and writing being the most practised art form in this country. celebrate your successes. While I was QWC chair I was a member of the Literature You have to be mentally tough to be a writer, but it is Board of the Australia Council. It was exhilarating to be endlessly rewarding. able to argue for grants to emerging Queensland writers like Andrew McGahan. It is a disgrace that the Literature Board has been disbanded – and difficult not to conclude that governments are uncomfortable with art forms such as novels, creative non-fiction, plays and poetry WWW.QLDWRITERS.ORG.AU.MAGAZINE 3 Debuting During a Pandemic By Anna Whateley Releasing your debut novel during safe haven. As the restrictions lift in and kept saying yes, I’d keep calling a global pandemic is an intense Queensland, we are now faced with them. I had that feeling of connection, experience. My life is an intense a world that feels too large, too busy, and something to hyper focus on experience at the best of times, and too loud. while the world shifted under my feet. so in many ways it felt natural that Video editing is much like manuscript every booking would be cancelled, Just before the coronavirus spread, I editing.