The March Nutshell
Nova Weetman, money, Trove, and a gripe
Dear Reader,
I’ve been feeling unusual. This month one of my oldest friends flew to Melbourne from her home in Los Angeles and whisked me away to a spa for my birthday. It was a semi-surprise in that I’d only known about the trip for a week. A 3-hour massage-exfoliation-wrap-facial-thingy left me in such a state of bliss that I had to hold onto the walls when it was over. We talked non-stop for three days. And drank a “Whoa, I’m 48” cucumber lychee martini in Werribee shopping mall, of all places, which made me want to write a short story about it. I struggle to believe that I have a friend like her, or that our friendship can survive so many years apart. That’s made me feel even more unusual than the massage.
Related to this, an intimate chat called Writing: A Lonely Business? with Nova Weetman — about starting out in this industry with no one, developing our co-writing relationship in Elsewhere Girls, other writer-friends who sustain us, and how to make friends with the industry itself — had me reflecting on the connections I’ve been so fortunate to make in Australia. Nova’s latest excellent novel is The Jammer.
A new piece in my series 5 Mistakes I’ve Made as a Writer called I Gave My Work Away struck a chord with many of you — as well as (by pure coincidence) preceding a bit of a to-do on social media about content-makers earning a crust. The to-do was about the sixth season of The First Time podcast having a new publisher-sponsored slot to complement the unpaid, time-and-mind-consuming vast majority of their content.
These publisher-sponsored slots are just as lovingly produced and interesting, as you’d expect if you’ve listened to Kate and Katherine for the last few years. The First Time is not the first podcast to introduce this kind of hybrid model and I hope they won’t be the last because I want brilliant content-makers like them to stick around, and to be paid, not just “rewarded”, but properly paid for their time and expertise. Not to drain their cup season after season when it’s reasonable and necessary for an established and well-run podcast to branch out. Listen to episode 205 to hear from Kate and Katherine on this issue.
I’m trying to strike a balance in that respect with this newsletter, and still learning who my subscribers are. You’re a mix of aspiring and established writers, librarians, teachers, booksellers, editors, and bibliophiles. Many but not all of you come from the children’s book industry or are involved with children’s literacy, but like me your reading taste reaches in all directions. It’s a complex audience and I love that. Thank you so much for signing up. Here’s what I’ve cooked up for you . . .
In March, for free subscribers:
5 Mistakes I’ve Made as a Writer #2: I Gave My Work Away “. . . volunteering your time in some circumstances can too easily turn into devaluing your work overall. Being a passionate advocate for children’s literature means identifying where your industry is being devalued and who’s doing the devaluing. Too often, I’ve realised, it’s me.”
Children’s Timeslips by Australian Authors. To complement this piece I transferred the list to Goodreads: #LoveOzMG Timeslips. It’s not possible for an author to add their own book — hence the omission of Elsewhere Girls — so if you’re a Goodreads user and you feel like adding it, I’d be ever so grateful.
For paid subscribers:
Writing: a lonely business? my chat with Nova Weetman.
In Praise of Small Things, Like These in which I talk about a pile of short novels and novellas that pack a mighty punch, including Claire Keegan’s Small Things (can’t wait to see her at Melbourne Writers Festival in May) and Jean Rhys’s Good Morning, Midnight.
The Truth About Manuscript Assessments: this is my attempt to explain what it’s like to write them, what I hope writers get out of them, what I get out of composing them, as an editor, and how I’ve used them as a writer.
Elsewhere…
Writing:
I’m on the brink of a combined writing-reading-exercise challenge with my beloved writing group, without whom I would collapse in a heap as if my bones had been removed. We have a spreadsheet and everything.
I’ve added two new categories to this section of the nutshell: Favourite Industry News, because I like to celebrate, and Irritation of the Month, because I like to complain.
Listening:
All In The Mind: Controlling the chatter in your head. I was jet-lagged earlier this month and couldn’t get my brain to shut-up at night. Listening to this helped.
I had a break from This American Life but got back into it again via Episode 792: When To Leave. The prologue is about attempts to rescue reluctant-to-leave residents from eastern Ukraine; act one is about a Northern Idaho ob-gyn struggling with the changes to US abortion law; act two is reporter Masha Gessen on fleeing Russia first as a teen and then as an adult. I’m back in love with this show.
Tony Wilson’s great speeches by women, decade by decade, which I found through my subscription to his substack Good One, Wilson.
Children’s author Penny Tangey has a podcast called In Those Days, in which the hosts use digitized newspapers to research their guest's family or personal history. The newspapers are hosted in Trove, the National Library of Australia's online research portal.
We heard in January that Trove’s funding is under threat, which made my blood run cold thinking of the days and days I’ve spent on that site researching The Goodbye Year, Elsewhere Girls, my latest top-secret timeslip co-written with Nova Weetman which comes out next year, and Steal my Sunshine.
I worship Trove: when do we march?
I was interviewed by Chenee Marrapodi (her debut middle-grade novel One Wrong Turn comes out in July) on her podcast Writers Off The Page, about writing as a career. The other guest was bestselling historical novelist Natasha Lester, whose newsletter Bijoux I highly recommend. Chatting to Natasha made me want to rush out and read one of her novels, so . . .
Reading
I’m currently halfway through A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald. It’s a fabulous candle-lit bath, Louis Armstrong in the background, sipping a gimlet kind of novel. Romantic, feminist, elegant and immersive.
And I read the children’s book Queenie In Seven Moves, the debut novel by picture book author Zanni Louise — this is such an appealing premise, with 12 year old Queenie having to move house with her mum seven times over one summer.
Nicole Brinkley on A.I. relating to book covers is very good. I’m in a state of Huh? What’s happening? Why? when it comes to A.I. and feel like I need to be armed to face Bad Things. This piece is a start.
Teen Breathe is a magazine that, in its own words “inspires its readers to be mindful in everything that they do – from mindful movement, friendship, healthy eating, crafting, positive thinking, caring for the environment, and everything in between”. Happily, this also involves reading and The Goodbye Year was one of the selected titles in the January Issue.
Watching:
I’m fascinated as well as undecided about The Beauty Queen from Jerusalem but sticking with it because the male central character was the star of Shtisel, my favourite lockdown series, and it covers a history I know little about.
I started Bad Behaviour but found that it did not compare to reading the memoir (this review sums up my feelings). I love some aspects of The War of the Worlds on SBS and have nearly finished season 3 but will be relieved when they’ve saved the world and we can relax.
I LOVED Colin From Accounts.
Favourite Industry News
From Books and Publishing: “Wiradyuri author Anita Heiss has been appointed as publisher at large for Simon & Schuster’s new imprint, Bundyi.
Named for the Wiradyuri word meaning ‘to share with me’, the Bundyi imprint will focus on cultivating First Nations talent in the industry by publishing books by First Nations authors, which will be edited and designed by First Nations people. In the role of publisher at large, Heiss will commission a range of fiction and nonfiction titles.”
Irritation of the month
I’m bored of seeing half-hearted young adult reviews in Australian newspapers, if we’re lucky, three times a year. This one was irritating because not only does it confound the role that sensitivity readers play in publishing but it also misses the nuance of the objections to the Roald Dahl edits, and I think it assumes too much on behalf of Patrick Ness. Although the third paragraph is full of praise, this kind of “don’t worry folks, I don’t actually like YA” attitude from reviewers serves no one.
On that note, if you have thoughts on anything I’ve written about in this nutshell — or want to share your own irritation or favourite news of the month! — feel free to leave a comment.
Goodbye March; here’s to April. X
P.S. A note on subscriptions: the end-of-month nutshells will always be free to read and will not go into the archive. All the other free pieces are available for four weeks. Subscriptions are $5 per month or $50 per year. Founding member subscriptions come with a free zoom call or email exchange to discuss any aspect of your writing.
The podcast sponsorship thing is so interesting and something Caitlin and I have discussed - we realised recently we’re one of the few podcasts that have been going so long (nearly 6 years) that doesn’t charge or make any money for our content. It’s pure love for books and support of authors. BUT it is a big time commitment (roughly 6 hours per episode excluding reading the books) which is why we now do seasons. It’s got to be a balance for sure - a paid model doesn’t work for us but we want to see others making it work and I’m trying to support more Substacks that offer paid options.