Dim's Write Stuff

Guess what? September 2020 marks Puffin’s milestone 80th anniversary – has it really been that long! Puffin is now home to some of the world’s most iconic children’s book characters. I mean who doesn’t have a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar or Where Is The Green Sheep? tucked away on their book shelf that you simply can’t bear to part with? Staples like Where’s Spot? (who turned 40 this year!) and Roald Dahl’s, Matilda (to name but one) have helped nurture and entertain our children’s imaginations for decades and this September Puffin Australia are extending their party fever to YOU! Whenever you next visit your local bookshop, simply purchase two Puffin children’s book titles of your choice and you’ll score your very own Puffin water bottle for FREE! There are literally thousands of well-loved characters, exciting new tales and firm old favourites to choose from. Here is a smattering of selected titles from Puffin to ‘quench’ your thirst until you get that water bottle for...

Need advice to help achieve your writing goals...your dream of publication? Exisle Academy want to bring your book to the world! Nestled snugly under the umbrella of Exisle Publishing , Exisle Academy is the new service offering burgeoning writers with aspirations of seeing their words in print tangible ways to fulfill their publication goals. The Academy's goal is 'to train the next generation of authors, enabling them to navigate the confusing and challenging world of writing and publishing, and share their message with the world .' To help achieve this, their Author Insights offer advice for aspiring writers from published authors ... like me! The  Author Insights series looks at successful published authors from the Exisle and EK Books family , and asks them to share their advice and experience with the next generation of writers. Visit their site and soak up my Author Interview for tonnes of helpful insights and real life anecdotes.

For the first time ever, I walked into a writing conference bereft of note book and pen. I'm a fastidious note-taker by nature so this oversight was more a result of a clogged up brain in need of defragging rather then act of intent. The distraction of having to emcee a few conference sessions for the inaugural SCBWI QLD State Conference  was probably also to blame but I still managed to drag home a few significant take away points from what was a hugely successful day of sharing, caring and entertainment. You'll find some of my favourite revelations below. Visit the Story Craft page for a full outline of this year's Program  and Presenters. Some of the Conference happy campers What sparks publishers' interest? Fresh ideas Solid ideas told in dramatically exciting new ways Manuscripts that possess a hook from the get go Synopsises that hook from the get go Quietly beautiful literary works may be beautiful but make your work SHOUT its point of ...

Risk taking is never easy to contemplate let alone actuate. EK Books have done so with me on more than one occasion. When publisher, Anouska Jones first approached me to publish one of my stories, the then fledging The Fix-It Man , I could hardly believe it. My story about grief and loss had ticked all of EK Books' boxes. Several years on, EK Books has blossomed from a handful of titles to the impressive children's imprint of  Exisle Publishing stabling titles by well-known creators and rising new talent that expound the premise 'books with heart on issues that matter '. Fortunately for me, domestic violence is an issue that matters very much to them. Today I want to shout out my eternal gratitude to Anouska and the entire EK Books team for being foresighted and bold enough to not only take on this delicate subject but for embracing Flick's story with as much enthusiasm and determination as I. As Holyrood Lane's illustrator, Nicky Johnston and I ...

It's the last month of winter. Almost four weeks since I had to dig out my gloves and wraps for the first time this year. They accompanied another 'first'. An experience I had been secretly yearning for, aspiring toward for years...my first SCWBI Conference . And, unlike a few other 'firsts', it exceeded all expectations. Much of what went down, who was there and what we got up to has been magnificently covered both on the official SCBWI Australian/NZ web and blog sites , and featured in several sensational personal accounts, not least of which is Tania McCartney's SCBWI Wrap Up post . Be you author, illustrator, industry professional or just interested passer-by with a fondness for Kids Lit, you're bound to unearth some awesome insights on your favourite artists, books and literary gems. Here are a few recollections and choice tip bits of my own, along with the mandatory blurred snapshot to seal the moment. Feeling like a kid allowed to go to her firs...

Any wildebeest will tell you that the Key to Survival is Adaptation . Eat or be eaten, prey or be preyed upon. But how exactly does this translate to writing and in particular children's writing? And how does adaption lead to success? Let's have a brief search through the savannah for the answers... 1. Adapt your hunting and housekeeping requirements to the bare basics. Pretty soon your family will Adapt to the idea that the floor of their den looks far better with dust than without. Teach them how to hunt their own wildebeest and encourage them to watch Masterchef more. 2. Adapt with the times. Study the herd. Recognise and acknowledge trends. You don't have to follow them and write what every one else is writing. Far better not to. But by astute listening, reading and watching you will soon be able to figure out what (still) works, sells and more importantly is favoured by readers. One of my favourite methods is to stand quietly in the children's section of an...