The beginning of The Colour of Her Magic starts with hope. Erin, a humble chicken farmer, is ready to take on the impossible and free the Princess of Undersunne from the cruel reign of the High Sorcerer. But nothing is what it seems.
If you're a writer in Australia and New Zealand, and you want somewhere to be able to celebrate your wins, or read more about writing, or get tips from established authors, or discuss a niggly plot point that's been bothering you, why don't you check out Write Direction? It's a new Facebook group for writers and a blog, and hoping to expand into a network. I've been privileged enough to join in the creation process for this and it's very exciting! You can join the group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1181883917079739 and check out our blog here: https://www.writedirection.net/
A little bit about when I find the time to write, and how I write – just for those curious beings who want to know the SECRET!
Recently I had an amazing catchup with my writing buddy Renee Dahlia (http://www.reneedahlia.com/) who is well on her way to becoming a prolific romance author. Now I do romance as part of my overall plots, and I love to read them, but it's not my jam to write. My jam is fantasy, as well you might have guessed. Her jam is romance. While we caught up about the usual (family, friends, work), we also chatted about writing, which is one of my favourite things to do. I am fascinated with the way other writers work, and comparing that to the...
See that picture? That's me in 2000. With the long hair up in a ponytail (that hasn't changed) and the bedroom wall positively covered with posters of movies and movie stars (Joseph Fiennes was the man of the moment I can see) and the grim look that says taking selfies with an actual camera is hard. This is also the year I had an idea. Or at least, I think I had the idea then. My notes from then are completely lost, which is a shame. I've transferred ideas from paper to paper, from note to note. At university I...
Last week, while on a zoom with a few friends on mine, one asked "what are you writing?" I was a bit stunned at the question. I'm always writing, to start with, but also I didn't realise this particular friend knew that I wrote at all. "Anything sci fi?" they asked. "Yeah," I said. "A book about a kid in space." "Sounds awesome. Tell me more." I struggled to find words to sum up this 800 page behemoth I'd been writing for years, but I ploughed ahead. I've always been one to write enormous novels, and summing my work up...
At the end of last year, my family had decided that we would go for a family holiday to Fiji in June. We had it all planned: flights, accommodation, swimming costumes and blow-up rings for the kids to float around in. We were all looking forward to the break. But then along comes a global pandemic, and we had to say farewell to our vacation. Our flights were cancelled, and a credit given. Our accommodation was refunded. I felt terrible for the hotels in Fiji which are all struggling, given that tourism is a huge part of their economy, but...
During February, we heard rumours of this Coronavirus thing. We shared jokes about Corona beer and thought it wouldn't come to much. During March, it was declared a pandemic and everyone started stockpiling toilet paper. My kids got sick from a generic daycare virus, and we stayed home just to be safe. A week later, NZ declared level 4 lockdown and we were all forced to stay at home. While my friends shared "day 5 of quarantine", I shared "day 10" and they all got confused. A week in, we all recovered from our cold and stayed at home to...
I got halfway through a second draft the other day and then stopped, unable to think of how to go next. When this happens, I usually put it aside, let my brain do some thinking, and pick up something else. In this case: another first draft that needed a second swing. So I picked up the laptop and took that swing. My Twitter (@elgeelen) is a nice reminder of just how crazy this got, and how quickly it got out of hand. I had just anticipated a few gentle edits here and there, but WHOA! No. Within the first chapter,...
Suddenly the whole world had changed. From the dense blackness the sky on the horizon opened up, as a breeze, singing like the notes of a distant pipe, blew gently on the treacle night. The horizon greened, grew lighter, and glowed. Oranges and pinks reflected of early morning clouds, as the alien sun rose over the side of the planet, majestically reminding the trees of its existence. The trees knew, and remembered. The grasses at their mighty roots whispered to each other, and the piping breeze hushed them with caressing hands of air. The white fruits, plump and womb-shaped, swelled...