CWD Highlights October-December 2018

Christian Writers Downunder is a diverse group of writers, editors, bloggers, illustrators. As a group we support each other through our facebook page and blog.

Today's blog will highlight some of the achievements of our members from October to December 2018

Awards

CALEB

The CALEB award winners were announced at the end of October, including some of CWD members. Congratulations to the winners. 

Carolyn Miller (Fiction, for The Ellusive Miss Ellison)
Jen Gibbs (Non-fiction, for She)
Penny Reeve (Children’s, for Camp Max)
Susan J Bruce (Unpublished Fiction)

Carolyn Miller - overall runner-up
Penny Reeve - overall winner of CALEB award.

Jeanette Grant-Thomson

Jeanette's short story 'My Friend Peter' won a runner-up prize in Stories of Life and is published in Three Dummies in a Dinghy anthology (Morning Star Publishers, November 29th 2018)

The competition is sponsored by Tabor College, Eternity Matters and Lutheran Schools Association and a cash prize is given to each runner-up.

Jeanette's short story if the story of a long-term friendship, written with past tense (Peter as a vibrant, faith-filled young man) interwoven with present tense ( Peter has Parkinson's disease).

Jeanette have been writing most of her life. She is a published author of numerous books and a teacher living in the Moreton area north of Brisbane.

Three Dummies in a Dinghy is available from Morning Star Publishers here.

Submissions Accepted

R J Rodda has a story accepted in the recently published The Crux anthology

New Releases

Stone of the Sea

At the end of October Jeanette O'Hagan released Stone of the Sea, novella 3 of the Under the Mountain series.

The Crystal Heart may be saved, but the people under the mountain are running out of food, while strife and disaster bubble beneath the surface, Zadeki and the twins must make hard choices and face new dangers to save the underground realm.

Stone of the Sea (published By the Light Books, Oct 2018) is available here.   The first two novellas Heart of the Mountain & Blood Crystal are available for 99cUSD (about $1.50 AUD) until the end of December 2018

Jeanette loves writing fantasy and sci-fi in the world of Nardva. She has published one novel, three novellas (in the Under the Mountain series) and a collection of short stories. 

Clash of Faiths

Sustan Preston has published her third novella in the spin-off series from her Apostle John Series. The ‘series’ follows ‘Old Simon’s’ family members.

Clash of Faiths is the third in the series, and as the title says – there is a ‘clash of faiths’ when Judah, is reunited with his father after he returns from Egypt and becomes curious about the faith of the followers of the Way. Heretics!

The novella is $2.99 US and can be purchased here.

It was published on Amazon in October, 2018 and Susan plan to finish a fourth novella completing the series next year.

If they could Talk

If They Could Talk is a collection of stories from a local Adelaide writing group, Literati, and edited by Susan J Bruce.  Each story is a bible story told by an animal.   Released by Morning Star Publishers on 29th November, you can purchase a copy here.

Hell on the Doorstep

Hell on the Doorstep by John and Jan Graham and Meredith Resce was released by Golden Grain Publishing in October. 

Hell on the Doorstep is a a nonfiction story, a semi biographical story by church workers, John and Jan Graham who in the thick of the Black Saturday Bushfires, found themselves in charge of the major relief effort. It's available at Koorong and other stores.

Other News

Omega Writers Book Fair (Brisbane)

Planning for the Omega Writers Book Fair in 2019 continues. Please note the date change to Saturday 16 March 2018

We are excited to have Healing History workshop presented by Anne Hamilton and Writing Life Stories by Ruth Bonetti.  To keep up to date with developments, like the Omega Writers Book Fair page here. 

And save the date Saturday, 16 March 2019

Toowoomba Writers Retreat (Toowoomba)

The Toowoomba Writers Retreat is on again in  from 7-9 June 2019. 

The keynote speaker will be the fabulous Jo-Anne Berthelsen. She'll do two sessions relevant to fiction and non-fiction writers. There will be an Indie Publishing Panel; and lots of free time for writing, networking, brainstorming and soaking up the beautiful surrounds. So pop it in your calendars now. More info to come in the New Year.

Congratulations to all our members for your milestones and achievements in 2018. Wishing you a wonderful Christmas time and a blessed and happy New Year.

Why didn't God book a room for His son? Thoughts by Jo Wanmer

Why didn’t the Father book a room for His son? He wasn’t taken by surprise the day Jesus entered the world. He could have organised somewhere…after all He is God.
(Image from FreePik)

‘No room in the inn’ seems a poor excuse. Jesus’ Father could have booked weeks earlier. God can orchestrate these things.  A few years ago, we decided on Tuesday to go away for the weekend. It was Easter. So two days before we left, I searched for a quiet place to rest and recover. I found a lovely cottage–overlooking a river valley, less than two hours away. When we arrived it was the perfect place for us. We asked the hosts why it was still available. They shrugged, puzzled themselves. They’d been booked solid nearly all year - except Easter!

If God could organise a room for me, why didn’t He do the same, if not for his Son, then for Mary. A young girl still a virgin untouched and inexperienced in the realities of women’s struggles. She had to labour on the floor of a barn.

But maybe the stable was not a mistake or an oversight.

Could it have been God’s idea? 

The rest of Jesus’ life seemed to follow a plan.  The clue is in the angel’s message to the shepherds.

“For today in Bethlehem a rescuer was born for you. He is Lord Yahweh, The Messiah. You will recognise him by this miracle sign: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a feeding trough!” Luke 2:11-12 The Passion Translation.

It’s a miracle, not a mistake, that the baby lay in a feeding trough, wrapped in strips of cloth. The Bible footnotes led me to search further. (Image from Public Domain)

It wasn’t just any shepherds the angels appeared to. They were shepherd priests – men charged with watching over the lambs bred especially for sacrifice. Scholars believe the Bethlehem shepherds were caring for the lambs being prepared for Passover. Every sacrifice had to be presented spotless, without blemish. When they were born, the shepherds wrapped their bodies and legs in strips of cloth and laid them in feeding troughs. This protected them until they steady on their feet.

How Amazing! Jesus, the Lamb of God, destined to be offered for your sin and mine at the festival of Passover, was born in the same place and treated the same way as a Passover Lamb. 

The Word tells us Jesus fulfilled every bit of the law…even to being born in like manner to the lambs for hundreds of years before Him.

Jesus’ Father, God, made sure there was no room at the inn, just as He ensured Joseph would have to take Mary to Bethlehem. 

Thirty-three years later the man, Jesus, would ride into to Jerusalem on a donkey, thus fulfilling many Scriptures. On the same day, the shepherds would have been herding their sheep into Jerusalem. Each Hebrew family selected a lamb and took it home to care for it until they were sacrificed, in accordance with Moses instructions. That sacrifice happened five days later, in the temple in Jerusalem, at the same time Jesus, our Passover lamb, hung on the cross; dying so the world might live.

Our Heavenly Father is a father of details. Mary, like us, may not have understood why her miracle baby was laid in a manger but her baby’s Father knew what He was doing! That’s why He didn’t have a room waiting.

Mary trusted. Can we too trust God when we don’t understand? Can we trust God to orchestrate the plots in our stories, to bring out every tiny detail? Bring the document alive? I believe we can! Do you?

May you have a happy and blessed day as you celebrate the miracle of our Saviour’s birth.

Jo Wanmer lives in Brisbane, Qld with her Husband Steve. Together they run a business and help pastor Access Church at Burpengary. Her first book, Though the Bud be Bruised, won a Caleb award for best Unpublished Manuscript and was published in 2012. Three more books are  written, but not yet published. Due to health and family matters, Jo hasn’t written for the last two years. Please pray that she can find her keyboard again in 2019.

When I've lost my vision

By Jenny Glazebrook

Do you have a personal vision for your writing?

The dictionary definition of vision is ‘the faculty of being able to see.’ 

Or in the way I mean it, ‘the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination and wisdom.’ 

Synonyms are: imagination, creativity, inventiveness, inspiration, intuition, perception, foresight, insight, discernment …

Perfect words for us writers.

I believe its worth each of us thinking through what our personal, God-given vision is, so that when the way isn’t clear or we become distracted, we can come back to it.

I met with some board members in a school last week to discuss their official vision. I had been invited in after I questioned a couple of words which made all the difference to the meaning. As a writer, I believe in the power of words and understand that meaning can be changed with just a slight twist or change.

Ironic, that only a few days earlier, I had lost my personal vision for writing in that same building; when I realised that due to his health, my son needed to complete his HSC over two years; that the full fee scholarship he’d received the year before was the only reason we had been able to afford to have him attend as well as have spare money for my writing ventures. My son needs to go to this particular school for many reasons. God made it clear this is where we should send him.

My family with Bindi Irwin last year

When the staff member in charge of finance looked at our budget, I acknowledged I could take the money we set aside for writing ministry and use it to pay fees. But a part of me broke as a dream began to die. Of course my son’s health and well-being come first. I long for him to reach his potential and I always vowed I would not allow any other ministry to come before the ministry of caring for these amazing children God has given me. That is why we named our third child Clarity. We had been in full time ministry at the time and it was costing our family their health. It was at that point God made it clear to us that our priority was the ministry to our children. We realised it with clarity and it became our vision; God’s vision and purpose for us in that season of our lives.

For the first few days after my meeting with the school last week, my writing vision was blurred by tears. It appeared I needed to let go of my dream. I couldn’t see a way ahead. It all looked impossible, even with my active imagination. Road blocks at every point. I was recently released from my contract with a publisher when their circumstances changed. And I couldn’t bring myself to tone down the heart of my stories to fit in with the requirements of other Australian publishers. I also can’t bring myself to Americanise them. Self-publishing looked like the right way to go.

When we had the finances available to do it.

Now I’ve been forced to think about my writing vision. Is it in line with God’s vision?

If I were to put my vision into words, it would be,
‘To use my talents in writing, along with the gift of creativity and discernment God has given me, to produce stories which challenge people into a closer walk with Jesus and give them a taste of the joy and purpose we have when we learn to live for Him in this broken world.’
Or something along those lines, anyway.

But if I look at it, it doesn’t have to be in the form of a printed book. Maybe its time to go back to the basics. Go back to printed out manuscripts. Maybe only produce eBooks.

Or maybe its time to stop trying to presume I know how God will carry out His plan and manipulate things in line with what I think He wants. It’s time instead to let Him take me where He will, one step at a time. Any wisdom, foresight or inspiration we have comes directly from Him. He knows the future, He has the means to bring about miracles, He is the reason I am writing in the first place.

As I sought God, He renewed my hope. An elderly lady who knew nothing of what was going on, whispered to me as I came into church, ‘We don’t need to see God’s whole staircase. We just need to trust him with that next step.’

And so I will. I have some money put aside to self-publish the first book in the series, so unless God directs otherwise, I will continue with that first step. I will let Him be the one to inspire, lead and guide. I will remember that His vision is never clouded, His perspective never lost. Our human dreams are just that; hopes or desires that may be misguided, that can fade or disappear over time.

It’s lovely to have a set of printed books on the shelf, published a few months apart, all lined up, with matching covers for each book in the series. But God doesn’t need that for the words to reach those He intends for them to reach. And it is not needed to fulfil the vision I believe God has given me.

So I tentatively take that first step on the staircase, only able to see that first step, but knowing God’s vision is never flawed and that He will always catch me if I fall.

May each of us follow God’s purpose in our writing. May He be our inspiration, our creativity, our wisdom, our insight, our vision. And when our eyes are blurred with tears because a dream has died, may we lift those eyes to Him and see it all from His perspective. May we wait upon Him, may our strength be renewed as we rise up on wings like eagles, seeing it all from His point of view, no longer limited to our human condition. May our vision be filled with Him.

Do you have a vision? Has it changed over time or as God directed you? I would love you to share it in the comments.

Jenny Glazebrook lives in the country town of Gundagai with her husband, Rob and 4 children along with many pets. She is the published author of 7 novels, 1 traditionally published, and 6 self published. She writes because words burn within her. She is an experienced inspirational speaker and loves to encourage others to walk closer with God and hear His voice each day.  Jenny’s website is: www.jennyglazebrook.com

Jingle bells, Santa sells – by Ruth Bonetti

Australians all let us rejoice this Yuletide—though, by the sea, turkey maybe garnished with sand and sweat. How to capture the spirit of Christ-mass without snow, mistletoe and holly? 

Shopping malls are awash with tinsel, Jingle-Bell-muzak and Santa—who was invented for Coco-Cola advertisements. With his reindeer and unfashionable bulk, he muscled out the Christ Child. I'm allergic to reindeer hype and tempted to shoot Rudolf through his red nose, even if the animal liberationists counter attack. Swedish Christmas trees are decorated with cornstalk goats, not reindeer–they're ho-hum common.  While living near the Arctic Circle, I collected wood-carved nativity scenes, birch bark stars and angels to add to my Aussie pot plants.

The season of giving-–or gimme?

European gifts are given on December 6, St Nicholas’ Day. Music, services and candles lead Advent into Holy Night Mass on Christmas Eve. Northern hemisphere celebrations of the Light of the World make vivid images. Candles feature on Christmas cards and trees. The sun struggles out like a tired invalid for a few blinks mid-morning and fades by 3 pm.

Multimillion dollar marketing strategies set up parents for checkout tantrums. Glitzy TV ads build Christmas hype. Actors’ happy smiles rub vinegar into loneliness.

Counsellors know this is a peak time for lifeline calls. Relationships fracture. Split families juggle quality vs. quantity time. Frazzled striving to create a perfect day, choose the ideal Chinese sweat shop gifts. Great expectations shatter. Credit cards suffer. Many over-indulge and over-imbibe. 

Scarcity Angst

Family Christmas dinner at the redbrick riverside house. As six-year-old small fry, I am demoted to a coffee table overflow. My nostrils flare and tummy rumbles as plates laden with turkey, ham and vegetables pass along the tables—then halt. Granddad pronounces the blessing. Over the rattle of cutlery, I chirp several times before they hear, ‘Where’s mine?’ Mum scrabbles another plateful together. 

            [Excerpt from Midnight Sun to Southern Cross]

The Happy Families Myth

Loose cannon comments blitz harmony.  In my teens, catty barbs made me feel unwelcome in my own home. I fled south to camp on a friend’s couch.

The next lonely years looked out my window at the happy-family lights of Brisbane and prayed for love. That maiden’s prayer was answered. Antoni and I married 45 years ago, our relationship cemented by seven years in Europe. 

Our first European winter 

As struggling students armed with Eurail pass and backpacks, we blitzed an unrealistic £10 a day budget; youth hostels were chuiso, fermé or geschloßen for the festive season. Also banks, in the dark ages before internet fund transfers. The Vienna-Venice train offered six-hours’ sleep. Next night Venice-Rome, then Rome-Venice. 

We shared plates of goulash soup or spaghetti; a half-cup of tea still warmed throats. On Salzburg Bahnhof platform a stranger gave chocolates called “Manna.” This tiny gift warmed our hearts like a sunburst from heaven. Our marriage was firmed by sharing life’s basics; food, shelter and love.
Two years later:

Aussie friends landed on our Swedish doorstep just after our travels had depleted our cash. The refrigerator was bare except for a dubious slab of lutfisk cod. How to make it edible after the usual evil processes of salting and soaking in lye? I wrinkled my nose. Knowing tourist budgets, how could I ask the friends to take us out to dinner? Margaret resorted to hints of reading my recipe books. There was no other choice: the smelly cod. 

                                         [Excerpt from Burn My Letters]

Gifts of time, friendship and hospitality

We drove three young sons through the arctic winter in a campervan. Its heating expired at the first snowfall but we were warmed by snug beds, hospitality from friends and family. Advent music concerts, sung Christmas Eve mass in Oberammergau uplifted our spirits.

Last Christmas we shared with four unattached, grateful people. Six months later one died, too young. Alienated from his remaining family, no one organised a funeral to celebrate his life and gifts. 

Reflect; what phone calls could you make to reconcile with others before it’s too late?
Rather than see them next over—or in—a coffin, why not share Christmas cheer?

May your Christmas be truly blessed with God's peace, love and joy.
Rejoice!


RUTH BONETTI is grateful for opportunities to explore her Scandinavian heritage family traditions, written up in her two-part saga, Burn My Letters and Midnight Sun to Southern Cross. She will share ways to surmount the challenges of Writing Family Stories at Omega Writers Book Fair on 16 March, 2019.
Follow her blog and FaceBook pages:
http://ruthbonetti.musicabonetti.com
https://www.facebook.com/RuthBonetti/
http://www.ruthbonetti.com
https://twitter.com/boniruth

Ditching the Black Dog

Photo copyright Susan J Bruce - all rights reserved

Do you ever find that the difficult patches in the writing life come at unexpected times?

The last part of October and the first part of November was an encouraging time for me. I won the unpublished manuscript section of the Caleb Prize and I flew to the Gold Coast on the following Monday to do a Margie Lawson writing Immersion. For those who don’t know, Margie is an international writing coach, and I was delighted when a place became available in one of her teaching weeks. And yes – it was AWESOME. 

Life was busy when I returned and I lost some of the rhythm that I had built up prior to doing the Immersion. Then I received some negative feedback, had a flare of some health issues and then for some reason I stopped writing. Discouragement struck – and I became stuck. The launch of If They Could Talk: Bible stories told by the animals, an anthology for which I was editor, helped lift my spirits. But even this milestone couldn't fix my writing doldrums.  

Maybe I’m the only one who goes through periods like this. Maybe the rest of you intrepid writers have it together and never feel like a four-wheel-drive bogged to the windows in Gobi desert sand. 

No? 

I also have to admit to a tincture of perfectionism somewhere in the mix. Perfectionism would be okay if we were perfect, wouldn’t it? Imagine a first draft that you never needed to revise. Ah, bliss! Cue serene music…

But back to reality.

Discouragement, seeded with grains of perfectionism, can lead to procrastination which leads to more discouragement and more procrastination, etc., etc., etc., which leads to hopelessness and before you know it, the black dog is something other than my cheeky Chihuahua/ Shihtzu cross pictured above.

I wrote nothing, playing a LOT of Sudoku instead. The only good thing that came from it was that I finally beat my husband’s best time on the online version of the game. We’re not at all competitive in our house by the way (cough). Other than that one moment of domestic triumph, I was sad to the core and didn’t know how to break myself out of the funk. 

Then I remembered a section of a book I’d recently read. A friend had mentioned Stephen Furtick’s book, Greater, a while ago and I was intrigued enough to buy a copy. In Greater, Furtick uses examples from the life of the prophet Elisha to encourage Christians to live out God’s vision for their life.

In chapter five, the author refers to the Bible passage, 2 Kings 3. King Joram of Israel enlists the help of King Jehoshaphat of Judah to fight the Moabite army. The problem is that after seven days of marching in the desert of Edom, they don’t have any water left for their animals or their troops. 

Jehoshaphat, being a godly king, asks Elisha to talk to God about their problem. Elisha agrees and God says something strange. He tells them that they won’t see wind or rain but He will make water flow from the hills in Edom. It is easy for God to do this. In several translations (e.g., the NASV) God tells them to make the valley full of trenches – i.e., dig a vast amount of ditches (2 Kings 3:16). 

Imagine being those people. There were no clouds in the sky, just heat and dust and a sense of hopelessness. Two vast armies on the verge of dying of thirst, and God tells them to start digging. It would seem counterintuitive in the extreme. Sweat and toil all night when there’s no visible way of having your need for water met. Yet they did it, and in the morning the valley was filled with water.

Furtick uses this as a prime example of how faith works. He writes: 

It’s as if God says, “If you really believe I’m going to do what I told you I would do, get busy. Show me your faith, and then I’ll show you My faithfulness. Do your part. If you do what I asked you to do, I will be faithful to My word. 

(Greater, p. 66)

I agree with Furtick, but I also think it's one of the best metaphors I’ve ever read on the nature of the writer’s life. 
We need to believe in what we are doing and act on that belief. Most of us reading this have felt the call to write. We know God wants us to do this. So we need to do it, even if the ideas have dried up and the words we thirst for elude us. When discouragement invades and we feel like giving up, we need to seek God. And when we do, we need to act. Even if it's writing just a few words at a time. 

In this instance of depression God told me to ‘remember’. Remember that I have called you. Remember what I’ve promised you. Remember that I love you. Now go and do your thing. Write in faith: one word after another and I will fill your words with my life. Dig the ditches and I will send my rain.

And so I write – and the black dog morphs back into a naughty puppy again – and I have hope. 

How about you. Do you have times in your life where writing is hard? What helps? Does 'digging ditches' work for you? Let's encourage each other in the comments below.

Reference: S. Furtick, Greater: Dream bigger. Start smaller. Ignite God’s vision for your life., Multnomah Books, Colorado, 2017.

Susan J. Bruce, aka Sue Jeffrey, spent her childhood reading, drawing, and collecting stray animals. Now she’s grown up she does the same kinds of things. Sue works part time as a veterinarian, writes stories filled with themes of overcoming, adventure and belonging, and loves to paint animals. Sue won the Short section of the inaugural Stories of Life writing competition and recently won the 'Unpublished Manuscript' section of the 2018 Caleb prize. Sue is the editor of 'If They Could Talk: Bible Stories Told By the Animals' (Morning Star Publishing) and her stories and poems have appeared in multiple anthologies. Her e-book 'Ruthless The Killer: A Short Story' is available on Amazon.com. You can check out Sue’s animal art on Facebook.

The Houses of God

Last year I took my eleven-year-old son, Tully on a three-week holiday to Europe. My husband, who is not a willing traveler stayed behind and kept business and home together.

One of my travel goals was to see as much as I could in the short time we had. We certainly accomplished that. We covered the main centers of France, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy. It was a whirlwind trip of a lifetime, and one we will never forget. 

One of the biggest spiritual lessons I learned while I was away was that God doesn’t have a ‘house.’

We were blessed to cross the thresholds of many famous Christian churches on our trip, including some of the most spectacular examples of architecture this world has to offer. Huge structures decorated with priceless artistry. My photos accompanying this column really don’t do them justice.

The word that was constantly on my lips was ‘magnificent.’ While they were a feast for the eyes, I was disappointed to realize most didn’t inspire a spiritual magnificence within me.

I don’t know exactly what I expected to feel when I stood in the middle of these buildings, but I was often aware that I lacked a spiritual connection, a feeling of belonging. It disturbed me—after all, these were the houses of my living God, the God I serve and love. Was there something wrong with me? Was I lacking as a Christian? Did I not have enough of the spirit within to feel the presence of the Lord?

I took this back to God in prayer, asking Him how this was so. He reminded me of the many places I did keenly feel His presence.

At our bush camp, looking out at the magnificence of my homeland, Bible on my lap, kookaburras laughing in the trees, and the wind whistling up the valley. On the beach, sand beneath my feet looking out at an expanse of blue and green that filled the horizon. And sitting on my ‘prayer couch’ outside my house sipping a cup of morning tea, my dogs beside me.

I came to the sudden realization that God doesn’t have a house. His kingdom lies within me, and His presence fills His creation—every corner, every surface, both in the buildings constructed for Him, and throughout the entire world.

I was satisfied with this. I didn’t need to feel a spiritual connection with these cathedrals, but I did know God was there for those who sought Him.

Then, just when I thought I wouldn’t find a spiritual connection in any of these magnificent cathedrals, I entered the Sistine Chapel. It wasn’t the largest or the most ornately decorated place of worship we entered, but it certainly did stir my spirit. I don’t know why.

Maybe it was because I had just been told the story of Michelangelo’s personal dedication, sacrifice, and perseverance in completing his ceiling in spite of the odds. Maybe it was the content of his work. Within his beautiful paintings there were dedications to male and female prophets. There were stories of our imperfect natures, stories of God’s great love for us in spite of ourselves.

The small chapel was jam-packed with tourists. No photography, and strictly no speaking. We were forced to stand, and study. I do believe it was perfect. The perfect spiritual connection in the perfect place. I didn’t need to feel it in every church I entered—I just needed to wait and enter the right church for me.

So, dear reader, if you find yourself without a church to attend at this moment in your life, do not despair. Maybe the Lord is directing you to find Him elsewhere. Maybe He wants to show you where He lives in this creation He has made. Maybe He is taking you over many church thresholds so when you cross the perfect one for you, you will know it in your spirit. Maybe He wants to grow His spirit in the one place He tells us He really wants to be – Your heart.  

  

My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways, Proverbs 23:26 (NIV)

I hope you enjoy some of our cathedral holiday snaps. Unfortunately, you will not find any of the Sistine Chapel—no photos allowed—but I urge you to ask the Lord to show you His version of magnificence. I know He will delight in revealing His awesome works to you, far more awesome than anything a human hand could ever produce.

... nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” Luke 17:21 (ESV)

Rose was born in North Queensland, Australia. Her childhood experiences growing up in a small beach community would later provide inspiration for her Resolution series.

Two of the three Resolution novels have won Australian CALEB awards. She has also released The Greenfield Legacy, a collaborative novel highlighting the pain of Australia’s past policy of forced adoption, as well as standalone novel, Ehvah After. Her most recent release is the novella, A Christmas Resolution.

Her novels are inspired by the love of her coastal home and her desire to produce stories that point readers to Jesus. Rose holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, and resides in Mackay, North Queensland with her husband and son.

Visit Rose at: www.rosedee.com

Exploring Genre - Collaborative Writing

by Jeanette O'Hagan

We often imagine writing as a solitary pursuit - the writer huddles alone in his or her attic, putting words on paper (or computer file) with a big do-not-disturb sign on the door.

In fact, while there are long stretches when writing requires peace or at least lack of interruptions, producing a book most often calls for a team of people from critique partners, beta-readers, editors, proof-readers, graphic artists, formatters, publishers, booksellers, and publicists. 

But there is another way, that writers can collaborate and that is in the actual writing itself in collaborative works. There are in fact quite a range of opportunities.

Types of Collaborative Writing

Ghost Writing

In ghost writing, an experienced and capable writer is employed or invited to write a story on behalf of someone else, often a celebrity or someone with a unique and fascinating story or both. This is most often done with memoirs, but can happen with fiction. In many cases the ghost writer is paid and his or her name does not appear on the cover or may appear but in a secondary fashion (eg Deva Star with Jane Smith).



Jeanette Grant-Thomson has done some ghost-writing, in addition to her own fiction and non-fiction.  For instance, Healing Song was co-written in connection with Merrilyn Billing and tells Merrilyn's story.

Illustrators

In picture books particularly, the illustrator contributes as much to the story as the writer. There are many wonderful examples of this synergy between image and word such as Wombat Books' Same by Katrina Roe and Jemima Trappel, Can God See Me by Penny Reeve and Shannon Melville, Do You Remember? co-written by Kelly O'Gara and Anna McNeil, and illustrated by Kelly O'Gara.

Though I do confess a particular affection for Colourful Memories, written by Catherine Bauer and illustrated by my daughter, Kathleen O'Hagan.

Partnerships

In some cases, a more established well known writer might partner with a newer writer with fresh ideas.

In other cases, two or more writers may combine together to write the one book or series of books.  In fiction, each writer may be the primary writer for one of the main characters.  Of course, the writers need to agree on a range of things like settings, the plot, the subject, the themes, characters etc and may need to write the other writer/s character in their own character's scenes.

Meredith Resce, Rose Dee, Paula Vince and Amanda Deed worked together to write The Greenfield Legacy together, each one writing one of the characters to produce a great story about the legacy of past decisions.

Anthologies

In anthologies, authors can contribute short stories and/or poems that may centre of a theme or subject matter, or genre, or setting.

Glimpses of Light (published in 2015, the International Year of Light and edited by myself and Nola Passmore), includes a range of short stories, non-fiction pieces, flash fiction and poems on the theme of light. Contributions were from both new and more established writers, including Jo-Anne Berthelsen, Jo Wanmer, Adele Jones, Lynne Stringer, Nola Passmore, Adam Collings, Paula Vince, Anusha Atukorala, Ellen Carr, Jeanette Grant-Thomson and others.

The science fiction and fantasy anthology, Medieval Mars, has stories set in a futuristic Mars conceived by Travis Perry, that is a Mars that has been terraformed, settled and then regressed to a medieval level of technology. Each story is set in different spots in the world and written by different authors, including Adam Colling's Lynessa's Curse. The stories were published both as the collection Medieval Mars and individually as short stories by the authors.

Book Bundles

In book bundles, multiple authors contribute their books (either full length novels or novellas) usually of similar genre, theme, or setting.

Narelle mentioned some romance book bundles in the November genre post. 

I've participated in two - On the Horizon - which involved 22 authors writing sci-fi & fantasy set in low technology worlds. Akrad's Children was included in this and the aim was for volume of sales over a short period. Over 900 copies were sold over the three month period the bundle was available.  The boxed set continued in an altered form in Limited Horizon - with 12 Fantasy and Science Fiction Novels, Novellas, and Short Stories from 12 authors, including my Heart of the Mountain. Many of the authors in this series are secular, but write in the same or similar genres to me.

Book Series

This year, I was part of a group planning on writing a series of full length novels set in the same world. Initially we had maybe 10-12 people involved. Three or four of the authors got together and formed a premise, setting and timeline of the world. I wasn't initially that keen on some of the elements, but after much thought, come up with a premise for a storyline that fitted into the world & which I liked.

We set up a calendar of publication for 2019 on a monthly basis (I had May), with the idea that each author would bring out a novel set in the world (and consistent with each other's works). We started with a lot of enthusiasm and I was quite excited about the idea though I had other writing projects to finish before I could get started. 

Then over time, one by one, people began dropping out for various reasons. Much to my disappointment, the main organisers decided to pull the plug on the project. I have still got my plot synopsis, which maybe one day I will write.

I think multi-author book series a great concept and would love have another attempt at something like this (novel or novella) again, hopefully with better success.

It has been done. Again, Narelle mentioned the Tuscan Legacy book series, romance novels with a common setting and plot thread.  There's also the Jane Austen project - in which various well established authors were invited to write modern adaptations of the different Jane Austen novels in a contemporary setting.

Pros and Cons

Advantages

Writing in partnership with other writers may spark imagination and creative energy. It may draw on the strengths of each writer and add depth to characterisation or setting. Plus it builds in feedback and editing on each other's writing.

Sometimes the more established writer/s brings visibility and connection with a larger fan base while the newer, up and coming author can bring new ideas and inspiration and a freshness to the stories or a particular insight (if, say from a particular demographic or culture).

In much collaborative writing, authors can be introduced to the fans of the other authors. While readers, attracted by an author they know and love, may discover new authors with similar writing styles, themes or genres.

Different forms of collaborative writing often enables authors to pool or share marketing efforts, thus allowing a bigger splash or more impact per buck.

Disadvantages

With partnerships, the partners may have different understandings of what needs to happen or want the story to go in different directions. So there is a potential for disagreement which may derail the project.

Logistics may be a problem; for instance, finding the time to plan, to share segments for feedback or  different writers may write at different paces etc. Finances, copyright, royalties, costs must all be worked through and agreed upon and then held to.


The bigger the group, perhaps the more likelihood that either the project may take a long time or fall apart altogether.



There are pitfalls to consider in collaborative writing, but such projects can be both fun and worthwhile.

Have you ever been involved in such a project or considered doing so? What advantages and disadvantages did you find? Would you do it again?




*****

Jeanette started spinning tales in the world of Nardva at the age of eight or nine. She enjoys writing secondary world fiction, poetry, blogging and editing.

Her Nardvan stories span continents, time and cultures. They involve a mixture of courtly intrigue, adventure, romance and/or shapeshifters and magic users.

She has published numerous short stories, poems, two novellas and her debut novel, Akrad's Children and Ruhanna's Flight and other stories.

Her latest release, Stone of the Sea (the third novella) is now available. .


Subscribe (here) to Jeanette's monthly email newsletter for the latest on cover reveals, new releases, giveways, and receive the short story Ruhanna's Flight for free.

You can also find her on:

Facebook |Jeanette O'Hagan Writes | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest