Tales of Australia - Great Southern Land - Landmark Australian Anthology

Tales of Australia - Great Southern Land an anthology with place as a theme. Not just any place... AUSTRALIA.

This collection of novelettes feature stories varying in genre and style, but all brought together with the focus of the Australian landscape. Satalyte Publishing will release this anthology on September 27 (pre-orders are now open). 

This up-and-coming small press publisher promises to reinvent Australian authors, and I must say, they've certainly succeeded with this Aussie author!

When Stephen Ormsby, Chief Editor of Satalyte approached me about submitting a story for Tales of Australia, I immediately said yes. Then I panicked. I've written novels, I've written short stories, but I'd never tried to pace out a novelette before! And furthermore, with no more instruction than an Australian setting, what would I even write about?

After a cup of herbal tea and a nap (quick fix for EVERYTHING), I got over my writer tantrum and started to think about the land I wanted to portray. What elements of Australia are important to me?

The story came in the form of a myth. As a kid I was fascinated by Dreamtime stories, the Indigenous mythology of our land. I love the way they intermingled land and people. I wanted my story to show the struggle of people, but also the imposing and never-ending land. 

And thus, my post-apocalyptic tale, After the Red Dust was born. It's a story of belonging and longing and I'm thrilled to have it featured alongside some amazing Australian authors.

Stories featured in the anthology include;

Disciple of the Torrent by Lee Battersby

This Corner of the Earth by Dean Mayes

Acts of Chivalry by Sean McMullen

Bobby, Be Good by H.M.C

Dreams Didgeridoo by Salwa Samra

After the Red Dust by Charmaine Clancy

Jaylin by A. Finlay

Set Your Face Toward the Darkness by David McDonald

Want to find out how us Aussie spin yarns and wag tales (tell stories)? Grab your copy of Tales of Australia - Great Southern Land on Sept 27, or pre-order from Satalyte Publishing.

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Insecure Writers and Self-editing

"I use Grammarly's plagiarism checker because what I thought was an original idea for a novel about racism and poverty in the South, during the Depression, and told through the eyes of a 10yr old girl whose father is the local lawyer... might already exist."

Join IWSG and share your insecurities!

One of the main things I was insecure about when I first ventured into creative writing was editing. Turns out, I had good reason to worry.

I stupidly thought good novels were created from inspiration, sweat and fairy-dust; that certain authors just had the magic and breathed engaging narratives onto the pages. Of course I was delighted to learn the existence of 'drafts' and that my first one was allowed to 'suck' because I could edit it later. Easy, right?

Ha!

My first manuscript to earn a finished draft was a girl's mystery novel filled with passive language, poor grammar and only one suspect character (not much of a mystery in this who-done-it). I was keen to polish the story, but had no idea how.

I sent it off to an editor. That was a mistake.

What? Wait a minute Charmaine (I hear you ask ... in a kind of a creepy little girl voice), you always recommend getting a professional editor. What gives?

You should get your work edited professionally before publishing, but not before you edit your own work.

My manuscript was in such a mess that after a few chapters of painful interactions back and forth, my editor gave up on it. Truth was, it wasn't ready for the editor yet.

1. You should polish your story as much as you possibly can before you send it out to editors or beta readers. So how can you best edit your own work?

Put your manuscript away for a while, come back to it with fresh eyes.

2. Utilise an editing program for the really obvious problems. Word Spellcheck is very flawed, but will at least get rid of some issues. A better version of this is Grammarly, which I use for my online writing (there's also a check box for you to paste your work on their website).
3. Read books on revising before you take another look at your manuscript. I found these ones very helpful: 
Take up a course to find the best strategies for tackling your manuscript. There are plenty offered through writing centres or online.

4. Study. You can find lots of courses on editing through your writers centre or online. I've said this many times before, Holly Lisle's How To Revise Your Novel is one of the best revisions courses I've ever undertaken (and there's been a few). Check it out, it will teach you so much about strengthening that first draft and tightening your story.
5. Find a mentor. Someone who has more experience and can guide you through your manuscript's plot flaws and show you how to improve it.

Still want more on editing? Check out Denise Covey's guest post on writing, revising and editing at revisionseditions.

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