Karen Collum">Australian Children's Author

I’ve wanted to be a writer my whole life. For most of that time, the title ‘writer’ was like a precious, sparkling trinket placed high upon the shelf, always out of reach of my grubby and clumsy hands and protected from my inquisitiveness. I wasn’t tall enough to reach the shelf and somehow felt that even if I could reach it, I wasn’t really supposed to touch. It was reserved for special people. Being a writer was a grown-up person’s business, a serious business for the cultured and sophisticated. I’ve since learned that being a writer is not necessarily that at all. It is sparkly and shiny and precious, but it’s also unbreakable and accessible by anyone with passion, sophisticated or not. But there is something else I have discovered about being a writer that, I have to be honest, surprised me more than a little. It’s plain hard work. Keep reading →

As tired as I am, I couldn’t let the day go past without blogging about the stupendous, magnificent, enormous thing that happened today. I finished my novel. Yep, I wrote my way through 80,000 words until I got to THE END. (Just so you know, I didn’t actually write “The End” as that would have been a little bit lame, even for me…but I might have been just a little bit tempted to.) It is such an amazing feeling to know that I’ve seen this one through. It’s been a great journey. Keep reading →

I’m at a bit of a crazy place right now in this writing journey. In the scheme of things, my successes have happened very quickly. The first picture book manuscript I ever submitted was accepted (only to be canned at a later date due to external forces) and since April ‘08 I’ve had quite a lot of things to celebrate. I have two contracts with Stanborough Press in the UK for picture books and am waiting for the contract from my Australian publisher (who are sourcing an illustrator). It has been a great start to my writing career, but right now I feel like I’m totally out of my depth. Keep reading →

It’s no secret that I don’t like editing. I’m not exactly sure why, but I’m now much more fearful of the editing process than of the writing process. The writing process is mostly fun. There are some tough spots to grit my teeth through, but I have a clear idea (usually) of where I’m headed and enjoy the ride getting there. The editing process is an entirely different kettle of fish. Keep reading →

After writing my rhyming picture books the other day I thought it would be prudent to learn more about the technical side of writing in rhyme. Essentially, I’m an ‘organic’ writer; that is, I have no formal literature training. Sure, I studied English throughout my 12 years of schooling and topped my school in English Studies in year 12, but I didn’t study any writing subjects at University. I have no formal qualifications in the field, although I would argue I’ve had a lot of experience teaching English to elementary school kids which has to count for something. I have also been a voracious reader over the years which also had a positive impact no doubt. But when it comes to technical terms, to be honest, I’m left behind. Keep reading →

I consider myself to be a patient person.  Queues at the post office?  No probs – I’ll wait my turn happily.  Traffic jams?  Mildly frustrating, but nothing to get worked up about.  Crazy drivers?  As long as safety is not an issue I am happy to overlook moments of inattention.  All in all, I’m patient.  I don’t like being rushed so I make sure, whenever possible, that I leave myself time for a few unexpected hiccups, just so I can stay relaxed.  So what is it about the writing game that transforms me into an impatient-gotta-send-it-RIGHT-now kind of person?

Keep reading →