Karen Collum">Australian Children's Author

I can’t believe how long it’s been since I posted and my last post was essentially an apology for not posting! Life is still a little crazy around here so I’m not getting to blog – or write, for that matter – as much as I would like. I know it’s long overdue, but I thought I’d share what I’ve learned in my two Year of the Edit workshops over the past two months, both of which have been simply amazing. Keep reading →

It may sound strange, but up until my first Year of the Edit workshop, I had no idea that the novel I’d written was science fiction. Sure, it revolves around the ethical dilemma (from a Christian perspective) of what might happen in the future if geneticists push the boundaries too far, but all that is over and done with in the first few chapters. The rest of the book deals with the repercussions of crossing those boundaries and focuses heavily on the personal and spiritual journeys or two men. I was somewhat taken aback when the workshop group and my tutor, Kim Wilkins, stated it was clearly science fiction. I almost argued with them! But of course, they are right. This week I discovered another element of my story that is common in science fiction – time travel. The only problem was, the time travel in my novel was entirely unintentional. Keep reading →

Today was the first workshop of my Year of the Edit (YoE) course at the Queensland Writer’s Centre with tutor, Kim Wilkins. And as I have a penchant for the truth, I’m going to share my journey through YoE as honestly as possible, even though it may get a little ugly. Right now, the truth is I could sit down and howl. Not because I’m disappointed with the course -  it exceeded my expectations. Not because it’s not what I though it was going to be – I always knew it would be challenging. Not because I don’t feel like I’ve now got a plan - I know exactly what I need to do between now and my workshop in a month. The reason I feel so battered and bruised is because today, sixteen other people critiqued my work. I thought I was mentally prepared. I thought I had worked through my own insecurities and hang-ups and was totally committed to the process. I thought I understood the value of getting honest feedback and that would be enough to ease any discomfort. I was wrong. Very, very, very wrong. Keep reading →

When I was a kid I used to play the organ in eisteddfods. Before I went on stage to play, my mum would always ask if I was nervous. My answer was always the same: “No, not nervous – just excited.” I’ve got that same feeling again because this Sunday I start a 6-month course at the Queensland Writer’s Centre entitled ‘Year of the Edit’. Keep reading →