Hello lovely reader, and thank you for spending some of your time in my corner of the internet. So let’s catch up on all things writing, studying, editing, and resting!
Writing
As I write to you, I’m a few weeks away from turning in my extended creative work for my Master of Creative Writing, Publishing, and Editing. It’s been great to disappear into this project, given the ups and downs of the last month. This book has been on my heart to write for a while, so it feels great to finally get a decent amount of words on the page.
While I’m drafting, I want to keep this project fairly under wraps. I can say that I have a lot more research to do. I’m looking forward to unraveling more of the world my characters are in, and finding the right details to make the story pop.
I’ve been attending some of Writers Victoria‘s writing sessions and they’re highly motivating. If you haven’t checked out their resources, I’d recommend giving them a look.
Editing
As some of you are already aware, this month has been a challenging one on the editing front. I won’t get into specifics except to say, as I’ve done elsewhere, that I’m no longer working with or associated with Shawline Publishing/New Found books. I’m extremely disappointed and feel for all the authors who have been impacted.
If you’re one of the people who’ve reached out to me in recent weeks, thank you very much for your support. The authors and other wonderful creatives I work with are the reason I love this job. I’m looking ahead to the next chapter of my editing career, and moving past the difficulties of recent times.
On that note, I’m now taking bookings for editing services. I regularly update my Instagram with my availability. If you’d like to discuss an edit, let’s chat.
Studying
The next time I write to you, I’ll hopefully have finished my degree! Needless to say, it’s been a wonderful, tiring, rewarding time. No regrets, but I’m excited to finish and looking ahead to what’s next. Before then, there are some assignments to do…
Resting
Given it’s only early into a new month and it’s already had some bumps, I’ve been grateful that I have a plans in place to help me rest. Life invariably has ups and downs, but I’m thankful for these things that have helped me catch my breath. (I also have wonderful friends and family who support me to take care of myself; thank you, you know who you are)
Rest this month:
- Seeing the Beetlejuice sequel in cinemas with a friend. It was a fun, campy time, made extra enjoyable by the follow-up movie night we had at home where I introduced my friend to the original film.
- Interstate travel. The Mister and I traveled to Adelaide and had a great time, it was perhaps a ‘calm before the storm’ type of moment, but one I’m really grateful for.
- Walking with friends. Rain, or shine, I have a good friend who I often walk and talk with. They don’t live far away and it’s wild to me that I didn’t know this person a few years ago, but isn’t it nice when you meet people and you just click?
- Puzzles: I continue to enjoy the ‘World of’ series of puzzles published by Laurence King and illustrated by Adam Simpson. At the moment I’m working on ‘The World of King Arthur’.
- Reading: I’m currently reading and enjoying The Heart of The World by Amie Kaufman, the sequel to The Isles of The Gods. The series is a YA adventure with a group of sea-faring misfits, capricious gods, politics, and a dash of romance. In classic Kaufman fashion, there’s a found-family at the heart of the book.
Open Tabs
Following on from last month, here’s a collection of engaging articles that caught my eye recently:
- Mandy Brett’s Stet By Me – if you’ve ever wanted a peek into the mind of an editor, this is a beautiful piece that shares much of the angst, pressure, and love that is poured into the work that editors do.
- Karla Garcia’s article on The Evolution of Romance Novel Book Covers is informative, entertaining, and thought-provoking. If you’ve ever caught yourself standing in the romance section of the bookshop and wondering what’s with all the cartoonish book covers, this article is for you. Also, how amazing is it that Fabio Lanzoni graced the covers of over 466 romance novels between the 80s and 90s?! Iconic.
- On the topic of the romance genre Shelf Love has a great article, Spicy Books: You Know What I Mean. The article discusses the term “spicy books” and the role of social media censorship in how we talk about books. Thought-provoking!
Cat Corner
Luna is enjoying the puzzle-making, but not exactly the most helpful assistant.
Thank you for reading this month’s newsletter!
Steph Huddleston 