Month: August 2018
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[untitled] is back!
August 23, 2018
Hey, writers, Klurisa here, the new chief editor of [untitled], letting you know [untitled] is back! (Whoah! – the crowd goes wild).
Oh! I love a great short story. Don’t you? Some of my favourite reads are short stories. And, honestly, I’m not swayed by genre. I love all sorts, from horror to romance, sci-fi to fantasy, contemporary to historical. As long as I’m transformed into the character’s time and place.
I want to know if you’ve written any memorable short stories? Really? (My eyes widen.) Are they published? No? Great! I bet they’re good – are they good? (I ask rubbing my hands together.)
Because …
[untitled] submissions are open from 3 September – 31 October 2018.
[untitled] is a short story anthology series. It’s all about fantastic stories you can lose yourself in – ones that stay with you long after you’ve put them down. And it’s my mission over the next few months to help find those stories from Australian writers in any genre and share them in [untitled] Issue 8.
So if you want to be a part of it get crackin’.
But wait! Before you send in your short story, take a look at these tips:
- Short stories are not a place to meander – so don’t take too long to warm up, but don’t rush it either.
- A captivating start is a must – it doesn’t need to be full of action, but it does need to grab (and hold) the reader’s attention.
- Don’t ignore setting and description. Take the time to create a sense of place and time – just don’t overdo it.
- Flesh out your characters enough to make them interesting. We will only be with them for a short while.
- Make sure you story has a beginning, middle and end – even though it’s short, it still needs to be a complete story. It shouldn’t be the first part of your novel.
- Be yourself. Use your own voice to tell us the story only YOU can tell.
- Read and follow the submission guidelines (very important). Word count will be checked.
- And, of course, ensure you edit and proofread before submitting.
Check out our submission page here and our previous issues here!
We look forward to reading your submissions!
Klurisa Hastings
Chief Editor
[untitled]
Only Just the Beginning
August 9, 2018
Writing a novel is a journey, not only for the characters and the world you create, but also for yourself. That’s what I find anyway, especially when writing fantasy.
Currently, I’m on my thirteenth chapter, and aim to have my book finished by the end of the year. It’ll be my first big written project and to finish it would elevate my confidence levels immensely. Usually, and especially if I am passionate about a goal and I voice it enough to myself and others, I complete it. That is what is so exciting. Every moment I sit at my computer and write, traveling the roads I’ve paved out for my characters, the prospect of the end becomes all the more real to me and I become exhilarated to continue.
I find it interesting when certain situations land you opportunities you had no idea were possible, especially if starting from the beginning means not knowing which road to take. Graduating from high school, I scored enough to land myself into a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Film & Television) course at JMC Academy. This lasted for two years and I must say, aside from my Year 12 exams, they were certainly the most stressful two years of my life. Although enjoyable, I never felt at home unless I was writing and it was in the last year and nearing graduation that it finally occurred to me in screenwriting class that I had to do something in writing! I’d always had the imagination and stories would often play out in my head as I went to sleep. I never wrote them down, so I can guarantee that there are a number of lost stories floating endlessly through my brain.
I’m someone who lost myself twice – count three times if I include the years at high school where I felt academically I wasn’t as good as everybody else because often tasks weren’t set to my strengths.
After the first time, and as I recovered, there was a peak of Alison surfacing, and so when she disappeared again, I knew exactly what was happening. When the chance came, I dragged myself away from the horrible environment that had been the year of my graduation. Between grieving a loved relationship, losing my grandfather and being treated horribly by people whom I thought friends, I was a mess.
The more I treated myself with things I wanted to do – and I started writing my novel – I realised that, once again, I was surfacing and this time through experience and heartache, I was coming back much stronger and wiser than before. I started a four/five-day training regime at the gym, along with a mental health plan.
My journey didn’t stop there. I then signed myself up to two short writing courses in Gisborne. If the first class taught me anything it was that I was exactly where I was meant to be. I was going to write my story and I was going to finish it, no matter what. I was then speaking passionately to Adam – the bus driver who took me home from work that night – about just how much I loved writing and how I wished I would be supported in my change of career path at home. Through a connection he’d had with Kev, once working together and now knowing what he did, Adam suggested Busybird Publishing. I had to check it out.
So, my best friend and I travelled to Greensborough during that same week, and I was greeted by Les who was welcoming and taught me so much in just that single conversation.
I then landed the internship and am ever grateful for the opportunity for I know that I’m in the right place. Les, Blaise, Shell, Kev and Megan are all amazing people to be around and I feel that every Tuesday, Busybird is my safe place where I can just be myself.
I just love it.
Alison Achter
Editorial Intern