Taking over the Melbourne Writers Festival

It has been a while since I wrote a new post on my blog and I did realise a while ago that I didn’t end up questioning you guys about an issue I was talking about in my uni class. However, it did occur to me that there was so much more to write about than to rant on about copyright…seriously it was going to be about copyright.

So many more important things…like…MEETING SCOTT WESTERFELD
Yes. The photo above you is REAL. I am not that skilled at photoshop!

This week the Melbourne Writers Festival is on! I’d never been before today, honestly because I didn’t know about it until last year, but if you happen to be roaming the city in the next week, please stop by and soak in the literature!

I’ve only seen one lecture so far with Scott Westerfeld, Justine Larbalestier and Isobelle Carmody but I can honestly say it is a really great experience to sit in a small room, so close to someone you admire and talk to them about the writing and publishing world.

The lecture I saw was called “Taking over the Grown Up’s Table”
http://www.mwf.com.au/2009/content/mwf_2009_events.asp?name=2335
Surprisingly, it was incredibly laid back and a lot of fun! I was expecting a uni lecture set up, however Scott Westerfeld cracked jokes, the audience joined in on what was discussed and a lot of really interesting things were said.

Some of the issues that we discussed started co-in siding with my course, which was really cool, including covers of books and how important it is to please the audience as we’re the ones who “judge the book by its cover” and decide to pick it up off the shelf.
We also talked about the YA section in general and why its so important to keep the section alive. Which is kind of inspiring in a way because my dream is to open my own publishing company, where I will publish children and YA books. So to listen to these authors telling us how much of an honour it is to write for the YA community, it really made me want to jump ahead in time and start up this publishing company! Though I quickly learnt from this lecture not to grow up too fast!

The fun really began when we all got a chance to meet the authors after. Which meant I finally got to meet Scott Westerfeld! Anyone who has met me before, even for a minute, will know two things about me
I love to read
my favourite author is Scott Westerfeld
So, you can imagine how I was feeling! Clutching my book So Yesterday (the first book I ever read by Scott) I approached the table and realised
“Oh shi- I have no idea what to say! My vocabulary has gone!!”
I even said to Mel as we’re lining up
“Mel…I don’t know what to say!”
I didn’t make a fool of myself too much in the end though…at least I hope I didn’t. I instead told him that his books changed the way I thought about the world as well as mentioning his Uglies series changing the way I felt about myself. And I also had to mention my Food Tech hamper I made for him in year 12 (of course, I’m still ranting about that!) which he remembered and was very appreciative of (yaay!!)

Pictures of the finished hamper once again!

So, to end, I am still so buzzed from the afternoon events and I really do recommend that people come to see SOMETHING. It’s totally worth it, I promise you.

Favourite quote of the day
“Adults are so precious and worry too much about what they should be reading. They’re such wankers about it!” – Scott Westerfeld

Thank you to all authors who take the time out to listen to us rant about how much we love you. Even though you say you appreciate hearing it every time, we appreciate you writing such beautiful tales every time.

Jinx xx

Intro to Fiction Writing (week 2)

Terribly slack of me to post another one of these, I know, but I promise to discuss an issue that came up today in writing class later!
This piece is another first draft. Hope you enjoy it!

I woke in a cold sweat. My breathing was heavy. I lay there slowing my breath trying to focus on something other than the dream that gripped my mind. The stone floor felt comforting against my skin and for the first time in a long time I felt at peace with myself and even with the world, even though all I could see was a dark, grey sky.
When I felt ready to face reality I sat up to observe my surroundings. The Factory was no different to how I remembered it before but it still felt foreign to me. I guess in many ways it was always a foreign concept to me. A place I would never understand and perhaps never wanted to. I said I would never return to The Factory but as most stories go, not everything is what we expect it to be and I guess in many ways, I knew I would have to return one day. To prove it happened if anything at all, even just to remind me, freshen the pain, add salt to my wound or even return to comfort myself. No matter what happened there, it was my home for most of my life.

I started working at The Factory on my 18th birthday. I remember the car crash on the way to my friend’s house. The car flipped and burst into flames with just me in it. I could smell my skin burning as I struggled to push myself around and out of the twisted metal that used to be my dads prized possession. I passed out from the pain of burning and being crushed and when I woke up, I was in The Factory. I will always have memories of the smell. I guess it was to make us believe we were in hospital, to make us believe we were going to be ok. No matter how many needles and funny machinery they pulled out to inject, poke and squeeze into, on and above you, it was still a hospital to us and everyone obeyed. It was only when the others, including myself, left our room, did we realise what The Factory was all about…

Jinx xx