Children's author, New Zealand
Story ideas come to me all the time, but they are fleeting. They don't wait for me to happen across a pen and paper, or a spare few minutes, or all of those things at once. They need noting down immediately by any means possible, or they're gone for good. Reciting new lines under my … Continue reading Notes on notes
Not writing today, but sewing. Machine sewing, hand sewing; glasses on, glasses off. Standing in a light rain. Stepping on and over toys. Machine sewing, hand sewing; glasses on, glasses off. Making coffee. Keeping peace. Laying train tracks on the floor. Machine sewing, hand sewing; glasses on, glasses off. Not writing today, but sewing. Pulling … Continue reading Warp and weft
It rained the other day: gently, consistently, kindly. It was the kind of rain that kisses the skin, and settles lightly into thirsty soil. For a long time after the rain, even as the day warmed up, the sky remained full and dark. Pollen and seeds whirled on the breeze; bees darted and hovered. These … Continue reading Breathing in
Getting words onto a blank screen or page is like tying shoelaces. It's a beginning. The real exercise is what follows. The toughest times I ever have writing are when I'm trying to perfect the words in my head before bringing them out into the world. I find myself locked in my head with my … Continue reading Write something
In October 2019 I sent a manuscript to be considered for the Storylines Joy Cowley Award. It felt like daring to me: audacity double-spaced in Times New Roman, and slipped into a courier bag. If nothing came of it, I thought, then at least I had given my little story a chance. Amid the tumult … Continue reading The 2020 Storylines Joy Cowley Award
Here I begin, without any sense of audience, as if warming up at a microphone in front of an empty hall. Here I step back from writing fiction to explore the art and process of storytelling. Here I create a writing routine, and share with others the things that inspire me. This impulse to begin … Continue reading Beginning
Tania Sickling 