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The x factor of writing

Today we are going to explore one of the x factors in writing fiction, faith.

Writing, like any creative endeavour, involves uncertainty and requires an act of faith. Faith in our imagination, faith in ourselves, faith in the creative process and faith in the stories we want to tell.

When you sit down in front of a blank page there are no guarantees. If there were, half the fun would go out of it. Writing fiction is an act of discovery. If you want to write, you have to take a leap of faith and start writing, no matter how you feel about it.

When someone asked Australian author, Thomas Keneally, where his stories came from, he replied, “somewhere over the rainbow.” That’s where we writers need to go to access the power of our imagination, the true source of creativity.

As William James, the great psychologist, said, “our belief at the beginning of a doubtful undertaking is the one thing that ensures the successful outcome of the venture. To learn to believe is of primary importance. It is the basic factor of succeeding in any undertaking.”

Writing is a confidence game. If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you are probably right. You have to learn to believe in yourself, your story and your writing. Learning to believe is the magic ingredient. If you want to write the only failure is stopping.

To quote author Henry Miller, “every day we slaughter our finest impulses. That is why we get a heartache when we read those lines written by the hand of a master and recognise them as our own; as the tender shoots which we stifled because we lacked the faith to believe in our own powers, our own criterion of truth and beauty. Every man, when he gets quiet, when he becomes desperately honest with himself, is capable of uttering profound truths. We all derive from the same source. There is no mystery about the origin of things. We are all part of creation, all kings, all poets, all musicians; we have only to open up, only to discover what is already there.”

Roland Fishman created The Writers’ Studio in 1992. The Writers’ Studio runs live courses at their studio in Bronte, Sydney and online courses for all locations. Visit www.writerstudio.com.au for course information.

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Writing exercises – Part 3

You can’t just tell the reader the emotion your character is experiencing, you have to show them. You do this by creating images using bricks of significant detail. God and the devil are in the detail.

As Strunk and White wrote in The Elements Of Style, “if those who have studied the art of writing are in accord on one point it is on this: the surest way to arouse and hold the reader is to be specific, definite and concrete. The greatest writers are effective largely because they deal in particulars and report the details that matter.”

So when you write, ground the writing in bricks of detail that evoke the emotion your character is experiencing. Detail is the lifeblood of all good fiction.

To quote Hemingway, “let action speak for itself, without telling readers how to respond, what to feel, how to judge. Let images convey meaning. If action is portrayed truly and precisely, using only its essential elements, then readers, without being told how, will respond emotionally as the writer intended.”

So when writing, show the reader, don’t tell them. Go for the detail and be specific. Not car, but EH Holden with double overhead cam and foxtail hanging from the rear-view mirror. Not co-dependent, neurotic man, but Harry, who runs to the refrigerator for his wife, thinking she wants an apple, when she is headed for the gas stove to light her cigarette.

The Process

In the following four exercises, just focus on writing. Getting the words down onto the page. You will do this by following the three basic rules. Keep your pen moving, capture first thoughts and let yourself write junk.

Write for ten minutes

When doing these exercises, we recommend you write for at least ten minutes per exercise. Once you start, don’t stop until the time is up – even if you write, yuck, yuck, I’m stuck, stuck. Keep writing until the words start flowing again.

Keeping your pen moving and letting your pen do the thinking will cause your conscious mind to make way for your imagination. This will kick in when you least expect it and you will surprise yourself with what comes out of the writing.

The exercises

Come up with a character. Give them a first and second name, an age, a job description and a relationship status.

For example, Duncan Latrobe, 15, student, single.

Try to get into your character’s mind, body and spirit and write the exercises below from their point of view. You can use different characters for different exercises or stick with the same one for all four. It is totally up to you.

Remember when you are writing there is no right or wrong. The only failure if you want to write is not writing.

Exercise 1

Think of a scene from nature. See the scene from your character’s point of view and describe the scene using bricks of detail.

Exercise 2

Imagine your character walks into a party. Describe the party from your character’s point of view using bricks of detail.

Exercise 3

Imagine your character is at the party and they see someone who intimidates them. Describe that person from your character’s point of view using bricks of detail.

Exercise 4

Think of something your character loves. Imagine a scene where someone is trying to take it away from them. Write that scene from your character’s point of view, focusing on the bricks of detail.

Roland Fishman created The Writers’ Studio in 1992. The Writers’ Studio runs live courses at their studio in Bronte, Sydney and online courses for all locations. Visit www.writerstudio.com.au for course information.

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Mega Watts

She appears fragile, yet Naomi Watts has the grit to overcome the pain of her father’s death, the will to be known as more than “Nicole Kidman’s best friend” and the talent to be a star. In this candid interview, she talks to Ginny Dougary about her life, her career challenges and the devastation of losing her dad.

Naomi Almost-Mega Watts is quite right when she says that she’s not the sort of actress who lights up a room. Admittedly, it would take a Day-Glo aura to penetrate the dungeonesque gloom of the Manhattan hotel foyer we meet in, but it does take a while to register that the childlike figure approaching me – fair hair scraped back in a stubby ponytail, pale face with no make-up, jeans, flat silver pumps, baggy bleached-blue cardigan, clutching a takeaway coffee – is a Hollywood star.

Her prettiness is often commented on, but what impressed me in the films I’ve seen her in is her grittiness. Even in a schlocky-horror teen movie such as The Ring (2002), the intelligence of her acting makes the viewing more compelling. In genuinely interesting films, such as David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive in 2001 and Alejandro González Inárritu’s 21 Grams in 2003, which won her an Oscar nomination, Naomi fills the screen with her raw, almost uncomfortable portrayal of despair, anger, bitterness. There’s a palpable willingness to mine whatever it takes from her own life to realise the truth of her character.

Read the whole story, only in the December 2005 issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.

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My deceitful marriage break-up

We were young and had what others perceived as the perfect relationship. Within 18 months of meeting, Tom and I married. Both of us had great careers, we’d purchased our own home and on the outside, everything looked perfect. Inside, things were so much different.

I was diagnosed with depression after Tom and I had been married for 12 months. The physiologist advised that it was due to my husband’s “smothering” within our relationship. While a lot of women would have doted on his affections, I found them to be overbearing and intrusive; his phone calls to me would sometimes reach 10 a day and he had to know my entire day’s schedule in advance.

As time went on, we continued our happy façade but things were slowly spiralling downhill. I reached a point where I couldn’t even stand Tom kissing me; I would cringe. Even as it became obvious to him that my love towards him had changed, he continued to act as though nothing was wrong, for the sake of his family circle.

As time went on, my depression worsened and my medication was increased. I was at the point of despair; I even tried to take my own life one evening. It was at this point of my life that I realised I didn’t want to be married any longer but I couldn’t bring myself to leave, so I started creating scenarios which I could use against Tom in order for him to end our marriage.

Finally, I decided that I would test Tom’s fidelity towards me. I created an anonymous e-mail account and invented a woman by the name of Sue. Sue was to be a friend of a co-worker in his office who was to remain confidential. Sue and this friend from Tom’s office were lunching together one day when Sue commented on seeing Tom and asked about him. She requested his e-mail address and said her friend would like to remain a secret for now as she would be embarrassed working in the same office. As Tom worked for a large organisation this was a possible scenario.

I continued to maintain an e-mail relationship with my husband through “Sue”. He even explained to Sue he was unhappily married. It all started to become real when I could see Tom falling for Sue; he was desperate for her phone number and to meet. As I asked questions about his marriage, I was hurt to find he was beginning to speak bitterly about me in the process. Little did he know it was me on the other end. My husband started to turn on his laptop computer at nights more often to look for e-mails from Sue and was distancing himself from me.

In the end, when I had all the ammunition I needed, I set up a close friend to text message Tom, pretending to be Sue one morning when he was in the shower. I made her write that she had overcome her nerves and would love to meet today for lunch. She had followed this text with “I can’t wait to meet you, Love Sue xx”. I took a deep breath and entered the bathroom, showing him this text message on his phone in an emotional, surprised way and asking for an explanation. He coldly denied anything, saying she was just a friend. I then proceeded to explain I had been suspicious and I’d read some e-mails on his laptop. He couldn’t deny anymore.

My plan worked. Tom and I separated after his admission that he wasn’t happy and that I could no longer trust him. I had in my hands the perfect reason for our separation that couldn’t be held against me within our families. In their eyes it was Tom that had dishonoured the relationship.

I have no regrets as both Tom and I have found new happiness and my depression has all but disappeared into thin air. The only regret I have is that I will carry this deceit with me for the rest of my life.

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Celebrity post-baby bodies: part one

Sarah Jessica Parker
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Yappy dogs

Question:

I am really interested in getting a Pomeranian; however, I have been told they are a ‘yappy’ dog. Is this so and is it possible to train and change this characteristic?

Julie

Answer:

Pomeranians, like a lot of toy breeds, are famous for being yappy. They certainly are quite brave and protective little dogs and very confident, especially for their size. They are also very territorial and all these strong character traits can develop into dominance behaviour if allowed. Part of the problem with little dogs is that we can treat them like babies and spoil them. This says to a dog that they are in charge. If they don’t get firm leadership, they will most definitely take over!

However, they are intelligent and can be easily trained as pups to avoid problems associated with their relatively large egos! This involves obedience training early and teaching the puppy that you are the boss. This doesn’t need to be mean; in fact, very subtle things emphasise this. Teaching puppy to sit and drop for food treats is fun but also makes the dog act submissively towards their owners.

Giving and stopping attention at your initiation, rather than the dog deciding, is another way of remaining in control. Take the pup to puppy preschool to socialise them with other people and dogs. This is also very important to them learning they are not the centre of the universe and that not everyone is an enemy!

You cannot change their genetic personalities, nor would you want to. Pomeranians have a vibrant, bubbly personality, are full of life and as cute as anything. It’s a matter of gently reining them in when they get out of hand to teach them appropriate behaviour, dealing with any problems such as barking as they arise and understanding doggy psychology before you get one, so that you have the upper paw!

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Dry hair

Question:

I have just had my hair permed and now I find it a little dry. What is the best product to put on my hair to help nourish it?

Tania Atkins

Answer:

There are a number of over the counter treatments that you can buy to help nourish hair. My favourite is the VO5 hot oil sachet that you can use in the shower. Apply one every other wash.

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Seven-day meal planner

Judy Davie

In the following food plan please note that days are interchangeable but the meals are not. Drink no more than two caffeinated drinks a day and as much still and sparkling water as you like.

Weekly diet plan

Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday

Monday

On waking: 300ml water

Before breakfast: 300ml hot water with juice of ½ lemon

Breakfast: ½ cup fruit and oat bran cereal with skimmed milk, ½ cup pawpaw or papaya, ¼ cup blueberries, 100g low fat natural yogurt; mug of tea/coffee (coffee made from ground beans), skim milk, no sugar.

½ hour after breakfast: 600ml water

Lunch: 1 slice pumpernickel bread, 1 small can salmon in brine (drained), 1 medium tomato, 1tsp capers, 2tbs low fat cottage cheese and 1 cup baby spinach leaves. Season with black pepper and lemon juice.

½ hour after lunch: 500ml water

Snack: 6 raw almonds

½ hour after snack: 300ml water

Dinner: 1 small grilled chicken breast, ¼ cup pearl barley (cooked in low salt chicken stock), 1 small corn cob, ¼ cup red capsicum, 1 tsp pumpkin seeds, 1 cup watercress. Cook extra barley to eat on Thursday.

200ml warm skimmed milk sweetened with ½ tsp honey

Tuesday

On waking: 300ml water

Before breakfast: 300ml hot water with juice of ½ lemon

Breakfast: 2 slices toasted grain bread, 2 poached eggs, 1 tomato, 1 medium sized flat mushroom grilled (brushed with ½ tsp olive oil), ½ cup blueberries with 100g fat free natural yogurt; mug of tea/coffee (coffee made from ground beans), skim milk, no sugar.

½ hour after breakfast: 600ml water

Lunch: ½ cup canned lentils, 1 small cooked beetroot, 2tbs chopped walnuts, 30g goats cheese, 1 cup baby spinach leaves seasoned with 1tbs balsamic vinegar and black pepper; 1 skimmed milk latte coffee (no sugar)

½ hour after lunch: 500ml water

Snack: 1 green apple and cup of green tea

½ hour after snack: 300ml water

Dinner: 100g grilled fillet steak (all fat trimmed), 1 cup steamed broccoli, ½ cup dry roasted sweet potato, 1tbs slivered almonds (dry roasted), 1tsp olive oil, ½tsp mustard. Season with black pepper.

2 x 5cm pieces natural licorice

Wednesday

On waking: 300ml water

Before breakfast: 300ml hot water with juice of ½ lemon

Breakfast: ½ cup All Bran fruit n oats, skimmed milk; 1 kiwi fruit, ½ blueberries and 100g fat-free natural yoghurt; mug of tea/coffee (coffee made from ground beans), skim milk, no sugar.

½ hour after breakfast: 600ml water

Lunch: 6 pieces sushi, 1 cup miso soup

½ hour after lunch: 500ml water

Snack: skimmed milk latte; 1 rye grain savoury cracker, ¼ cup low-fat cottage cheese, 4 slices tomato, 8 slices cucumber.

½ hour after snack: 300ml water

Dinner: 120g chicken breast stir fried with 2 shallots, ¼ cup chopped capsicum, 4 asparagus spears, 1 cup bok choy. 100g buckwheat noodles, 1tsp soy sauce, 1tbs lemon juice, 1tbs pepitas, ½ tsp sesame oil and ½ tsp olive oil.

2 small squares dark chocolate

Thursday

On waking: 300ml water

Before breakfast: 300ml hot water with juice of ½ lemon

Breakfast: 2 small wholemeal pancakes (made with skimmed milk) with ½ cup berries (fresh or frozen), 120g fat free natural yoghurt, 2 tsp flaxseeds and a mug of tea with skimmed milk.

½ hour after breakfast: 600ml water

Lunch: 2 slices pumpernickel bread, 2 slices deli turkey breast, 2 tsp cranberry sauce, 1 cup rocket and ½ cup grated carrot, 1 red apple.

½ hour after lunch: 500ml water

Snack: skimmed milk coffee (standard size) and 1 spicy fruit roll biscuit.

½ hour after snack: 300ml water

Dinner: smoked trout with 1 cup steamed green beans, 1 cup English spinach, 1 large roasted tomato, 1tbs horseradish cream and ¼ cup cooked barley.

1 glass red wine

Friday

On waking: 300ml water

Before breakfast: 300ml hot water with juice of ½ lemon

Breakfast: 2 slices toasted grain bread, 2 poached eggs, 1 cup cooked spinach, ½ cup berries with 120g fat-free natural yogurt; mug of tea, skim milk, no sugar.

½ hour after breakfast: 600ml water

Lunch: small can tuna with salad made from 1 cup chopped parsley, 1tbs mint leaves, chopped cucumber, chopped tomato, garlic, 1tsp olive oil, 10 steamed green beans, 5 olives, 1/3 cup soaked burghul and lemon juice.

½ hour after lunch: 500ml water

Snack: 2 tbs mixed sunflower seeds, pepitas and sesame seeds and 4 prunes.

½ hour after snack: 300ml water

Dinner: ¾ cup chili beef and beans (made with canned tomatoes, chili, onion and kidney beans) with 1 cup shredded lettuce and 1 medium sized taco shell.

1 scoop frozen low-fat yogurt, 1 kiwi fruit and ½ chopped green apple

Saturday

On waking: 300ml water

Before breakfast: 300ml hot water with juice of ½ lemon

Breakfast: 2 slices grain bread toasted with 1 small can baked beans, mug of tea, skim milk, no sugar.

½ hour after breakfast 600ml water

Lunch: ¾ cup wholemeal pasta cooked with 1 clove garlic and 1 small red chilli in 1tsp olive oil, 6 cherry tomatoes cut in half, juice of 1 lime, 1 cup wilted rocket leaves and 1tbs grated parmesan cheese.

½ hour after lunch: 500ml water

Snack: skimmed milk coffee and 1 apple.

½ hour after snack: 300ml water

Dinner: Baked salmon served with mixed corn (1 cob), chickpeas, ¼ red capsicum and steamed broccoli.

1 rye crispbread, 1 tbs low fat cottage cheese and 4 dried apricots

Sunday

On waking: 300ml water

Before breakfast: 300ml hot water with juice of ½ lemon

Breakfast: ½ cup low-sugar, untoasted muesli, ½ cup fresh berries and ½ cup grapes, 120g fat-free natural yoghurt; mug tea/coffee with milk.

½ hour after breakfast: 600ml water

Lunch: Multigrain sandwich with sliced chicken, avocado, grated carrot, lettuce and capers.

½ hour after lunch 500ml water

Snack: one skimmed latte and 1 spicy fruit roll biscuit.

½ hour after snack: 300ml water

Dinner: 3 slices roast lamb (fat trimmed), ½ cup dry baked pumpkin, 2 small boiled potatoes, 1 large sweetcorn, 1tbs mint sauce and ½ cup steamed green beans.

1 glass red wine

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Spinal cord injuries

By Annette Campbell

One rainy day late in 1985, Kelly McCann’s life changed forever.

“Mum was just driving home from the shops when the car went out of control and into another car,” Kelly explains. “My older brother Kevin died and I suffered severe spinal injuries. I’ve been a ventilated quadriplegic ever since.”

Kelly was only three at the time, and says she’s never known any other life.

“In some ways that’s been a blessing, but sometimes not,” she adds. “If it had happened later in life, I’d know what I’d lost straight away. But I’m just finding out what I’ve lost, now.” Kelly, now living with her father near Campbelltown, west of Sydney in NSW, is proud to be an ambassador for Spinal Cord Injuries Australia. And she certainly is a phenomenal role model.

“I do most things — it’s just a matter of finding a different way,” she says. “And even though there are people there to help, at the end of the day it’s you who does it.”

Kelly went to a specialised school at first, but was integrated into a normal public high school. Since finishing school, Kelly’s travelled (with three nurses) to the US and Europe.

“At one stage I was told I couldn’t travel, but I did,” she smiles. “Before I travelled I was angry at the world and at everyone. But after seeing how a lot of other people are living, I started to think: ‘What have I got to complain about?’ I know people care for me. The experiences I had overseas really opened my eyes.”

Kelly’s even had a go at surfing.

“I was helped to catch a wave … it was great!” she beams. “I fell off, though, and gave everyone a heart attack — myself included!”

Kelly’s also been studying counselling for the last three years. “I’m hoping to be able to help others with disabilities and give them some tools to improve their lives,” she says. “It means that I’ve done the hard work for a good reason — to help.”

Kelly has a couple of important messages for us all.

“I want to let people know that, whether you’re playing football or swimming in a river, something like this can happen in a flash,” she says. “One instance can change your whole life. I don’t want anyone to go through what I did.”

“Oh … and remember that we’re still normal people … just sitting down, that’s all.”

Spinal Cord Injuries Awareness Week is from November 14-20.

The focus of this national event is the prevention, care and cure of spinal cord injuries. Kelly is also an ambassador for the planned rehabilitation centre for people who have just acquired a spinal injury. To celebrate the planned centre there will be an open day on November 20.

Read more at: www.scia.org.au or phone Spinal Cord Injuries Australia on: 1800 819 775.

Picture posed by model.

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I forced my sister into an eating disorder

Growing up, my sister and I were close but very different. I was really into partying and the social scene. However, my sister had really low self-esteem and locked herself away with her school books for company. She used to tell me how sad she was and I took this to heart. I hated seeing her that way. I believed, and still do, that if you’re healthy, then that’s your best shot at happiness.

My sister used to come home and binge on a whole packet of six iced buns every afternoon. She never exercised and she was miserable. She was never paid any attention from boys but only because she shut them out with insults and attitude before they could get interested in her. It was her defence mechanism. She was overweight and had a bad case of acne. I believed this was all due to her bad eating habits and complete lack of exercise. So one day I decided to get her healthy.

I had to start by convincing her to want to be healthy. I told her about all the endorphins that are released when you exercise and how happy you can be just by going for a jog. I promised if she didn’t feel better after spending six weeks “doing it my way” then I would leave her alone to do her own thing.

I made her come jogging with me of an afternoon and though she hated it, I pushed her. I forced her to stop eating the way she did. She worked at a bakery and brought home masses of bakery food and I would just throw it in the bin in front of her, despite her whining. She started losing weight and looking good. Then she started getting into it. She liked exercising and eating right. She got her first date with a boy and came to parties with me. But then she just kept going. She started getting obsessed. She thought the more weight she lost, the more attention she would get. She turned nasty and self-centred. I tried to stop her by telling her she looked great the way she was, but it only went to her head and made her worse. I blamed myself for trying to change her. I just wanted her to be healthy.

My sister is still sick to this day. She gets worse at different times. I miss her so much, she isn’t the same person I knew and loved. I still think it’s important to try and encourage your loved ones to get healthy. For a long time there, she was really happy and healthy but it went too far. I don’t know what I should have done differently to help her stop at a good weight but I encourage everyone to not lose sight of their goals. A healthy body should be a number one priority, not getting “thin”.

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