My Collected Tweets

 

@StephenFaulds

 

 

1.1.15

 

It seemed like a good idea at the time but Edinburgh may regret that tattoo.

 

 

17.12.13

 

Writing is what writers do. There does not have to be a reason, reward or response. Writers will write anyway.

 

 

13.12.13

 

Writer's block is treading water in a sea of words.

 

 

12.12.13

 

The ability of words to create images in the mind of the reader should never cease to amaze the writer.

 

 

11.12.13

 

Writers are alchemists. When words connect with readers the true magic of writing begins.

 

10.12.13

 

 

Writers are people who are fascinated by words. Words and life.

 

 

9.12.13

 

Plot and time rarely have a straightforward relationship. A simple linear narrative is too transparent for most readers.

 

 

7.12.13

 

A first person point of view character is a fish eye lens through which the reader views an imagined world.

 

 

6.12.13

 

Learning to write is like learning to swim. The mechanical strokes give way to buoyancy and fluid movement through the water.

 

2.12.13

 

All writing is fiction. Reality is what happens. Words follow with a reality of their own.

 

A novel is a window to a world the writer has visited in his mind.

 

 

30.11.13

 

Writers are investors in humanity. Their currency is the human condition.

 

 

28.11.13

 

A story is an imagined life embedded in reality. Without reality a story has no meaning. 

 

 

27.11.13

 

A narrative can be as short as one sentence. In its simplest form, a story is the movement of an idea through change.

 

26.11.13

 

Rewriting is the art of removing foliage that does not enhance the flower.

 

 

24.11.13

 

Writing is just reading a story as it is written.

 

 

23.11.13

 

Stories make more sense than life because stories have endings.

 

 

22.11.13

 

Writers go where they themselves fear to tread.

 

 

20.11.13

 

A story is an event in words.

 

19.11.13

 

Writing is a commitment of ideas.

 

 

18.11.13

 

When you can write what has never been imagined before you are creating a new world.

 

 

17.11.13

 

Books don't change the world but they influence the people who do.

 

 

14.11.13

 

A writer is interested in how his ideas will fit other lives.

 

13.11.13

 

Writing is an exploration of subconscious ideas using the sonar of language.

 

 

12.11.13

 

A writer who doesn't write could very well have a brain burst from excess words.

 

 

11.11.13

 

What makes a person a writer is the compulsion to translate experience into words.

 

 

10.11.13

 

A book cover is a window.

 

 

9.11.13

 

A Writer is a pedestrian on a busy street.

 

 

8.11.13

 

Writing that scares the writer excites the reader.

 

 

7.11.13

 

Writing connects your mind to other realities. Reading does the same from a different direction.

 

 

5.11.13

 

What I write is what I write. What I edit is up to me ... and others.

 

4.11.13

 

Good writing surprises even the writer.

 

1.11.13

 

Writers have days off when they just think about writing.

 

31.10.13

 

A scriptwriter must hear dialogue as he writes.

30.10.13

 

Writing style is the movement of words around meaning.

26.10.13

 

If you didn't want your personal characteristics embedded in an archetypal evil character you should have behaved better with the writer.

 

25.10.13

 

Writing beyond your comfort zone is scary, dangerous and rewarding but the real fear, risk and reward are in publishing it.

 

20.10.13

 

The deeper a story is hidden in the Writer's psyche the longer it takes to write.

  

19.10.13

 

Never underestimate the influence of the full moon on your writing. It is not just werewolves who draw power from the lunar cycle.

 

18.10.13

 

Sometimes a writer has to return to old ideas to discover himself.

 

17.10.13

 

An unfinished novel is the doorway to a garden that was never fully explored. At the end of the path there may be another treasure.

  

16.10.13

 

Returning to rewrite a first draft is like moving into a hastily built house that needs renovating.

  

15.10.13

 

Imperfect writing from the heart is more engaging than perfect writing from the mind.

 

13.10.13

 

Writing maturity comes when you stop trying to please readers and markets and write to honour your stories.

 

12.10.13

 

Writing  without publishing is like singing in the shower.

 

11.10.13

 

Oppositional people have a deep-seated need to be ignored.

 

A writer is an alchemist transforming ideas into words and words into stories.

 

10.10.13

 

Writers never rest. They are continually translating life into story.

 

9.10.13

  

Writers are terrorists. They attack ideas with words.

8.10.13

 

When you talk to a writer, be careful what you say. It may be taken down and used as evidence for a character.

  

7.10.13

 

A writer with ideas is armed and dangerous. Don't leave him alone. He will rewrite the history of the world.

 

6.10.13

 

A reader follows the journey of a writer without the detours and dead ends.

  

5.10.13

 

If a writer writes a novel and nobody reads it, is it a novel?

 

 

1.10.13

 

A playwright has to trust a director to move the actors in ways that are compatible with the dialogue and motivation of the characters.

 

 

28.9.13

 

Punctuation is the musical score of a story. It should be used sparingly to guide the reader into the rhythms of the prose.

 

 

27.9.13

 

The imagination is full of invisible threads. The writer finds them and makes them visible.

 

 

26.9.13

 

Writing humour is the art of concocting little surprises to ambush the reader from behind ordinary words.

 

25.9.13

 

Writing is just words, until somebody reads it.

 

23.9.13

 

A writer journeys through words to destinations of the mind.

 

22.9.13

 

A reader follows the writer's journey with the same footsteps though different eyes.

 

A story is nothing more than a window to this world or another.

 

A story is what life tells itself when we are listening.

 

18.9.13

 

Stories divide the random universe into portions that can be digested by the mind.

 

16.9.13

 

A writer does not mind being alone because he always has words for companions. 

 

 

14.9.13

 

Writing is a journey between experience and understanding. 

 

13.9.13

 

Writing is remembering things that never happened.

 

 

12.9.13

 

To a writer, reality is not inviolate. It can be imagined and re-imagined.

 

11.9.13

 

Writing doesn't turn a fantasy into reality but it does create something that is real.

 

10.9.13

 

When the world doesn't seem fair, keep writing.

 

 

9.9.13

 

When the world makes no sense, just keep writing.

 

 

8.9.13

 

How long before we have t shirts saying Don't blame me I didn't vote for Tony Abbott?

 

 

Writers bring the past to the future.

 

7.9.13

 

As a scriptwriter, I create dialogue as the framework around which action can be constructed.

 

Vote for Tony Abbott. Evict him from the Big Brother house.

 

6.9.13

 

Theatre is the novel of the public place.

 

 

4.9.13

 

A writer is one who receives and gives the gift of story.

 

 

3.9.13

 

The cult of celebrity: People filling their meaningless, empty lives with the lives of those whose lives are filled with the meaningless.

 

 

Writing is both craft and art. Passionate expression requires disciplined editing.

 

 

31.8.13

 

Life is sometimes a distraction for a writer. He has too many other lives to think about. Characters can be more demanding than real people

 

 

30.8.13

 

A writer can have many voices. Every genre requires a different voice. Every forum requires another.

 

 

29.8.13

 

Vindication: when a reader or a reviewer describes your novel precisely the way you would describe it.

 

 

25.8.13

 

Every day is full of new possibilities and that's where stories begin.

 

 

24.8.13

 

You can eat cake when you are writing fiction and not get fat.

 

23.8.13

 

There's something about Friday. It's gets better by the hour.

 

You can commit crimes while you are writing fiction and not get caught.

 

22.8.13

 

This election will be won by Rudd or Murdoch. Abbott can only come third.

#AusElection2013

Democracy by Media. Rudd versus Murdoch #AusElection2013

 

21.8.13

 

A writer feels naked without pen and paper.

 

 

19.8.13

 

Monday is the hardest day because you are going to work for a whole week.

 

Write first, ask draft questions later.

 

 

18.8.13

 

The writer's first task is to seduce the reader into suspending disbelief then he has to convince the reader to believe in what is written.

 

 

15.8.13

 

Ideas are icebergs. The writer examines the tip and gradually uncovers what lies beneath.

 

 

13.8.13

 

The first draft is a block of marble into which subsequent drafts are finely chiselled.

 

10.8.13

 

Story is the search for meaning that grows out of the narrative of people's lives.

 

 

 8.8.13

 

When the future is uncertain it must be imagined in stories

 

7.8.13

 

When the past is forgotten it must be reinvented in stories.

 

6.8.13

 

It is the responsibility of every generation to listen to the stories of the previous generation and ensure they are recorded.

 

 

4.8.13

 

The basic element of a story is the word. A journey is made of single steps. A story is made of single words.

 

 

1.8.13

 

The West Australian trash journalism: one angry man's opinion presented as a factual expose. 

 

 

21.7.13

 

A day spent wandering somewhere interesting - observing, making notes, sketching, photographing - is money in the bank for a writer.

 

 

20.7.13

 

Storytelling is the art of finding meaning in life, giving structure to random events and attaching significance to human behaviour.

 

 

18.7.13

 

Readers discover meaning from stories, which begin as mere possibilities in the minds of writers.

 

 

11.7.13

 

A collection of short stories is a series of windows. A novel is a doorway.

 

 

7.7.13

 

The remainder bins of book departments in chain stores are graveyards that scare me more than haunted cemeteries in the dead of night.

 

1.7.13

 

 

A writer without a pen is like a butterfly collector without a net.

 

 

26.6.13

 

Language is a tool for communicating with an audience. Story is a device for developing communication and engaging the audience.

 

 

14.6.13

 

People tell stories all the time, their own and other's. Only writers bother to write them down.

 

 

13.6.13

 

What can I write about that hasn't been written about before? If I worried about that I would never write anything. 

 

 

6.6.13

 

Writing a novel is a journey in instalments. You leave home for hours at a time to wander with your characters in a world of your imagining.

 

 

4.6.13

 

The Inner Writer is always working. When you are very still and quiet he will give you your next idea and tell you where to begin.

 

 

2.6.13

 

A prolific writer is a disciplined person who has made good use of a talent for words.

 

 

1.6.13

 

The best book titles are metaphors for the novel's theme. The best book covers are open doorways into the story.

 

 

31.5.13

 

A writer is someone who keeps writing.

 

 

22.5.13

 

There are three things that nurture a writer: reading, writing and experience.

 

 

21.5.13

 

Writing a novel is like putting a message in a bottle and hoping thousands of beachcombers find it on hundreds of shores.

 

 

20.5.13

 

Writing is the hieroglyphics of the imagination.

 

 

 

19.5.13

 

The person who dinged my bumper in a car park and didn't leave a note does not understand the Law of Karma.

 

 

When all else fails you can still write.

 

 

18.5.13

 

If you'd rather write an undiscovered masterpiece than a best seller you are definitely a writer.

 

 

16.5.1.3

 

I would love to hear Marilyn Manson sing John Lennon's Happiness Is A Warm Gun.

 

Tim Minchin: Elton John meets Tom Lehrer and Dave Warner.

 

 

11.5.13

 

A character begins life as a description. The reader suspends disbelief and creates a three dimensional person from the words of the writer.

 

10.5.13

 

 

Writing is an engagement with the mystery of human behaviour.

 

 

8.5.13

 

Why do I write? As Gertrude Stein didn't say: I write because I write because I write.

 

 

7.5.13

 

A first draft is like an adolescent full of promise. It needs the discipline of an adult writer to fulfil its potential.

 

 

6.5.13

 

Some stories seem to come almost pre-written as if from the ether but even those stories need polishing drafts.

 

 

3.5.13

 

I write to remember, I write to forget, I write to engage, I write to escape, I write to live, I will write until I die.

 

 

30.4.13

 

Writing is a place where a writer goes to create new places.

 

 

26.4.13

 

Don't worry about the truth. Keep writing. If you are writing from your heart the truth will emerge.

 

 

25.4.13

 

Writers are people who not only make sense of experience through words but actually understand it in words. 

 

 

21.4.13

 

Finishing a first draft is like finishing work on Wednesday. It's hump day, not Friday.

 

16.4.13

 

Life is not what you think it is. Life is what you think.

 

 

15.4.13

 

To begin writing a novel is to hear the sounds of distant music and to believe they are the first notes of a symphony.

 

 

7.4.13

 

Writers need to take time out to smell the flowers without describing their fragrance.

 

 

6.4.13

 

The sense of achievement in getting to the end of a manuscript is tempered by the fact that the first draft is only the half way mark.

 

 

5.4.13

 

If you have forgotten something, ask a writer. He probably has it jotted down somewhere.

 

 

4.4.13

 

 

How do you get a moral society without the fear of religion or fascism?

 

 

When you do not have a pen or a computer and you begin trying to memorise your thoughts, you know you are a writer.

 

 

30.3.13

 

A writer should never worry about where ideas come from. Just be thankful. The Muse is sacred and not to be disturbed.

 

 

25.3.13

 

Characters are like actors. They are not on stage to look pretty. They are there to have conflict with other characters.

 

18.3.13

 

Still living on a old rock near a ball of flaming gas.

 

14.3.13

 

Why are all these Catholic women walking around saying 'I wanted the Brazilian?'

 

 

11.3.13

 

Characterisation is getting to know the people in your stories. If you know your characters they will become believable to the reader.

 

10.3.13

 

Plotting is working out how to get to the end you have devised without letting the reader imagine it before they finish reading the book. 

 

10.3.13

 

Plotting is working out how to get to the end you have devised without letting the reader imagine it before they finish reading the book. 

 

 

2.3.13

 

Good writing transcends genre. It appeals to all readers.

 

27.2.13

 

Writing is time filled with words.

 

 

22.2.13

 

 

Writer’s block is like muscle cramp. If you massage and stretch immediately it won’t set in.

 

21.2.13

 

Writer’s block comes from the irrational fear of being unable to write. Let go of the fear and the writing will come.

 

20.2.13

 

Good writing is one step ahead of the writer’s mind.   

 

19.2.13

 

Writing brings the unknown into the known. It defines the undefined and gives shape to the formless.

 

18.2.13

 

I write to fill the spaces in the outer limits of my mind where I would otherwise stare as if into the great unknown.

 

26.1.13

 

A story is a taste of life.

 

 

25.1.13

 

 

Life is uncut fruit. Stories are the flesh within.

 

24.1.13

 

I tell stories about others in order to understand my own story.

 

 

23.1.13

 

 

If you tell a story to a writer it will become the writer’s story. 

 

 

22.1.13

 

 

A single life contains many stories.

 

 

21.1.13

 

 

The story of my life will be told in my stories of others.

 

20.1.13

 

Two stories of one event will always differ.

 

19.1.13

 

Fiction has truth that real life cannot reveal.

 

18.1.13

 

Stories can rewrite histories.

 

 

17.1.13

 

Writer’s block is an eclipse of the imagination moon.

 

16.1.13

 

Writers dwell in a twilight zone between experience and imagination.

 

 

15.1.13

 

 

When something is not ready to be written it gestates in the subconscious until it is ready to inspire the writer.

 

 

14.1.13

 

 

There is possibly some mysterious, metaphysical connection between inspired writing and coffee.

 

13.1.13

 

Writers use words to unlock the reader’s imagination.

 

 

12.1.13

 

 

Writers are the travel agents and tour guides of the mind.

 

 

11.1.13

 

When life is not as exciting as it could be, a writer just invents another one.

 

10.1.13

 

 

A writer must be boringly disciplined before earning a licence to be creative.

 

8.1.13

 

Travel allows a writer to explore new description.

 

 

7.1.13

 

 

It is good to have a purpose to your writing but it is vital to have a purpose to your rewriting. 

 

6.1.13

 

Write about life but keep living it at the same time.

 

I am not a drunkard, I am a drinkard

 

 

 

5.1.13

 

 

Write for your Muse because without her you will have nothing to say.

 

4.1.13

 

 

Write for the Reader because you want to be read.

 

3.1.13

 

Write for yourself because the Reader is hypothetical.

 

 

2.1.13

 

 

Writing as we know it may one day cease to be practised but ideas will always flow from the minds of writers in some communicable form.

 

 

1.1.13

 

 

 

You may not have written anything since last year but you can start writing now and not miss a day of this one.

 

 

31.12.12

 

 

All writers should have same New Year resolution: write something every day.

 

 

30.12.12

 

Writing is the pursuit of ideas in the form of words.

 

 

29.12.12

 

 

Considering the population of the world is it asking much to have a best selling novel? It only takes the population of one small city.

 

 

28.12.12

 

 

When characters develop a relationship they can determine the plot.

 

27.12.12

 

The story of humanity is a multitude of lesser stories.

 

 

26.12.12

 

 

How many writers can aspire to having their stories remembered in two thousand years time?

 

 

25.12.12

 

Christmas exemplifies the power of storytelling.

 

 

 

24.12.12

 

 

Writers travel to the past and the future to discover the meaning of the present.

 

 

23.12.12

 

The past, present and future are a seamless continuum where the writer discovers ideas relevant to all three.

 

 

22.12.12

 

Good dialogue reveals the rhetorical answers in conversations.

 

 

 

21.12.12

 

‘Heaps’ is best used to describe things that can be heaped, like sand and sugar.

‘and stuff’ is not etcetera.

‘Like’ is not a comma.

Listening to rhythms and silences is the key to writing good dialogue.

 

 

20.12.12

Readers want the familiar described in unfamiliar ways.

 

 

19.12.12

Writing style comes from the narrative voice. In third person point of view it is rhetoric, in first person point of view it is character.

 

 

18.12.12

The reader sees with the eyes of the writer.

 

 

17.12.12

 

A character should be embedded in setting like a plant in soil, not just supported but nourished by it. 

 

The aspiration to write fiction must be accompanied by dogged persistence and the ability to absorb frustration. 

 

 

14.12.12

Words are like piano keys beneath the fingers of a writer.

 

13.12.12

Fictional characters enable us to understand real people.

 

12.12.12

Reality is rarely plotted as well as a good story.

 

 

9.12.12

Biological metaphor for writing: a word is a molecule, a paragraph is a cell and a novel is a living organism.

 

 

8.12.12

Writing is a link between two minds, the writer and the reader.

 

 

7.12.12

Writing is a means for the over-imaginative to avoid insanity.

 

 

 

6.12.12

 

Sometimes past events write themselves as if they actually happened in words.

 

 

5.12.12

Writers are often disguised as normal people but there are usually tell tale signs such as a tendency to be excited by mere words.

 

 4.12.12

The interesting thing about writing fiction is how often you encounter reality.

3.12.12

Writing fiction is like taking a walk in some enchanted forest full of strange encounters and surprising events.

2.12.12

Writing is not an obsession, it is a way of life.


1.12.12

Some people don’t know the difference between having an opinion and actually knowing something.

Only inspiration can transform the craft of writing into the art of literature.



30.11.12

If you examined the qualifications of all the world’s best writers you would probably find nothing in common but the urge to write.


29.11.12

If you haven’t written in the dead of night with your heart on fire, you are not a writer.


28.11.12

According to the latest research, earlier research was wrong.

If you were a writer and a golfer, now that would be an affliction.


27.11.12

Write for the line, not the page.


26.11.12

The second draft is a revelation of how imperfect the first draft was.


24.11.12

A writer not writing is a fish not swimming.


23.11.12

That feeling of being lost in a book is only available because the writer found a way out.


22.11.12

A writer staring at a blank page sees images appearing in his mind.

A deadline can open the chakra of inspiration or close it with fear.


20.11.12

The opinions of characters are not necessarily those of their author.


18.11.12

I wonder if any of the great novels had not been published, how many editors would reject them now.


15.11.12

One difference between good writing and bad writing is the interconnection of ideas, the seamless sense of their belonging together.


13.11.12

When you hear a character talking in your head, don’t interrupt. Wait for another character to answer.


12.11.12

Anyone who has enjoyed reading a novel is a potential writer.


11.11.12

Write with passion, rewrite with intelligence.


10.11.12

Fictionalizing real people is a cunning art fraught with risk.


9.11.12

Inspiration is not an event it is a state of mind.


8.11.12

Writing is a process of transferring images from the mind of the writer to the mind of the reader.


7.11.12

A writer turns images into words. A reader turns words back into images.

Rejection by publishers is not as devastating to writers as characters refusing to speak to them. 


5.11.12

You might win the argument but a Writer has valuable material that can be used later.


4.11.12

Sometimes inspiration passes through the room like a ghost. If you don’t start writing the idea is gone.


2.11.12

The West Australian FREE TO PARTY headline for Rayney acquittal. http://www.stephenfaulds.org/stefau3/?p=26 

The West Australian FREE TO PARTY headline for Rayney acquittal. Sour grapes journalism from a newspaper that judged him guilty

Don’t judge a first draft until it is complete.


1.11.12

Imagine you are your character but never imagine your character is you.


31.10.12

Time to let the story go where it wants to go, formerly known as writer’s block.


30.10.12

The conversations of characters should be integral to the narrative.


29.10.12

Writing is a solitary activity that leads to social engagement.


28.10.12

A novel is a portal to a place where a writer has been.


27.10.12

There is a storyteller in every social group. They turn their experiences into entertainment.


26.10.12

Starting to write a new novel is like arriving as a tourist in an exotic, unfamiliar location.


25.10.12

We all experience reality but embellishment is what makes a story.


24.10.12

The people we listen to socially are not the conversationalists but the storytellers.


23.10.12

We understand others by seeing their lives as narratives.


21.10.12

When handwriting is completely subsumed by electronic processes, will writing still be called writing?


20.10.12

The last line of an unfinished manuscript is the first thing in a writer’s mind.


19.10.12

Most people in real life are not interesting enough to be characters in a novel otherwise they would end up in biographies.


18.10.12

A writer’s mind is an Aladdin’s cave guarded by the genie of imagination.


17.10.12

Ignorance is a dangerous knowledge.

The Good have nothing to fear from a writer. Only the Bad and the Ugly would wish not to appear in a novel.


16.10.12

A novel is where a writer’s mind went.


15.10.12

A reader enjoying a novel is having a relationship with the writer.


14.10.12

A poem is an idea impersonating a random collection of words.


13.10.12

Love burns through the heart of a Poet leaving a trail of words.


12.10.12

A story is a trail of words leading to an emotional experience.


11.10.12

Good fiction is driven by truth.


10.10.12

The film adaptation of a novel is a good metaphor for what happens inside the reader’s mind when they read a story.


8.10.12

Life is what happens. Stories are what could have happened.


7.10.12

Realism is a seamless interaction between characters, setting and the real world.
 

 

 

6.10.12

 

Characters may arise from the writer’s observations of real people but once they are in a story they take on a life of their own. 

 

 

5.10.12

 

Words were already powerful before they gained instant access to millions of electronic devices.

 

 

4.10.12

 

I wonder if Gutenberg ever imagined millions of books.  

 

 

3.10.12

 

If that first caveman, scratching on a cave wall could see writing now.

 

 

2.10.12

 

Some things get into a writer’s head and just have to be written out.

 

 

1.10.12

 

If I didn’t have pen and paper or a keyboard I would be writing in my head. 

 

 

30.9.12

 

It is narrative that gives meaning to life and fiction.

 

 

29.9.12

 

There is a special Muse who translates reality into fiction. She holds nothing sacred.

 

28.9.12

 

 

On a car rego plate: WATEVER Doesn’t even care how it is spelt. That is whatever.

 

 

An effective plot should consist mostly of what your character does not want.

 

 

27.9.12

 

Writing narrative driven by character is like riding down a hillside without brakes. 

 

 

26.9.12

 

Some people in positions of authority are leaders. Others are just bureaucrats. 

 

 

25.9.12

 

A life must become a story to be of interest to others.

 

The difference between reflective journaling and autobiography is the element of narrative. 

 

 

24.9.12

 

When all else fails, keep writing.

 

 

23.9.12

 

When in doubt, write.

 

 

21.9.12

 

Narrative without dialogue is like fish without chips.

 

 

20.9.12

 

Dialogue is narrative with the descriptive bits cut out.

 

 

19.9.12

 

Playwrights create dialogue and actors use it to tell stories.

 

 

18.9.12

 

A script is a blueprint for a group of collaborative storytellers.

 

 

17.9.12

 

Imagine rewriting your life as if it was just a draft manuscript.

 

 

16.9.12

 

I sometimes wonder if writing is simply following a trail of words to uncover a story that already exists. 

 

 

15.9.12

 

Fantasy readers who rubbish Tolkein are like people who criticise Shakespeare for his cliches.

 

 

A good review doesn’t praise, or flatter. It identifies exactly what the writer tried to achieve.

 

A good review is more rewarding to a writer than a royalty payment. Especially if he's not getting many royalties.

 

 

14.9.12

 

A good review is more rewarding to a writer than a royalty payment. 

 

 

13.9.12

 

Fiction is the reality of a writer’s mind.

 

 

12.9.12

 

Verbs are the powerhouse of narrative and adjectives are the rudder.

 

 

11.9.12

 

Drab locations and boring people can be transformed by good prose. 

 

 

10.9.12

 

When you need metaphors for your writing, pay attention to your dreams.

 

 

9.9.12

 

When you put strong characters in well constructed settings they begin to tell a story.

 

 

7.9.12

 

Large shopping centres and malls are the cathedrals of Materialism.

 

 

6.9.12

 

Changing a character reaction can reroute an entire story.

 

 

4.9.12

 

Descriptive writing transforms images into words so that readers can transform them back again.

 

 

3.9.12

 

Thinking is to writing as the ocean is to a wave breaking on the shore. 

 

 

2.9.12

 

Writing, like any creative act is an intensely personal process that ultimately becomes public. 

 

 

31.8.12

 

Good writers avoid clichés. They aspire to write things that will become clichés. 

 

 

30.8.12

 

Write fast, revise slowly and proof continuously.

 

 

29.8.12

 

Write on the crest of an imagination wave.

 

 

28.8.12

 

Imagine what you haven’t written.

 

 

27.8.12

 

Being a writer is the only way I can justify my schizoid state of mind.

 

 

26.8.12

 

With Writer’s Block you can no longer see the invisible.

 

 

25.8.12

 

Writing appears on the page like condensation on glass - it’s source, the mysterious, invisible vapours of the mind. 

 

 

24.8.12

 

We write because thoughts desire to become immortal. 

 

 

23.8.12

 

The story is in the detail and the telling.

 

 

22.8.12

 

Autobiographical writing is a process of recovering the things you didn’t know about your life.

 

 

21.8.12

 

The interaction between plot and character creates narrative tension. 

 

 

20.8.12

 

When a character dictates plot, you know your characterization has been thorough.

 

 

17.8.12

 

Inspiration is a kick-start pedal, not an engine.

 

 

16.8.12

 

An artist uses line and tone to create an image. A writer uses word and phrase.

 

 

 

14.8.12

 

The first reader to love your novel is the domino you are looking for.

 

 

13.8.12

 

If you love writing it is a vocation. If you have an instinct for marketing or the support of someone who does, it becomes a profession.

 

 

12.8.12

 

I write fiction to find truth. 

 

 

11.8.12

 

Having multiple characters inside your head as you write is at least slightly schizoid.  

 

 

10.8.12

 

In Writer’s Hell there is no writing.

 

 

9.8.12

 

In Writer’s Heaven there is an editor who knows exactly what a writer is trying to achieve and what the reading public want to read. 

 

 

8.8.12

 

Writing is controlling the karma and the destiny of your characters.

 

 

7.8.12

 

Unlike real life, in a novel you can go back and tweak the events to create an entirely different outcome.

 

 

4.8.12

 

The West Australian bias: Raney prosecution story dominated for a week. Defence case begins and is relegated to page 51.

 

Write into the empty space of the line where words magically appear.

 

 

3.8.12

 

Writing exists in a void until it is read.

 

 

2.8.12

 

If lying is to be punished by imprisonment then at least half of our #politicians should be in jail.  

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/14420341/teacher-sent-to-jail-over-lies/

 

 

The best characters are a synthesis of persons known and imagined.

 

 

31.7.12

 

Writing dialogue is a listening process – listening to conversations in your head.

 

 

30.7.12

 

A story is an agreement between the reader and the writer.

 

 

29.7.12

 

A manuscript is merely words and paper. A story is created by the reader from what the writer has written.

 

 

28.7.12

 

Being an imaginary autobiography, first person narrative requires a well-conceived character with a highly developed fictional history.

 

 

27.7.12

 

When phrases appear fully formed in your mind you know you are engaged with your subconscious, the source of all good writing. 

 

 

26.7.12

 

The early writer gets the word.

 

 

25.7.12

 

A writer trusts words to trigger electrical impulses in the brain of a reader, which correspond to the meaning he wants to communicate. 

 

 

23.7.12

 

A fish lives in water and swims. A writer dwells in words and writes.

 

 

22.7.12

 

Being a good writer may mean being inadequate in other fields of endeavour.

 

 

21.7.12

 

When crossing the dividing line between conventional syntax and individual style, a writer must maintain communication with the reader. 

 

 

20.7.12

 

There are times in the writing of a novel when you wonder: Is anyone else ever going to care about these characters?

 

 

 

19.7.12

 

The relationship between what is imagined and what is real in a novel cannot be quantified by mathematicians. It is a seamless blend. 

 

18.7.12

 

A story is like a swimming pool. The reader swims from one end to the other. The swimmer is wet but the pool does not lose any water. 

 

 

17.7.12

 

It is amazing how frequently truth emerges from fiction.

 

 

16.7.12

 

Writing is self-expression, thinking aloud, fantasizing, idea development, literary creation, prevention of madness or all of the above. 

 

 

15.7.12

 

I sometimes wonder if the words I have written were prearranged somewhere in the ether.

 

 

14.7.12

 

The shortest poem and the longest novel both begin with a single word.

 

 

13.7.12

 

On a good writing day I get lost in words.

 

 

12.7.12

 

I remember carbon copy typos when there was no delete function. 

 

11.7.12

 

If you are a fantasy writer keep a list of your typos. They might end up being useful words.

 

10.7.12

 

Writer hell. Do writers live anywhere else?

 

In writer hell a story cannot end.

 

In writer hell the delete function has a mind of its own.

 

Hell is personally designed, wherever you are. 

 

People don't live up to your expectations because you don't expect them to.

 

Writing unlocks the thoughts of imaginary characters and lets them think they are real.

 

 

9.7.12

 

Writing is a journey into the realms of both the possible and the impossible. 

 

 

8.7.12

 

What goes on in the mind of a reader should be of as much interest to a writer as a writer’s mind is of interest to a reader. 

 

 

7.7.12

 

A book opens a window for the reader. A review opens another window for the writer. Hopefully they offer the same view.

 

 

6.7.12

 

Twenty-six letters carry all the ideas ever expressed in the English language.

 

 

5.7.12

 

Words are the pieces of an unlimited number of jigsaw puzzle pictures.

 

 

4.7.12

 

Language is a tool for the expression of thought. Writing is a device for the recording of ideas.

 

3.7.12

 

Punctuation is secondary to syntax. Good writing directs the reader with its rhythm.  

 

 

2.7.12

 

Post-modernity and digital media have freed writers to manipulate written language to suit their style and purpose. 

 

 

30.6.12

 

A short story is a cup of tea and a chat with a writer.

 

 

29.6.12

 

A novel is a journey in the footsteps of a writer.

 

 

 

28.6.12

 

A novel is a complex metaphor – a story representing life. 

 

 

27.6.12

 

#thingsnottosaytoawriter

Is it an autobiography?

My nephew just got a big publishing contract and paid off his mortgage.

I don’t have one of those kindle things. Is it going to be published as a book?

 

 

Write like a mercenary hunting the enemy. 

 

 

The world is a pessimist's paradise. There are so many things you can worry about.

 

26.6.12

 

#agentsday May health wealth and prosperity come to the agent who discovers me.

 

Write like a detective seeking the facts.

 

 

25.6.12

 

Write fearlessly, like a warrior.

 

 

24.6.12

 

#authorday How many young writers realise their debt to James Joyce? As many as young songwriters who realise their debt to Bob Dylan? 

 

#BadWritingTips Use every font you can find.

 

Write like a child seeking the heart of a butterfly. 

 

 

23.6.12

 

 

#WhenIWasAKid I thought my daydreams would come true. 

 

#WhenIWasAKid I thought Brigitte Bardot would be the same age as me when I grew up.   

 

Write like an artist painting in the finest detail on the largest possible canvas.

 

 

22.6.12

 

When characters arrive in a story they should be noticed like actors walking on stage. 

 

21.6.12

 

Remove everything but dialogue from a novel and read it like a script to see how much of the story your characters are telling.  

 

 

20.6.12

 

Story is a Venn intersection of character and plot.   

 

 

19.6.12

 

See your characters as other characters see them.

 

 

18.6.12

 

A writer’s relationship with characters is similar to that of a director and actors. 

 

Like a director, a writer is an audience of one who sees the performance objectively and shapes it for dramatic purpose. 

 

 

17.6.12

 

There are some very good stories locked inside coffee beans.

 

 

16.6.12

 

Characterization is the art of balancing motivation, behaviour and consequences to complement plot.

 

 

15.6.12

 

Characters are the companions of a writer’s solitude

 

 

14.6.12

 

When I write a story I feel I owe it to my characters to find readers for them. 

 

 

13.6.12

 

A good story relies on the power of words. It should not need the audio-visual enhancement now available in ebooks.  

 

 

12.6.12

 

Words are kaleidoscope pieces fitted together to create images.

 

 

11.6.12

 

Characters, unlike people are designed to live forever. Creating someone who is going to live longer than you requires thought.

 

10.6.12

 

Good characters misbehave.

 

9.6.12

 

You have to spot typos when your brain isn’t watching.

 

The ability of the brain to construct meaning makes proof reading a never-ending task. 

 

 

8.6.12

 

Good writers let their characters make bad decisions.

 

7.6.12

 

The first line of a novel should bite the tongue like sherbet.

 

 

6.6.12

 

As a writer I can only guess how readers will respond to my words. It is very gratifying when they get the meaning I intended.

 

 

5.6.12

 

Words are like Trojan horses of meaning. They travel from the imagination of the writer to the imagination of the reader. 

 

 

4.6.12

 

If the imaginary world is engaging, the reader should see characters the way other characters see them.  

 

 

3.6.12

 

If a picture is worth a thousand words a book cover must be worth a thousand novels.

 

2.6.12

 

Reader, welcome to the three-ringed circus of my mind.

 

1.6.12

 

Have idea. Will write.

 

 

31.5.12

 

Stories allow readers to recognize the unfamiliar.

 

 

30.5.12

 

Problems make characters.

 

 

29.5.12

 

A reader should initially find your protagonist familiar but then discover they are not what they seemed.

 

 

28.5.12

 

A writer must care more about his story than his characters.

 

 

27.5.12

 

Don’t let your characters get what they want.

 

 

25.5.12

 

A character driven story is likely to have a psychologically satisfying plot. 

 

 

24.5.12

 

Inside the mind of a well-conceived character there is a story waiting to be told.

 

23.5.12

 

Your cover is a metaphor for your novel.

 

22.5.12

 

The writer is the voice, marketing is the megaphone.

 

21.5.12

 

If you want your writing to have integrity you must keep the writing process completely separate from the marketing. 

 

20.5.12

 

Writing must be an end in itself because marketing is where you begin to sell your soul to the devil.

 

19.5.12

 

 

 

Your second draft should slash and burn.

 

17.5.12

 

Your first draft should take no prisoners. 

 

16.5.12

 

Why is it, people driving family sedans turning a corner a 25k lean over like racing car drivers?  

 

I rarely think of style. I just write the story the way it wants to be written.

 

15.5.12

 

The term Vanity Publishing is redundant. Self publishing is now a valid path to readers.  

 

Your writing style is your voice. It will vary if you have something different to say.

 

13.5.12

 

Conventional publishing is just a filter. The principles are the same for self publishing. Readers determine the success of writing. 

 

 

13.5.12

 

A novel is one small planet in the galaxy of a writer’s mind.

 

12.5.12

 

The link between writing and thinking is sometimes tenuous.

 

11.5.12

 

 

Writing is also reading something for the first time.

 

 

10.5.12

 

I hear words in the silence of my mind.  

 

 

9.5.12

 

If you can’t write well, don’t take writing lessons. Reading will show you technique. Life experience will give your writing substance.

 

 

8.5.12

 

Writing is a monster, devouring imagination one line at a time.

 

 

7.5.12

 

Writer’s block is …

 

6.5.12

 

A writer must learn to combine the unexpected with a logical outcome.

 

5.5.12

 

The way a character changes as a result of experience is the greatest challenge for the writer.

 

2.5.12

 

The writing of fiction began with the invention of the adjective.

 

 

1.5.12

 

When you allow a character to tell their story you have a partner in the writing process.

 

 

30.4.12

 

Sometimes a story has to find its own way.

 

 

29.4.12

 

In order to be a successful writer you need to be an astute observer of the human condition and be oblivious to rejection.

 

 

28.4.12

 

 

Writing is a cure for a rampant imagination. There is no cure for writing.

 

 

27.4.12

 

 

[Liliana Jansons: I want my own reality show. I think that'd be very fun. ] You are your own reality show.    

 

 

Writing is a cure for a rampant imagination.

 

 

26.4.12

 

Imagining who might buy your book starts with asking why you would buy it yourself.

 

25.4.12

 

Designing a book cover is an exercise in deciding what your book is really about and who might buy it. 

 

 

24.4.12

 

Words are just collections of symbols for sounds that trigger responses in the brain. How amazing is it that they can tell a story?

 

 

23.4.12

 

Words have an amazing power to take the reader into the world of imagination. A writer is privileged to wield that power.

 

 

20.4.12

 

If your characters don’t suffer they will remain insignificant and so will your story. 

 

As a writer you must care about your characters enough to make them suffer. 

 

 

GregHam. TheLand Down Under will always be a Men At Work song for me. The kookaburras in the park near my house agree.  

 

 

17.4.12

 

Allow your characters to explore their own world.

 

 

16.4.12

 

The last line of a novel must leave the reader satisfied but wanting more.

 

15.4.12

 

The first line of a novel must intrigue the reader with possibility.

 

 

14.4.12 

 

The name of a character is integral to the character’s journey. 

 

 

13.4.12

 

Finding names for characters is part of the process of discovering their personalities.

 

 

12.4.12

 

Know your character’s flaws as well as their strengths.

 

 

11.4.12

 

Know what your characters want and what is preventing them from achieving it. 

 

 

10.4.12

 

Dialogue, even in flawed characters must have purpose - it should move the story forward.

 

7.4.12

 

Read lots of first lines in good novels. 

 

 

 

Try a Radical Draft: rewrite a story completely with out referring to the original manuscript. 

 

5.4.12

 

Writer’s Block is just, not knowing where to look next. 

 

4.4.12

 

Setting + Character + Conflict = Story 

It is sometimes that simple.

 

 

3.4.12

 

The moment a writer lets go of a character, the story begins to unfold.

 

 

2.4.12 

 

It is motivation more than detail that makes a strong character. 

 

 

1.4.12

 

If I am criticized for the views of my characters, I don’t defend myself.  I am not my characters. 

 

 

31.3.12

 

Characters speak for themselves. They should not be mouthpieces for the writer’s own views. 

 

30.3.12

 

Conversations between characters can be very elucidating for the writer.

 

29.3.12

 

Script dialogue must be heard before it is written.

 

27.3.12

 

Listening is the key to writing good dialogue. It’s not the words, it’s the rhythm. 

 

24.3.12

 

The writer must live imaginatively in his setting to make it real for his characters.

 

23.3.12

 

Exposition is the art of sketching in the minimum required detail.

 

22.3.12

 

I've been to Twitter but I haven't been to me.

 

Characterization is like being Mister Squiggle. A few lines are gradually developed into a three-dimensional drawing. 

 

21.3.12

 

Plotting is discovering the inner potential of your characters.

 

 

20.3.12

 

The more backstory the writer leaves in his mind, the less for the editor to discard.

 

 

18.3.12 

 

Only a Reader can judge a Writer. 

 

14.3.12

 

Where the mind goes, the pen will follow. 

 

13.3.12

 

Fiction is a blend of the writer’s experience, research and imagination. It is none of the reader’s business, which is which.

 

Writing is where thoughts melt onto paper.

 

11.3.12

 

Writing is easy. Editing is hard. Marketing is the real challenge.

 

 

9.3.12

 

Why publish on Kindle? It doesn’t reject you.

 

 

7.3.12

 

I write religiously every morning for at least and hour and I write impulsively in stolen moments and spaces as often as I can. 

 

29.2.12

 

Some people can hear the ocean in a seashell. I can hear it in a wine glass.  

 

27.2.12

 

#2012 The movie was entertaining but it’s just another year.

 

#2012 Don’t be deluded. It is just another year.

 

It’s okay. #2012 was just a movie.

 

 

26.2.12

 

Those who care are the measure of our contribution.

 

18.2.12

 

There is a saying that everyone has a book in them. But do they have the perseverance to proof, publish and market it?

 

 

17.2.12

 

Writing is alchemy.

 

16.2.12

 

M S Dhoni:  A true sportsman as well as a great player.

 

ANZ shows a lack of moral fibre retrenching employees when in massive profit zone. They don’t care about the community that feeds them.

 

Your writing is a reflection of your state of mind.

 

 

15.2.12

 

Your state of mind determines the quality of your writing.  

 

 

14.2.12

 

Writing is the graffiti of imagination.

 

 

13.2.12

 

Writing is the hieroglyphs of thinking.

 

 

12.2.12

 

Write and the world reads with you. Read and you’re on your own.

 

 

11.2.12

 

Is retweeting a form of stalking?  

 

 

Write and the world reads with you.

 

 

10.2.12

 

Writing is quality time with yourself.

 

9.2.12

 

Behind actors, politicians, teachers, TV anchors, comperes,  comedians and advertisers there are writers.

 

8.2.12

 

In my next life I am going to be a marketing guru. In the life after that I will be return to being a writer. 

 

7.2.12

 

There was a time when writers only had to be concerned with writing. Now they have to be concerned with marketing.

 

6.2.12

 

#beeroclock  This is my thirst drink today. 

 

Writing is a tangible form of visualization. 

 

 

5.2.12

 

Let those without guilt cast the first aspersion.

 

Writers make words conform to ideas.  

 

 

4.2.12

 

Writing is the art of translating thoughts into grammar.   

 

 

3.2.12

 

 

Not drowning drinking. #beeroclock  #Friday

 

Write and the universe writes with you.  

 

2.2.12

 

Those of us condemned to mediocrity

Can rage in private moments

But tower only above those

Whose mediocrity is greater than our own.

 

Write now. Edit later. 

 

1.2.12 

 

Writing involves a lot of tunnel vision. 

 

31.1.12

 

Fiction has a reality of its own to which writers are beholden.  

 

28.1.12

 

Characters may tell their own stories but they don’t do plot structure very well. 

 

Stories often write themselves but they don’t proof themselves or write improved drafts. The writer has to do that. 

 

25.1.12

 

["Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."- Connolly]  Write for the public in you.

 

21.1.12

 

Tacos must be eaten with courage.

 

[reply Liliana Jansons The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live.]

The best way to prepare for death is to begin to live.

 

19.1.12

 

The best things to come out of the USA have been dominated by African Americans: Blues, Jazz, Soul, Funk, Basketball.  

 

18.1.12

 

[@theantijared I always forget what side the gas tank is on.] 

Just remember, it's on the other side.    

 

17.1.12

 

 [@GraceAndFaith4U #God is amazing! WATCHING GOD WORK ow.ly/8vxPx #Christian #blog #JesusTweeters #GodTeam]  

He didn't seem to be doing much on Sunday.  17.1.12

 

Anger is a weapon of self destruction. 

 

16.1.12 

 

Overweight people hate waisting food.  

 

14.1.12

 

@shottorijurke [Court: Okla. ban on Islamic law unconstitutional http://yhoo.it/yJw5U7] A Constitution is there to protect values. If it fails to do that it should be changed.   

 

@kirstendeanne [I have completely mastered the right way to do everything wrong.]  You should write a How To Do It manual.  

 

9.1.12

 

Seen at Bellarine – a fencing company sign on a fence that is leaning over in danger of falling – counterproductive advertising. 

 

21.12.11

 

[Life's not always fair.  Sometimes you can get a splinter even sliding down a rainbow. ~ Terri Guillemets ] If life was fair there would be no point. All the hard work would be done. 

 

18.12.11

 

#Life is sexist. #Life is not fair. #Life is not politically correct. 

 

[@grattonboy One half of the world will never understand the other half, and it doesn't matter which half you're in.] I hope there is another half that does understand.

 

17.12.11

 

When did #politicians ever have to show productivity for a pay rise? 

 

16.12.11

 

[nikkigogo12 Everybody wants to go to heaven; but nobody wants to die] 

Heaven is for those who die well. 

 

24.11.11

 

[Christine Knotts  Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.] Unless you are a bigger idiot than he is.

 

16.11.11

 

#apple Is it too much to ask for a simple word processor?  

 

15.11.11

 

 [@ian_blackley #moodyblues concert. Never had to line up for the toilet before. Must be all the #prostate problems :-)] All the silver foxes chuckling at the urinal.  

 

#MoodyBlues Perth 14.11.11 Brilliant! The song remains. Justin Hayward is the epitome of the reinventing baby boomer.  

 

#PeterRoebuck I hope you make peace with your dark side because you gave so much light to the lovers of #cricket.  

 

12.11.11  

 

 I thought yesterday was an elevenish kind of day.

 

6.11.11

 

[@Ohons If u look very carefully, U'll find that things that gives joy are the ones most people over looked ] Now I feel better about no one buying my books.

 

3.11.11

 

An emoticon does not change the meaning of a sentence. A smiley face with a negative comment = smiling assassin.  

 

2.11.11

 

#unrealsociety What’s wrong with the world is what’s wrong with the world. 

 

There will be no fair or humane solution to our refugee problem while the level of debate in Australian politics remains at an all time low.  

 

#auspolitics  Tony Abbott: Yes you did no I didn't politics. 

 

1.11.11

 

The tiny little Teahouse at five and a half thousand metres, with prayer flags streaming out to a pole on a rock cairn, is like a shrine to the ecstatic trekkers

 

The red walls of the gorge rise up from a dark, green pool in answer to the burning cerulean of the sky. 

 

Wind etched crenulations, ragged hieroglyphs of water and time-stunted trees scribbled on rock, deep lurking greens of shadow-cooled water. 

 

The bay is an artist's dream. A great sand spit half encircles the water as it rolls in from the reef to the estuary.

 

The bastards have torched his vehicle. He stands and watches for a moment then realises the danger and begins to sprint toward the road. 

 

Time is like a blunt axe. There seems to be so much to cut through.   

 

29.10.11

 

Laugh softly, the world is crying.

 

28.10.11

 

#politicalsniper It must be said: Tony Abbott is a spoiler.  

 

Tony Abbott might get the #LiberalParty to power on the backlash but he won’t be able to keep them there. 

 

13.10.11

 

#today Too many politicians and not enough leaders.

 

12..10.11

 

Don’t expect to be taken too seriously on twitter. Like you, everyone is here primarily to promote themselves. 

 

29.9.11

 

#auspol  Has the level of debate in Australian politics ever been this low before? 

 

28.9.11

 

It is important to realise that the majority of people on the planet have a different world view to your own. 

 

You are what you think

 

26.9.11

 

[@Arlenen1 Life, like a mirror, never gives back more than we put into it.] This explains why so many people find life less than they want it to be.

 

25.9.11

 

[Rachel Thompson Why do men fall asleep after sex? Why do chicks stay awake?]

Because men know and accept their limitations. 

Because she is waiting to hear if he mentions her in his sleep.

Because she wants to text someone about it.

Because he is snoring contentedly.

 

#afl  Photo ID entry to combat scalping.

 

RIP Another Australian icon #Fosters has gone overseas like #Vegemite and #Arnotts. 

 

#beeroclock The sale of #Fosters Australia’s Own Beer to a foreign company. Feels like a death in the family. 

 

24.9.11

 

Living is a health hazard.

 

20.9.11

 

Everyone should read the membership conditions before they join the human race. 

 

17.9.11

 

No one should ever make categorical statemtents.

 

13.9.11

 

#usopen "You're a hater, and just unattractive inside." Was Serena talking to her Freudian therapist? 

 

#usopen Serena showed us the ugliness of arrogance. 

 

#usopen Sam Stosur showed America what a true champion looks like. 

 

12.9.11

 

#samstosur #tennisaustralia  #usopen Not just to win but to do it with such grace, style and poise. 

 

#nineleven #nineeleven   Now, it’s time to let go America.

 

25.8.11

 

#bhp  #recordprofit Now share some of the wealth by investing in Australian industry. 

 

@artsqueensland I commend your courage in short listing David Hicks for the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards

 

24.8.11

 

#Gaddafi. Remember how they found Saddam Hussein?

 

#Auspolitics Win at all costs mentality. Abbott refuses paired vote to Crean. 

 

#politicalsniper  Petty for Abbott not to allow Crean a paired vote so he could attend Margaret Olley’s memorial service.

 

Petty for #Abbott not to allow #Crean paired vote so he could attend Margaret Olley’s memorial service in official capacity.  #Auspolitics

 

#davidhicks  There were no weapons of mass destruction.  

 

#davidhicks Why is the Australian Government still following the Bush line?

 

#davidhicks  Why are the Press still using that cropped photo?  

 

15.8.11

 

[A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. Ralph Waldo Emerson] A weed is a plant growing in the wrong place.

 

11.8.11

 

#londonriots Rights come with responsibilities. 

 

#londonriots Civil rights concerns for rioters? Some lawyers have no sense of decency.  

 

10.8.11

 

[@2011Census Is anyone feeling a bit shabby today? Maybe the result of a beverage made by one of Australia’s 6649 grape growers.] Yes but I didn’t see a place for it on the form.  

 

#2011Census Have you filled out your census form? If you haven’t you will be in a different statistic to me. 

 

#nofear Miracles and shit both happen. 

 

When #miracleshappen you give thanks. When #shithappens you deal with it. 

 

#afl Are there too many runners on the field?  Give the players handsfree sets so the coaching staff can communicate with them.

 

9.8.11

 

[@terresamonroe  If it wasn’t for the Tea Party we’d be rated BBB]  They were a great band! 

 

7.8.11

 

 The education system should be constructed like a maze so that only those who develop an acceptable level of critical thinking can exit.

 

Critical thinking is essential at every level of education and training.  

 

A carpenter once installed a sliding window for me and cut the sliding groove in the sill opposite the fixed part of the window. 

 

6.8.11

 

#cashforkidneys  A new form of cannibalism. 

 

5.8.11

 

[@reginaldcuffee If the democrats believe the republicans are wrong, & the republicans believe the democrats are wrong, who's right?] You need a Venn diagram to determine this.

 

["An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision." James Whistler]  That’s why arts grants don’t award hourly rates. 

 

[wordenreport should critical thinking be the criterion?] What else is an antidote to ignorance and apathy? 

 

reply  ... bit.ly/rsWwUN

 

4.8.11

 

The education system should be constructed like a maze so that only those who develop an acceptable level of critical thinking can exit. 

 

31.7.11

 

#Obama #USA Obstructionist Republicans need to acknowledge Obama inherited 8 years of Republican administration. 

 

22.7.11

 

My children's stories are aimed more at the parents who read them to their kids. 

 

21.7.11

 

You can give anyone a chance but if they can't put their follow where their tweet is just unfollow in five days. 

 

20.7.11

 

[@AuthorGuy It's really kind of tricky trying to write while avoiding cliches.] You have to use cliches before they become cliches, like Shakespeare did.

 

13.11.11

 

[@DeepakChopra Who am I? is the only question worth asking and the only one never answered.] My characters spend whole novels asking that question. 

 

11.7.11

 

[@youarelovedTSS How do you plan to be a difference maker in your world this week?]  Can't be planned. Has to come from the heart.

 

4.7.11

 

#twitteraddictsanonymous  I might just do a few retweets. 

 

3.7.11

 

[Desiree Healey In self-publishing this book is the only one that teaches authors what Not to do. http://bit.ly/bM24A1] Why would you want to learn that? 

 

2.7.11

 

#twitteraddictsanonymous I’ll just do a quick check on my mentions. 

 

A good review describes your book better than you can pitch it.

 

[@ABBUKA SAJJAD SYED Warning - The Apocalypse 2012 Is Coming Soon. The rest of the story is in the new Apocalypse 2012 Preparation Guide http://bit.ly/lOihWK] No need if you've seen the movie.

 

[@Annie_Fox  OMG! You just discovered your 12 yo downloaded porn. How do you have that "talk"?] Well, he has the illustrations

 

30.6.11

 

Diver left on reef by Cairns tour operator could have died. Given a restaurant voucher as compensation. Was it a seafood restaurant? 

 

27.6.11

 

@awakeningaimee A breath of fresh air in the twitterverse. 

 

[@Dorothyi84 “Does love really last a lifetime?”] Love might but loving not necessarily.

 

26.6.11 

 

[“Silence was never written down.” Italian Proverb] Perhaps it was never heard. 

 

[“Wit is the lowest form of humor. “Alexander Pope] Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. 

 

The problem is, we believe Miracles Happen but only to other people.  

 

[“Men want the same thing from their underwear that they want from women: a little bit of support, and a little bit of freedom.” Jerry Seinfeld] A lot of both. 

 

[“Every man gotta right to decide his own destiny.” Bob Marley] Every woman thinks she gotta right to change it.  

 

24.6.11

 

[@jkcoper945 “The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's”] You might need to take a poop scooper

 

23.6.11

 

[@SFMOMA “Today Ulysses enthusiasts are attempting to tweet Joyce's entire novel! Can this be art?” ]  It will probably take until next Bloom's Day to complete. 

 

 

22.6.11

 

Burka woman foul mouthing policeman: not a devout woman but a nasty person hiding behind the garb of her religion. 

 

No one has the right to be anonymous before the law.

 

We are each responsible for our actions and our identity. 

 

I support religious freedom but not immunity from the law.

 

Compromise, be humble but don’t let anyone take your bottom line.   

 

19.6.11

 

#twitteraddictsanonymous Haven’t tweeted for a while

 

#twitteraddictsanonymous I’ll just tweet for a couple of minutes.

 

#twitteraddictsanonymous I’ll just see if I have any messages.

 

#twitteraddictsanonymous  I wonder if I have any new followers. 

 

[@ABBUKA SAJJAD SYED Warning - The Apocalypse 2012 Is Coming Soon. The rest of the story is in the new Apocalypse 2012 Preparation Guide] Seen the movie. 

 

[@corkhilldan “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiam.”] Nothing positive at least. 

 

[@LeadToday “In Texas, it is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.] That's because you have to have the whisky and bourbon first.  

 

[“Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.” Mark Twain] That's because really great people are able to be ordinary at the same time. They make us  realise we have the same potential.  

 

18.6.11

 

@HyperPrognosis  Headache. Tumour. 

 

@HyperPrognosis   Heart burn. Heart attack. 

 

@HyperPrognosis Forgot what I came in for. Getting Alzheimers.  

 

#today Expression is valued more than respect.

 

#today Rights are considered more important than responsibilities.

 

#today Small change can be folded. 

 

"Not a day without a line." Van Gogh. Applies to Writers as much as Artists. 

 

"It is by sitting down to write every morning that one becomes a writer. Those who do not do this remain amateurs." Gerald Brenan  This is the first important step in writing. You don't begin to learn how to write until you take it.  

 

[@lennierosswrite  “All men initially approach women for one thing and one thing only, to flirt, look for an opening, and possibly get laid.]” Isn't that three things?

 

I guess if you want all three that's one thing.

 

17.6.11

 

[@KatInWilm #describeyourvaginawithamovietitle]  What about describeyourpenisasabook ? eg. Moby Dick 

 

[“Someone who tries to be everything but himself.”Steve Cushing Actor ]  or be himself through everything. 

 

16.6.11

 

Celebrated Bloom’s Day with a few pints of Guinness and a reading of Ulysses.

 

#beeroclock Have a Guinness for Bloom's Day. 

 

[@DonnaBaierStein “Proofing your #writing tip: read it out loud and also silently.”] Reading it to someone else is helpful.

 

15.6.11

[@FrancescaFohn89  “Everyone has photographic memory; some just dont have the film.” ]  Everyone has the files on their hard drive but not everyone can access them.

 

[@2learn2  “How come popcorn isn't a vegetable?”]  How come ice cream isn't a fruit?

 

13.6.11

 

#today "How to" no longer implies you know.

 

[“The less men think, the more they talk.” Baron Montesquieu] 

The more women talk the less men think. 

The more women think the less men talk.

 

[@DonnaBaierStein “A Desktop Butler That Knows How to File Your Documents For You http://bit.ly/kl6dR0”] But can he pour the wine? 

 

#today Merit selection is the new secret handshake.

 

[@thebookmaven “Hello everyone. My lizard brain does not want to acknowledge that it's Monday.”] Lie in the sun for a while. 

 

When education fails we have lost our soul. 

 

Miracles happen but we might not understand what miracles are.

 

#today people seem more concerned with perception than actuality.  

 

12.6.11

 

[@Dorothyi84 Which is better being too emotional or too rational?] Which is worse? 

 

[@Dorothyi84  Are you judgmental?] I'm no judge of that.

 

[jboyal5631 Thoughts are things.]  Amorphous things.

 

11.6.11

 

[@LeadToday Steve Keating  Not being wrong doesn't necessarily make you right.] Just unwrong. 

 

There are a lot of good quality tweets today.  Well done that man.  

 

[@GBizzo Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them. Cats like to play with their prey. That's kind of friendly. 

 

[@lennierosswrite #DatingTip: If you want to date someone glamourous and gorgeous, great! Just know that others will expect you to be the same,] This is a good reality check for fantasizers.

 

9.6.11

 

[@Dorothyi84  Do you give in to doubts? ]  Only if I'm not sure.

 

[@Dorothyi84  Wanting to change my looks. Clueless about where to get started.]   Start within. 

 

[@jboyal5631 Anything man can imagine, man can make real.] I thought it was: Anything man can imagine, woman can make real.

 

8.6.11

 

[Karla Bryant What does it mean if you laugh at people falling? 

It means your sense of compassion has become atrophied.

 

[Dorothy Guerrero What are your priorities? Family? Career? Success? Fame?] Yes. In that order.

 

Miracles happen but sometimes they aren’t the ones we are expecting. 

 

7.6.11

 

Miracles happen but sometimes we aren’t paying attention. 

 

6.6.11 

 

Miracles happen but they don’t always come wrapped in cellophane tied with ribbon. 

 

Miracles happen but they don’t always let you know they have arrived. 

 

Miracles happen but they aren’t always surrounded by sunbeams. 

 

3.6.11

 

twot (n) one who twitters drivel.

 

A philanthropist is someone who realises the money wasn't what they really wanted.

 

Without worthwhile goals we can seduced by success rather than meaningful achievement.

 

Success for the sake of success. Celebrity for the sake of celebrity.

 

[@Dorispkfg Doris Townsend beauty is only skin deep]  And skin is very thin.

 

#today Big, bigger, biggest. When the Beatles were big it was just because a lot of people liked them.

 

2.6.11

 

[@Marcome Don't be overly concerned with your weight, it's just a number. http://twitpic.com/1qgiz]  Don't be overly concerned with your figure, it's just a shape. 

 

[@kaitnolan Are you a sucker for a good amnesia story? Me too. How 'bout one with a paranormal flare! http://bit.ly/ceQP5U #Nook #Kindle] Don't remember that one.

 

It is difficult to differentiate genuine success from counterfeit.

 

1.6.11

 

#today Very few people today have the time to seek quality. They buy off the rack. 

 

#today How good you are is irrelevant. Success today is about spin. 

 

23.5.11

 

#rapture There can’t actually be a time or date for a worldwide event. Time is relative. 

 

#rapture Has nobody noticed I'm missing? 

 

22.5.11

 

Does anyone ever really listen? 

 

Does anyone ever really listen?  Pardon? 

 

[Aimee Pilz Have you ever fallen in love? How was it?] Exquisite while it lasted. 

 

[@KarlaTelega In case you haven't had a chance to check CNN, the world didn't end yesterday. http://telegatales.com/wordpress/?p=1069 #newblogpost #humor] Hopefully what ended were the careers of a few fanatical preachers and the illusions of the gullible.  

 

[@laziestbear Elise procrastinating as usual. what are you doing?] Haven’t made up my mind yet.

 

21.5.11

 

#rapture Are there any touts with tickets? 

 

[@JessicaNorthey Facebook: Because sometimes 140 characters just isn't enough :)]  Sometimes 140 characters is too much.  

 

19.5.11

 

[@BillyCoxLive  You cannot get to the top by sitting on your bottom. #proverb]

You do that when you get there. 

 

18.5.11

 

#sharialaw One law for all Australians.

 

#sharialaw In Australia we have religious freedom, we don’t need sharia law.

 

17.5.11

 

[@ozlemyikici Self-Publish or Not - That is the Question] If the dinosauurs don't have time to even read your work there is no alternative. 

 

7.5.11

 

[@Zen_Moments Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos. ~ Don Kardong] Without chocolate, there would be no love.

 

5.5.11

 

 @GetTheTruthOut [Obama: I won't release bin Laden death photos] The right decision.  5.5.11

 

[@JayThompson3PT .As Americans we deserve to see them pictures!!!! #Osama]  I hope most Americans deserve something better than that.  

 

[@M15011 Edgar Beltran this clueless twit still talking? @cnnbrk: Palin: Show #Osama bin Laden "photo as warning to others ... No pussy-footing around"]  Let's hope no one agrees with her twisted logic.   

 

[@mubeen1 ugh her again RT @cnnbrk Palin: Show #Osama bin Laden "photo as warning to others ... No pussy-footing around" http://on.cnn.com/iPNNPU]  If death was a warning to others we have all been warned many times. It ain't working.  

 

[@Toney_Sr Palin trying to get everybody killed. RT @cnnbrk: Palin: Show #Osama bin Laden "photo as warning to (cont) http://tl.gd/a8rk9j] Hers is the kind of attitude that got the whole thing started.

 

[@MediaMRS Whoa>RT @cnnbrk: Palin: Show #Osama bin Laden "photo as warning to others ... No pussy-footing around" http://on.cnn.com/iPNNPU]  That would be crass, stupid and offensive to ALL decent people. 

 

4.5.11

 

We have to see how others see us. That is the big problem for the US. We can’t disrespect a culture because of individuals.

 

#obama Now is the time to be a leader. Don’t appease the baying masses. Respect the dead no matter how evil we judge them to be. 

 

#osama Let the Press howl for blood ink and money. Don’t release the images.

 

#obama "the picture that includes the most recognisable image of OBLs face is so gruesome and mangled its not appropriate" ARE WE CIVILISED?   

 

#osama "the picture that includes the most recognisable image of OBLs face is so gruesome and mangled its not appropriate" ARE WE CIVILISED?   

 

#obama Please don't release the images of Bin Laden's death. Be better than that.   

 

#osama Don't release the images. That would not be helpful. 

 

3.5.11

 

Time is travel. 

 

2.5.11

 

[@ezyhelper Books: By the time a man learns to read women like a book, he's too old to start a library.]    It's never too late to browse.

 

[RadioDarkness I must be the only person on earth thinking #obamas death is no big deal? #nosuchthingaspeace the world will find a new enemy. Just wait.]  That's what history tells us. When we stop demonizing the people in our lives, perhaps nations will stop creating enemies. 

 

[@KateKendall Just found out what a tittle is.]  Jot it down.

 

1.5.11

 

[dirtywhitecandy Is a 7-page synopsis too long to send out? ]  If it isn't better than the first 5 pages of your manuscript, yes.

 

[stillsoul  Poetry can be heard in every beat of every heart.] Every beat of the heart is poetry.

 

[mariekehardy The man next to me just spilled red wine all over my dress. I think this is Jesus telling me I'm not supposed to be at the Logies].  Either it wasn't a good vintage or he doesn't appreciate good wine and beautiful dresses. 

 

[@thenumber42 Fact: There is no evidence that marijuana causes infertility in men or women.]  Certainly, no dope smoker's children have claimed this. 

 

Disturbing dreams always have a message.

 

[TracyClark_TLC by LaurieAbkemeier The dream that I was pregnant and that an attacking lion was on the loose is still haunting me. Totally NOT the lion part that was creepy.] You have something of value to give but you are afraid of exposing it to the wild world.  

 

27.4.11

 

[@pfloydean Love is a verb, love is a doing word, fearless on my breath] Unfortunately for many it is just a noun. 

26.4.11

 

“I hope I die before I get old.”This worried the babyboomers until they figured just change what it means to get old. Now 60 is the new 40. 

 

22.4.11

 

Can't draw? Sing.

Cant sing? Dance.

 

[2learn2 A very wise old teacher once said: I consider a day's teaching wasted if we do not all have one hearty laugh. Gilbert Highet]  I can't teach without humour. It stops me taking my wisdom too seriously.        

 

21.4.11

 

[@Future4Fina What do we think about books written in vignettes? Enjoy reading? Difficult to write?] Don't we live our lives in vignettes?      

 

[@sydneydante  I suddenly feel very lost] Finding yourself lost is the first step toward finding yourself.

 

11.4.11

 

[tconn Why am I watching the Masters? I don't even like golf ] We are naturally attracted to the pursuit of excellence in any form.

 

7.4.11

 

[Mayakovskij Have you ever woke up in the wrong bed?]  Yes, my own.

 

[@KOSMOSNET  Should BP Be Allowed Back in the Gulf?]  Should they be allowed back on the planet?

 

4.4.11

 

Dreams are your own Unconscious Mind talking to you.

 

 24.2.11

 

Argument is for those who need to be right, debate for those not afraid to be wrong.

 

Rules are for writers who don't trust their instincts.

 

12.2.11

 

[@lennierosswrite When a woman asks a man's opinion... a smart man is a silent man.] Agreement is usually the only opinion required. 

[@lennierosswrite except when it's "does this dress make me look fat" hard to win on that one] Then one should not automatically nod? I guess listening is required after all..

 

8.2.11

 

[@thecreativepenn Macmillan Increases e-Book Royalty Rates for Authors] The tide is turning.

 

30.1.11 

 

[@movefearlessly They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. ~ Andy Warhol] It takes time to change things.

 

Agent: “Do not query me if you already have agents reading your work.” 

Have you considered how much time goes by while a writer waits for a rejection before trying someone else? 

I left a novel with one enthused agent for a year then she changed her mind. 

 

“Breast implants still plagued by safety concerns.” (LA Times) 

 Blame air bag technology.  

 

27.1.11 

 

R.I.P. Claude Alberti. The Renoirs boys will be having a beer at Clancy’s today. 

 

24.1.11 

 

[@sydneydante “You know the storm is bad when your bus driver has to get out of the bus to see whats coming ...” ]   It's worse when your pilot does it. 

 

[@Kasparitto "I'm not on Facebook" is the new "I don't own a television"]

What you say about yourself is not who you are but who you think you'd like to be.    

 

Live the day and keep writing. 

 

[@mayakovsky“Ask me a question I can't answer.”]  What? 

 

 23.1.11 

 

[@elizabethscraig “What Happens to Your Blog When You’re Dead?”] Your immortality is put to the test.

 

Cynicism is the last refuge of boring people.  

 

22.1.11 

 

Let me know if you're ignoring me. 

 

I wrote my first poem when I was about 12. I have been writing seriously for about fifteen years.

 

21.1.11

[“Writing is thinking on paper”-William Zinsser]  It's also feeling on paper. And both on keyboard. 

 

["Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" John Lennon] 

So is death. 

 

20.1.11 

 

Why tweet? Is your aim to find meaningful dialogue or just attract a large number of followers? 

 

19.1.11

 

Writers Block: The cure is to give up writing then the compulsion returns. 

 

[@AYYSIAN There's only one part of your life that you can't change, your past.] Except by seeing it differently. 

 

[@katiesheadesign God gives every bird a worm, but he does not throw it into the nest. ~ Swedish Proverb] He hides it in the apple.  

 

[@katiesheadesign Success is simple. Do what's right, the right way, at the right time. ~ Arnold H. Glasow] Why didn't I think of that? 

 

9.1.11

 

[@thatblokesean “I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.”]  The password is yourself.    

 

28.12.11

 

[“The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.”  Tagore]

 The swooping bird just missing your front fender knows it has plenty of time. 

 

#shortstory SWEET FRUITS OF REVENGE  I have just finished tweeting my short story begun 24.10.10. I am wondering if anyone read it.

 

16.12.10

 

[NY Review of Books “There are many ways to measure a year, but the reader is likely to measure it in books.”] The writer is also likely to measure it in books.

 

2.12.10

 

Loving Phuket and the spirit of the Thai people.

 

22.11.10

 

StephenFaulds Perth Western Australia Writer looking for a publisher. I have tried giving up writing but it is an addiction.  http://stephenfaulds.com

 

19.11.10

 

I said Why do people keep repeating their tweets? 

 

Why do people keep repeating their tweets?

 

16.11.10

 

No one ever notices you when you are being ignored. 

 

14.12.10

 

[Kevin Kelly: In five years, all music in the world will fit in your pocket. Soon, all books in every language, in your pocket.] Not the music, just the sounds. Not the books, just the words

 

12.11.10

 

A publisher rejection is like having your child sent home from school because they had a personality clash with a teacher.  

 

7.11.10

 

[pfloydean Who says there's no moon on the stormy night?] Only those with no moon in their souls.  

 

[pfloydean [Olga K If you're in the #USA, don't forget the times, they are a-changin' ] They always have been.

 

[NiniBaseema  poets…already know that metaphor is the only way of understanding anything ]  Because everything is a metaphor.

 

[LeeHiller Can Sea Snakes Predict The Future? What About Hurricanes? Lottery Numbers?] Goldfish are good but you have to be able to lip read. 

 

[Jon Winokur Writing is very much like bricklaying. You learn to put one brick on top of another and spread the mortar so thick. RED SMITH] Sometimes I seem to have too much mortar.

 

6.11.10

 

[Apple iPhone alarm doesn't recognize switch from Daylight Saving Time] It’s smart. I hate daylight saving. If business people want to start earlier they can get up early. 

 

5.11.10

 

[fearofwriting Milli Thornton Twitter says I'm following 0 people & have 0 followers. Almost 1500 tweeple have been abducted! Crop circles are next!] Twitter is not real. It is only there when we believe it is there.

 

3.11.10

 

[SpiritPoet Paul Goldman The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost. Gilbert Keith Chesterton] The way to lose something is to love it too much.

 

[LoriMofreno “The world when seen through a little child's eyes, greatly resembles paradise.”]  Especially in a lolly shop. 

 

1.11.10

 

[JustUndRSurface Alas the little ones are beginning to arrive..so cute. #Halloween2010]

Smart fellow showed the kids a card trick. Got egged.

 

I learned to write while working on my third novel. 

 

Always install fresh ideas before writing.

 

[“Age is only a state of mind ... just Follow Your Dreams"] Unfortunately, age is also a state of body. Dreams pass their use by. That's why we have reincarnation

 

[“The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us.” - Bill Watterson] Whattya mean never tried to contact us? What do you think that beeping is? 

 

31.10.10

 

[“Your ideal writing space, what would it be?”] 

A sturdy treehouse overlooking a forest. 

A well lit bungalow on the dark side of the moon.

A lighthouse on a cliff, overlooking the sea. 

 

30.10.10

 

#unrealsociety When the family dog needs $600 dental treatment you realise Vets are using compassion as a marketing tool.  

 

Sometimes when I’ve had enough wine, I just want to have too much. 

 

29.10.10

 

#unrealsociety Now the octopus is dead we have to Ask the Goldfish.

 

[KMWeiland  “I enjoy new takes on old stories!”] Are there really any new stories? 

 

28.10.10

 

[“There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts. ~Richard Bach”] Of course gifts bring their own problems. 

 

[PenguinBooksAus Penguin Books Aus “Did you know on this day in 1885 the first porcelain toilet was built?”]   Percy was pleased. 

 

[“Though you may travel the world to find the beautiful, you must have it within you or you will find it not. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson”] Finding you, I know I am beautiful. 

 

["I hate people who steal my ideas before I think of them.” Anonymous] I hate people who are me before I get to be myself.

 

[@AuthorGuy “Twitter is great for writer training. It rewards you for not using passive verbs.]  Also great training for Editors: reading through lots of crap to find the gems.  

 

[@sarahw “This is a general shout-out to copy-editors. They are unappreciated, underpaid, and have to be nitpicky as all hell, but they are needed.] So nitpickers really are the important people. 

[@IrisBlasi “I find it hilarious when non-publishing people think editors have perfect grammar. There's a whole team of people who make us look good!”] Aha! I always suspected Editors were less than perfect.

 

26.10.10

 

[@LoriMoreno "Well-behaved women never make history."] Nor does history make women behave. 

 

25.10.10 

 

[“Every artist was first an amateur.” Ralph Emerson] But not every amateur is an artist.   

 

Life is imperfect.

 

#politicalsniper Let’s be honest about speed cameras: The safest speed is with the flow of the traffic. 

 

[“As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of  love with words.” Shakespeare] Amazon wouldn't want to hear that. 

 

23.10.10

 

[“Patience is the only strength you ever need.” Hindu Saying] And Writers need lots of it.  

 

[@lorraine_phill  “Don't worry about what you've tried and failed, think on what it is still possible for you to do.”]  The possible is the only real. 

 

[@chicohombre @tokeofthetown “LSD Guru Timothy Leary Would Have Been 90 Today”]  Far out! 

 

[@LoriMoreno “If You Really Want to Change Your Life, Begin Today, No Excuses.”] Put aside one hour to do what you most want to do.

 

21.10.10

 

#politicalsniper Radio National 20th: the Boss of Rio Tinto said “If you can’t trust the government, who can you trust?” A master of irony.

 

[@MAOrthofer “Salman Rushdie wrote Patrick White a fan letter -- and even got a reply”http://bit.ly/bBgaPs]  What makes that interesting is that Rushdie misinterpreted the reply. 

 

19.10.10

 

I am celebrating Octoberfest at a little German village called Pisthoffen. 

 

#mywriting  Regret: I didn’t start wallpapering my house with my first rejection slip. It would have been finished by now.  

 

18.10.10

 

#mywriting Writing is a lace pattern on the sand after the wave of thought has broken. 

 

17.10.10

 

#mywriting NORBETT THICKLE: Malformarin coveted secret Alchemical paraphernalia bequeathed to me by my parents. 

 

[@SarahHorne “Learned this morning that apparently feral colonies of wallabies have lived in england and scotland for years. Aww! :)” ] Not the only feral Aussies in the UK. 

 

[@SarahHorne “Day 24 of not drinking any alcohol.”]  For me, one AFD is Bronze, two is Silver, three is Gold.

 

15.10.10

 

New Delhi. The whole thing went off without a big bang.  

 

#mywriting Writing is foam on the sand after the wave of thought. 

 

14.10.10

 

#aussie Congratulations to the Hockeyroos and the Kookaburras for their inspiring victories at the Delhi Games. 

 

#unrealsociety A bottle of Casillero del Diablo Merlot to celebrate the rescue of the Chilean miners.  

 

11.10.10

 

#unrealsociety It is no longer 10.10.10. Watch out for 20.10.2010.

 

 

10.10.10

 

#mywriting A swathe of stars dives toward the crescent moon, trailing galaxies beyond measure. The thin lipped moon smiles.      

 

#unrealsociety Have list. Don’t worry.    

 

[@SpiritPoet “Happy Birthday John Lennon. This 'Working Class Hero' now knows the Truth: I am a 'Beautiful Boy' through and through. Thank you...”] I still remember where I was the day the heartsleeve poet died.    

 

#unrealsociety Living dangerously: mice nesting in a cupboard at a cattery. 

 

#mywriting TREUTH  Elward Prinknash was a member of the Dinosophical Society. 

 

9.10.10

 

My twitter username has now changed from ldsst to StephenFaulds.

 

#unrealsociety Sad sight: a woman buying lottery tickets with a credit card.   

 

8.10.10

 

#unrealsociety Does anybody have anything worth saying today? 

 

#unrealsociety This might be stating the obvious but there are a lot of twits on twitter. 

 

7.10.10

 

 [@AdviceToWriters “Finish everything you start.”] Not possible.

 

6.10.10

 

If you are returning from the Commonwealth Games with Delhi belly, try Dust & Rupees.

http://www.stephenfaulds.com/page/page/4573126.htm    

 

A play about boarding school, séances and sexual abuse. http://www.stephenfaulds.com/page/page/4578135.htm  

 

Looking for stories about India? http://www.stephenfaulds.com/page/page/4573126.htm

 

How does this story compare to Watership Down or Duncton Wood? http://www.stephenfaulds.com/page/page/4573002.htm

 

Who lives in a cave on the edge of a time warp? http://www.stephenfaulds.com/page/page/4573105.htm  6

 

Who is a hyper intelligent young boy with a fascination for his fellow sentient beings? http://www.stephenfaulds.com/norbettthickle.html 

  

[@TechZader “What If the Mac Were Invented Today?”] Too late! It would already have been invented by someone else.  

 

4.10.10

 

#politicalsniper Drawn netball finals are played on, until one side is two goals ahead. The AFL should try this. 

 

Congratulations New Delhi on a magnificent opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games. 

 

3.10.10

 

#politicalsniper WA daylight saving business people just set your clocks early.   

 

#mywriting NORBETT THICKLE  I lived in a cottage with my Spinster Aunt. Our next door neighbour was Raphael Epstein. 

 

1.10.10

 

[@booksquare “Knopf Buys 4 Great Pages For $2.5 Million”] Doesn’t leave much for new writers. 

 

[@ShelfAwareness “Publishing is saved! Rowling hints at more Harry Potter books to come!”] Can’t anyone else help? Consider NORBETT THICKLE http://www.stephenfaulds.com/norbettthickle.html  

 

[“The writer must wade into life as into the sea, but only up to the navel.” Gustave Flaubert.] But then again, a good dunking is valuable experience. 

 

[“Only ambitious nonentities & hearty mediocrities exhibit their rough drafts. It's like passing around samples of sputum.” Vladimir Nabokov] Many good Dramaturgs would disagree. 

 

[@bookpal  “Many people stop reading after the first or second paragraph, so give them the vital information up front.”] Does a good first paragraph hook have to be information? 

 

#unrealsociety The Dockers have finally taken the anchor off their blouse. Now they are serious flag contenders. 

 

28.9.10

 

#unrealsociety India is India, whatever Games may come. Good luck and best wishes to everyone in New Delhi.

 

8.9.10

 

#politicalsniper Politics is not about substance, it’s about rhetoric. Successful politicians inspire others to do good work.

 

7.9.10

 

#politicalsniper Mandatory consensus is the new blood sport.  

 

28.8.10

 

#mywriting Poetry: A poem is a house. I live here of my own design. 

 

27.8.10

 

#mywriting DIG:  How the Australian ethos was lost to Chinese cultural imperialism in the 2020’s. 

 

#politicalsniper Australian Politics must be on drugs. Bob Katter is making sense. 

 

23.8.10

 

#mywriting DIG: What kind of future will evolve from present social economic and political trends? 

 

#mywriting I think, therefore I write.

 

#mywriting I recommend Richard Carlson’s One Hour Solution for aspiring writers. 

 

#mywriting Women Don’t Do Irony: a script about a small time theatre director. 

 

#mywriting A script titled Séance. Late night séances in a boy’s boarding school in the Sixties lead to disturbing discoveries.  

 

22.8.10

 

#politicalsniper Deja vu: has an ambitious Labor leader again handed government to a Liberal no one wants? 

 

#politicalsniper Tony Abbott can now say he is well hung.  

 

On writing: spend a minimum of one hour a day seven days a week writing. 

 

I've learned a lot from publishing poems and short stories but also from seven unpublished novels.

 

The most important principle expressed by an Australian writer whose name I forget:  Never ever ever ever ever ever give up. 

 

13.8.10

 

#mywriting POETRY Poems are gifts from the universe that I gift to you. 

 

12.8.10

 

#mywriting POETRY The crescent moon floats on red wine in my upturned glass. I drink to the universe. 

 

11.8.10

 

#mywriting DIG: It is about the destruction of culture rather than landscape, the dying of the soul of a nation.  

 

#mywriting DIG: The Post Globalisation scenario is just as sinister and disturbing as a post apocalyptic vision. 

 

10.8.10

 

#mywriting DIG The great Depression of 2020 with the first big wave of Chinese economic migration. 

 

#mywriting  DIG Some time after 2010, with American economic and political influence waning. 

 

8.8.10

 

#mywriting DIG: Edgar Lawson assistant librarian is working on a Master’s degree in early Australian literature. 

 

#mywriting DIG: It is 2110. The Australian economy and social structure ar dominated bysecond and third generation Chinese immigrants. 

 

#mywriting DIG: a post-globalisation novel set in Australia. 

 

[@ProDevNetworker “Anger focuses us on our pain we need to think outward, find a way to plant and sow.”] Very true. This reminds me of Judith Orloff's Emotional Freedom. 

 

6.8.10

 

#millionpleas  Human beings cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons.

 

#unrealsociety The Australian cultural attitude toward people who conceal their faces, by niquab, balaclava or hoody is one of suspicion.  

 

#unrealsociety We value open expression and distrust those who conceal their identity. 

 

#unrealsociety In law, we are entitled to demand individuals to be accountable. Anonymity enables individuals to stand beyond the law.

 

3.8.10

 

#politicalsniper The sad thing is that some otherwise intelligent  people believe it is genuine.

 

#politicalsniper She reduces Australia to poverty.  Is this creative Liberal campaigning?

 

#politicalsniper An email cleverly written in the style of Nostradamus purports to be his prophecy about Julia Gillard (the Cunning Lady).

 

#unrealsociety Fraser-Kirk sues: What relationship do lawyer's fees and ambit claims have to the real value of human behaviour? 

 

#mywriting  SINKRONISITY: Ruce Lemming is a character from an unfinished epic fantasy novel by Seferin Fane.   

 

#mywriting  SINKRONISITY: At the Sandgarden Hotel Vince Yaga, a Time Traveller and Rod Singlet are having a drink with Ruce Lemming. 

 

31.7.10

 

#mywriting SINKRONISITY: Old Rang lives in a cave on the edge of a time warp. 

 

29.7.10

 

#mywriting NORBETT THICKLE: An encounter with Raphael Epstein and the world of Alchemy  

 

28.7.10

 

#mywriting SEATOWN: A play about secrets, lies and deceit in a small town.

 

#mywriting SEATOWN A trilogy of magical-realist scripts first performed on the night of the blood moon in The Blue Room Theatre Perth. 

 

#mywriting NORBETT THICKLE An orphan is kidnapped and taken to an Alchemist’s convention in Kathmandu. 

 

#mywriting SINKRONISITY: A character escapes from an unfinished fantasy novel and wanders through a time warp

 

I am an unpublished writer. I have just started tweeting in the hope I can attract the interest of an agent or publisher. 

 

27.7.10

 

With seven unpublished novels I feel like a fisherman mending nets. 

 

25.7.10

 

I believe some where out there is a publisher or agent who will believe in my work as much as I do.

 

16.11.10

 

No one ever notices you when you are being ignored.

 

14.11.10

 

Not the music, just the sounds. Not the books, just the words. 

 

12.11.10

 

A publisher rejection is like having your child sent home from school because they had a personality clash with a teacher.

 

6.11.10

 

I hate daylight saving. If business people want to start earlier they can get up early.

 

5.11.10

 

Twitter is not real. It is only there when we believe it is there. 

 

3.11.10

 

The way to lose something is to love it too much.

 

1.11.10

 

I learned to write while working on my third novel. 

 

Always install fresh ideas before writing.

 

Dreams pass their use by. That's why we have reincarnation.  

 

31.10.10

 

A sturdy treehouse overlooking a forest. 

 

A well lit bungalow on the dark side of the moon.

 

30.10.10

 

When the family dog needs $600 dental treatment you realise Vets are using compassion as a marketing tool. 

 

Sometimes when I’ve had enough wine, I just want to have too much. 

 

29.10.10

 

Now the octopus is dead we have to Ask the Goldfish. 

 

28.10.10

 

Finding you, I know I am beautiful. 

 

I hate people who are me before I get to be myself.

 

[AuthorGuy Marc Vun Kannon Twitter is great for writer training. It rewards you for not using passive verbs.]  Also great training for Editors: reading through lots of crap to find the gems. 

 

[Sarah Weinman This is a general shout-out to copy-editors. They are unappreciated, underpaid, and have to be nitpicky as all hell, but they are needed.] So nitpickers really are the important people. 

 

[IrisBlasi I find it hilarious when non-publishing people think editors have perfect grammar. There's a whole team of people who make us look good!] Aha! I always suspected Editors were less than perfect.

 

#unrealsociety India is India, whatever Games may come. Good luck and best wishes to everyone in New Delhi.

 

27.10.10

 

[@PoetryFound “Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before” Have you ever been frightened by a poem?] Yes. The scariest ones are the ones you write yourself.

 

26.10.10

 

[LoriMoreno "Well-behaved women never make history."] Nor does history make women behave.

 

25.10.10

 

[Every artist was first an amateur. ~Ralph Emerson #quote] But not every amateur is an artist. 

 

Life is imperfect. 

 

#politicalsniper Let’s be honest about speed cameras: The safest speed is with the flow of the traffic. 

[LoriMoreno As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of #love with words. ~ Shakespeare #quote] Amazon wouldn't want to hear that.

 

23.10.10

 

[LoriMoreno Patience is the only strength you ever need.~Hindu Saying] And Writers need lots of it.

 

The possible is the only real. 

 

Put aside one hour to do what you most want to do.

 

21.10.10

 

#politicalsniper Radio National 20th: the Boss of Rio Tinto said “If you can’t trust the government, who can you trust?” A master of irony.

 

[MAOrthofer Salman Rushdie wrote Patrick White a fan letter -- and even got a reply http://bit.ly/bBgaPs]  What makes that interesting is that Rushdie misinterpreted the reply. 

 

19.10.11

 

I am celebrating Octoberfest at a little German village called Pisthoffen.

 

#mywriting Regret: I didn’t start wallpapering my house with my first rejection slip. It would have been finished by now.

 

18.10.10

 

Writing is a lace pattern on the sand after the wave of thought has broken. 

 

17.10.10

 

[SarahHorne Learned this morning that apparently feral colonies of wallabies have lived in england and scotland for years. Aww! :) ]  Not the only feral Aussies in the UK. 

 

15.10.10

 

New Delhi. The whole thing went off without a big bang.

 

#mywriting Writing is foam on the sand after the wave of thought. 

 

11.10.11

 

Cash for kidneys:  a new form of cannibalism.  

 

12.10.11

 

Don’t expect to be taken too seriously on twitter. Like you, everyone is here primarily to promote themselves.

 

13.10.11

 

#today Too many politicians and not enough leaders. 

 

10.10.10

 

A swathe of stars dives toward the crescent moon, trailing galaxies beyond measure. The thin lipped moon smiles.    

 

Have list. Don’t worry.     

 

[@SpiritPoet Happy Birthday John Lennon.] I still remember where I was the day the heartsleeve poet died.    

 

#unrealsociety Living dangerously: mice nesting in a cupboard at a cattery. 

 

[@PenguinBooksAus Have you noticed that today's date is: 10/10/10?!]

I noticed it yesterday. 

 

9.10.10

 

#unrealsociety Sad sight: a woman buying lottery tickets with a credit card.   

 

8.10.10

 

#unrealsociety Does anybody have anything worth saying today? 

 

Politics is not about substance, it’s about rhetoric. Successful politicians inspire others to do good work.

 

7.10.10

 

#unrealsociety This might be stating the obvious but there are a lot of twits on twitter.

 

[@AdviceToWriters Finish everything you start. COLM TÓIBÍN] Not possible.

 

6.10.10

 

[@TechZader What If the Mac Were Invented Today?] Too late! It would already have been invented by someone else.

 

1.10.10

 

[booksquare new rule: author must (at least) finish writing book first: Knopf Buys 4 Great Pages For $2.5 Million] Doesn’t leave much for new writers.

 

[AdviceToWriters The writer must wade into life as into the sea, but only up to the navel. GUSTAVE FLAUBERT ] But then again, a good dunking is valuable experience.

 

["Only ambitious nonentities & hearty mediocrities exhibit their rough drafts. It's like passing around samples of sputum."-Vladimir Nabokov] Many good Dramaturgs would disagree. 

 

[bookpal  Many people stop reading after the first or second paragraph, so give them the vital information up front.] Does a good first paragraph hook have to be information? 

 

28.9.11 

 

It is important to realise that the majority of people on the planet have a different world view to your own.  

 

You are what you know.    

 

8.9.10

 

#politicalsniper Politics is not about substance, it’s about rhetoric. Successful politicians inspire others to do good work.

 

7.9.10

 

#politicalsniper Mandatory consensus is the new blood sport. 

 

28.8.10

 

#mywriting Poetry: A poem is a house. I live here of my own design.

 

27.8.10

 

#politicalsniper Australian Politics must be on drugs. Bob Katter is making sense. 

 

23.8.10

 

I think, therefore I write. 

 

6.8.10

 

#millionpleas Human beings cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons.  

 

The Australian cultural attitude toward people who conceal their faces, by niquab, balaclava or hoody is one of suspicion. 

 

We value open expression and distrust those who conceal their identity. 

 

In law, we are entitled to demand individuals to be accountable. Anonymity enables individuals to stand beyond the law.

 

3.8.10

 

What relationship do lawyer's fees and ambit claims have to the real value of human behaviour? 

 

27.7.10

 

With seven unpublished novels I feel like a fisherman mending nets.