We went to the Perth Festival Writers Weekend… uh, two weeks ago now. Gosh, how time flies. Anyway, we finally sat down and reflected on our experience. Read on to hear all about it!
Which was your favourite event?
Lauren
I think, in terms of enjoyment, I really liked the Fantasy Fanatics panel. It was a much smaller event, in a closed room with a (relatively) small group so it felt like we were part of the discussion. Not to mention it’s very inspiring and validating hearing from people who do professionally what so many of us have dreamed of, namely, having our works of speculative fiction published—and more than that, develop a wide and enthusiastic readership! Meg Caddy and Tamara Moss were charismatic, knowledgeable and just plain funny.
Brittany
I agree with Lauren, Fantasy Fanatics was also my favourite panel. Middle Grade to Young Adult Fantasy is a genre I’m interested in writing myself, and I found Moss, and Caddy’s discussion of their world building processes fascinating. I was particularly interested to hear Caddy cooks the meals their characters eat throughout the story to help write about them. I’d never have thought to do that myself! But then again, I’m not sure I’m a good enough cook for it.
What is one thing you learnt?
Lauren
One piece of advice that’s particularly relevant for me is to just keep writing. If you prefer longer form writing, like me, there will inevitably be a slump, a point where you just say, “I’m really not feeling this any more” and move on to other projects. From the sounds of it, it’s not only possible to overcome that slump but use it to your advantage, by taking the opportunity to rework your idea, shake things up a bit and make them interesting again. It’s advice I’m taking to heart on my current project.
Brittany
I, personally, learnt where the Education Centre is in the State Library of Western Australia—it’s tucked away at the back of the mezzanine.
I also heard new things about the dangers of real-world events impacting stories. Moss talked about writing a story featuring Twitter. Then, Elon Musk went and inexplicably renamed it X. And in 2019, Amanda Bridgeman wrote a tie-in novel for the game Pandemic. It was due to be published in 2020. So, uh, that got pushed back.
A solution to this problem given in the Fantasy Fanatics panel was simply not to write stories set in the real world—stick to made up ones. As a fan of made-up worlds, this seems like solid advice to me.
(Whether the fictional pandemic took place in the real world or a fake one wouldn’t change 2020 being a bad time to publish that story, I hear you say. To which I respond: shhh)
Were any books mentioned you now want to read?
Lauren
Everything by Caddy, quite honestly!! Queer female-driven historical Young Adult pirate adventures? Yes please! I also have a background in Ancient Chinese studies, so I’m very curious to read Moss’s Lintang series, though it does target a younger demographic.
Brittany
I would be interested in reading The Last Daughter, by Brenda Matthews, who spoke on the panel First Voices. Matthews is a Wiradjuri woman who as a child was taken from her family, and given to a white family. Then, she was suddenly reunited with her Aboriginal family. Her book deals with her experience reconciling these two families, and her connection to family and culture.
This is something that is very much outside my own experience, but a part of Australia’s history I think is important to acknowledge, and understand. So, I think Matthew’s experiences would make for a worthwhile read.
Were there any events you wish you could have attended?
Lauren
Yes, all of them. If only I had a Time-Turner! In all honesty, the one I’m personally most disappointed I didn’t attend was “It’s Only the Beginning”, the Masterclass workshop on songwriting with Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier. Songwriting is a whole other form of storytelling, mixing poetry with prose and threading it all together with music. It’s a wonderful way to practice the writing craft.
Of course, with our budget, we could only attend a select few, and the ones we did attend left me inspired, not just for my own creative practice but to make real my fervent wish for Banksia Journal to expand the WA publishing scene and to develop a thriving community of spec fic lovers from all over Australia.
Brittany
As Lauren said, lots of events looked interesting. There were a few writing workshops I think could have been fun to attend—particularly Writing Shorts, a workshop on character and dialogue in short stories. As a short story writer myself, that’s definitely something I’m interested in working on (and on that note: look out for my forthcoming short story in the April issue of Dusty Attic Publishing!) Alas, Writing Shorts was booked out by the time we bought our tickets.
I enjoyed the writing workshop we did attend, Fan Fiction Frenzy. Even if I wasn’t anticipating having to introduce myself to the room, and managed to give about as awkward an introduction as I could manage. And, despite having gone in with a piece of fanfiction I thought I could work on, I ended up writing a bit of original short fiction anyway.
What about you, dear reader? Did you go to any Writer’s Weekend events, either this year, or in previous years? How did you find it?
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And if you haven’t checked out “Aligned”, a fantasy story about the star-crossed Ophiuchus, by Perth author Hannah Bogue, be sure to give it a read!
Lauren Hancock-Coffey is the co-founder and financial manager of Banksia Journal. She’s also a writer and devourer of historical fiction with a speculative twist and an avid fantasy RPG-er with more books and games than sense. She’s a full-time editor with a BA in Linguistics and an MA in Professional Writing and Publishing.
Brittany Lee is the co-founder, and editor of Banksia Journal. She is a writer from Perth, Western Australia, with a BA in Linguistics, and Postgrad Diploma in Journalism. Her work has appeared in AntipodeanSF, Dusty Attic Publishing, and Perth’s Raine Square Story Dispenser. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, knitting, and taking photos of flowers (such as banksias).
You can find her online at brittanyerinlee.com.