Writers CORNER The Writers CORNER

I miss writing. As an editor, I read a lot and revise manuscripts that, despite being invested in the author’s success, really have very little to do with me. I used to write for pleasure, then later to earn a buck or two, freelancing for various magazines and newspapers. I used to journal every last detail of my life and take notes for stories that might encapsulate a fictional memoir, with names and places changed to protect the not-so-innocent.

And then real life took over. Babies came along and grew into challenging toddlers who ran me ragged from Victoria to Queensland. They are now beautiful if no less demanding, pre-teens, and time is taken up with music lessons, band practice, footie and a social life I can only envy.

So where, oh where, is there any time to write?

If you are serious about writing and miss the soulful worlds you create and the characters who inhabit them, and if your fingers ache from a lack of tapping words out on a keyboard, there is only one thing for it. You have got to plan your time and space.

You must put aside at least an hour every day just for you and your laptop. Get up early if you have to or stay up past the witching hour. Turn the TV off and put the newspaper down –now go and find your very own nook.

You absolutely have to set up a writer’s nook that is yours and yours alone. Some writers like to be surrounded by comfortable cushions and a window with a view – for others, that would be way too distracting, and a hard chair against a table would be the only way to focus. You’ll need a wall and 100 postit notes for your ideas and a solid way to follow your story arc whilst keeping an eye on your protagonist’s journey. Cut out images of where your story lies, how your characters look and every other step along their path and pin them to the wall. This immersion will ensure that as you leave your real world behind, you’ll soon be back in the land of your creation.

Once you’ve levelled your desire to tell your story against time and space – you’ll need patience. Writing is not for the faint-hearted, and a full novel comes in with at least 75,000 words. It is full of deletions and rewrites, ideas blocked, and characters killed off. Expect to cry when frustration gets the better of you and jump around the room with joy when you have finally understood, not only why your lead character ran off with the butcher’s daughter, but also how to explain it with succinct entertainment. Finally, write because you have to, because you love to, because you have a story to share – then, throw caution to the wind and publish regardless of whether or not a single soul will read it

by Sharon Hawthorne

Local resident author

Tess Merlin has just published her first novel entitled RANK. Tess is an ex-police officer from the 1980s and this story was written from her lived experiences as a policewoman and as someone with personal experience of the trauma of being stalked. As well as policing, she has a background in teaching English and Adult Literacy. The release of this book has coincided with the enquiry into the Queensland Police Service in regard to misogyny, racism and sexual harassment and it is also a timely release so close to International Women’s Day. Having said that, it is not just a book for women. Half of Tess’s early readers during the writing process were men and they found the story captivating and compelling. The back page blurb will give readers a hint of what to expect – but it would be safe to say that the historical aspects will surprise, and the fictional aspects will shock.

RANK is a gripping Autobiographical Novel that seamlessly meshes fact with fiction, providing readers with a spine-tingling story and a glimpse into what it was really like for the early female police officers in Australia. In the 1980s Tess is transferred to a country station with all male colleagues and whilst battling the boys’ club at work, she is also dealing with being stalked in her private life. With the stalker becoming more threatening, she must face her fears and work outside the law to put a stop to him. Her actions change his and her lives forever.

Hoping that 29 years is long enough for him to have let go, Tess ventures into the world of online dating after her divorce. She finds the online exposure daunting and is plagued by the question and the fear  Is he still out there seeking revenge?

Readers of Crime Fiction, Thriller or Memoir will all find this story a compelling read. RANK is available online via Tess’s website: www. tessmerlin.au