Australian Community Writers

Australian Community Writers Inc.
President’s Report
November 2005

Well… we’ve made it through another year. And what a successful year it’s been for us.

Our conference and short story competition were both enthusiastically supported by members and non-members alike.

We hope to see these events continue to grow throughout the next few years as the A.C.W. grows in membership and in support.

I’ve been doing a little writing of my own lately. It’s been a while since I’ve written short stories and poetry for competitions and anthologies, but… ta-daaah… I’ve managed to write and re-write a few and I’ve actually sent them off. Keep your fingers crossed.

My novel has been left in limbo for a few months, so I have to get back to that as well. Since the writing bug has bitten me, I’d better take advantage of the poison and write, write, write.

And… guess what…?

I have even started a BLOG.

Yeah, I know, very corny, but have you ever tried one? It’s great. You get to jot down what you’re thinking at the time, just like in a real diary, only on-line. Of course, mine is about what I’m thinking about my novels, stories, plot lines and characters – nothing really personal – well, most of the time it isn’t deeply personal.

Cheers for now.

Until next time… keep writing, reading and loving every minute of it.

My soul-sister Kaye [on the left] and I at my place in November. I'm the shorter one. 

Vampires Gypsies

Vampires & Gypsies

My short story, “Shadow on the Crystal” is at last rewritten and ready to send away. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I love a good Gypsy vampire story.

I think I’ll stick to contemporary times for my next short story, though. The research for historical times and settings is horrendous.

I’m also going to get a few poems ready for sending away. That should keep me busy for a while.

Unfortunately, while I’m busy doing all that, I’m not finishing off “Shadow Runners” – and I really have to get that done and rewritten very soon. My goal was to have it finished by the end of this year. I’d better get my bum into gear.

So… “hi ho, hi ho, a-writing we will go…”.

Anniversary Blues

Anniversary Blues

This is insane! It’s supposed to be our 25th Wedding Anniversary and I’m supposed to be able to sit back, relax and enjoy the day as my friends and family treat us to a special celebration.

Instead, I’ll be the one running around doing all the work, making and serving all the food and cleaning up afterwards. I’m really pissed off about this. [Not that you could tell, huh?]

No-one has even had the decency to organize a nice cake for us.

My ELBs -  ‘ever loving bridesmaids’ - were supposed to organize everything as a surprise for us. They dumped all the worry on our kids who don’t have the money or the time to do this, nor do they live here, which makes it very difficult for them. Now, I’ve ended up doing it all and have been left to pay for everything as well. So much for being treated to a special day! Huh!

Above all else I HATE INSINCERITY.

I loathe the fact that the ELBs are sitting back laughing and sniggering about what they’ve done. How could they be so cruel? They know we don’t have the money to hire caterers. They know I have to do it all myself. This is just not fair. I even asked one ELB if she would help me organize a cake. She just laughed and said there were cake decorators in the yellow pages.

YOU BET I’M PISSED OFF!!!

This is NOT going to go unpunished. Revenge has surfaced in my usually mild mannered accepting peaceful mind.

I don’t know how just yet, but justice is coming. They’d better look out!

If I can handle an alien love scene, I can handle the ELBs.

[Insert evil laugh here]

My Very First Pantou

My Very First Pantoum

Land Dreaming

Beyond the dreaming land,
ardent sunsets weave
magic bands of promises
upon this canvass scape.

Ardent sunsets weave
the colour of tomorrow’s songs
upon this canvass scape
in reds and blues that waltz to tunes unheard.

The colour of tomorrow’s songs –
magic bands of promises
in reds and blues that waltz to tunes unheard
beyond the dreaming land.

My very first pantoum
© Friday, September 30, 2005



OK. So it’s not perfect yet, but at least I’m giving it a go.

PANTOUM OR NOT PANTO

PANTOUM OR NOT PANTOUM

And I used to think haikus were tough!

Have you ever tried a pantoum? Challenge is one word to describe it. There are a few other words that spring to mind though.

Well, I’ve never shrunk from a challenge, so… a pantouming we go.

Great New Tool

Great New Tool

Hey, this Blogger for Word is great.

Give it a go.

Poems, Plays & Ghosts

I sent a couple of haikus off to a competition on Monday, Sept. 12. I haven't entered any competitions for years. I must start doing that again. It's fun. Don't know how I'll go, but you never know, do you.

The Beechworth Theartre Company's night of one act plays is on tonight - Friday, Sept. 16. First play is "Evidence", a little murder mystery by Ian Austin. The second is "Gosforth's Fete" a comedy by Alan Ayckbourn. Very funny. Very English. The full dress rehearsal was last night and it went rather well. There's a mix of experienced and inexperienced actors on the stage in both plays, but I think they'll go really well.

I'm not on the stage this time. I'm behind it. Literally! I'm the prompt. That's the worst job in theatre, I reckon. You sit in a little dark space following the script by torch light in case the actors forget a line. Not exactly glamorous. But, fun anyway.

It's on at the Bijou Theatre up at the old Mayday Hills mental asylum. What a creepy old place that is. It was built in the 1870s and most of it is still standing. It's now a university and most of the buildings have been renovated. The grounds are lovely. The old parts of the place, though, are still old, abandoned and ghostly.

There's a ghost in the Bijou Theatre. There's an old abandoned stair well that has had the first flight of stairs removed so nobody can get up to the bell tower. The entrance to it is behind the stage. If you go in there and look up, you can see a man leaning over from the top rail looking back down at you. He's harmless, but it gives you a bit of a scare to see him staring at you.

There are other ghosts there too. I took a friend on a night time ghost tour and we both saw a man in a white lab coat walk out of the wall one of the old buildings, through three rooms [by going through their walls] and disappear into the wall at the end. Wow! Exciting.

I'm taking a camera tonight to get a shot or two. Maybe I'll catch a ghost. Do you think? We'll see.

Break a leg -- as they say.

What the...?

What the hell are the Shadow Runners up to?

Every time I think I have them heading towards the climax of the story, they throw me a curve ball.

Ranger really should have executed that human girl. She's giving him something to think about besides himself. And it seems, she's doing quite a bit of thinking about him. Hmmmm...!

What have Brashahl and Dahrrrgh really done to Jaxxlar? What are they not telling him, or anyone else?

Guys... guys... can we stop fighting and work together here? We have a novel to finish.

Goodbye Rusty

Sad, sad weekend.

On Saturday, Rusty, my brown kelpie, ran out on the road and was killed.

Rusty was one of those special spirits that come along so few times in life. I found him at the local RSPCA shelter. I looked into his eyes and recognised him instantly. He was Jock. My black kelpie x dingo who died quite a few years ago. I knew him and he knew me -- though he didn't really understand why he thought he knew me.

I brought Rusty home. It was obvious he'd been very badly treated during his short life. He was only about 8 months old then. During the ten months he was with us, he blossomed into a wonderful, gentle spirit, full of confidence, joy and love.

Just when he was becoming himself again, he was snatched away. Why?

I always thought I had unfinished business with Jock. He was just becoming who he really was when he died.

I think, perhaps, Rusty was the unfinished business. Somewhere along the line, between his life as Jock and one or two other lives until Rusty, I think he lost himself. He came back "home" to find his true self.

Why do I keep doing this? I join my spirit with these animals and then I'm devastated when they leave. I guess that's just me. I can't do it any other way.

In a way, those special spirits haven't really left me. Bandit, my soul mate, the one who taught me everything he could about "real" communication with animals, is now one of my spirit guides. Bandit is the domestic dog link. Jock is another guide who has stayed with me. He is the wolf, the link to the wild. Another little spirit guide who stays in my background is Tess. Little old Tess who wasn't with us long either. She was another pound refugee and a gentle spirit.

It's nice to know they're still there. But I'm just so very sad that I can't reach out and hug them.

For my other little friends who are not spirit guides, but are living other lives, helping people and learning lessons, I look forward to seeing you again too. Blue the cattle dog, Merlin the Russian Blue cat, Nikki the Burmese x. I hope our paths cross again sometime.

All I can say is, they all knew love and happiness while they were with me. I hope I helped them in some small way, as they helped me, and continue to do so.

Goodbye Rusty. Be all that you were meant to be.

I'll see you again. That much I do know for sure.