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june/july 2009
19
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TIPS FROM THE PROS
Don't be put off by rejection. You are a writer
if you believe you are. Many great writers have
suffered piles of rejection slips only to fi nd their story
and their moment. Tara Moss
I recommend an agent because many publishers
won't take unsolicited manuscripts. Check out
publishers' and agents' websites and see what their
submission rules are. Go to the Australian literature
section of a bookstore and look at who is publishing
books similar to the type you want to write and target
them. Try entering your work in competitions: there
are a few prizes for unpublished manuscripts.
Melina Marchetta
Study your craft: if you write thrillers, analyse what
makes a good thriller. If it's a romance, what makes it
work? Most popular fi ction is written to a formula, so
fi nd out what works for your book. Selwa Anthony
The greatest challenge is
getting her characters' "voice"
right. There is a difference
between character, dialogue
and the narrator's voice.
Melina Marchetta
Tara Moss