First publication and beyond

First success

My poem ‘The Whirly Wind’ won first prize in our school poetry competition – a cheque and publication in our school magazine. It was 1968 and I was in Form 5 (Year 11) at Warracknabeal High School. The intangible part of the prize and publication however, was the fact someone, beyond family, valued my poem.

Success, publications and rejections

Post secondary school I left home to study at Melbourne Kindergarten Teachers College. I wrote spasmodically during the next two or three decades – poetry, short stories and non-fiction pieces. Writing was an interest, an opportunity to tell a story, paint a picture with words, or express a thought or an emotion. Success in competitions and occasional publication in anthologies motivated me to keep writing, rejections reminded me I had much to learn.  More importantly I learnt to review and edit my work, again and again and again. I wrote, but did not call myself a writer.

Mingling with writers

In 2001 joined the Society of Women Writers Victoria and became part of their Postal Workshops. My writing was critiqued and I learnt from critiquing the work of others. I wrote, but did not call myself a writer.

I attended workshops and seminars, listened to writers far more experienced than myself. Read poetry, short stories and non-fiction. It all added to my knowledge and influenced my writing. Sometimes I was daunted and overwhelmed. Still, I wrote, but did not call myself a writer.

Writer

After many years in the early childhood field I was faced with a career dilemma. Decision time. I chose a new path. I dared to call myself a writer.

Yesterday

Common themes or interests weave through my writing. The farming background of my growing up. The generations of farmers and the women who partnered them in working the land, is part of my DNA. Family gatherings were a time of sharing stories, developing my interests in family history, Australian history, faith communities and small rural communities. I  considered the part my forebears played – directly and indirectly – in the lives of the indigenous people in Australia. The stories yet to be told.

A sense of belonging

After experiencing a major health issue, I looked backwards to my female forebears. What major events turned their lives upside-down? What or who  nurtured their resilience to endure and move forward? I found strength in being part of a support group, the members experiencing the same health issue as me. I understood the power which comes with a sense of belonging. It would be another twenty years before these thoughts were gathered together in my first book-length work, ‘Inherited Touch’.

Today

I write about ordinary people and ordinary things because such stories are often lost. I write stories about my forebears because I feel a sense of responsibility to record their stories. Once I release the stories into the public domain I hope they connect writer and reader. Not because we share the same stories but through stories we can come to understand one another. Through stories we discover what we have in common and learn to celebrate our differences.