Writing Archives | Michelle Scott Tucker (2024)

Are diaries literature?

Having briefly gone down that particular Google rabbit hole, I can safely say – I don’t know. Plenty of others purport to know, however, if you need to fill a vacant hour or three. I think diaries are to a finished text the way preliminary sketches are to a finished oil painting. Beautiful, sure, and interesting, definitely, but a not necessarily a work of art in their own right. But all that probably doesn’t matter. The diaries that get published are polished, are shaped and – in a sense – [...]

An acquisition, a shortlisting and a scholarship!

Writers Victoria has announced the shortlist for the 2024 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship, and I'm beyond delighted to have made the cut; ‘for a biography of Louisa Lawson, newspaper proprietor, poet, suffragist and mother of Henry Lawson.’ What a strong list and what an honour to be included in it. Although those of you who've been playing along at home will know that I've been shortlisted for the Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship twice before. Here's hoping that this third time will be the charm! The Literary Fellowship, valued at $20,000, [...]

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Emerging Writers Festival

Writers! The Emerging Writers' Festival is always terrific (whether you’re an emerging writer or not). Most writers' festivals are actually readers' festivals - they focus on the content of the books under discussion. But the Emerging Writers' Festival focuses in the loveliest way on the act of writing, and on being a writer. And yes, all writers' festivals struggle with where to put the apostrophe! From Wednesday 14 - Saturday 24 June, EWF invites you to discover new stories, new voices, and new worlds. Over eleven days, dive into performances, [...]

Unusual publication deal includes $20,000 in donations

Our publishing deal for So Far, So Good was a bit unusual - it included substantial donations to Indigenous-led charities. Pantera Press have issued a media release about it, which I've included in full below. Do you have thoughts? I'd love to hear them. Leave a comment, below, and let me know. Pantera Foundation donates $10,000 each to Seed Mob and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation on release of So Far, So Good by Aaron Fa’Aoso and Michelle Scott Tucker In February 2021 Pantera Press acquired world rights forSo Far, So [...]

So Far, So Good – Publication Day!

Today our book is officially out in the world. Three years ago today (yes, exactly today - I checked!) Aaron and I started talking about working together on this project. I can’t tell you if this book is any good – that’s for others to say – but I can tell you that I gave it everything I had. We were introduced by the literary agents who represent us both – Jacinta Di Mase and Danielle Binks, from JDM Management. Aaron had some really powerful things he wanted to say; [...]

Patricia Wrightson – all about erasure

As a young reader, Patricia Wrightson was one of my favourite authors. But in this short piece I wrote for the Australian Women Writers Challenge, I reevaluate Wrightson's use of Indigenous culture. Drawing on Aboriginal stories and culture, Wrightson’s fictional spirit characters held all the power and mystery of 60,000 years of Dreaming – power distinctly lacking in invented colonial fantasies like May Gibb’s saccharine Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. A gifted and evocative writer, Wrightson opened my eyes (and my mind) to the possibility of magic and mystery that belonged tothisplace,thiscontinent. [...]

And what does an editor do, exactly?

This isn't, of course, a question I can answer. I'm not an editor. But I can tell you something about what it is like to be edited. And the short answer is: it's wonderful. For my next book, So Far So Good, I've been working closely with Pantera Publishing's Senior Editor Anne Reilly and she has been an absolute delight. Her editorial (and, later, her author emotional support) comments were invariably insightful, always practical and often hilarious. The draft manuscript was submitted just before Christmas. At about 80,000 words it [...]

Lunch on the mountain with writers

At long last! The very first, much-anticipatedMountain Writers Festivalevent is out in the world. I'm on the organising committee and it's been quite the wild Covid-cancellation ride - so we're all very excited. Sophie Cunningham It’s a lunch on Saturday 26 March at The Wine Collective in Macedon with 4 amazing writers speaking – see below. Tickets on sale now atmountainwritersfestival.com.au If you happen to be free and able to come along, I’d love to see you there BUT – absolutely no pressure! Totally understand that you might [...]

Mountain Writers Festival

So. I'm on a committee.And we're trying to run some interesting bookish events, in a beautiful place. If that's your bag too, consider following Mountain Writers Festival, which will be held in Macedon, Victoria - in the beautiful Macedon Ranges. The Mountain Writers Festival will run on 5-6 November 2022. Friends of the festival just call it Mountain - you can too. The festival’s focus on place, story and nature not just as a theme, but as the festival’s entire purpose now and into the future, is unique in Australia. [...]

Online Writing Workshop

Still a couple of places left in this one-day workshop (Sat 9 Oct, 2021). I'd be super grateful if you could spread the word! Book here. Last time I ran it we had a terrific time - great discussions, and lots of laughter. Interstate peeps and non-members of Writers Vic are very welcome too. Suits writers at all levels. Sometimes the most compelling stories are about other people. Whether you’re writing biography, interested in ghost writing, drawing together your family or local history, or even thinking about feature interviews–if you [...]