Author Journal · Page 3 of 35 · Wendy Orr

Wendy Orr's author diary: the journal following a writer's working life and the progress of new books, from idea to manuscript to publication.
Anzac Day Excerpt from The House at Evelyn’s Pond – Remembering War
24th Apr

Anzac Day Excerpt from The House at Evelyn’s Pond – Remembering War

In honour of Anzac Day, and how the tragedies of war shape all our histories, entangling our stories for generations, here’s an edited excerpt from The House at Evelyn’s Pond: a scene…
Read
Should you make the leap and become a full time writer?
19th Apr

Should you make the leap and become a full time writer?

The messy side of a writing life The biggest question I’ve been asked at talks to emerging writers lately has been about making the leap the from part-time writer to full time, seriously committed,…
Read
Writing about Animals (and living with them!) : Harry the Rescue Dog’s Rainbow Street Blog
12th Apr

Writing about Animals (and living with them!) : Harry the Rescue Dog’s Rainbow Street Blog

Emma Homes & Wendy Orr, Little Bookroom I met Emma Homes last year at the awards night for the Environment Award for Children’s Literature. She is the author of three ebooks for children…
Read
So many facts, so little time: researching a new book
1st Apr

So many facts, so little time: researching a new book

Sometimes it’s difficult to distinguish research from ‘bright shiny object’ distraction. When you’re planning a new book that needs solid research for its background, every new thread seems so exciting that it’s…
Read
Setting your characters free
11th Mar

Setting your characters free

(with a thank you card to my editors) There ought to be a word for the strange emptiness that comes with sending corrected proofs back to your publisher. Excitement and relief, yes,…
Read
Read a book and change your life – a Harry the Rescue Dog’s Rainbow Street post
3rd Mar

Read a book and change your life – a Harry the Rescue Dog’s Rainbow Street post

Buy it now – Australian edition A lovely letter this week completely sums up all the best reasons for writing The Rainbow Street books, which are set in an animal shelter. “This…
Read
Apps and Editing
23rd Feb

Apps and Editing

I never thought I’d blog about an app, but the proofs for Dragonfly Song arrived last week –the idea of a break has now been postponed – so I’ve been proofreading and…
Read
Taking stock in a writing life
11th Feb

Taking stock in a writing life

The new book, Dragonfly Song, is now with the proofreader, and after spending the last eighteen months saying that I was on a tight deadline, I feel as if I’ve re-emerged into…
Read
And the winner is…
12th Dec

And the winner is…

And the winner is… Ginger Woods, who subscribes to my rather irregular newsletter. She chose Abandoned: A Lion Called Kiki – so here’s a picture of the little lioness who became Kiki…
Read
Holiday Giveaway! Choose your signed book
7th Dec

Holiday Giveaway! Choose your signed book

You may have noticed that the calendar and the year have spun around and it’s December already. For many of us this means that Christmas is approaching as well – and Hanukkah…
Read
Keeping First Draft Creating separate from Editing
25th Nov

Keeping First Draft Creating separate from Editing

Our friends at grammarly.com have sent a helpful list of things to watch for when editing – whether it’s your NaNoWriMo novel or anything else. However I’ve held back on sharing till…
Read
Champ’s Story of Survival – a Real Life ‘Rainbow Street Animal Shelter’ story
2nd Oct

Champ’s Story of Survival – a Real Life ‘Rainbow Street Animal Shelter’ story

Today, Harry the Rescue Dog is interviewing Champ for his Rainbow Street Animal Shelter blog post  with special thanks to Fiona Ingram for translating, and for including Champ’s poem as well! Tell us a…
Read