HeyJaredA Draft of One's Own
Writing a novel around a full-time life—field notes from the long, lonely middle, plus honest conversations with authors who've made it through.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 3
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- Sep 7, 2026
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- Jul 13, 2026
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She messaged a dead man on Facebook. He wrote back. (opens the original)
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I first met Anne Freeman at Melbourne Writers Club. Within the first hour, she turned to me and said, ‘I think we’ll get on.’ She was right, about the friendship and most things since. Anne is a fierce advocate for emerging writers across Australia and has launched more debut novels than you would think possible for a mother of two, an author, a writing teacher and communications and content specialist.I devoured The Time After Now, with its snappy chapters, strong voice and stronger female frie
'My words are gone. I can't write.' (opens the original)
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My uncle Andrew is a camera man. A few weeks ago he texted me saying ‘I’m with Hannah Richell now.’ Ever the eloquent writer, I responded with ‘oh my god why?! Her new book?’ Andrew had facilitated Hannah’s live cross with Weekend Sunrise to discuss her memoir, An Ocean and a Day. I’d admired the cover at my local bookstore—gold waves embossed over a gorgeous cerulean blue. But I shrank away from the bleak premise—Hannah’s experience of her husband dying suddenly in a surfing accident on Tamaram
Why I write by hand when I'm stuck (opens the original)
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Last week I sat down to write and ended up staring at the screen.I knew, vaguely, what my characters had to do—where they needed to end up for the next scene to work. But what did they actually say to each other? Was there enough tension, or was everyone being agreeable and a little dull?I set a pomodoro timer, my usual trick for bullying myself out of a rut (the lawyer in me has never quite escaped billable hours). Twenty-five minutes. The timer ran down. No words came.So I picked up my noteboo
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