Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Isobelle Carmody, Stuart Grant, Melissa Lucashenko and Ellen van Neerven. Hosted by Izzy Roberts-Orr. A diverse panel, and a diverse set of responses.
I was most struck by Ellen van Neerven's, which were, close to in their totality:
1. Write with your body as well as your brain. Look after your body.
2. Living is more important than writing.
3. Limit the notifications in your life - social media and other forms of instant gratification.
4. Know who you are before you write, and take responsibility for that.
5. Honour your heroes.
(And for First Nations writers and writers of colour: don't underestimate your power.)
Also, Melissa Lucashenko quoting James Baldwin: "You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive."
I was most struck by Ellen van Neerven's, which were, close to in their totality:
1. Write with your body as well as your brain. Look after your body.
2. Living is more important than writing.
3. Limit the notifications in your life - social media and other forms of instant gratification.
4. Know who you are before you write, and take responsibility for that.
5. Honour your heroes.
(And for First Nations writers and writers of colour: don't underestimate your power.)
Also, Melissa Lucashenko quoting James Baldwin: "You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive."
