Farewell!

Well, as I mentioned in my previous post, I’m off on a European Holiday. I’m leaving my beloved laptop at home and will probably have few opportunities to access the internet while I’m away without incurring monstrous global roaming data charges.

That said, I’ll be back January 24th, when I’m sure after several days of sleep I’ll be itching to get back online and tell you all about my adventures.

In the meantime, find me on Twitter, have a mosy around the blog, check out the featured posts scrolling bar at the top of the home page, and don’t forget to leave a comment and say hi!

Also, if you’re looking for something to read, my short story “The Dragon and the Moon” is now available on eBook as part of a collection of short stories, with *all proceeds* going to UNICEF. Check it out here. It’s currently selling for 99 cents and if you don’t have a Kindle but DO have a PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Android or Windows Phone, you can download the *free* Kindle app to read my story and any other Kindle book from your device.

Happy 2012, readers!

Auf Wiedersehen/Cześć/Cheers/Arrivederci!

~storytelling nomad~

Merry Christmas from Down Under!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas from the Storytelling Nomad!

“The Dragon and the Moon” – Now on ebook!

Hi all,

I’m pleased to announce that my short story, The Dragon and the Moon, has been included in a collection of short stories compiled by That Fantasy Blog, which is now being sold on Amazon.

While this would certainly be news enough for this aspiring author, what’s even more wonderful is that all proceeds from the sales of this ebook will be going to children’s aid organisation, UNICEF, who work so very hard to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path.

Needless to say, I’m thrilled for the opportunity to be a part of such a great cause this Christmas.

While The Dragon and the Moon is more of a whimsical fantasy, the other stories featured are predominantly horror/thriller based, so hopefully there will be something to appeal to your reading tastes.

Download your ebook straight to your Kindle (or any device where you can download the free Kindle app) by searching for my name, Katy Hulme, or the book’s title, Scream for Charity. Alternatively, visit the amazon page here:

http://www.amazon.com/Scream-for-Charity-ebook/dp/B006PFCEBC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324670970&sr=8-1

Before I go, I must share with you something else that made me smile this week.

When writing The Dragon and the Moon, I found myself working with an alarmingly imminent deadline. When I was done editing, it was 1am and I needed to send it off but feared doing so without a fresh set of eyes giving it a once over and a thumbs up.

Cue Twitter.

Another magnificent blogger, the lovely Joakim, offered to read it over for me and all was right in the world.

But the story doesn’t end there.

The next morning I awoke to a Tweet from Joakim, who, after reading my story was inspired to sketch what can only qualify as my very first piece of fan art (although he assures me his 4 year old holds claim to the title after he read the story to him).

I think it’s extraordinary and all I can say, is thank you Joakim!

Merry Christmas all and happy reading!

~storytelling nomad~

The Dragon and the Moon by Joakim Arbro

A Year in Review

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

In the past week it has turned eerily quiet on the blogosphere. With Christmas, New Years and Holidays around the figurative corner I’m guessing you’re all enjoying a bit of good cheer, spending time with family, friends and loved ones, and taking a well-deserved break.

I’m not far behind you.

But before I wrap things up for 2011, I feel an end-of-year blog round up is warranted; 2011 was, after all, my maiden voyage as a blogger.

Storytelling Nomad began on the 20th May. I had seen a couple of friends on Facebook with blogs and thought ‘hey, I can do that. I have something to say’, and so with little more knowledge of blogging than that, my online journey began.

7 months, 119 posts, 1 blog revamp, 194 followers, 1,583 comments, 16,218 hits, 3 published articles, 1 guest post, 1 short story featured in an ebook (more about this soon) and many new friends later, here we are.

I don’t think I can truly articulate how valuable this blog has been to my creative practice. Apart from being a great place to share my thoughts and be involved in this wonderful online writing community, it has most significantly boosted the confidence I have in my own writing, which has in turned encouraged me to work harder at improving my craft.

Each and every one of your comments, feedback, ‘likes’, shares and subscriptions have played a part in this. A very, very large part. For that I thank you.

The highlights of my year included:

• Joining my very first writers’ group.
• Receiving my first piece of fan art (thanks Joakim)!
• Participating in and winning my very first NaNoWriMo.
• Having my story “The Dragon and the Moon” featured in a collection of short stories released over Christmas to raise money for Unicef (Again, more about this in another post).
• Working at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival.
• Coming third in my state raising money for Multiple Sclerosis through the MS Readathon/Novel Challenge.
• Having my Heroes and Heroines article published in LipMag and All that is Wrong with the World.
• Seeing my article So, where are you from published in Biscuit Magazine.
• Being invited by author Angela Wallace to guest post on her blog.
• Graduating from my Graduate Diploma in Professional Writing, surrounded by beautiful friends and family.

It was a year of firsts.

As for 2012, I have just been accepted into the Masters of Creative Writing program at the University of Tasmania, where I hope to further improve my writing and complete a large work of polished fiction under the teaching prowess of Vogel award winning author Rohan Wilson. I cannot wait!

In the meantime, I will be spending the next week not only making merry and eating far too much holiday food, but packing my suitcase.

You see, a nomad wouldn’t be a nomad without a noteworthy trip to end the year with. On Dec 30th I leave Sydney for a month in Europe, where I will have the pleasure of visiting my little brother in Hamburg, Germany who I haven’t seen since he left Australia over a year ago. Other items on the itinerary include a weekend in Krakow, Poland, checking out the town and visiting Auschwitz, which I can only imagine will be a life-changing and emotional journey into the horrors of WWII. Then, a week in London, England where a particular highlight will be meeting up with my childhood best friend, who I haven’t seen since leaving England over 16 years ago.  A quick trip to Edinburgh, Scotland will see me catching up with a school friend from Italy who I haven’t seen in many years and a new Scottish friend I met at the Melbourne Writers Festival this year. The trip finishes in in the beautiful Northern town of Ferrara, Italy where I will visit my host families from past student exchanges before departing from Milan at the end of January. All this I get to share with one of my best friends, Hayley.

My upcoming European vacation

I’m going to need a holiday to recover from my holiday I’m sure.

With all these adventures planned, I predict an absence of posts in January, however, I will be active on Twitter, @katyhulme, when internet access is available.

With all that said, I leave you with my ‘Year in Review’ and again thank you kindly for your support and encouragement in 2011. I look forward to sharing my writing journey with you again in 2012.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

Stay tuned for more about “The Dragon and the Moon” and the Ebook for charity.

~storytelling nomad~

****

A Year in Review

In 2011…

I eliminated negative influences/people. Forgive me for quoting Oprah Winfrey, but she wasn’t wrong when she said “Surround yourself with people who are going to lift you higher”.

I reduced my (already pathetically low) intake of alcohol to zero. For no other reason than it feels amazing.

I stopped making excuses for not writing.

I lost my inhibitions.

I enhanced my editing skills through my Professional Book Editing, Proofreading & Publishing course. My inner nerd knows no bounds.

I started a novel.

I created my blog, Storytelling Nomad.

I loved and lost.

I was embarrassed by sharing my work and thoughts with the world.

I was frustrated by universally incorrect grammar, spelling and punctuation.

I felt crazy when I read messages of hate from those opposed to equality for all.

I regret not entering the Blogosphere sooner.

I needed more time for reading. There just aren’t enough hours in the day.

I missed my friends and family that live across oceans and in faraway lands.

I went to places far and near, including Melbourne for the Melbourne Writers Festival, Sydney for Supanova Pop Culture Expo, and Gunnedah where I shot my first gun. Watch out!

I relaxed when on November 27th, I knew I was going to finish NaNoWriMo with 50,000 words.

I would use a magic wand to bring Hogwarts to life.

I felt gratitude when you all ‘liked’ my entry in the Facebook Short Story competition. I’m coming 10th by the way, still time to vote!

Time flew when I met James Marsters (Spike from Buffy) at Supanova.

I want to repeat this year. It had its ups and downs but for the most part it was extraordinary.

I should have done more exercise. I am terribly unmotivated.

I don’t know why I never joined a writers group before.

I felt most alive when I was creating new worlds, new characters and new stories to share with the world.

The best gift I received was an email from my favourite author Robin Hobb, with invaluable writing advice.

Physically, the biggest difference since last December is slightly shorter hair.

Psychologically, the biggest difference since last December is the focus on my writing.

Emotionally, the biggest difference since last December is my contentment and pride in all I have achieved this year.

Environmentally, the biggest difference since last December is I exchanged the sandy shores of Newcastle for idyllic Tasmania.

Socially, the biggest difference since last December is I have a whole new group of online writer friends.

My biggest ‘win’ was NaNoWriMo. Or maybe it was having an article published. No, wait. Having my short story published. No, wait! Receiving the email from Robin Hobb. Or, being accepted into my Masters course. And, graduating from my Writing course. And, and, and…!

I want more books. Gimme gimme!

The best thing I did for someone else was read as many books as I could in a month to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis.

The best thing someone did for me was sketch me a picture based on my short story.

The best thing I did for myself was believe in myself.

The one thing I learned this year is I am the master of my own destiny. I will only receive of life what I put into it.

I am most grateful for my friends and family and their unwavering support.

I look forward to 2012 being different by writing more stories and becoming a better writer.

Questions taken from Lynn Scheurel at http://secretsofhersuccess.com/articles/your-year-in-review-questions/

Makeover time!

With the new year just around the corner, what better time to give the blog a bit of a spruce up?

Up until now, I’ve had a photo of a beach from my previous home town, Newcastle Australia, as my blog banner. I chose it to represent my love of travel, my nomadic lifestyle and of course my adopted home country, Australia.

Nobby's Beach, Newcastle NSW Australia

Since that time, however, I’ve had a growing feeling that it no longer reflected the direction the blog was taking. What I first thought might be a platform to vent a few thoughts and share a few stories, has since turned into a forum for readers, writers, book lovers and nerds alike, to share our tales and lay bear our vices, all in the name of becoming better writers, more perceptive readers and to have a bit of a gander about what makes us tick.

While I still consider myself the nomad this blog was partly named for and despite the enormous influence these escapades have on my writing, my travel adventures represent only a small share of the content of this blog.

In conclusion, new banner, new theme – new and improved blog!

My sincere thanks to New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ilona Andrews, for giving me permission to use her amazing fantasy wallpaper art for my banner. I like to think that from stories comes magic, which is exactly what I see in Ilona’s image.

You’ll also see that my featured posts can now be viewed from the carousel at the top of the page.

Hope you love it as much as I do.

Image by Ilona Andrews

~storytelling nomad~

10 Christmas Presents for Book Lovers

With just over a week til Christmas, it’s usually about this time of year that I avoid the shops and opt to steer clear of the filled to capacity car parks, long snaking queues, and inevitable widespread Christmas rush.

Whilst online shopping has been a godsend in this regard, this year I am, like many, electing to make Christmas more about people and less about presents.

Despite that, I can’t help but satisfy my inner shopaholic by compiling mental lists of the many things I would love to give and be given, were I and my loved ones in the fortunate position of being ridiculously wealthy.

I’m not gonna lie; Villas in Italy and year long vacations are pretty high on the list. But for all the extravagances money could buy, sometimes it’s the simple things that make me happiest.

With that in mind and not forgetting, of course, my (and presumably also your) reading, writing and book-loving obsessions, I put together a list of ten things that I think many book lovers might appreciate.

Even if you can’t afford it this Christmas, it’s nice to just make believe, right?

Ahem. In no particular order:

1. Bookends
   No serious book lover can resist a good pair of bookends to keep those books standing tall. Check out this website for 13 Brilliant Bookends.
   

   Dragon Bookends

2. Personal library kit
   Okay, so who hasn’t lent a book to someone only to wonder 6 months later who borrowed it and whether it was returned? A Personal Library Kitis the answer! Channel your inner librarian.
   

   Personal Library Kit from KnockKnock

3. Bookshelves
   From functional to fashionable to the down right funky. Why not make your own upside down bookshelf? Or check out 15 very cool bookshelves here.
   

   DIY Upside down bookshelf

4. Bookmarks
   I’m not averse to the odd folding of corners and using dog ears to mark my place in a book (I know, I know), but there will always be a place in the world for bookmarks and there are some quite creative ones out there. Great stocking fillers too. My favourite is this DIY bookmark:
   

   Make your own bookmark

5. Furniture
   Furniture? But of course! From book stools to reading chairs to lazy lounges. We want to be comfortable and fashionable while we’re cooing over our favourite reads, don’t we?
   

   Book lover stool

6. Boardgames
   There are some literary specific games out there to challenge your book lover friends with. Just to get you started there is the It was a dark and stormy night board game, the Scrabble Book Lovers Edition and the Scrabble Library Classic.
   

   Scrabble Library Classic

7. Books Planter
   Have a green thumb on top of your book addiction? Want to make your garden as good looking as your bookshelf? How about a Book Planter?
   

   Books Planter

8. Personalised book
   Sometimes there is nothing better than a hand made gift, personalised to the recipient. I’ve found Apple iPhotoan amazing tool for creating soft and hardcover books with pictures and text.
   

   Make your own book with Apple iPhoto

9. Ereader
   They’re not going away any time soon. Kindle, Nook, Kobo. Pick one. They’ll love it. You’ll love it.
   

   Kindle Touch

10. Books
    And last, but definitely not least. What would a book lover want more for Christmas than more books? Vintage classics, rare editions, new releases, best sellers, hard cover special editions and the most treasured; those that you make yourself.
    I can’t go past the Book Depository  for their super cheap prices and free delivery worldwide.
    
    

    "Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers." ~Charles W. Eliot

    10.1.    Jewellery
    Okay, so this list has a 10.1 entry, because I only today stumbled across these cool little charms for book lovers and realised there’s probably a whole world of book-related bling out there. Like the Jane Austen charm bracelet and this book necklace made of vinyl records:

    

    Vinyl Record Book Necklace

Any other cool book-related gifts you’ve been dreaming about? 

~storytelling nomad~

The Giant and the Leprechaun

I not long ago discovered this wonderful and charming little website for short stories, called Shortbread Stories.

Whilst browsing through the stories, I came across this beautiful fantasy/fable story/poem and loved it so much I had to share it with the world, with the author’s permission of course.

Head over to the site to leave the author, Steve Douglas, a comment or to read more stories by him and other writers.

The Giant And The Leprechaun by Steve Douglas

The giant and the leprechaun were walking by the sea,

The giant towered ten feet tall; the leprechaun but three,

He crossed the sand quite easily in mighty giant strides;

The leprechaun ran breathlessly along right by his side,

But both were quite oblivious to the turning of the tide.

*

They talked of great philosophers, the power of the mind,

Of which belief could be the greatest use for all mankind.

They both agreed that true salvation always lay within,

That there was no such thing as God, or Judgement Day, or sin,

And all the while along the shore the tide came pounding in…

*

The leprechaun said every living thing had equal worth;

The giant thought the strongest should be rulers of the Earth.

He said that giants everywhere should rise and take command;

The leprechaun disputed that one race should own the land,

And both were too absorbed to spot the softening of the sand…

*

The minutes passed, the sea swept close, but on went their debate,

And when they thought of turning back they found it was too late,

The giant found that he was trapped, the sand around his knees,

And from nearby he heard his small companion’s desperate pleas –

The leprechaun and he were at the mercy of the seas…

*

They struggled with the sucking sand and tried to stay their fears,

And being good philosophers exchanged their best ideas.

“I’m powerful and strong! I will survive!” the giant said,

The leprechaun replied, “the sea is almost at my head!

And if you don’t act quickly then you know we’ll both be dead.”

*

The giant’s weight had carried him too deep into the sand,

So he was glad to hear his smaller friend had something planned.

He crouched beside the leprechaun and faced the rushing sea,

Then using every ounce of strength he slowly pulled him free,

And held him high above his head, so powerful was he!

*

The sea now at his waist, the giant’s plight was really grim,

He knew that he was fortunate the leprechaun could swim,

That he could swim to land and find whatever help lay there,

But also knew that there was not a moment left to spare,

And all that he could do till then was face the sea and stare.

*

Just when he thought that death had come, submerged beneath the sea,

He heard the sounds of giants, who had come to winch him free –

He heard the sounds of cheering crowds above the ocean’s roar,

And saw that all the leprechauns were lined up on the shore,

And knew he’d owe a debt to leprechauns forever more.

~storytelling nomad~

Christmas Down Under

We like to show Santa a good time Down Under

Hi all!

Today I have the pleasure of guest posting on the lovely Angela Wallace’s blog.

When I started this blog in June, Angela was one of the first to subscribe and support me as I wandered blindly through this blogosphere, so naturally I felt quite honoured when she invited me to appear as a guest on her blog.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to spend Christmas by the beach (or didn’t even know such a thing existed), puzzled over whether we still sing about white Christmases, or wondered how Santa survives in his winter suit under our summer sun, head over to Angela’s blog to find out more about our strange Australian festive ways.

There’s also an excellent 90s rendition of our Australian Jingle Bells, worthy of a look.

~storytellingnomad~

Post NaNo Reflection

My spasmodic writing spells and stats

Although it is only a week since NaNoWriMo ended, it feels like an eternity ago that I typed “THE END” to my 50,000 word novel.

My first attempt at anything of the sort, I feel rather proud that I completed the challenge. After starting a day late, spending the majority of the month below ‘the line’, and being conscious of the fact that most of what I was writing was, well, rubbish, I nonetheless pulled through and stuck it out til the end. I even finished a day early. Who would’ve thought?

So, the month began with me, no plot, and a blank page. I wanted to write a fantasy novel, epic in nature, with the typical premise of chosen one, kingdom in peril, battle of evil. I had a pretty interesting character and some good world building going on, but 35,000 words in I realised something.

I was bored.

Now, I may not be a bestselling author or an acclaimed literary critic, but it doesn’t take a genius to know that if the writer is bored, that’s not a good sign. If I can’t find it interesting, then how the hell is anybody else supposed to?

At this point I was still falling way behind the daily word limit goal and my motivation was wavering. I knew I had to do something drastic to get on track in order to reach my 50,000 word goal or I would find myself curled in a ball of despair come November 30th, never daring to try write a novel again.

What did I do? I started writing another story.

It came to me one moment, and the next I had all these ideas, a plot and before I knew it I’d written 7,000 words. I had been struggling to churn out the daily 1,667 words until that point, and here I was, 7,000 words in a day!

I abandoned the original story and continued with the new one until I fondly greeted that 50,000th word. Granted, I ended up with one unfinished story and one 15,000 word short story rather than one 50,000 word novella, but I like to think the point was that I finished.

This is what 50,000 words looks like...

I signed up for NaNo with one expectation: To write 50,000 words in a month. I wanted to prove to myself that I could be disciplined enough to write regularly over a longer period of time, and to break down my fear that it doesn’t have to be perfect the first time round.  I told myself that if one good idea, paragraph, character or sentence came out of it, then I would be happy. As it turns out, in that I was successful.

There are also a few things I learned over the month of November:

1. I like to write in chunks. I’d rather write big chunks over a shorter period of time, than little snippets over a longer period of time. Over the entire month I actually only wrote 18 out of the 30 days.
2. The NaNo forums are truly wonderful. I didn’t think in this little part of the world called Tasmania, that anyone would be participating in my area. As it turns out, there was a group of Northern Tasmanians keen to get their write on, and we ended up meeting each Friday to vent our NaNo stresses and challenge each other in word wars.
3. I like graphs. Seeing that little blue line inch a little further every day was unbelievably motivating.
4. I am incapable of writing a *good* novel in a month. NaNoWriMo may produce some stellar stuff for some, but for me it was 90% word mush. There were a few good lines in there, paragraphs even, but mostly it was just stream of consciousness writing. Even though I quite love the short story that came out of it, I feel it would be less work to start over again than to go back and edit it into something worthwhile.
5. I would do it again. What a sense of achievement it was to reach that finish line, to receive my winners certificate and to be completely immersed for 30 days in a large creative project. Although it may not have produced any particularly wonderful writing for me, it was still an amazing opportunity to push myself to write every day with the support of all those other wrimos out there.

Congrats to everyone out there who participated in NaNo this year. Even if you didn’t reach the big five oh, I think you’re all winners. If the month of November saw you writing something, then you’re ahead of those who have not yet found the courage to write anything.

I leave you with the wise words of Chris Cleave, who was kind enough to give us Wrimos a mid-month pep talk:

It doesn’t matter what genre you write in. All literature is transformative. To make people laugh; to tell a light-hearted romantic story; to let intelligent readers forget their troubles for an hour in the absence of the politicians and the money men who make our lives hell – these are some of the hardest feats to accomplish as a writer, and some of the most serious political acts you can perform. You don’t have to be a Serious Writer to be a serious writer. I once read a beautiful paragraph about teenage vampires – teenage vampires, for goodness’ sake – that moved me more than all of Hemingway. You don’t need to be trying to change the world in order to change someone’s world. What you need is to be seriously committed to your work.

A fellow local Wrimo and I decided to print our 'manuscripts' in celebration of completing the challenge. A tangible memento.

~storytelling nomad~