The Orbit/QWC Manuscript Development Program

And why this sudden move into websitedom? It’s because of the Orbit/QWC Manuscript Development Program.

This was an amazing, exhilarating experience.

An extra long weekend with ten talented, fun and just a little bit crazy writers, not to mention the beyond-generous and all-round lovely Marianne de Pierres, in a walk to the beach paradise where someone else cooks all your meals and cleans up after you.

Please sir, I’d like some more.

Of course, it would have been even better if I hadn’t contracted a cold before I left, but the less we talk about that the better!

Kate Eltham from QWC did a wonderful job organising this. I cannot sing her praises too loudly or long enough to do her justice. Marianne has infinite patience and talent. Over the six days we met the gorgeous Tara Wynne from Curtis Brown and the effervescent Ron Serdiuk from Pulp Fiction Books (and Press). We each had a one hour session with either Bernadette or Dione from Orbit Australia which was truly amazing and encouraging. A green tree frog joined us for dinner one night, and I spent a lot of the time on my balcony, in the sun, trying to read my ms while fending off the too-friendly bird life. Badminton was played. Palms were read. Wine was drunk. A lot.

I’m coming to the website. There was much discussion about the virtues of websites and blogs, and I’ve been thinking ‘I really should get myself set up on the web somewhere soon’ for too long.

So here we all are.

The Orbiteers

Back row: Author Marianne de Pierres, Terence Hornby, Susan L Cullen, Jeremy Gordon, Graham Storrs, Joanne Clay, Jody-Ann Brocklebank
Front row: Fiona Sawyer, Janette Dalgliesh, QWC’s Kate Eltham, me, Luke Keioskie

And doing what we do best (at least, some nights it seemed that way…) 😉