Author Archives: Karen Whitelaw

Reading in Public

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Karen Whitelaw

I stand in front of an audience clutching my stories in my shaking hands. My voice trembles in sympathy. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but no, reading in public always has that effect on me. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Guest Blogger – Jessie Ansons

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Karen Whitelaw

How to keep motivated when you never seem to win I recently came second place in the Newcastle Herald’s Summer Short Story competition with my story, The Deepest of Blues. I won my first ever prize for writing and it … Continue reading →

Posted in Short stories, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Friday Fictioneers – January 31

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Karen Whitelaw

Every Friday writers from around the world contribute 100 word stories prompted by a photograph supplied by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields to Friday Fictioneers. Everyone is welcome to contribute and we love comments on our stories. No Smoking in Workshop Ted was … Continue reading →

Posted in Short stories, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 40 Comments

Characters are Pieces of History

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Karen Whitelaw

We, and our characters, all exist in a public and a private life at the same time. I’m someone’s sister, wife, child, mother, friend, neighbour. I’m that person who loves the thrill of body surfing large breakers, and gets asthma … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 22 Comments

January Challenge

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Karen Whitelaw

Early in my writing life I became friends with a woman who created perfect prose. Her language, its rhythms and word choices, sang exquisitely. Her stories evoked such overwhelming emotion in me that I often felt like crying from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , | 23 Comments

A Writer’s Glimpse of a Man Booker Winner

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Karen Whitelaw

I’ve started reading Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries, winner of The 2013 Man-Booker Prize, and I’m in awe. It’s fiercely intelligent. The language consistently reflects the mid-19th century, and rolls along in an improbable mix of luxuriously precise prose. Sometimes I … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Thoughts on an ending

Posted on December 21, 2013 by Karen Whitelaw

A weak ending can ruin a whole story. But strangely, the problem usually doesn’t lie in the final lines. Yet that’s where we spend endless time trying to “fix” it, by revising, rewriting, rereading that last paragraph. When the ending … Continue reading →

Posted in Short stories | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

Friday Fictioneers – 20th December

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Karen Whitelaw

Every Friday writers from around the world contribute 100 word stories prompted by a photograph supplied by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields to Friday Fictioneers. Everyone is welcome to contribute and we love comments on our stories. Ripples That afternoon the cherry trees … Continue reading →

Posted in Short stories | Tagged , , , , | 39 Comments

Author Interviews – Zed Book Club

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Karen Whitelaw

Merry Christmas to all writers and readers. Here’s my Christmas gift to you: quality interviews with authors hosted by Zed Book Club on Radio 4ZZZ in Australia. I’m always scouring the internet for podcasts to listen to in the car … Continue reading →

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Congratulations!!!

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Karen Whitelaw

Writers can become disheartened, but it’s the ones who have the persistence to keep working through uncertainty, through the lack of recognition and acknowledgement, who have the highest chance of succeeding. Over the last month I’ve witnessed a rush of … Continue reading →

Posted in Short stories, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments