Interview: the first Aussie ‘Christy’ Award Winner, author David Rawlings
The Omega Writers blog is privileged to interview the first Australian winner of the prestigious Christy Award for Christian fiction, David Rawlings, who was a presenter at our 2019 Omega Writers Conference. Tamika Spaulding asked him to spill the beans on his writing life, and the announcement of the prize. Tamika: First, tell me a […]
Writing… for God? What the Bible has to say about the words we put on paper
‘Hi, my name’s Penny, and I, well, I write.’ It’s funny how the admission is so hard to make at first. No, I don’t have a paid job. Yes I am a stay at home mum, and in between hanging out the laundry and picking the kids up from school, I write. It’s something I […]
I want to Write a Book. What Are My First Steps?
I’m a lifelong reader. And I’ve been working as a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction for the last seven years, which means I’ve seen a lot of manuscripts, good and bad. I’ve learned something about the craft of writing from each one. I’ve attended conferences featuring internationally recognised speakers such as James Scott Bell, […]
Writing Life | When can you call yourself a writer?
As a child, I used to think how wonderful it would be to write stories that would whisk readers off to an imaginary world and give them those hours of enjoyment I experienced whenever I lost myself in a book. But that would no doubt be impossible, because surely those writers whose names were on […]
Helpful Resources for Writers: Part 5 | Dealing with Rejection
If you want to write, there is one unfortunate, inescapable reality you will have to learn to live with. Every writer faces it. It’s like the monster under the bed. The ominous shadow hiding around the corner. The nightmare that … you get the picture. Rejection. It hits all of us. Publishers won’t immediately publish […]
CALEB Finalists’ Shortlist 2019
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] The books have been read. The score sheets have been completed. The scores have been totalled, and Omega Writers are delighted to announce the finalists for the 2019 CALEB Award. First, a big thank you to our first-round judges. No writing contest can operate without judges, and we appreciate the time and effort you’ve contributed. […]
How to support an author
Aussie authors can get lost amongst the screams of the international authors on our bookstore shelves. Go into your local bookstore and most of what you will find is not Australian, especially in the Christian market. However, the Christian authors in Australia are the ones on the ground doing ministry here. If they could become […]
Helpful Resources for Writers: Part 4 | Story structure methods
Like your house needs to be built on good foundations, your novel or memoir needs to be supported by a solid story structure. If you don’t know what your structure is, your characters can tie themselves up in knots, and your readers can get frustrated. There are multiple ways to organise your story: we’ve gathered […]
Things I wish I’d known starting out as a Christian writer
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We asked a whole lot of Christian writers what they wish they’d known at the beginning of their writing journey, and here’s what they said. Resources are out there When I started, I could have used the services of good editors like Christian Editing Services, The Write Flourish and Apricot Editing. I’ve really appreciated the […]
Helpful resources for writers: Part 3 | Genre
Understanding genre and why it matters