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A reflection on the quiet give‑and‑take between my creative operations and my personal life, and the shifting balance that keeps me steady in this season.

Courage is one of those words we often reserve for big, dramatic moments — the kind that make headlines or become stories told for generations. But the truth is, courage shows up in far quieter ways long before it ever becomes something heroic. It can be loud and obvious. It can be quiet and gentle. And sometimes, it’s barely noticeable unless you’re the one living it. Yesterday reminded me of that. Courage is getting up and doing the work even though your body was sore from

Sometimes when I set a goal for myself, it can feel impossible in the moment. Too big. Too far away. Too unclear. But I’ve learned that the feeling of “impossible” usually comes from not knowing where to start — not from the goal itself. A young colleague at work recently reminded me of this. He’d resigned but didn’t know what he wanted to do next. He was torn in different directions, overwhelmed by possibilities. So I asked him, “What do you have in the pipeline?” He rattled

A crescent moon, a cup of tea, and the long roadmap of making a book. 🚙 The Long Road to a Book: Why Writing Feels Like a 4WD Adventure Early one morning not that long ago, before the sun even bothered to show its face, I stepped out onto the balcony with my tea and watched the crescent moon rising east over the ocean about two hours before the sun — curved up from the bottom like a smile. I learnt long ago when I was just a girl, that this meant it’s a good time to go fishi

Reading is important for all ages and walks of life — it expands our horizons and keeps us connected to story and language. Reading has shaped my writing life in many ways. Some books have been so poorly written that I’ve wondered how on earth they made it onto the shelves — and from those, I learned how not to write. Others have brilliant storylines but the writing is only so‑so, yet we forgive it because the story pulls us along. And then there are the books that do both:

Mingle with other writers. A huge part of staying on track with my writing goals over the years has been the support and structure I’ve found through the Queensland Writers Centre. Their courses, workshops, and community have helped me grow in ways I didn’t expect, and I’m grateful for the direction they continue to give me. If you’re looking to develop your writing further, check out your state or territory writing organisations and get involved — it makes a world of differe

Manuscripts don’t write themselves, and progress doesn’t happen by accident. This is how I set goals and stay flexible along the way.

A quiet moment of trust in the process. “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t — you’re right.” by Henry Ford That line followed me through the entire journey of writing my first full manuscript. Not in a loud, motivational way, but as a quiet reminder on the days when the path felt tangled or slow. I don’t often think “I can’t.” It’s more that I pause, breathe, and tell myself there must be a way — and somehow, that thought always helps me find it. It doesn’t alwa

Words come fast, or not at all. This scroll is about starting anyway.