Interview with Glenda Larke

It occurs to me that you might have missed this. Over at Egoboo WA we've been interviewing people involved in the writing business. Among those we've interviewed is Glenda Larke. She was kind enough to drop by and answer a few questions for me. She has some interesting things to say so why not have a look.

On Disability - Pensions and Access

I'm about to rant.

I'm truly appalled at the perception being fostered that disability benefits are easy to get. We have the Prime Minister saying the Government is going to tighten the already stringent criteria - the Leader of the Opposition has always espoused this. I'm not sure why. I doubt there are vast numbers of people out there rorting the system. I am sure there are some. I'm also sure they are the minority.

In Australia, and the other countries I have some knowledge of, it is not easy to get disability benefits. It's hard. You can't just rock up and say 'Gimme.' You have to jump through hoops and keep on jumping through them for as long as you are in receipt of benefits no matter how bad you feel.

Then, even when you convince the authorities, if your disability is invisible (Many are. Think mental illness, CFS and chronic migraine for example.) people are always going to be suspicious of you. If you try to make the most of your life by doing as much as you can when you can you will be judged because if you can do that (whatever that is - going to the beach, visiting friends, going to a convention etc) obviously you are just wasting the money the public has given you or you really are fit and should be at work.

Posts on two blogs recently here and referred on from the first here deal with what it's like to have a disability and how hard it is to just keep going - and how frustrating it is to be dependent on others.

The truth is most people on disability benefits are in pain of some sort, living on a pittance and would like nothing better than to be able to work. Yes, it's hard for someone who is fit and healthy to understand what living with a disability is like but it would be really good if they made the effort instead of attacking the recipients. Life's already hard enough for them.

Elephant's farewell

Today I was watching a documentary on animal migrations. The subject was elephants in Mali. They and many other animals were crowded around a rapidly drying out lake when a calf was born. Sadly underweight and weak, it died after a few hours while its mother and grandmother tried to shelter it from the heat. A week later the little corpse had completely dried out leaving shreds of hide and exposed bones and the herd, scenting rain in the south, was preparing to move out. Before they left though the entire herd gathered around the remains. With extraordinary delicacy and gentleness they each touched and lifted the bones and one even rubbed the skull over its cheek. It was one of the most profoundly moving things I've ever seen. It reduced me to tears - not a common occurrence. After watching that I was convinced that the arrogant human presumption that we are the only ones who love and whose hearts can be broken is just that - arrogant- because if that was not an expression of love I don't know what love is.

RIP Elisabeth Sladen

I was genuinely saddened when I saw this morning that Elisabeth Sladen had passed away. She played Sarah Jane Smith, one of the Doctor's companions, in Dr Who for three and a half seasons.

Female Doctor's companions tended to be the girl who had to be rescued. Not Sarah Jane. There was no putting her in a box and expecting her to stay put. She may have done a fair bit of screaming - I probably would have done the same in some of the situations she ended up in - but then she got herself organised and did what had to be done. This often involved doing exactly what she was told not to by the many men around her. Sometimes she was right, sometimes wrong but it was always her choice. What a role model for a young woman in the heady early days of feminism.

Much of this character development comes down to the actors. They may be given the lines but how they deliver them is what actually makes the character come alive. Elisabeth Sladen made Sarah Jane Smith into a vibrant, real person. That's quite an achievement.

Swancon

Oh my. It's just dawned on me that Swancon (combined this year with Natcon Fifty) will already be underway by this time next week. For the program go here.

There's a great line up of guests too. You can find the guest lists here. I've just had a look and it includes Ellen Datlow, Justina Robson and Sean Williams, Glenda Larke, Jonathan Strahan, Juliet Marillier, Bevan McGuiness, Lyn McConchie, Nicole Murphy and Mary Victoria. That's quite impressive. It's going to be a fantastic weekend. Hope I see you there.

Literary Agent Blogs

I'm so glad I subscribe to Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents blog. Apart from information on established agents it provides lots more. It introduces new agents, notifies of agency closures, interviews writers at all stages of their careers and has articles on how to hone the dreaded pitch, cover letters and so much more, often reminding me about something I've forgotten as well as great new information. There are giveaways too.

This link came into my Inbox yesterday. Among the blogs are some I already follow - Rachel Gardner's Rants and Ramblings On Life As a Literary Agent and Kristen Nelson's Pub Rants - but others were new to me. They are all now on my list of blogs to follow on a regular basis.

Income Streams

Tansy Rayner Roberts, a writer and blogger I enjoy very much, usually blogs at Stitching Words, One Thread at a Time but she has been on what she describes as a slapdash blog tour to publicise her new book The Shattered City. One of her stops was at Egoboo WA and she has listed some of her other guest blogs here and here.

One that particularly interested me was at The Journeyman Writer where she describes the ups and downs of a writer's life. The first advice given to anyone who sets out to be a professional writer is often 'Don't quit your day job'. You don't have to be around this business too long before you realise that full time, professional writers like J. K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyers and Stephen King who make squillions and get big advances are the exceptions. Most writers make their livings in a combination of ways - writing, teaching, corporate work etc.

Having just read this post I came across something similar at John Scalzi's blog. It confirms just how erratic a writer's income stream can be. It's a lesson we all need to bear in mind, I guess, because for many writers the business side is something we would rather not think about too much - and we should.

Apology: I completely messed up my links here. They are now corrected.