Hi, I’m Deb Fitzpatrick. I’m a writer of books for young people.

Among my books are the Spencer Gray adventure novels and At My Door, and I’m really excited because I have a brand new book coming out in 2022, about the incredible life of an Australian doctor.

Do you love to write stories? Well, you’re in the right place. And to get the ball rolling, I have two words for you: everyday magic. That’s the theme of this year’s Golden Pen Writing Award, and it’s something that is woven in to every one of my novels. Everyday magic is my kind of magic!

Often when we set about writing an adventure story, we put our characters into wild and wonderful places, like the Amazonian jungle or the dark underbelly of New York City, even if these aren’t places we’ve visited—yet!—and that makes writing about them well pretty tricky.

Lots of writers in Australia set their stories closer to home – in an oddly quiet suburban street, or in the craggy rocks of our limestone coast – and I want to encourage you to do the same. Weave in some everyday, every-place magic next time you write a story by setting the action somewhere you’ve been to and can describe authentically. And, then, if you’re writing an adventure story, put your main character in some serious danger! Readers love to see characters face scary situations and confront their fears.

Another way to bring any story to life with everyday magic is to write about the things you love. So, if, for example, you’re a budding footy player or photographer or karate student or insect collector, when you next write a story, make sure one of your characters is a footy player or insect collector or basketball champion or...  You choose!

This way you can weave in details about what you already know about, without having to do loads of research. The idea is to use the expertise you already have, and share it with your reader! It’s called everyday magic. Your passion will shine from your story!

Deb

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Thanks Deb! Deb is one of the excellent contributors to the Scribblers Festival Writing Journal, which is jammed with tips (just like this one) to help you get your story started.