August 14, 2017

Silver lining

Rather too much of July was spent trying to solve the problem of why my PC and printer suddenly decided to cease communicating with each other.

Needless to say I had to resort to the lovely young techo chaps’ assistance, at my usual computer support place, for an answer in the finish. The bad news was learning what I had long suspected: my computer was fading fast and regular backups would be necessary if I was to avoid losing precious work altogether – before my ageing computer crashed completely.

Inevitably it required a thorough check-up, so data from the PC could be transferred (migrated in tech-speak) across to my newish laptop. Sounds easy doesn’t it? It wasn’t. Having identified the cause of the communication loss between PC and printer was a corrupted font style (don’t ask!), and before the techies did their thing, the advice was to change all the offending documents to the acceptable format first. No small ask given the number involved. I am a working writer after all. And then there were all the backups on the external hard drive to check and change as well. Tedious. And time-consuming.

The silver lining that resulted from being without a computer was having no excuse to avoid tidying up my office space, and do some long overdue filing. And no, I’m not a particular fan of filing, but in this case it was as well I didn’t delay it any longer. Last weekend’s heavy rain had resulted in a leak in the stationery and storage cupboard, (in reality a converted built-in wardrobe), which could have gone unnoticed for some time under more normal circumstances.

Despite moving to this house three years ago – the folders, files and boxes that were shoved into this cupboard had never been properly sorted. For all kinds of reasons there had not been time. Now, being computer-free, and on being greeted with several suspiciously damp folders, I had a chance to rescue the various boxes before their contents got too wet, and mouldy. Pulp mill clippings, letters, magazines and journals, as well as other memorabilia, were all at risk, and for some things it was already too late. The worst aspect was being unable to salvage the box of letters from my mother, sent during my first years in Australia, and obviously irreplaceable. They were all sopping and beyond redemption.

Fingers crossed though the leak is fixed, the cupboard’s contents are much better arranged, and more easily accessible. On the whole it’s been a worthy – and sobering – reminder of the extent and wealth of material I have from the long years of the pulp mill campaign – material that is likely to prove invaluable during the course of writing my book.

 

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Finding a publisher could be getting closer

By Anne Layton-Bennett • July 22, 2026
Attracting the interest of a publisher for this story of a community’s campaign to stop what would have been ‘the world’s fourth largest pulp mill’ being built was never going to be easy, but hoping the first of two 3-minute Literary Speed Dating pitch sessions will prompt at least one of the two publishers to request the full MSS. And preferably both of them. These twice-yearly Perfect Pitch sessions are offered to members of the Australian Society of Authors, and this is the first time I’ve taken advantage of them – mainly because of the need to have a completed MSS before doing so. Three minutes isn’t long to excite the interest of a publisher who is after stories in very specific genres, and who therefore needs to believe your MSS is worth investing the time needed to read it in full. I’m pretty certain I’ve excited the necessary interest, but given Jane will hear the pitches of many more optimistic and talented writers after my morning session today, there are no guarantees. That initial interest might well wane as the day goes on if other writers have written stories that sound far more intriguing – and marketable. One can never forget that aspect of publishing these days: will the book sell. I believe my story will – certainly in Tasmania it definitely will – but a wider Australian readership? That’s an unknown even if my mentor is convinced of the story’s universal appeal.  I’d certainly like to think I’ve caught the zeitgeist wave given the current widespread community unrest over AI data centres, that’s already prompting similar serious opposition, and for many of the same reasons the Tamar Valley’s community opposed the pulp mill. Environmental degradation, threats to public health, water usage – and water shortages in an era of escalating climate extremes – and the constant, relentless noise factor that’s associated with data centres, and AI data centres in particular. I’m crossing my fingers that the second pitch session will be equally positive, and that I could strike it lucky with both publishers requesting to see the full MSS. But I won’t get ahead of myself. I’ll just be keeping all fingers and toes firmly crossed for the next seven days.
Magni

Fiona's gift

By Anne Layton-Bennett • June 14, 2026
It’s taken far too many months for this marvellous model to grace the dedicated desk space in my office. When Fiona comes to visit next she will be very surprised, and hopefully gratified, that her amazing creative talent is finally on display. We’ve known each other for a very long time, and during the insanely busy time when I was helping to run the flower farm, working part-time in a school library, doing a spot of journalism on the side, and fighting the proposed pulp mill that is the subject of the manuscript I’m hoping to get published, Fiona cleaned my house each week. There’s only so much a person can do after all, and it has to be said cleaning our house during those manic years was fairly low down on the list of my priorities. But Fiona is a woman of many talents and she certainly possesses one that I so don’t have: sewing and dressmaking. So over the years she’s also made a few garments based on the pattern of a favourite garment that I was particularly fond of, and she’s also done some clothing alterations for both of us. My skills with needles and thread are limited to sewing on buttons, and taking up hems on John’s too-long pairs of jeans. Anything else is beyond me. But this fabulous model is the pièce de résistance – along with the beautiful crocheted knee warmer she gave me last year. This was when winter was approaching and so determined was I to finish writing the book, I decided to get out of bed at the insane hour of 5am and get in a solid hour’s writing in before dog walking and the demands of the day took over. Fiona was also one of many Tasmanians who needed to be circumspect about her opinion of the pulp mill. It was a project that polarised people, including families and friendships. She was one of several who passed on snippets of useful information, but on the basis of anonymity so it couldn’t be sheeted home to her.  Needless to say Fiona will be one of those whose contribution will be acknowledged – when this book is finally accepted by a publisher.

Signs of spring - when winter's only just arrived

By Anne Layton-Bennett • June 8, 2026
Early lambing season a sign of changing seasons? Or economic reality?

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