Write Squad Weekly News
Find your inner curiosity, find your muse ♥️
Hi Squad,
We are celebrating a great success in the Write Squad Community!
CONGRATULATIONS!
A huge congratulations to Write Squad Community VIP members Casey Nott and Kylie Eklund-Denman on being long listed in the Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development Prize. This is a fabulous achievement and we wish them all the best in the next round! Hard work and persistence does pay off!
If you’ve signed up for these newsletters don’t forget you can also follow me over on insta to join in the conversation. You’ll find me @jfgibsonwriter.
🔍 Why Writers Need to Be Curious
If you’ve ever spent time with a child, you’ll know their favourite word: why? They ask it about everything. Why is the sky blue? Why can’t I eat dirt? Why does the dog hate the vacuum? It’s relentless. But also? It’s brilliant. Curiosity is how we learn. And if you’re a writer, it’s one of your most valuable tools.
The Writer’s Superpower
Great writing starts with great questions. Why do people do the things they do? What would happen if this character made a different choice? What’s the real story behind this piece of history? Writers are detectives, archaeologists, and scientists all rolled into one. Every book you love started because someone was curious enough to follow a question down the rabbit hole.
Where Curiosity Leads
The best stories come from what if? What if a secret society controlled history from the shadows? (Looking at you, The Da Vinci Code.) What if a reality TV competition was actually a fight to the death? (Hello, The Hunger Games.) When you’re open to wondering about the world—history, psychology, folklore, relationships—you start to see stories everywhere. That odd newspaper article? That overheard conversation at a café? Gold.
Cultivating Curiosity
The good news? Curiosity is a skill you can train. Read widely—things you wouldn’t normally pick up. Watch documentaries. Ask people about their lives (writers are excellent at making small talk weird). Take a different route home just to see what’s there. The more you let your brain wander, the more it will surprise you with connections and ideas.
Following the Thread
So next time you get that little hmm feeling, chase it. Dig deeper. Let yourself wonder. Some questions might not lead anywhere. Others might change everything. Either way, staying curious keeps your writing fresh, your ideas flowing, and your stories compelling. And really—who wouldn’t want to be intellectually playful and curious like a child sometimes?
Comps & Opportunities
☘️ Tasmanian Writers’ Prize
Date: 14th February
The prize is for short stories up to 3,000 words having an island, or island-resonant, theme. Details here.
☘️ Mulga Bill Writing Award
Date: 24th February
Poetry and short stories accepted. Details here.
☘️ Sorrento Creative Writing Prize
Date: 1st March
$5,000 prize, short story 2,500 words. Details here.
☘️ The Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense
Date: 15th March
Please note the submissions process for this one is a little complicated. etails here.
Food for Thought
⚡️ Colleen Hoover is a Terrible Writer who Glorifies Abuse Lacks Depth and Doesn’t Deserve the Hype
⚡️ Publishing Giants are Suing Idaho Over Book Banning
Ask The Author Podcast
🎙️ This week, on the Ask The Author podcast…
Returns February 2025. Don’t forget you can head through the backlist of amazing episodes in the meantime. And, if you have your own question, please feel free to ask by hitting reply to this email. (And you can remain anonymous.)
Now out on your fav podcast app, or here’s the apple link or simply search for Ask The Author with Jodi Gibson
Until next time, happy writing!
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