Eat Your Words
Interested in arts writing? Then it's time to EAT YOUR WORDS!
Supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, and managed by Artworkers Alliance - 'Eat Your Words' is a collaborative writing project that is designed to help foster the development of critical arts writing in Australia.
Through the project, 8 emerging writers (aged 30 and under) will have the opportunity to attend an intensive writing workshop in Brisbane, and collaborate with academics, visual artists and leading Australian arts writers
Selected writings from the collaboration will be published in the July 2009 issue of Artworkers magazine - 'Artworker'.
Entries for Eat Your Words have now closed. Thanks to all who submitted applications for the project.
Key Dates
Applications Close: Friday 30 January 2009
Artworker Issue 3 released
(with published selection of articles): September 2009
For further enquiries please contact Artworkers: 07 3215 0850.
Eat Your Words has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its funding and advisory body.
TOP TEN TIPS FOR CRITICAL ARTS WRITING ACCORDING TO LAURA MURRAY CREE- Write
as much as you can. For instance, with a review you’ve done, set
yourself the task of manipulating the information in a number of ways
e.g. write a 150 word snapshot appropriate for a weekend newspaper;
write 300 words appropriate for an international magazine; cut the
review down by 500 words; use the information to write a gallery room
sheet.
- Target the magazines or journals that most appeal to
you. Don’t use the scattergun approach. You need to believe in what you
produce.
- Find out the publishing schedules of these magazines so that you can pitch stories that will suit their deadlines.
- Study
contents carefully – do you want to stretch your legs and write for
magazines like Art Monthly or do you want the discipline of shorter
pieces? Do you prefer reviews, features or academic discourse? Keep the
pitches relevant and targeted.
- Keep you ears to the ground for
exciting new work by emerging or older artists. Privately funded
magazines like to publish concurrently with exhibition times.
Advertising is crucial to their survival and is not the dirty word it
used to be.
- Grab all writing opportunities, even those not associated with art.
- Write clearly – avoid jargon words e.g. if I hear about subversive art any more I’ll scream!
- Don’t dismiss the possibility of chance encounters. Opportunities pop up where you least expect them.
- When
you write anything always leave a few days for the text to settle
before sending it off. Occupy your mind with other things. When you
come back to it, you’ll see immediately what needs changing. In other
words, become your own editor (beyond the obvious polishing).
- Take note of your dreams – in both senses of the word. Sleep and the unconscious may offer surprising possibilities.
Laura Murray Cree (Eat Your Words Facilitator 2009).6 May 2009
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