Writing Light and Shadow

Every anthology is a community of writers and readers, and the community spirit was strong when Minds Shine Bright travelled to Inverloch to continue the celebrations of Storm Minds Shine Bright Seasons 1 anthology.

On Thursday 29^th February a group of writers gathered at Inverloch Community House from across the Bass Coast and South Gippsland, to write on the theme of light and shadow, to learn some tips and tricks for competition writing and to celebrate two local writers published in Storm.

Light and shadow is the current theme of the Minds Shine Bright Seasons Writing Competition open until 31 March 2024. You can find out more and enter here.

Inverloch Writing Light and Shadow Workshop

Local writers Sarah Rasmussen and Gayle Beveridge joined Amanda Scotney to read from their published stories, House of Feathers  and The Lightning Traveller.   

The event was a great success with some entertaining, brilliant, and quirky creative writing produced by the group exploring the light and shadow circle.(The Light and Shadow Circle is a thematic writing exercise) The Bass Coast Writers did an excellent job of promoting the workshop locally and put on a splendid afternoon tea. 

This month we are featuring both Sarah Rasmussen and Gayle Beveridge as Writers in Focus, to showcase some of the writing talent in the South Gippsland region.

Writer in Focus – Sarah Rasmussen

Sarah Rasmussen is a writer and reviewer based in South Gippsland, Victoria. She  created the blog Ragamuffin Books where she writes about children’s and young adult fiction. She also reviews books for Kids Book Reviews. Sarah has recently finished her Masters degree in writing and is currently working on a number of projects.

1. What do you like most about living in South Gippsland?

There is so much to love about living in South Gippsland! One of the things I love is the diversity of the landscapes. In Korumburra, we have beautiful rolling hills in every direction.  But there is also the beach close by at Inverloch, beautiful lakes and places to go hiking. Yet we are still only a couple hours from the city.

I also love how quiet it is here. The small town communities are wonderful, the people are lovely and everyone is happy to have a chat up the street.

2. How did you interpret the theme of Storm in your short story House of Feathers?

I attempted to include the theme of Storm in my story (House of Feathers) in a few different ways. Firstly, I had the actual event of a storm happening in the background. I also had the police ‘storm’ into the boy’s house to take him away. These both reflected the internal feelings of the main character as well.

Then at the end of my story, there is an epiphany from the boy that the animals are not actually well looked after, and that he was blind to this, until a social worker pointed it out. I came to this idea after thinking about storms, and how oftentimes in the middle of a storm, it is hard to know what is going on outside. You have to wait until the rain stops and the sun comes up before you can go outside and see what has come crashing down.

3. What inspires you to write?

I am inspired to write by numerous things. Sometimes just by everyday life and everyday people and by thinking to myself ‘what if?’  But I feel I am more inspired from reading and hearing other people’s stories – whether that be from books, movies or short story anthologies like Minds Shine Bright.

4.  How do you find time to write?

This is something I struggle with constantly. As a busy working mum with two young kids, cutting out time from my day to write is my biggest challenge as a writer. Writing early in the morning works best for me. Generally, at 5am there is no one around who needs to be dressed, or washed or fed. I also don’t have time to get in my own way with chores or doubt. It is just me, my coffee, my bed and my laptop. 

When I was younger, I used to write late at night but I think humans are always changing, and life is always changing, so you have to find out what works best for you, and stick with it!

Writer in Focus Gayle Beveridge

Gayle is an Aussie living on Victoria’s beautiful Bass Coast. She is passionate about writing fiction, sunsets, chocolate, bird watching and photography. Gayle’s stories have been widely published, some of which appear in anthologies, including Award Winning Australian Writing, Mosaic, The Umbrella’s Shade and Vegemite Whiskers.

1. What do you like most about living in South Gippsland?

The Bass Coast is a dream come true; a sea-change and tree-change wrapped up in one. The scenery is magnificent and the wildlife is abundant. We count ourselves lucky to be here. The first day I came to Wonthaggi, it was for a job interview. I was early and went for a walk along a street of shops to kill some time. I’d never been to the town before and nobody knew me, but every person I passed smiled and said hello. There is a sense of community here that I did not find in the city.

2. How did you interpret the theme of Storm in your short story, The Lightning Traveller?

In The Lightning Traveller, the storm is the brain injury suffered by a man struck by lightning, and his struggle with the resultant periodic breaks from reality.

3. What inspires you to write?

The weekly writing prompts from our local group, the Bass Coast Writers, are a great motivator and lead me to explore topics I might have otherwise ignored. I am most inspired by topics that mirror life’s tragedies and try to write pieces that are sympathetic to those who suffer through them. The son in India needing to cremate a father dead from COVID when there is no wood left for the funeral pyre. A woman hiding in a basement in a war-torn city afraid if she leaves, her husband will not find her if he makes it home. An earthquake victim longing for help and the rescuer desperate to find him. The empty-nester battling loneliness. A young child unable to comprehend his father’s death.

More recently I have been inspired, though learning of craft essays—lyrical, segmented, mixed time lapse, diptych—to attempt some experimental pieces. Stories told through associations with colours, musical instruments, specific years in a lifetime. It has been an interesting journey.

4. How do you find time to write?

For many of my working years writing had to be set aside, but now I’m retired I have the luxury of writing when I feel like it. The weekly Bass Coast Writers meetings provide support and motivation and make sure it doesn’t get neglected. It competes with finding time for wildlife photography, which I am equally passionate about.

5. What advice do you have for new writers?

Write as often as you can, even if it’s just one paragraph at a time. The more you practice the craft, the easier it will get. When you read something you really like, think about why you liked it. What made that piece special for you? In this way you’ll build up an understanding of what makes good writing good, and what you can introduce to your own work to make it special to others.  

Sarah and Gayle’s stories can be found in Storm Minds Shine Bright Seasons 1, 2023 – (ISBN: 978-0-64555231-2-6, Distributor: Ingram)  available in print and e-book from bookshops that support independent publishers or online at Minds Shine Bright.

Competition News

Behind the scenes our editing team are busy preparing Confidence 2 for publication. We look forward to launching the next Minds Shine Bright anthology in May, featuring the work of forty writers and poets, from seven countries.

To find out more you can view the full Shortlist and Longlist from the Confidence Writing competition.