Introduction

“We want the children to write stories, and yet we don’t write ourselves.” I made this comment at a staff meeting when I was teaching at Daramalun Catholic Boys School in Canberra. The answer from the principal was, “That means that Judith wants to write.” I did not begin writing then. I had scribbled a little bit when I was travelling overseas. At different times I jotted a few things down, but nothing serious. I even began a novel, and that’s where it stayed – at the beginning. I really got going when I joined the Samford Writers’ Group in 2014. We write to a different theme/topic/genre each month. We meet the first Thursday of the month and review each other’s work. I’m amazed at what I have written. Each piece is approximately 1,500 words. We have covered such topics as satire, fairy tales, redemption, dire straights and secret weapons. I just love getting to the computer and beginning on a story, and I feel so much satisfaction when it is finished.