Paris Rosemont: My KSP Fellowship was precisely what I'd been needing

Following hot on the heels of having navigated several weeks of 24/7 solo parenting during the summer holiday break, I was itching to get back into my writing again.

The Fellowship was wonderfully rejuvenating to my creative practice. With the dedicated time and space away from my usual daily responsibilities to focus on my writing project, I was able to cobble together a very rough first iteration of my third poetry collection. 

This included collating all the raw material I had (ie. poems not already in my first two collections) to see what I had to work with. It turns out I’d written 160 poems, which was almost double my original guesstimation! I sorted them into stacks of Yes, Maybe, and No. I further culled the Maybes into either Yes or No. This whittled the number down to 59 strong poems, which was right on target for my goal of 50-70 poems for this collection.

My next major task was to take those 59 poems and to sort them into thematic groups in order to discover the recurring themes that emerged. This was a satisfying process because in doing so, I felt as though I was getting to ‘meet’ my third collection for the first time, getting a feel for its content, style, and tone. It seems to sit somewhere in between the brazenness of my debut collection (Banana Girl) and the intimacy of my second (Barefoot Poetess).

I spent my days at KSP toggling my time between my working on my manuscript, writing new poems inspired by my fresh environment and circumstances, reading in order to nourish and broaden my mind, and exploring Perth, Fremantle and my surroundings. The chance to immerse myself in the local literary scene was such an enriching experience. I attended events both in-house (via groups facilitated at KSP) and beyond. I had the pleasure of watching a poetry/theatre show as part of the Perth Fringe Festival, attending a book launch, and dropping in on a poetry open mic event. These were wonderful opportunities for me to get more of a feel for the WA writing community and to connect with local writers.

My KSP Fellowship was invaluable in giving me the time and space which allowed me to make significant progress on my third poetry collection. It has propelled me in very concrete ways towards my goal of getting my manuscript ready for publication. I am so very grateful to KSP for the CALD scholarship that enabled me to have the opportunity to experience this Fellowship, during which my third poetry collection has begun to take shape.

My Top 10 Writing Tips:

• There’s no shame in day napping! It’s about resting when your body is telling you that you need to rest. Micro naps can help give you an energy boost so that you can return to your writing refreshed.

• Find windows of writing time that work best for you and fit in with your lifestyle. These don’t necessarily need to be ‘traditional’ working hours. I’m often up writing well beyond midnight (hence the need for micro naps!) as that is my quiet, uninterrupted time when I can really focus.

• A change of writing environment can often revitalise creative energy. This could be as simple as going somewhere new (if you usually write at home, try a beach, park, or café). Better yet, if you have the opportunity to go away on a writers’ residency (whether through an organisation such as KSP or a DIY getaway) that can do wonders to help you recalibrate with fresh inspiration and time away from your usual daily responsibilities.

• Incentivise yourself with little rewards when you complete certain tasks or reach specific goals. For example, you might make a deal with yourself that if you finish two solid hours of writing, or a first draft of a poem, short story or chapter, you will then reward yourself with… [choose something that makes you smile].

• Take some time out each day. This will help you refocus. A simple routine I incorporate into my daily practice is mindfulness and meditation. Some people use meditation apps, but I like to pop on some calming music for 5-10 minutes (for me, this tends to be classical music without lyrics to distract). I close my eyes, turn my mind to good posture (as writers, we’re so often hunched over our keyboards and begin to slouch) and focus on simply breathing in and out. It takes only several minutes out of my busy schedule but is surprisingly restorative.

• Believe in yourself. When you submit your work to journals and competitions and receive rejection after rejection, try not to let that rattle your confidence too much. Even the greatest writers have faced multiple rejections. Often, it’s not about the quality of your writing, but more a matter of submitting the right piece to the right place at the right time.

• Don’t become complacent. Notwithstanding the above, sometimes your work may be getting rejected because you haven’t quite nailed it yet. Even though I teach poetry classes myself these days, I try not to get complacent about honing my own skills—whether that be through attending Masterclasses, courses or workshops, engaging in feedback groups, or seeking out mentorships. Whatever stage of our writing trajectory we’re in, I think it’s important to continue to learn and grow and strengthen our craft. 

• Do your research. Spend a little time reading previous work that has been published in the journal or competition you are submitting to. This helps you get a feel for the kind of writing they have liked in the past. This is not to say you can’t go out on a limb with something different (indeed, they might find that refreshing). But a nature anthology is unlikely to accept a piece of erotica, for example. A bit of time invested in researching the journal (or even the judges) at the outset can help maximise your strike rate.

• Read in order to write. What goes in finds ways of coming out – whether directly or indirectly, through theme or style, influence or technique. We absorb sources of inspiration from everything we expose ourselves to. So nourish your mind. Read widely. Discover what you like—and equally as important—what you don’t like abouts certain writers and their writing. This will help you harness your own writers’ voice.

• Immerse yourself in the writing community around you. Go to events. Connect with fellow writers. Share your work. Be inspired by the work of others. Celebrate and commiserate with your peers over the trials and tribulations of being a writer. Support each other. This will be your tribe through the ups and downs of your writing journey. Treasure them.

  
  
  
  

Paris Rosemont is the author of Banana Girl (WestWords, 2023), shortlisted for the Association for the Study of Australian Literature’s 2024 Mary Gilmore Award for a first volume of poetry. Her second collection, Barefoot Poetess, is due for release in March 2025. Paris may be found at

www.parisrosemont.com