When I was studying professional writing and editing at RMIT, we workshopped our writing in most classes. That meant preparing around 2,000 words every week or so and putting them in front of our classmates for feedback. Invariably, we'd come out of those sessions with at least five different opinions about a word, a sentence, an idea or a character. This led to a lot of head-scratching trying to work out what was relevant and useful, and what to ignore. It also left us questioning what to trust in our own writing.

Been away from your writing for weeks, months or even years? Here's how to start writing again without trying to make up for lost time.

Improve your manuscript with these self-editing tips to ensure you have the best possible version of your manuscript ready before submitting

Amy Coomer is an Australian author whose writing life is shaped by flexibility, persistence and a willingness to follow a story wherever it takes her. This is part of the Interviews with Creatives series, a curated library of conversations from the Creative Momentum with Meg podcast. For Amy, writing doesn't happen within a perfectly structured day. She works around part-time jobs, writes late into the evening and often heads to a café to create the conditions she needs to focus. She describes herself as a night owl, someone who needs noise rather than silence, and a writer who begins without a detailed plan before eventually stepping back to consider the structure of the story.

Instead of asking yourself: 'How can I make myself write?' maybe there's something else you need? Sometimes the answer is focus. Sometimes it's space to wander. Sometimes it's recovery. And sometimes it's to put the work down and go and live. That's what I'll be exploring in my October Creative Mindset Masterclass, Creative rest & recovery. Find out more about what I'll be covering and I'd love to have you join me

Perfectionism can stop creatives from starting, experimenting and finishing. Explore perfectionism, creativity, high standards and three practical ways to loosen its grip.

Join me this Sunday at a free online creative workshop to reflect on 2026, set intentions for the final quarter and energise your creative projects.

Perfectionism and creativity have a complicated relationship. High standards can help us make better work, but when those standards become tied to fear of failure or our sense of worth, they can make it harder to begin, experiment and finish. In this Mindset Insight, I explore why perfectionism can get in the way of creative work and four practical ways to loosen its grip without lowering your standards. When high standards become perfectionism Hi. My name is Meg and I'm a recovering perfectionist. I used to think my perfectionism meant I cared about doing things well.

Avoidance and procrastination are such a common problem for writers, and I'm well aware of this for myself. That's why I'm tackling it this month. This month’s Creative Mindset Masterclass is about understanding why we keep avoiding the thing we care about so much and building the practical tools and the mindset to change that. You’ll leave with understanding What’s actually underneath your procrastination and why naming it makes it smaller How to shrink a task until it’s undeniable How to work with your creative energy rather than against it…

In this interview, Claire Zorn talks about writing, weaving, music, creativity, observation and why small, achievable goals can keep creative work moving

Five things that brought me joy this week: Hand making things | More snail mail! | Women lifting women | Peach blossom buds | Daffodils

Artist Elizabeth Barnett on making space for creativity, the seasons of family life, knitting, journalling and discovering that you don't have to be just one kind of artist.

Download my free Word manuscript template to structure your book, organise chapters and scenes, and prepare your manuscript for submission.

Tim Pilgrim on gardening as a creative practice, designing with nature, working with time and finding beauty in the unexpected.

Gardener and designer Tim Pilgrim on observation, time, happy accidents and why a garden is never really finished.

Tim Pilgrim on gardening as a creative practice, designing with nature, working with time and finding beauty in the unexpected.

Explore the inner critic, self-doubt and perfectionism, and how we can learn to treat ourselves with more kindness.

Books read this month: Mother Mary Comes to Me | I am Nannertgarrook | Every Wild Soul | The Children’s Bach | She Has My Heart | Iluka | Famesick | Circle of Wonders

Wondering what happens on a writing retreat? Discover what to expect, why retreats work, common questions & how they can help you make meaningful progress with your writing.

Writers, if you want to block out some time for writing this year, there's only a few days left for bookings for the upcoming five day writing retreat in August (27-21 August), and there's a couple of spots still open for it. The November retreat is booked out.  My retreats provide you with the time, space and nurturing environment that allows you to work more deeply into your writing project. People come away from my retreats talking about the breakthroughs they have had, and how they know their stories and characters more.

Understanding what creative jealousy is really trying to tell you with some strategies to help

After ten years, twenty-two drafts and publisher feedback, I begin draft 23. Reflections on revising a novel, trusting the process and staying with the stories that matter.

Comparison can be the thief of creativity. Here's how to stop measuring your creative journey against everyone else’s

In this interview, I chat with Melbourne novelist Trish Bolton on gardening as painting, procrastination as fear, and why the big ideas never happen in front of the screen.

In this interview, I chat with American-in-Sydney debut memoirist Lindsay Bartels on writing Imogen in Waiting by hand across four notebooks, protecting early fiction from feedback, and why home is where the books are.

In this interview, I chat with writer Melissa Sharman to hear about why she needed to write her memoir and how she approached it.

Penguin-shortlisted debut author on one sacred Friday a week, why plotting killed her second book, and what unlocked writing for her.

Books read this month: The Correspondence | Monkey Grip

A postcard from Croatia after a week in Serbia. A weekly postcard from my 2026 European working holiday