An Unexpected Adventure - Amelie L
I’m sitting in my bedroom as the sticky summer heat wages constant war with the ceiling fan’s cool air. I’m preparing to tackle a daunting task before the school year has even begun – finding a Work Experience placement. Despite the fact that the very idea of social interaction sends shivers down my spine, I’ve somehow managed to get into contact with one of my favourite authors – Lynette Noni, author of the Medoran Chronicles series. I’ve asked her if I can get in contact with her publisher or editor to see the inner workings of the writing industry. And to my utter shock, she’s responded back, saying that her publisher is overseas, but she can recommend going somewhere just as good – the Queensland Writers Centre. So, a week before I start the school year, I type out an email asking if QWC has a spot for a Year 10 student.
A few weeks later, the monotony of class is broken by a very welcome email. I barely have time to tell my friends ‘I got accepted!’ before we need to set up our next science experiment. I’m the first out of my friend group to secure a placement, not to mention I get bragging rights for being accepted on my first request.
What follows is a hectic couple of months filled with preparation, exams and general dramas, but before I know it, it’s July 19th and I’m hesitantly walking into the State Library of Queensland. I arrive at 9:50 and proceed to almost bump into the glass automatic doors, having forgotten that they only open at 10am. Whoops. After an anxious 10 minutes, I head in and meet the amazing people I’m about to spend the week with. Immediately, I feel welcome. The atmosphere is warm and quiet, a nice contrast to a loud, hectic school environment. After a brief introduction, I’m given a list of manuscripts to read and give feedback on. It’s just like reading a book and writing a review. I start to imagine what it would be like getting paid to read books all day, and have to get myself back on track before I start planning out a dream career.
The five days I spent at QWC have been filled with a number of adventures. I’ve gotten the chance to write for competitions, receive professional feedback on my work, meet lots of new people and learn about their journeys, edit soon-to-be-published novels, write postcards for Telling Our Stories to the World, and read innumerable stories & immerse myself in each one. It has been an unforgettable experience where I’ve been able to assume a variety of roles, from author to editor to publisher to researcher.
And now, on my last day here, I’ve gotten the opportunity to write this, which is an adventure in itself. I’ve learned so many new things this week, and I feel as though my writing has improved from being here for just five days.
Thank you everyone! :)
Queensland Writers Centre is grateful for the generous support of our many volunteers, interns and work experience students! If you’re interested in volunteering your time and helping to support our mission of fostering a vibrant Queensland writing community, let us know at www.queenslandwriters.org.au/contact-us