Words Matter - Christopher Grace
Some say the best way to show you understand something is to explain it to someone else. And that by being able to communicate what you know in a clear and concise way, this actually helps you to understand the matter-at-hand better. This was exactly the case during my second week here at the Queensland Writers Centre. (To introduce myself, I’m Christopher and I have just joined the team here at QWC.)
So, it was Wednesday afternoon when a lovely grandmother and granddaughter – who were spending a lazy day enjoying catching up from either ends of the state – wandered curiously through the wooden door on Level 2 and into the Queensland Writers Centre. Excitedly and nervously walking over to embark on my first face-to-face interaction, I was just as hopeful for – and fearful of – the question that followed: ‘G’Day. We’re just passing through and we thought we would wander in and see what happens in here. What’s this place? The Queensland Writers Centre? Tell me about what you do?’
Righto. Let’s have a seat!
In explaining to these two wonderful people what it is we do at QWC, I was not only able to demonstrate that I had got my head around the organisation, I was also able to really see the goodness in the services we provide. Writing exists in so many different forms and for so many different reasons. There are people who want to write for commercial success, there are people who want to write to educate and entertain – and there are people who just write because they love it. And in all these capacities of writing, connecting with QWC is about connecting with people who love writing also. After a great little yarn about all the services we provide, I was invigorated to walk away knowing that we had a new member about to join our ranks and that I was part of something really special.
Another highlight of my second week here was performing my first Author’s consult with one of our wonderful and talented writers. And it was from this consultation I also became more aware of something really important to remember when approaching writing. It is not always about commercial publication success. During our consult, the writer told me the whole purpose of her artistic endeavours is to share her experience with other powerful survivors just like her. We discussed all the options going forward and I felt buoyant that we were able to help one of our members collate all of her work and develop a concrete plan to move forward toward achieving their artistic goal. I was empowered by her energy. Thank you.
It is such a great feeling to come to work each day in an environment where words and writers matter. Every day offers so many new stories; from the entries to our Right, Left, Write competitions to the manuscript appraisals we do. Reading your work is a privilege and a joy. I love your stories.
Having spent more years than I care to mention working in a kitchen, this new career comes as a bit of a mid-life career change. I fell in love with writing years ago when I wrote about food for the local newspaper. I returned to uni and studied literature and creative writing and I am now honoured to be a part of a community of writers and artists. This is important to me. Writing is important. Your stories are important. So if any of you are out-and-about, wandering through the stacks of books here at the State Library, come in and say G’day. I love to chat – especially when words are on the menu. (Sorry about the bad chef pun.)
Chris Grace - Operations Officer, Queensland Writers Centre