We made it! This journal is a collection of work by final year Writing students. All the work is based around the theme chaos and creation and crosses creative non-fiction, screenplay, poetry and short story.
Chaos and creation was the initial springboard theme that was to be used in any way, to develop a piece of work. So how did we decide on chaos and creation? Well, we did the democratic thing and voted. We workshopped a variety of themes to choose from, all of which were devised by members of the class: the theme ‘into the woods’ came a close second during the final voting. It was then that the work started, as we began to brainstorm, develop ideas and find some kind of narrative and story to work with, within our chosen genre. Each student decided on the genre they wanted to write in. Chaos and creation is a broad topic and it has allowed us to produce a very diverse body of work — which makes it all the more enjoyable for you to read.
The writing then developed over the course of the next few months and we split into groups so we could workshop each others’ ideas. This was a great part of the process as we were critically assessing and enjoying our peers’ work. It was great to see ideas change and grow from week to week as people went deeper into developing their work.
The act of writing or developing something creatively always has elements of chaos and creation. There are times when you may hate the story or the characters, or are stuck on finding the right word. There are other times that characters come to life and breathe truth into a moment. You may begin without knowing where a story will go, or you may have it all mapped out in your head. Every work and every writer is different, which means every story is too.
During our classes this semester we have also discussed and passionately debated writing and the future of writing, literature and books in the digital age. This is the first edition of The Quarry, the new e-journal associated with our Writing portfolio unit. As we step into the digital age with this collection of writing, something that seemed to resonate throughout our discussions was the fact that though the object or way we read may change with different technologies, the content and story always needs to be at the heart of great work. This aspect of writing and storytelling will remain timeless. We hope you enjoy these final works from our undergraduate degree, and and get to read lots more from each of us in the future.
Merran Winchester on behalf of the 2012 students and the #01 Editorial Team:
Todd Newton, Alexandra Bodnaruk, Monica Purcell, Merran Winchester
The Issue #01 cover image is selected from the Macquarie University Art Gallery exhibition Sixties Explosion (2012). Image by Arthur Wicks, ‘Homage to the Bullet’, 1968. Screenprint, 46.6 x 67.6cm.