Marg McAlister
Marg McAlister has tried on a good many writer's hats in her career, and has enjoyed wearing most of them. Her writing achievements include:
- publication in print magazines for adults (such as New Idea and Family Circle) and children (school magazines)
- more than sixty published books for children (both fiction and nonfiction)
- experience as a ghostwriter for business professionals
- voiceover scripts and speeches
- hundreds of online articles, and
- five distance education courses on writing for a multinational company.
She has also created two popular e-courses run from her own website: Spotlight on Plotting and Spotlight on Characters.
Marg has been on the staff of the Writer's Retreat Workshop several times, and currently works part-time for a large company as a technical writer and e-learning consultant. In this capacity she has been a project manager and has outsourced various tasks related to online learning. All in all, Marg has written on a vast range of topics ranging from creating a home study to safe welding techniques, and in diverse genres.
Teaching has also been a significant part of Marg's background: first as a teacher of chlldren between 5-12 and then as a teacher of English as a Second Language. She has run workshops in writing for talented children at Charles Sturt University, and classes for children experiencing difficulty with reading. She has a Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies (Remedial Reading), which eventually led to eight years as an Adult Literacy Officer in Technical and Further Education.
Marg also enjoys public speaking, and moved from being on the debating team at High School to eventually being President of her local Toastmasters group. From there she became a member of the National Speakers Association of Australia, and has run workshops for international speakers on how to create back-of-room products for the speaking circuit.
Seven years ago, Marg established a website and a regular free writer's tipsheet to help writers perfect their craft and organise their home office (which often means their home-based business). Since she enjoyed working with writers so much, she followed this up wth another writing membership site. However, in 2010 there will be further developments (life is always interesting!) Marg and her husband Rob will be adopting the RV lifestyle more or less permanently in late March/early April, travelling around Australia for Caravan and Motorhome on Tour.
Latest Articles
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The Challenge of Writing Dialogue in a Memoir
Memory is unreliable, and memoir writers can run into trouble trying to recall conversations from the past. How can they accurately reproduce what was said?
Mar 1, 2010
- Marg McAlister
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Writing a Family History – Getting Started
It's time to turn that vague idea of 'writing a family history someday' into an official project. Set a starting date and a deadline for publication, and watch it grow.
Feb 23, 2010
- Marg McAlister
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Writing a Memoir – Crafting a Good Opening
The opening page is vitally important in any story: fiction or non-fiction. Take whatever time is necessary to write an effective introduction for a memoir.
Feb 11, 2010
- Marg McAlister
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Writing Memoirs as Therapy
People set about writing a memoir for many different reasons - and one of those reasons can be to help them work through a difficult period in their lives.
Jan 30, 2010
- Marg McAlister
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Good Interview Questions for Memoir Writers
What's the best way to approach an interview for a memoir? It's important to put the interviewee at ease, and to ask the kind of questions that will prompt good stories.
Jan 21, 2010
- Marg McAlister
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Seven Handy Prompts for Writing a Memoir
Often, it seems like a great idea to write a memoir - right up until it's time to get started. Then the whole task can appear daunting. However, these ideas will help.
Jan 13, 2010
- Marg McAlister
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New Year Resolution – Start Writing a Memoir
If writing a memoir has been on the to-do list for far too long, now is the time to make it happen. Plan ahead then tackle this writing project in logical steps.
Dec 21, 2009
- Marg McAlister
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How to Kick-Start Any Writing Project
New Year resolutions for writers can be short-lived. It's much more useful to have a workable plan that can kick-start a writing project at any time of the year.
Dec 14, 2009
- Marg McAlister
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Bring Characters to Life When Writing a Novel
Building a cast of characters for a book without a computer, without a pen, and without even opening your eyes? It sounds too good to be true - but it actually works!
Dec 14, 2009
- Marg McAlister
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Virginia Lowe on How to Write a Children's Book
Virginia Lowe, founder of "Create a Kids' Book", explains the advantages of doing a short course in writing for children, and gives tips on how to write for kids.
Dec 12, 2009
- Marg McAlister
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