Editor / Mentor / Tutor / Lecturer
2023 – Every year, the Australasian Horror Writers Association assembles a team of award-winning and award-nominated industry professionals to help emerging writers better their craft through the AHWA Mentor Program. I will be a mentor again this year, along with Alan Baxter, Paul Mannering, Kaaron Warren, J. Ashley-Smith, Greg Chapman, Shane Walsh-Smith, Eugen Bacon, and Shayne Armstrong. Applications opened Friday 21 April.
2022 – The Australasian Horror Writers Association “Mentorship Program” opens for applications on Friday 27 May 2022. Mentors this year are: Shane Armstrong, Eugen M. Bacon, Silvia Canton Rodoni, Paul Mannering, Dan Rabarts, Deborah Sheldon, J. Ashley-Smith and Shane Walsh-Smith. Check out the AHWA website for details.
2021 – The Mentorship Program organised by the Australasian Horror Writers Association is off and running in 2021. For 12 weeks, I will be helping J.M. Merryt to develop her fantasy-horror novel. Click here to see the full list of mentees and their mentors.
2021 – The Australasian Horror Writers Association runs a Mentorship Program every year. The program matches novices with established writers for three months of intense one-on-one guidance and advice. I’ve been an AHWA mentor since the program’s inception, and will be participating again this year. The 2021 AHWA Mentorship Program submission window is open until midnight on Friday 31 July. Applications are available on the AHWA website. This year’s mentors in prose, poetry and screenwriting include Shayne Armstrong, Eugen M. Bacon, Silvia Cantón Rodoni, Geneve Flynn, Paul Mannering, Dan Rabarts, Kaaron Warren, and me.
2021 – I’ve been an AHWA mentor since the program’s inception. But is it worthwhile for the budding writer? Take a look at this blog post by my 2020 mentee, the very talented Bronwyn Todd, and get the inside scoop.
2020 – Great news! I’ve won the Australian Shadows Award “Best Edited Work 2019” for Midnight Echo #14. Congratulations to the winners and finalists in all categories. The full list can be found here. Thanks to the Australasian Horror Writers Association and to the judges of this year’s Australian Shadows Awards. And a special thanks to the writers and artists who contributed to Midnight Echo #14.
2020 – From the Australasian Horror Writers Association: “The AHWA Mentorship Program submission window opens TODAY (22 May)! This year’s mentor program is almost ready to go! From 22 May – 12 June, applications will be available on the AHWA website, where you can also check out this year’s mentors in prose and screenwriting: Alan Baxter, Heidi Lee Douglas, Paul Mannering, Megan Riakos, Deborah Sheldon, and Kaaron Warren. Get your writing samples ready!”
2019 – Midnight Echo is the magazine of the Australasian Horror Writers Association. I’m honoured to be guest editor of issue 14, due for release December 2019. From the AHWA website: “Midnight Echo 14 is upon us and the AHWA is proud to announce that Deb Sheldon is onboard to guest edit this representative of all things good about Australasian horror writing. Deb’s themed issued of Things Are Not As They Seem will open to submissions from July 30 to August 31 and she is seeking only the best for this edition of Midnight Echo.” Submission information can be found here.
The Australasian Horror Writers Association Mentorship Program 2019 opens for applications on June 10. The program provides the opportunity to work closely with highly qualified mentors on an approved project. Successful applicants will be matched for a three-month period of one-on-one development and guidance. This year’s mentors are Alan Baxter, Paul Mannering, Robert N. Stephenson, Kaaron Warren, and myself. Applications close June 24 at midnight.
In 2018, the Australasian Horror Writers Association invited applications from AHWA members for its 2018 Mentorship Program. Mentorships were available with award-winning writers Alan Baxter, Kaaron Warren, Paul Mannering and myself. We worked work one-on-one with successful mentees to offer advice and guidance on a selected work. Run over a three-month period from August to December 2018, successful mentees received 10–15 hours of mentoring. I mentored Natalie Satakovski and we focused on the techniques of writing short fiction.
On Saturday July 21st 2018, I was a guest speaker/tutor at the inaugural Fernglen Writers’ Retreat Weekend, organised by writer and editor Louise Zedda-Sampson.
In 2017, I was one of three judges for the AHWA Flash Fiction & Short Story Competition, alongside Maree Kimberley and Glenn H. Mitchell.
In 2017, the Australasian Horror Writers Association assembled a team of award-winning and award-nominated industry professionals in the fields to help emerging writers better their craft through the AHWA Mentor Program. The program matches new writers with established writers for a three-month period of intense development. The mentors are myself, Kaaron Warren, Lee Murray, Alan Baxter, Shane Jiraiya Cummings, Greg Chapman, and Charles Lovecraft. My mentee, editor and emerging writer, Geneve Flynn, writes about the experience of being a mentee. Her testimonial for the AHWA: “The AHWA writing mentorship with Deborah Sheldon has been an invaluable experience. In ten years of studying writing and editing craft, I don’t think I’ve improved as swiftly or as markedly as during those four months of intensive learning. Deb helped me to see the gaps as well as the strengths in my writing and has helped me to approach my process from different angles, reviving my enthusiasm and confidence in becoming the writer I always dreamt I would be. Deb was an utter delight to work with, bringing humour, years of experience and a no-nonsense work ethic to this crazy profession. I highly recommend applying for an AHWA mentorship to any writer looking to raise their writing to the next level.”
I ran my creative writing workshops for beginners at North Ringwood Community House throughout 2011 and 2012. A recommendation from a student: ‘Over a number of years, I have attended classes and writing groups that have just not “done it” for me. Deborah Sheldon’s classes certainly have. Inspirational, highly informative, humorous, invigorating and professional in the highest extreme. Thank you Deb.’ – Beverley P., Wantirna.
I ran monthly writing classes at Orana Neighbourhood House in Wantirna South and North Ringwood Community House throughout 2010. A quote from one of the (anonymous) feedback forms: ‘Love love love this class. Very educational, informative, interesting, inspiring. Highlight of my month!’
In 1998, I was guest speaker at an RMIT screenwriting class. Also in 1998, I was a delegate at the ASDA/AWG seminar weekend, speaking on ‘SomaZone’.
Judge
The Australasian Horror Writers Association (AHWA) Flash Fiction & Short Story Competition was open to submissions until May 31, 2017. I was honoured to be one of the judges. My fellow judges are the very talented writers Maree Kimberley and Glenn H. Mitchell.
Non-fiction pieces
The Victorian Writer magazine is a valuable resource for Writers Victoria members and aspiring writers across Australia. The October/November issue 2017 included my feature article, “How to spot a bad editor”.
The Pilot 2018 Diary For Writers features advice from Island, Griffith Review, Poetry New Zealand, Lip, Rabbit, and Brief PLUS writing tips, prompts and encouragement from some of Australia and New Zealand’s authors, poets, playwrights, journalists and critics, including Garry Disher, Alan Baxter, Jane Turner Goldsmith, me, and many more.
http://www.pilotpress.com.au/
My article, ‘The How-To of Health Writing’, is published in the November 2015 issue of ‘The Victorian Writer’ magazine: https://writersvictoria.org.au/resources/the-victorian-writer
My brief take on crime-noir fiction is published by Alfie Dog Bites UK in May 2013: http://alfiedog.com/writers-on-writing-deborah-sheldon-noir-fiction/
My ‘reflections’ piece on the process behind my short story ‘Basket trap’ is published on the Page Seventeen website, November 2011.
My personal essay ‘What I learnt on the way to my latest book contract’ is published in the March 2010 issue of Positive Words magazine.
Writer-for-hire
Over the 32 years of my career, I’ve had many gigs that I haven’t described in detail such as annual reports, general editing, script editing, consultancy. In most cases, these gigs are health-related. For example:
In 1995, I wrote the teacher notes for “Women of the Philippines”, part of Video Education Australasia’s “Half the sky: women around the world” video series. http://hip.jcu.edu.au/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1241N51599H89.942199&profile=st&uri=full%3D3100001~!243993~!0&booklistformat=#focus
I have done editing work for various health organisations such as Alzheimer’s Australia.
In 2010, I wrote medical copy for Assess Now, a program for the US education market. My pieces, including information on muscles and the skeletal system, were designed to help teachers test the literacy of primary school students.
Book reviewer
My friend Gillian Kendall edited a collection of travel essays called ‘Something to declare: good lesbian travel writing’, which was released late 2009. I wrote a review of her book for The New Book Review website, published January 2010. http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com/2010/01/why-not-travel-stories-with-lesbian.html
Film scriptwriter
In April 2009, my short film script ‘Man with a suitcase’ (based on my short story of the same name) is listed on the Australian Short Films web site. http://www.australianshortfilms.com/Man-With-A-Suitcase.html
Education
In 1988, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Multidisciplinary, from Victoria College (now known as Deakin University), Toorak campus, Melbourne. I achieved consistent high distinctions throughout the three-year course.
- Majors: scriptwriting & journalism
- Minors: literature & philosophy
- Electives: fiction writing, psychology & editing
Further education: 1996 Producer & production management course, Open Channel, Melbourne.
DEBORAH SHELDON 