Vanessa Smith
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ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
Vanessa Smith
@ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
360 followers 2.1K following 110 posts
The editing service for half completed writing projects. Run by @normalness.bsky.social

https://ohshitmydraft.com/
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ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
'I took up poetry to help deal with anxiety'.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
'I took up poetry to help deal with anxiety'
Steven Beattie, who works at the Royal Stoke Hospital, is to be Stoke-on-Trent's next poet laureate.
www.bbc.com
January 28, 2026 at 1:52 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
A global publishing scam assisted by AI has targeted Australia. Here
are 5 tips to avoid scammers.

theconversation.com/a-global-pub...
A global publishing scam assisted by AI has targeted Australia. Here are 5 tips to avoid scammers
Aspiring authors in Australia are among those who have been scammed by a network of publishing houses using cloned websites and AI tools.
theconversation.com
January 12, 2026 at 9:08 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
Dangerously Modern at the Art Gallery of New South Wales re-centres
women in the history of Australian art

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
These artists weren't just 'messenger girls'. They brought modernism home
At the turn of the century, Australian women artists travelled to Europe and returned with new styles and techniques. Their long-overlooked contribution to Australian art is celebrated in Dangerously ...
www.abc.net.au
January 8, 2026 at 4:44 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
Plotting and persevering with your novel with JP Pomare
writingnsw.org.au/plotting-and...
Plotting and persevering with your novel with JP Pomare
This week, we spoke to bestselling author Louise Park about the fundamentals of writing for the education market.
writingnsw.org.au
December 13, 2025 at 6:45 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
Hey, I don’t have a separate email list for Oh Shit My Draft, but you can stay in touch with me via my main email list.
normalness.bsky.social Vanessa Smith @normalness.bsky.social · Dec 9
With age restricted social media coming into play tomorrow, the best way to keep up with me is via my newsletter:
www.subscribepage.com/s4k5i8
Join the NormalNess newsletter to make sure you don't miss a blog post or book release.
www.subscribepage.com
December 9, 2025 at 12:38 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
What’s the difference between ghosts and demons? Books, folklore and
history reflect society’s supernatural beliefs
theconversation.com/whats-the-di...
What’s the difference between ghosts and demons? Books, folklore and history reflect society’s supernatural beliefs
Artists often turn to the supernatural to reflect on and speak to the anxieties brought about by social, religious and political upheaval.
theconversation.com
December 7, 2025 at 9:10 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
How poetry can help to fight polarisation and misinformation
theconversation.com/how-poetry-c...
How poetry can help to fight polarisation and misinformation
By encouraging people to imagine beyond their own experience, reading poetry can help them see things from a different perspective.
theconversation.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:22 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
'More than meets the eye': The hidden meanings in a US masterpiece
www.bbc.com/culture/arti...
'More than meets the eye': The hidden meanings in a US masterpiece
School of Beauty, School of Culture is among the exhibits in a major new London retrospective of the US artist Kerry James Marshall. But there is more to it than first meets the eye.
www.bbc.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:45 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
Baby Steps Is a Hiking Game That Trolls ‘Slightly Problematic’ Men
www.wired.com/story/baby-s...
'Baby Steps' Is a Hiking Game That Trolls ‘Slightly Problematic’ Men
The walking simulator, launching September 23 on PlayStation and Steam, stars a jobless 35-year-old “privileged, white male” whose pride stops him from getting help.
www.wired.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:41 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
What are the key purposes of human writing? How we name AI-generated
text confuses things
theconversation.com/what-are-the...
What are the key purposes of human writing? How we name AI-generated text confuses things
Decolonizing our understandings of how western institutions have positioned English writing will help universities revisit writing as thinking and invention.
theconversation.com
October 28, 2025 at 4:55 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
Who are the worst mothers in literature?
theconversation.com/who-are-the-...
Who are the worst mothers in literature?
Literature is full of dysfunctional families. We asked critics to nominate their least favourite mothers.
theconversation.com
October 23, 2025 at 4:09 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
Who are the worst fathers in literature?
theconversation.com/who-are-the-...
Who are the worst fathers in literature?
Literature is full of dysfunctional families. We asked critics to nominate the most troublesome fathers.
theconversation.com
October 22, 2025 at 6:20 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
'It reinforced the idea that anything can happen': The glitch in Super
Mario Bros that obsessed gamers
www.bbc.com/culture/arti...
'It reinforced the idea that anything can happen': The glitch in Super Mario Bros that obsessed gamers
Forty years ago, the series' original game was released by Nintendo. As well as trying to complete it, fans were desperate to access a secret world that became legendary.
www.bbc.com
October 20, 2025 at 12:35 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
What Does It Mean to Have a Compelling Voice in Your Story?
janefriedman.com/what-does-it...
What Does It Mean to Have a Compelling Voice in Your Story? | Jane Friedman
In storytelling, voice can refer to three different elements: character voice, narrative voice, and author voice—and they can often overlap.
janefriedman.com
October 14, 2025 at 4:42 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
Why listening to stories and talking about them is so important for
young children
theconversation.com/why-listenin...
Why listening to stories and talking about them is so important for young children
Reading stories with young children lays the foundation for language and literacy development.
theconversation.com
October 12, 2025 at 11:37 PM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
The decision to close Meanjin misunderstands its wider importance.

Australian culture deserves better

theconversation.com/the-decision...
The decision to close Meanjin misunderstands its wider importance. Australian culture deserves better
The decision to close Meanjin is the latest in a string of recent decisions that suggest universities are not safe harbours for priceless cultural institutions.
theconversation.com
October 10, 2025 at 4:23 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
Pink Shorts, Evercreech Editions, Bakers Lane Books, Aniko Press… 5 new Australian publishers are making defiant, weird, grass-roots books
theconversation.com/5-new-austra...
5 new Australian publishers are making defiant, weird, grass-roots books
The launch of 5 new Australian book publishers is good news, for once. Meet Perentie Press, Pink Shorts Press, Evercreech Editions, Aniko Press and Bakers Lane Books.
theconversation.com
October 8, 2025 at 3:55 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
Flashlight to Katabasis: 18 of the best books of the year so far
www.bbc.com/culture/arti...
Flashlight to Katabasis: 18 of the best books of the year so far
From an "epic" coming-of-age story to "delicious" dark academia – this is the very best fiction of the year, as chosen by BBC journalists.
www.bbc.com
October 6, 2025 at 5:28 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
If Book Marketing Feels Miserable, Read This Now
janefriedman.com/if-book-mark...
If Book Marketing Feels Miserable, Read This Now | Jane Friedman
Most of us feel unskilled at marketing, but real resistance to it might reveal an emotional pattern that protects us when visibility feels risky.
janefriedman.com
October 5, 2025 at 3:32 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
CW: Abelist terminology in the headline but article worth reading

Wealthy, whiny and wildly tone deaf: Elizabeth Gilbert’s new memoir
exemplifies ‘priv-lit’

theconversation.com/wealthy-whin...
Wealthy, whiny and wildly tone deaf: Elizabeth Gilbert’s new memoir exemplifies ‘priv-lit’
In Elizabeth Gilbert’s shocking new confessional memoir, she falls in love with her dying best friend, enables her addiction – and once again blows up her own life.
theconversation.com
October 4, 2025 at 2:48 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
Tom Gauld on reading to survive – cartoon
www.theguardian.com/books/pictur...
Tom Gauld on reading to survive – cartoon
To be, or not to be …
www.theguardian.com
October 2, 2025 at 2:33 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
How the art of Chinese calligraphy can bring creative freedom in the age of AI
theconversation.com/how-the-art-...
How the art of Chinese calligraphy can bring creative freedom in the age of AI
Calligraphy is one of the most significant forms of traditional and modern art in China.
theconversation.com
October 1, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Reposted by Vanessa Smith
harrysaddler.bsky.social
I’ll never have the fame, money, book sales or life experience of JKR but I do know that when you say something publicly *everyone* has the right to critique you, and when you espouse harmful bigotry against one of society’s most marginalised groups *everyone* has the obligation to critique you you.
A quote from JK Rowling as reported in the Guardian which reads ‘She adds: “However, Emma and Dan [Radcliffe] in particular have both made it clear over the last few years that they think our former professional association gives them a particular right – nay, obligation – to critique me and my views in public.”’
September 30, 2025 at 3:47 AM
ohshitmydraft.bsky.social
After Bendigo: 4 reasons free speech for artists benefits society as a whole
www.artshub.com.au/news/analysi...
After Bendigo: 4 reasons free speech for artists benefits society as a whole
The disastrous attempt to impose a restrictive Code of Conduct on Bendigo Writers Festival participants offers some important lessons on free speech.
www.artshub.com.au
September 30, 2025 at 4:03 AM
Reposted by Vanessa Smith
anatolitis.bsky.social
Art, tenacity, democracy. The ways we create and experience new work, sustain the courage of our convictions, and make important decisions together: they're all intertwined. I've devoted my career to the ethics of creative and civic practice, working to expand public spaces and champion new voices,
September 28, 2025 at 5:22 AM