Marisa Wikramanayake

writer, journalist & editor ~ I help you tell stories.

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  • Home
  • Blog
  • Services
  • Journalism work
  • Editorial work
  • Events
  • Free resources
    • Perth & WA Literary Calendar
    • Women who review
  • My Patreon
  • MEAA FAQs

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  • Marisa Wikramanayake works on a story as a journalist and in this post showing you how to write a freelance pitch
    Freelancing,  Journalism

    How to write a freelance pitch to an editor

    September 17, 2021 / No Comments

    Learn how to write a freelance pitch in this post.

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    A mug full of coffee on an open planner

    How I am planning for the next financial year as a freelancer – despite Covid-19

    June 26, 2020

    25+ ways I automate my workflow, or how I am trying to become a cyborg

    May 23, 2013

    My year in writing: 2016 and the freelance writer life

    December 16, 2016
  • An image of two hands writing in front of a computer screen with a phone on top of papers on a desk
    Blog,  Freelancing,  Journalism

    How to easily track pitches in Google Sheets as a freelance journalist

    January 7, 2021 / No Comments

    Marisa Wikramanayake talks about how to set up a pitch tracker using Google Sheets to track pitches as a freelancer or freelance journalist.

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    An update on Gin & Tonic

    January 24, 2019
    Latest piece of research for the foundation fellowship: the book titled Police in Sri Lanka by Frank de Silva

    Foundation Fellowship update: a bit about Gin and Tonic

    January 12, 2018
    KSP cat by Ashleigh Hardcastle via KSP Writers Centre

    Day 2: A cat is here!

    May 30, 2018
  • Journalism

    How I use bullet journaling as a freelance journalist

    April 9, 2019 / No Comments

    Marisa Wikramanayake posts about how to use bullet journaling as a freelance journalist to organise your work flow and processes.

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    Salinity threatens freshwater mussels

    September 9, 2010

    Designated Director Designate designates direction for marine research

    March 24, 2011
    Drive Me To Distraction by Caitlyn Nicholas

    Caitlyn Nicholas' Drive Me To Distraction

    February 21, 2013
  • A real bookshop by Elsie esq via Flickr
    Journalism

    So You Want To Be A Book Reviewer Panel at Continuum 2018

    June 15, 2018 / No Comments

    I promised a run down of Continuum and I realised I would have to do it bit by bit so here is the first panel on being a book reviewer. So You Want To Be A Book Reviewer I was joined by Elizabeth Fitzgerald and Stephanie O’Connell (better known as Figgy). Figgy writes for a rock and roll magazine and so her reviewing tends to be mostly within that genre of books though they are expanding a bit to take in other genres. Elizabeth is an editor who has her own book review blog where she reviews science fiction and fantasy work. Me, I was the journalist book reviewer. I…

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    art coffee business money

    Three important stories I wrote in 2021 as a freelance journalist

    February 15, 2022
    Marisa Wikramanayake works on a story as a journalist and in this post showing you how to write a freelance pitch

    How to write a freelance pitch to an editor

    September 17, 2021

    AWW 2013: Ann-Marie Priest's Great Writers, Great Loves

    January 31, 2013
  • Freelancing,  IPEd 2017

    IFTTT and how to use it – a screencast

    September 18, 2017 / No Comments

    So earlier on in this post I explained that IFTTT saves me a lot of time looking for work opportunities. And people at the conference wanted me to explain more about IFTTT and how to use it in detail. At the same time Malini Devadas and Hilary Cadman challenged us all to try screencasting so I thought this was a perfect way to try and screencast a quick explanation of how to build an applet in IFTTT. I am rather soft spoken and stilll figuring out how to get my headset mic to record me at a louder volume so please use headphones when watching the following video: Unable to…

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    A mug full of coffee on an open planner

    Setting goals as a freelance journalist

    October 11, 2019
    writings in a planner

    How to successfully set goals and plan for 2022

    January 11, 2022

    For the confused author/editor: Style sheets vs Style guides

    June 7, 2013
  • Writing

    It’s one day to NaNoWriMo people.

    October 31, 2016 / No Comments

    Thinking of doing NaNoWriMo this year? Did you only just realise that it was one week away? Don't worry, I have something that can help you plan for it.

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    Gin & Tonic update #2: I was so wrong! AKA #maricantmath

    February 7, 2019

    The Defying Doomsday Anthology

    April 12, 2015

    How to tell if you are a writer

    September 11, 2013
  • Writing

    How to write descriptively by Nalo Hopkinson

    May 30, 2016 / No Comments

    In Sedition there is an ever present gecko that consistently turns up. I have no idea why it does when the actual leit motif, if any, is a plant mentioned throughout the book. But description is important in writing and here Nalo Hopkinson points out why doing it well matters: Do you have any issues with description in your writing? Leave a comment below if you do and let me know that I am not the only one! 🙂

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    Why you shouldn't let your muse get drunk on champagne/how to braintrain your muse

    May 4, 2011

    How to write a book: Part 1: Introduction

    September 25, 2013
    A phone with messags on its screen sits on a desk in front of a lit up keyboard

    My 10 Compelling Reasons For Running Youtube Livestreams Right Now

    January 22, 2021
  • Writing

    Watch “How to make your writing funnier – Cheri Steinkeller” and then let me know what you think.

    May 23, 2016 / No Comments

    I once spent an entire year while in high school writing what was my first attempt at a novel. It was very episodic and almost sit-com like because it was a) cheesy and b) I was working out how to write humour into scenes, from wit to slapstick. These days there are still a lot of things I have to learn about writing such as figuring out the best way to convey something I want to say when I see it in the way a character moves physically in my head and to turn that into words on a page that conjure up the same image. I think visually –…

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    The daily word counts of famous writers

    February 22, 2016

    An editor's take on crime fiction

    October 12, 2013
    temporary book cover for the novel in progress titled HIM by Marisa Wikramanayake

    HIM update for January 15

    January 15, 2016
  • Science journalism

    Tips for being a science journalist

    December 14, 2013 / 8 Comments

    A brief summary of my seminar (part of the UWA Science Communication Seminar series) on 6 August 2010.

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    Foursquare for flora and fauna? The ClimateWatch smartphone app

    September 28, 2012

    Big Bang confusion

    March 16, 2011

    Designated Director Designate designates direction for marine research

    March 24, 2011
  • Science journalism

    Interviewing as the science journalist

    December 7, 2013 / 6 Comments

    This was an area of great interest and concern when I curated the @realscientists Twitter account a couple of months ago. People had their horror stories and others wanted to know how it should be done. We tried to get a live interview up and running so people could actually watch me in action but time zones and technology conspired against us. Maybe one day we will manage it. If you are a scientist who would be up for a mock interview via a G+ hangout to be archived on Youtube let me know. Preparation: Research the person and the story and the science involved. Set up your notebook and…

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    iPhone app replaces doctors' logbooks

    October 28, 2010

    Foursquare for flora and fauna? The ClimateWatch smartphone app

    September 28, 2012

    53 free ways for science journalists to brush up on their science… and counting

    November 25, 2013
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