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
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  • MEAA FAQs

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  • KSP cat by Ashleigh Hardcastle via KSP Writers Centre
    Blog,  Writing

    I hit 10,000 words!

    June 4, 2018 / No Comments

    I suppose I gave it away in the title but oh my God! 10,000 words! Here’s what happened on each day. Day 5 was the Friday. Nothing got done on Friday. I was really exhausted. My sleeping patterns were out of whack and I was trying to fix my ear issue. I thought I could go out to meet my union colleagues and friends for drinks and come back and write. The drinks part happened and was fun but the writing part did not happen. So I had zero words for Friday. I had about four to five thousand words at this point to write in order to hit 10,000…

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    KSP cat by Ashleigh Hardcastle via KSP Writers Centre

    Day 2: A cat is here!

    May 30, 2018
    The Writers' Cabins at KSP (c) Writers Bloc

    Day 1: Home on my back, home where there is a bed

    May 30, 2018
    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
  • Katherine Susannah Pritchard and her typewriter (c) Marisa Wikramanayake
    Blog,  Writing

    Day 4: Freedom to write, freedom for writers

    June 1, 2018 / No Comments

    Day 4 already. Well, nothing was going to happen on Day 1 given how tired and jetlagged I was. Today, most of the day was pretty boring. I had not slept well the night before. So the day was full of waking, sleeping, doing things I needed to do like eat and so on. I thought about the book a lot. And then I did my makeup, changed, called an Uber and went to see my friend Vicki Laurie interview Peter Greste at the WA State Library. So three things happened today on Day 4: Peter Greste pleasantly surprised me. I was very happy about that. Thank you Peter Greste.…

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

    7 Important Lessons I Learned About Running Awesome Livestreams

    January 30, 2021
    City of Lights by Sammu on Flickr.

    Sri Lanka, December 2015 – February 2016

    December 5, 2015
    Workers in black t-shirts outside a Fairfax building with flags protesting job cuts and the takeover by channel nine as part of the union MEAA's campaign.

    January 2019 MEAA Monthly Update

    January 31, 2019
  • My desk in Phillips cabin at the KSP Writers Centre (c) Marisa Wikramanayake
    Blog,  Writing

    Day 3: So many emotions

    May 31, 2018 / No Comments

    Day 3 and I am just grateful. I didn’t get to sleep until five am because I was just so thrilled that I had met my goal. You get a high after you write and type everything in. But I did sleep in bursts till about noon. I would wake up, do some work related things, sleep a bit, write a bit and so on. I woke up at noon and went over to the main house and the office to meet Shannon who is the director here at KSP Writers Centre. I gave her some things from Sri Lanka and she offered to do a pharmacy run for me.…

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    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

    MEAA news for February 2019

    February 28, 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
    Blog,  Writing

    Day 2: A cat is here!

    May 30, 2018 / No Comments

    Day 2 and I woke up joyful today. Joyful because it was such a wonderful thought that I could write and everyone was going to be mindful of that. That no one would disturb me, no one would interrupt me, no one would think to themselves “She is free – let’s get a hold of her.” Also annoyance because my article was overdue and I needed to get it done so I knuckled down to do that while battling my ear going strange again. I made a mental note to see my doctor as soon as I get back to Melbourne. I figured out the A/C and I had a…

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    MEAA news for February 2019

    February 28, 2019
    KSP cat by Ashleigh Hardcastle via KSP Writers Centre

    I hit 10,000 words!

    June 4, 2018
    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
  • Blog,  Freelancing,  Journalism,  Writing

    Frequently Asked Questions About Becoming A Freelance Writer:

    January 18, 2018 / No Comments

    Marisa Wikramanayake answers a few of the frequently asked questions about being a freelance writer.

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    A mug full of coffee on an open planner

    Setting goals as a freelance journalist

    October 11, 2019

    Why I write at 4 am

    March 14, 2019
    Norwich Street Art Warning by MarkHeyBo on Flickr

    Why I am resurrecting my Patreon account

    January 14, 2019
  • A picture of Khodayar Amini at the vigil for the one year anniversary of his death
    Investigative journalism,  Journalism,  Political journalism

    Khodayar Amini, Australia and asylum seekers, one year on

    October 19, 2016 / 1 Comment

    Khodayar would often listen to Ahmad Zahir's songs as he lay on his bed in Sydney. In 'Man Nagoyam' Ahmad Zahir sings about being like a caged bird that wants to be free. In Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001, all musical instruments and music making bar the frame duff drum and religious singing had been banned by the Taliban. Khodayar ran from the Taliban after most of his family were killed. He ran from death as most humans would, to a place of perceived safety as most humans would. But he ran to Australia where he would end up feeling more caged and more in danger.

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    Perth Anonymous protesting against Scientology in 2008 (c) Perth Anonymous

    Scientology, R2-45s & my articles for 3rd Degree

    April 27, 2012
  • Events,  Writing

    The Writing Calendar: June 2016

    June 9, 2016 / 2 Comments

    I decided to put this calendar for the month of June together on a whim. And then it took forever. So this is the monster list of everything even remotely writerly and literary that is going on in Perth and WA in the month of June from today onwards. Anyone who says the arts is dead in Perth is wrong – it was tiring to compile and it is tiring to even contemplate. IF this does prove useful to you, let me know if you want me to do one each month. IF so, then Emily Paull will be helping to collate info & we will be cross posting here with…

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    Diverse and need a writing group?

    October 23, 2016
    Marisa Wikramanayake waiting to present during the IPEd Conference freelancing workshop in 2013

    IPEd Conference 2017 is next week and guess who is going?

    September 6, 2017

    Where you will find me in October 2018

    October 11, 2018
  • Plan B by Sebastien Wiertz via Flickr
    Updates

    The writing plan for June

    June 3, 2016 / No Comments

    It’s June today. A June day, today, let’s say since June began the day before yesterday. On this June day my TBR is neither pile nor stack, it is a scatter instead, in bags, on shelves, across the floor, under laptops and beds. It’s also not To Be Read but rather like quantum, a mix between the two, some To Be Read but some also read already so To Be Reviewed. I need a plan. 

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    Five years!

    December 16, 2013

    The NYWF-ty List

    October 11, 2018

    New project: Guys Read Gals

    February 18, 2013
  • Competitions

    Competition: African-Australian short stories

    June 2, 2016 / 1 Comment

    The Centre for Stories in Perth, WA has a competition for African-Australian writers in WA. What is amazing and exciting about it is that if you win, I could be your mentor. And we only require 1000 words. So hop to it! Get writing! More info after the cut.

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    Australia Day Book Giveaway Blog Hop

    January 25, 2014
    Plan B by Sebastien Wiertz via Flickr

    Upcoming awards, residencies and other awesome things for writers

    May 2, 2016
    365/333 The Oliver Standard Visible Writer No 3 by Rachel via Flickr

    July 2016 Writing Calendar

    July 1, 2016
  • Australian Women Writers Challenge,  Book Reviews

    Marianne de Pierres' Glitter Rose

    February 6, 2014 / No Comments

    Marisa Wikramanayake reviews author Marianne de Pierres collection Glitter Rose for the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2014

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    A few right thinking men by Sulari Gentill

    Sulari Gentill’s A Few Right Thinking Men

    June 6, 2016

    AWW 2013: Interview with Amanda Curtin

    February 1, 2013

    So who won the Australia Day Book Giveaway?

    January 30, 2013
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