selena-rollason-author

The Stories We Carry

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 11:29:18 GMT

The Stories We Carry

August 2026 | The Writing Life

I've always believed that some of the most powerful stories are the ones that come from real life. Not necessarily because of what happened, but because of how those experiences made us feel. And over the past few months, writing I'm Sorry, I Love You has reminded me just how true that can be.

When I first started writing this novel, I knew it was going to be an emotional experience. After all, the story is inspired by events from my own life, some of which I've carried with me for a very long time. What I hadn't quite anticipated was just how confronting it could be to revisit them.

More than just memories

There's a big difference between remembering something that happened years ago and sitting down to write about it. When you're writing, you don't just recall the events. You find yourself going back into those moments, thinking about the people involved, the things that were said and, perhaps more importantly, the things that weren't. You remember how you felt. The hurt, the confusion, the anger. But also the happiness, the laughter and those wonderful little moments that might otherwise have been forgotten.

Sometimes it's the smallest details that catch me by surprise. A particular smell, a familiar place or something a character says can bring back a memory I haven't thought about in years. And suddenly, I'm not just sitting at my desk writing a scene. I'm remembering what it felt like to be there. Some days that's a beautiful experience. Other days, not so much.

Writing through the difficult bits

I've found that some of the hardest scenes to write aren't necessarily the most dramatic ones. Sometimes it's the quieter moments that affect me the most. A conversation. A goodbye. A moment of happiness that you only realise the significance of much later. There have been times when I've needed to walk away from my manuscript, make myself a cup of tea or find something else to do for a while. Not because I don't know what to write, but because I know exactly what I want to capture, and getting those emotions onto the page can be exhausting.

It's a strange experience, willingly putting yourself back into moments that weren't always easy to live through the first time. But it's also been surprisingly cathartic. Writing has given me the opportunity to revisit those experiences with a different perspective. To think about them, explore them and sometimes understand them in ways I couldn't at the time. And while I can't say it's always been enjoyable, it has been incredibly rewarding.

Finding the truth in fiction

I'm Sorry, I Love You is a novel, but the story is largely drawn from my own life. The experiences that inspired it are real, although I've taken the freedom to fictionalise and reimagine parts of the story, blending memories with imagination to create something that stands on its own. It's been an interesting balance, knowing when to stay true to what happened and when to let the story take me somewhere different.

Because for me, it's never been just about what happened. It's about how it felt . The complicated emotions, the impossible choices and the things we carry with us long after a moment has passed. Life is rarely as simple as we'd like it to be. People make mistakes, relationships are complicated and sometimes we hurt the people we love without ever meaning to. And we don't always get the opportunity to put things right.

Those are the parts of human nature that fascinate me, both as a person and as a writer. And they're the type of stories I love to tell.

The good with the bad

One thing I've been particularly conscious of while writing is making sure the difficult memories don't overshadow the beautiful ones. Because there have been plenty of those too.

The laughter, the love, the ordinary moments that seemed so insignificant at the time but somehow become the memories we treasure most. Revisiting those moments has been one of the unexpected joys of writing this book.

And perhaps that's what has surprised me most about this whole experience. It's not just about revisiting the past. It's about remembering the good alongside the difficult and recognising how much both have shaped the person I've become.

Writing I'm Sorry, I Love You has certainly been an emotional roller coaster, and I know that there are still many twists and turns ahead. But if there's one thing I'm learning, it's that the stories we carry with us are often the ones most worth telling.

Even when they're not the easiest to write.

Selena

A Writing Retreat at Mt Barney

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:12:12 GMT

A Weekend Away and a Story Coming to Life

Sometimes you just need to get away from everything. Not necessarily for a holiday, although I certainly wouldn't complain about one of those! But to find a little peace and quiet, clear your head and give yourself the time to focus on something you've been wanting to do for a very long time. For me, that meant packing up my laptop, notebooks, camera and an unreasonable amount of warm clothing and heading off to Mt Barney Lodge for a writing retreat with my daughter, Bek (also an aspiring author!).

And what a weekend it turned out to be!

Finding the space to think

Between work, family and everything else life throws at us, finding uninterrupted time to write is easier said than done. There's always something demanding my attention. Work emails, jobs around the house, the never-ending mountain of washing that comes with having four kids, or someone needing something the moment I open my laptop. And even when nobody's interrupting me, my brain usually has a hundred other things going on! Settling "the noise" is a task in itself.

I'd had the story for I'm Sorry, I Love You in my head for years and had already written the first and last chapters. A rather strange way to start a novel, perhaps, but I knew where I wanted the story to begin and end. What I hadn't worked out was everything in between. I'd spent far too much time thinking about writing and not nearly enough time actually doing it. So when Bek and I headed off to Mt Barney for a few days, I was looking forward to having time together doing something we both loved, without the usual distractions.

I've always loved being out in the outdoors, and Mt Barney was just what I needed. Misty mornings, spectacular sunrises lighting up the mountain's exposed rocky cliffs and temperatures hovering around zero (brrrr!). We'd sit with our laptops, surrounded by birdsong and mountain views, with nothing demanding our attention but the stories we wanted to tell. For once, I could switch off from everything happening at home and work and really concentrate.

I started mapping out the structure of I'm Sorry, I Love You, working through the different acts and how the story would unfold. From there, I broke down Act One into individual chapters, finally finding a way to connect all those scenes and ideas I'd been carrying around for years. And suddenly, it all started coming together. I could finally see how to get from that first chapter to the last.

So I opened my manuscript and started writing. And this time, the words just flowed.

When the words finally flow

There's something wonderful about getting to that point where the words just come. Once I'd worked through the structure and knew where I wanted the story to go, I found myself completely immersed in it. The characters, the scenes, the conversations. Everything I'd been thinking about for so long was finally finding its way onto the page.

And when my brain needed a break, I'd grab my camera and head out for a walk. Mt Barney is a beautiful place, particularly in winter, and there were plenty of birds and wallaby's to keep me entertained. Photography has always been one of my favourite ways to switch off, and wandering around with my camera gave me the chance to step away from the manuscript without really losing that creative headspace. I'd come back feeling refreshed, sit down and start writing again. It was exactly what I needed.

Two writers, one very cold campfire

One of the best parts of the weekend was sharing it with Bek. We both had our own stories to write, and there was something really special about spending that time together doing something we both loved.

We'd sit side by side, sometimes barely speaking because we were so caught up in our writing, and other times reading snippets to each other, bouncing around ideas or celebrating a breakthrough.

Having someone there who understood the excitement (and occasional frustration!) made the whole experience even better.

Even our evenings around the campfire were spent writing or talking about our books, despite temperatures hovering around zero and fingers so numb that typing became a challenge!

We were enjoying ourselves and making so much progress that we decided to stay an extra night. Apparently, another night freezing around the campfire was far more appealing than heading home!

Three nights away, two and a half days of writing and some wonderful memories made with my daughter. I couldn't have asked for more.

A weekend that changed everything

By the time we packed up and headed home, we'd spent two and a half solid days writing. And I couldn't have been happier. I'd gone away hoping to make some progress on my novel. Instead, I came home with a clear structure, chapters taking shape and, perhaps most importantly, a real sense of momentum. Something had shifted.

The story was no longer just a collection of ideas and scenes floating around in my head. It was becoming a book. And I think that was the biggest thing I took away from the weekend. Sometimes creativity needs a little room to breathe. A chance to step away from the noise, slow down and give yourself permission to focus on something simply because it matters to you.

For me, that meant misty mornings, mountain views, a camera full of bird photographs, a ridiculously cold campfire and three wonderful nights spent writing alongside my daughter.

I couldn't have asked for a better retreat. And we both agreed that it definitely wouldn't be our last!

Selena

Some of the photographs from the weekend:

Well, here goes nothing!

Sun, 31 May 2026 08:43:42 GMT

"Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start."

~ Julie Andrews (as Maria) in The Sound of Music

I've been meaning to start writing this Journal (aka blog) for a while now. Which is slightly ridiculous considering how much time I've spent writing lately. But somehow, writing about writing feels like an entirely different challenge. So, here goes!

For as long as I can remember, I've loved telling stories. Whether that's been through photography, creative writing or the countless articles, reports and other pieces I've written throughout my professional career, storytelling has always been part of who I am.

But there's one thing I've wanted to do for years that I've never quite made the time for...write a novel.

Not because I haven't had ideas. Quite the opposite, actually. I've had stories floating around in my head for years, some more developed than others, waiting for me to finally sit down and do something with them. And this year, I decided it was time.

A whole lot to learn

This year I also joined the Queensland Writers Centre's Year of the Novel program, where I'm being mentored by Australian author Karen Foxlee .

It's been an incredible opportunity to learn more about the craft of fiction writing and, perhaps just as importantly, connect with other people who share this slightly strange desire to spend their spare time making up stories and writing them down.

While I've been writing professionally for decades, writing a novel has so far been a completely different experience. There's so much to think about beyond the words themselves. Character development, structure, pacing, tension, dialogue and somehow bringing it all together into a story that someone else might actually want to read.

It's challenging, but I'm loving every minute of it. Well, perhaps not every minute. There have definitely been a few frustrating ones!

Finally putting words on the page

My first novel, I'm Sorry, I Love You, is a story I've wanted to tell for a very long time. It's about family, love, loss, complicated relationships and the things we sometimes wish we'd said. It's also a story that's incredibly close to my heart. I won't give too much away just yet, but it's been quite an experience taking something that's lived in my imagination for so long and slowly turning it into an actual manuscript.

Some days the words come easily. Other days I can spend an extraordinary amount of time trying to get a single paragraph to sound the way I want it to. And then there are those moments when a character does something I hadn't planned, or a scene takes an unexpected turn, and I find myself wondering who's actually in charge of this story. Apparently, not always me.

But there's something wonderful about watching it all come together.

So, where to from here?

My goal is to finish the first draft of I'm Sorry, I Love You before the end of the year (eeek! that feels like a crazy goal!), then spend some time editing and refining it before exploring opportunities for traditional publication. It feels exciting to actually write that down. I know there's a long road ahead, and finishing a manuscript is only the beginning. But I'm determined to give this everything I've got and see where it takes me.

I've also got a couple of other manuscripts quietly taking shape in the background, because apparently my imagination has no intention of stopping at one book.

As for this Journal, I thought it might be nice to have somewhere to share the journey. The progress, the challenges, the things I'm learning and, hopefully, a few exciting milestones along the way. Perhaps I'll even share some of my shorter stories and other bits of writing as I go. For now, though, I'm just enjoying the experience of finally doing something I've wanted to do for such a long time.

And if nothing else, I'm going to have a very interesting story to tell about trying to write a book!

Selena

selena-rollason-author

The Stories We Carry

The Stories We Carry

More than just memories

Writing through the difficult bits

Finding the truth in fiction

The good with the bad

A Writing Retreat at Mt Barney

A Weekend Away and a Story Coming to Life ﻿

Finding the space to think

When the words finally flow

Two writers, one very cold campfire

A weekend that changed everything

Well, here goes nothing!

"Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start."

~ Julie Andrews (as Maria) in The Sound of Music

Finally putting words on the page

So, where to from here?

A Weekend Away and a Story Coming to Life