Researcher Highlights
Behind the scenes of novel writing

Though Dr Michael Sala’s books have garnered prestigious awards, his greatest hope is to move, connect and enrich his readers through good storytelling.

^{Photo by Katherine Williams}

Dr Michael Sala is a writer and an academic in creative writing. He specialises in novels, holds a keen interest in the short story and teaches engaging courses on both. The crucial part of his research is practice-led, which means research through the development of creative work.

“I have this great opportunity to share my passion for, and insights into, craft and have some incredibly promising students.”

Michael’s first book, The Last Thread, won the Commonwealth Book Prize, (Pacific Region) and the UTS/Glenda Adams Award for New Writing in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. His second book, The Restorer, was shortlisted for the NSW and Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, and long listed for the Miles Franklin Literary Award. Still, Michael hopes his work will be remembered for the same, evocative reasons that made him first want to write.

“The most important difference I ever hope to make is to individuals who pick up my work and feel enriched or less isolated or in some other way moved for having read it. I’d love to be able to make a whole bunch of people feel the same way that I felt when I read my favourite stories.”

Inspired by stories

In Michael’s earliest recollection of when his passion for writing was first kindled, he was living in Holland and preferred reading to making conversation. As an eight-year-old, he had just read J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.

“I was much better at reading than speaking because my parents moved between Holland and Australia several times—and I struggled to keep up with how to talk. I discovered a magic in reading stories—the way bits of ink on a page have the capacity to transport the reader to a different world and different consciousness—that continues to amaze me to this day.”

Years on, his fledgling aspiration to master storytelling has flourished into notable talent—one that has produced an autobiographical novel and a strong work of fiction.

“Both of these works are set partly or completely in Newcastle and, in this way, have provided a creative perspective of the city.”

Over 8000 people have already bought his books while others borrow it from libraries. It’s a positive and encouraging response that is set to grow.

“I’m really just leaving the early stage of my career and gathering momentum, and I hope to see the readership for my next series of books increase significantly as I push myself into new genres and approaches."

Success and self-doubt

Michael is currently tackling his third book—the first volume of a fantasy trilogy and a genre he’s familiar with but has never attempted to write before. All his novels push him to grow in some way: The Last Thread—a 60,000-word autobiographical piece—is written from a single perspective. At 90,000 words, The Restorer iscomparativelylonger and encompasses three contemporary fictional perspectives. His latest work is different again.

“The first book in this series includes seven narrative arcs and perspectives, and will be about 270,000 words long. It’s the largest and most intricate work I’ve ever attempted in a genre that I have studied but not written within. I’m loving that challenge.”

In the sedentary, soul-bearing act of writing creatively, progress of any kind can be dogged by doubt. Michael is familiar with the quandary of “how to tell the next story”, and uncertainties that critically affect confidence.

“I believe that people often carry their greatest struggles within themselves. Certainly, it has been that way for me. It is a huge exercise in confidence to commit to a novel. The ones I have written so far have taken about four years each. Even my current book, which I expect to have finished in half that time, feels like a massive gamble. You expend an extraordinary amount of energy writing something that may not succeed.

“There is a very reasonable and often somewhat overly harsh voice of doubt in many writers. I learned that this doubt would never go away but have figured out that I can turn down the volume on it and push on regardless. I have learned to commit to the things I attempt and accept the possibility of failure.”

Michael attributes his achievements in part to working in a very supportive school and to a job he loves that encourages him to push forward in his endeavours.

“The hardest thing would be finding the time to write a novel—knowing that they rarely make much money and that it is never guaranteed—while doing a job that did not support the enterprise. I don’t have to worry about!”

Important collaborations

Michael’s accomplishments have afforded some extraordinary opportunities, including being appointed to judge entries for a literary award that his own work has been shortlisted for once already.

“My work has enabled me to be a judge in the NSW Premier Literary Awards three times and I was thrilled this year to see Tara June Winch win for The Yield. That is a great and important book that explores the vitality of Aboriginal culture and language in an amazing way—and I was proud to be on the panel that chose it.”

His success has been a combination of the time, patience and resolve he’s consistently applied to the creative process, and instrumental collaborations that have made all the difference to his efforts as a writer, academic and teacher.

“I’ve had two excellent editorial relationships with editors both based at Text, one of Australia’s leading independent publishers. But, you know, my research also feeds directly into my teaching, where I collaborate with a great team of academics, particularly Dr Keri Glastonbury who supervised the PhD that became my first book and has since worked with me to put great courses together.”

As if captivated by a good story, Michael looks to the next chapter of his literary career and can’t help but imagine what is to come.

“What really excites me is the possibility of what I might achieve next. I haven’t written the work that I think I am really capable of writing yet. I believe I might be writing it now, but until I finish this beast I won’t be sure. That’s what excites me though: the potential in whatever comes next.”