Recent  books she has mentored/edited  include Closer to Home by Georgia Blain, The People Smuggler by Robin de Crespigny and What Remains by Denise Leith.


Mentoring testimonials



"I was  already a  successful author of non-fiction books and articles when  - with much trepidation - I decided to venture into fiction. My time with Rosie is still memorable. She helped me breathe life into characters, create tension and stillness, write about the unsaid as well as the said. She is a beautifully intelligent writer who gives generously to those lucky enough to gain her help. Rosie weaves spells with words."
Anne Deveson, writer and broadcaster

 

"Rosie Scott is a rare teacher and mentor. She knows how to listen, ask the right questions and advise – all without imposing her own ideas on your work. For me, this was the perfect way to learn, find my own solutions and become a better writer."
Georgia Blain, writer

 

"Rosie Scott is a brilliant mentor. She is wise, empathic and gently constructive. She can read your silences and help you to make them audible. Once she has responded to your work, her voice lives in your head as you spin out your words. It is as if she hovers at your shoulder- a bit like a guardian angel really."

Roslyn Arnold. Honorary Professor of Education, Universities of  Sydney and Tasmania

 


"I have recently been awarded a Varuna fellowship, one of three writers selected by Pan MacMillan. Without Rosie’s advice and support I’m not sure I could have achieved this milestone. I owe her a great debt of thanks and would encourage other writers to take on board what she has to say. It will pay off!'
Lynne Talmont



"Rosie Scott is a lovely person, a wonderful novelist, and a fine editor. She is able to see the broader picture and the detail, and has the uncanny ability to pick the things I am already uncomfortable with but kid myself I can get away with. She suggests, but doesn't force changes, which gives you the space to really consider her suggestions. And I love that she has a great sense and understanding of rhythm, which I feel is at the core of things."
Robin de Crespigny, Film director and writer 


"Rosie Scott gave me invaluable encouragement during the early stages of writing my first novel. An insightful teacher and enthusiastic cheerleader, I wouldn’t be as far along in my creative process without her inspired mentoring."
Catherine Martin


"Rosie was the perfect editor to help me solve some structural problems with my work and she also ­ tactfully and simply ­ helped make the writing more seamless. Rosie¹s own experience as a writer and her insights about how to sort out problem areas were essential. I look forward to the opportunity of working with her again soon."
Suzanne Baker, writer and film maker 


"Rosie Scott mentored me for a year through about three drafts of my novel. I found her to be immensely supportive and specific with her feedback.  I particularly needed help with structure and Rosie set me in the right direction to pare down too many story threads and find a more cohesive shape for the book. Rosie was very quick in delivering feedback, which was great – it kept me on my toes responding and rewriting. She had many suggestions for improvement but was always open to my ideas and offered suggestions for varied approaches to finding the best possible way of expressing events. Rosie invested time and energy into my story and characters; she allowed me to discover depth and subtext within complex character relationships, and she has been a wonderful support, we have emailed feedback, spoken on the phone many times and had a couple of excellent face to face sessions working with tricky parts of the ms, at which I took many notes! Rosie always supported my vision for the novel and also motivated me to work to deadlines and keep my novel moving forward – and it was through Rosie’s mentorship that I managed to get my novel to final draft stage."

Cassy Cochrane

 

"Before I began working with Rosie I was lost in a sea of pages with little idea about how to pull them together into the story I wanted to tell. Rosie encouraged me to focus on the heart of the story, helping me to shape ‘Glass Bottom Boats’ into the novel I wanted to write. Characters became sharper, the story clearer. A shape appeared.
 
"Rosie’s feedback is wise, thoughtful and incisive. Her notes are generous and detailed and she has been more than willing to discuss progress, problems and ideas along the way."
 Lynne Talmont

 

"As a published author of non fiction I recklessly threw myself into writing my first novel. I had no idea how to characterise, set scenes, use adjectives…and how do you write a sex scene? I was a complete beginner. What I had at the end of the first draft was what I can only describe as ‘a dog’s breakfast,’ but it was my ‘dog’s breakfast’ and I dearly loved everything about it. But would anyone else love it and was it worth continuing working on? How could I make it better?

 

"With trepidation, and a great deal of embarrassment, I handed my precious manuscript over to Rosie. What she returned to me in few days was an encouraging vision of what my novel could be. Her comments and suggestions about editing, plot and characterisation were generous, insightful, and above all, constructive. She never imposes her vision or style, but rather opens your eyes to all that is possible. Rosie’s mentorship took my novel and my writing to a new level of professionalism. 

 

"Rosie Scott is a born wordsmith, magnificently intelligent, intuitive and generous in all that she does. To be mentored by Rosie Scott is an incredible gift for any author."

Dr Denise Leith

 

"Asking your novelist wife to edit your science book may not sound like a good idea. But Rosie's extraordinary skill at clarifying meaning and her acute sense of narrative transformed my prosaic text into an exciting popular science book. The success of 'Them and Us: how Neanderthal predation created modern humans' owes an enormous debt to her skill as an editor and mentor."
Danny Vendramini



"Rosie, my mother , mentored  my best selling book 'Biting The Big Apple' and  I can say without hesitation; it couldn’t have been the book it was without her expert and incredible support.

Initially I was a little hesitant about  asking my mother to do this mentoring; not knowing whether the process would influence my own voice and style and also because my readers are women in their twenties and thirties - but the process we went through was almost exactly the opposite.

Rosie gave me the confidence to develop my voice and I absolutely couldn’t have done it without her. Interestingly, instead of directly answering my (many and demanding) questions directly, she skillfully and successfully enabled me to discover my own answers (which was a damned miracle I can tell you). She really is an extraordinarily skilful mentor.

She has a razor sharp eye for finding the truth of an idea or notion and is tireless in working through it. Oftentimes it felt like a counseling session, I was able to voice my deepest concerns about the work and my own abilities, then expertly, tactfully and honestly she would work through it with me until a solution was found. Her process is a holistic one and a truly enjoyable one too.

I thoroughly recommend Rosie to you - she herself is one of the top Australian/New Zealander writers of our generation and being at the receiving end of her talent and skill is an extraordinary, exciting and wholly uplifting experience."

Bella Vendramini