Climbing the Mountain

And reaching the sky.

Recently I added this photo to my Powerpoint presentation for school groups. It’s a mountain of Blackhope Enigma drafts, intermingled with comments from my agent. The oldest draft is on the bottom and the most recent at the top. Actually, this photo doesn’t even include the later revised versions I did after my editors commented on it. The pile is even higher now, and I look at it from time to time in awe.

Writing the book took all the guts I could muster. I never had the feeling I should give up on it, though I certainly had my dark moments from time to time. I really felt I HAD to write this book, even though I had never attempted such a thing before. Besides, I was already used to persevering in my illustration career. It took years of marketing my work to New York publishers, and reworking my portfolio, before I was taken on to illustrate my first children’s book way back when (a chapter book for the lovely folks at Knopf, by the way!)

If I had needed to be inspired 24/7, I would never have finished The Blackhope Enigma. I just had to show up at the desk and focus. Some days it worked better than others (some days it didn’t work at all), but I just kept going.

I’ve read some excellent essays by other children’s and YA authors about sticking to the job. I particularly like this one by Cassandra Clare, author of The Mortal Instruments
and Infernal Devices fantasy books.

There is nothing like the feeling of holding your printed book in your hands. But it is almost as boggling to look at the pile of drafts or the folders of mind maps, flow charts and outlines - and recognize that you worked your way, the best you could, through plot problems, unconvincing dialogue, faults of logic and a whole host of typos.

Thinking on this idea of climbing a mountain, I remember my first big climb up Ben More on the isle of Mull. I was with a group of very experienced walkers and had done pretty well in keeping up with them. As we neared the top, it became clear that we would have a steep scramble over boulders. I watched a woman being hoisted up a huge rock and knew I couldn’t do that. I panicked. I wanted to stop and go back - but, as the others told me, I’d come too far to turn back. One of them gave me the best advice: find a different way through the boulders, and then keep your eyes on the path directly in front of you. Don’t look forwards or backwards - keep your eyes on the path before you and go step by step.

I did it. Twenty minutes later, I was drinking tea at the summit. It hadn’t been easy, but it had not been the nightmare I imagined. I looked back down the mountain and thought, I came from there. Not unlike looking at a very significant pile of papers on my desk.

SCBWI Scotland’s Summer Conference

Calling all aspiring children’s book writers and illustrators!

The Scottish chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators has just published its schedule for the 2010 Summer Conference, featuring top authors and illustrators, including Jane Yolen, Bob Harris, Elizabeth Wein, Nicola Morgan, Sara Pinto, Gillian Philip, Keith Charters, Gill James and John Fardell.

For the full schedule and prices, click here.

What I’m Working On Now #4

A new odyssey.

The sun is out. The 48 hour squall that passed over us, dropping snow, sleet and rain has moved out. Back to spring dreams.

I am ensconced in the Next Book and feeling how far I have come since I started writing The Blackhope Enigma. The learning curve was very steep but the rewards immense. Now it’s on to a new project and I’m going into it with the same attitude I had before: have a go, write from the heart, get it down on paper, be open to improvements, polish it till it’s as perfect as can be.

I have learned an incredible amount about writing over the past few years. Alongside my practice, I read a lot about what’s happening in the publishing industry, what other authors are up to and what their writing tips are.

Last week the Bologna Children’s Book Fair took place in Italy, and though I couldn’t go this year, I followed people’s tweets about it and read their blog reports this week. I am really impressed by the time people took to write up their notes, especially Beth Peck, whose blog has some fascinating nuggets of info from publishing industry afficionados. This quote from Richard Peck’s talk made me laugh out loud (ruefully):


If you see an adverb, shoot it.

I used to have to “shoot” my adverbs with the big bad Delete button, but now I can spot them looming at twenty paces and body swerve them. Another step on the learning curve…

More personal views of the Bologna Book Fair come from author Ally Carter
and illustrator John Shelley. Mary Hoffman (aka Book Maven) wrote reports for all three days she was at Bologna. All these blogs (and the tweets I followed) gave me a pretty good flavour of the Fair.

So, suitably fired up by the overall feeling that this year was buoyant, I head back to my draft manuscript and cross over into the imaginary world of the Next Book.

SCBWI Scotland presents Catherine Rayner

On March 25, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in Scotland is hosting award-winning author-illustrator, Catherine Rayner, in a day-long master class on illustrating children’s picture books.

If you are interested, click here for more information.

Jane Yolen in Edinburgh

Your chance to participate in a picture book workshop with the award-winning American author of over 300 books.

The Scottish branch of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators has let me know that Jane Yolen will be leading an all-day workshop about children’s picture books on Sunday, October 4, from 9am to 5pm at the Braid Hills Hotel in Edinburgh.

This is a rare opportunity to connect with an author who has written everything from babies’ board books to graphic novels. The cost seems very reasonable at £25 for the day, including lunch and tea/coffee. Spaces will be limited, of course, so sign up soon to avoid disappointment.

Jane is also offering (to 8 delegates only) the opportunity to have your picture book manuscript critiqued for an additional cost of £12.50.

To get a full run down on the workshop schedule and to sign up, email ra@scbwiscotland.co.uk

To learn more about what the SCBWI does in Scotland, check their site here.

The Times/Chicken House Children’s Author Competition

Dust off your children’s book manuscript and sharpen it up. Here’s a competition offering a nice advance. Chicken House is a UK publisher with a great reputation. Good luck!

If you find you need a bit of online advice on your writing, head to Help! I Need A Publisher, Nicola Morgan’s blog. I’ve probably mentioned this site before, but it doesn’t hurt to say it again. It’s funny and informative. By the way, this link will take you to Nicola’s NEW blog home, so if you already have her old one bookmarked, delete it and add this spanking new one.

And if you are interested in what goes on in the world of book retailing, US-style, new blog Pimp My Novel is excellent.

Summertime in Glasgow

The studio has cooled down enough that I can work without the fan. I have been aiming it directly at me over the last few weeks, trying not to send papers flying. We usually get a week or two in summer where I curse the poor ventilation and wish I could be outside, but this year we are having a “real summer”, which means more use of the fan. I’m not complaining..really! Often the Glasgwegian summer involves drizzle and greyness, so this is a wonderful blip.

I am busy at the computer, working on writing projects. It is giving me good practice with touch typing, which I learned over the winter. Even though I thought I was pretty quick with the two-fingered hunt and peck method, I realised I was fooling myself and getting repetitive strain in my wrists. So I took an evening class and learned what I should have when I was in high school.

My fingers do not exactly fly across the keyboard yet but my posture is better and my wrists thank me. If you plan on writing a novel, learn touch typing. It will take at least one or two small hurdles out of your way.

Writing Tips from the Blogosphere #1

Friends often ask me whether I have read books on how to write for children and I have to confess that I have only read one, Pamela Cleaver’s Writing a Children’s Book: How to Write for Children and Get Published , which is concise and pretty good for starting
out.

But I do regularly read blogs by writers and agents and anonymous children’s editors. I got onto blogs when I was hunting for advice on how to write a book synopsis (if you are like me, a chill will run up your spine at the mention of synopsis).

You can, however, learn how to write a good synopsis and be entertained at the same time. I always enjoy agent Nathan Bransford’s blog and his guide to writing synopses is informative, though I tend to write shorter synopses than he recommends (mine are no more than two pages double-spaced). I also got a lot from romance writer Kathy Carmichael’s article - in fact, her examples helped me loads. I like this approach from Marg Gilks, too.

But the winner is Miss Snark, anonymous literary agent/blogger, whose Crap-o-meter series of synopses, first pages, hooks and cover letters is the place to go if you need a belly laugh and some learnin’ at the same time. Miss Snark, who no longer blogs, but mercifully has left her punditry up for posterity, used to put out a call for entries and be inundated with people’s synopses, which she would then dissect in red ink. Read and learn. Once you have gone through about 20 of them you will begin to get it. View Miss Snark’s Synopsis Crap-o-Meter here, and do read the other entries on her right-hand menu for further erudite observations on life, publishing and George Clooney.

My other fave anonymous blogger is Editorial Anonymous, a children’s editor whose wit is up there with Miss Snark’s. Don’t miss her right hand side panel for further hilarity and links to other very good blogs and sites.

There is also Scotland based novelist Nicola Morgan, who is giving us all a reason not to do our work and read her publishing blog instead. She is doing a series on writing skills and has just covered voice and pace. But there is oh so much more to be entertained by, not least her witty take on the writer’s life.

Last, but by no means least, is Patrick Ness’s Writer in Residence blog for Booktrust. Not only does Patrick’s blog talk frankly about his own experiences as the award-winning writer of The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and the Answer, but he does a pithy series of writing tips. Check out Patrick’s website, too, for more insights.

Synopsis, synopsis, synopsis! Hey look, no chills. You, too, can learn how to write one and have a bit of writerly fun at the same time.