What do you do when your ‘work in progress’ stops progressing?
I am currently writing a middle grade fantasy novel. Having published three novels and one novella already, you might think I’m just flying through this project with no hiccups. But here’s the thing: even experienced writers deal with barriers and […]
There is a slightly doom-laden quality to January 2nd. Not only do a lot of people go back to their daily routines after the holidays, but all the mass media images of tinsel, bubbly and celebration have already morphed into bright, hard-edged images of summer holidays, weight reduction and home improvement. After a couple of […]
I don’t know whether the last week of August affects you the way it does me. I get excited in anticipation of the annual September buzz, the kind of buzz I should really be feeling on New Year’s Day but often don’t. That’s because years of schooling conditioned me to feel like September is the […]
While I was signing books at the Leeds Book Awards, I had a chat with a pupil who asked me for tips on writing and illustrating stories and poems. I had an idea that the Scottish Book Trust website would have just the thing and promised the pupil I’d post links here.
Sure enough, the SBT […]
This blog has been sorely neglected. It’s growing weeds and spawning spiders, it’s been so long since I brushed it off.
Mea culpa. I have been deep into writing The Next Book, which I have mentioned before. But this time, unlike […]
Recently I added this photo to my Powerpoint presentation for school groups. It’s a mountain of The Blackhope Enigma
drafts, intermingled with comments from my agent. The oldest draft is on the […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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 […]
