November/December Update
November and December were busy months for me, both personally and writing-wise, which is why there was no news posted in November. The biggest event in this time was my big road trip. With by beloved and the five younger Murphlets, a car and caravan, I crossed Australia’s famous Nullarbor Plain, travelling from our home in country Western Australia through South Australia, Victoria and into New South Wales. It was an awesome experience, seeing some of Australia’s most beautiful and diverse places, from the big city of Sydney, to the amazing natural wonder of the Great Australian Bight. We faced the challenges of some of the wettest weather of the year – it rained nearly every day, in places which were drought-ridden, and badly needed the rain, too. We considered applying for work as drought-breakers, given our record in taking the weather wherever we went. But, in spite of the rain, we had a wonderful time and arrived home still all speaking to each other – no mean feat after five weeks living seven of us in a space no bigger than my bedroom at home.
So, with the trip, my writing time was altered. I won’t say curtailed, as I actually did find time to write on most days – in the form of a diary. I wrote an average of a thousand words per day, which I was pleased with, though it fell down a little bit in the last week when I was getting pretty tired. I also drafted a new picture book, and jotted down ideas for several other stories which came to me inspired by what I saw or did.
Before I left, I worked on edits for Snowy, my new picture book with Random House (due out in November, 2009). ’m really pleased with how the text is shaping up and was lucky enough to see some of the roughs when I visited the illustrator in Canberra. David happens to also be my brother in law, so we stayed with him and his beautiful family, and they also came with us to the Snowy Mountains for a few nights.
I also made the final tweaks on my verse novel, Pearl Verses the World, due out from Walker Books in May. This has gone off to the printers now, so my part in the creative process is done, and I am really happy with the finished text, as well as with the beautiful illustrative work of Heather Potter, who has captured Pearl and her family so well.
I was also delighted before I left to receive my author copies of The Big Blowie (Aussie Schoolbooks), a new chapter book about a drought, blowflies and a big thing. The finished product is great, and available now from Blake Education. While we travelled, we saw lost of big things – including the Big Orange, Big Galah, Big Ned Kelly and the Big Lobster. I had to stop and get photos of them all, of course.
Travelling did limit my reviewing activities a little, but before I left I added 25 new reviews to Aussiereviews in November and since my return added 8 in December. There’ll be loads more reviews in 2009, with the pile seemingly never ending.
I’ve spent time the past few days thinking about my aims for 2009. Number one priority is to enjoy the release of my new titles. I’m really proud of the books I have coming out this year, and plan to enjoy seeing them in print. My next aim is to get a couple of projects I’ve started moving again now that I’m home, and get some manuscripts back out there finding homes for themselves. I’ve written myself a list of aims which I’ve shared with my online friends, and will check it regularly to see how I do. Mostly, though, I think the key thing I want to do writing-wise in 2009 is to keep writing – and to keep enjoying it as much as I did in 2008. If you’re a writer, I wish the same for you – a fun-filled year of writing!
Enjoy!
Writing Quote for the Day
Guest Article: Start Your Writing Career Today, by Robyn Opie
Start Your Writing Career Today
by Robyn Opie
So you want to write a children’s book. Great! Writing for children is a wonderful hobby or occupation (as in my case).
But where does one start? What does one need to do to become a children’s author? How did I become a published children’s author?
Actually, I decided that I wanted to be a writer before I decided that I wanted to write children’s books. The first thing I did after realising that I wanted to be a writer was join our local writers’ centre. Then I joined a romance writers’ group. Writing romance seemed like a good idea at the time. At a meeting of the romance writers’ group I met several writers who were also writing children’s books.
I hadn’t read a children’s book in quite a few years. And I hadn’t considered writing for children. But the prospect interested me, so off I went to my local library. A visit to my library can take me a good hour (or more) as I study the shelves for books published in the past year or two.
While at the library, I also looked for non-fiction books about writing children’s books. I’ve read every book on writing for children that I could find in the libraries around my city. I’m a member of a lot of different libraries. It’s a joke with me that I collect libraries like some people collect stamps.
Next, I investigated a number of courses about writing children’s books. I settled on an eight-week course run by a local college. It covered everything I needed to know about writing for children (well, almost everything) at a very reasonable rate. Later, I completed a picture book course run by an adult education facility.
I call all of this reading and studying my apprenticeship. A writer has to learn how to write a book just as a pilot has to learn how to fly a plane.
After all this learning and writing I was ready to send my work to a manuscript assessment agency, other writers or my local writers’ centre to gain feedback on my writing. I needed to know what I was doing wrong, as well as what I was doing right. This critical assessment of my work was part of my education.
It’s through the writers’ groups I belong to that I learnt about the publishing opportunities, which lead to most of my books. Therefore I’m a big fan of networking.
I’m also a big fan of knowledge and practice, as my main publisher said to me in his first email: “you’ve obviously done this before”. Another publisher recently noted in an email to me: “someone who understands a lot about picture book structure”.
So, to reiterate, my advice is:
a) Join writers’ groups. Local and/or online writers’ groups. By joining writers’ groups you hope to network, learn about the publishing world,
obtain feedback on your work and make friends with similar interests.
b) Read a lot of recent children’s books. Take notice of what you like and what seems to work. Study the writing. You’re reading for research first, pleasure second.
When I visit the local library I look for recent releases. It’s important to keep up with the market and what’s being published. If you’re writing a book about a comet hurtling towards Earth and a book with a similar storyline has been published in the last year, your story is unlikely to be published, no matter how good it is.
c) Read a lot of books about writing for children. Articles from websites are also a great idea – naturally. You’re reading mine now! It can help to read books about writing in general. But children’s books are a specialised field. For example, you need to know the different types of children’s books for the various age groups – the word lengths, language, style etc.
d) Write the type of children’s books you enjoy the most. Write every day if possible. Practice makes you a better writer. Practice/repetition is how we learn and master tasks.
e) Take courses on writing for children.
I should point out that the writing for children course I did, many years ago, involved weekly writing assignments. I wrote a picture book, easy reader, early chapter book and sections of longer novels, which were all marked by my tutor. Two of my first six published titles were written during this course.
f) Have your manuscripts assessed by a reputable manuscript assessment service. Due to the volume of submissions publishers receive and the quality of some of these submissions, many publishers are now requesting a manuscript assessment accompany every submission.
g) Write down your dreams and goals. Look at them every day. Break them down into small steps if necessary. Your writing activities should
move you towards your writing dreams and goals.
h) Enter competitions. Write articles and short stories. Seek ways of filling your writer’s CV with publishing credits.
Now you’re on your way. From this point on, the secret to becoming a
children’s author is persistence. I’ve read and heard quotes from many
authors who claim that the secret to their success is persistence. They never gave up!
© Copyright Robyn Opie. All Rights Reserved.
Writing Quote for the Day
Guest Article; Write What You Love, by Robyn Opie
Write What You Love
by Robyn Opie
I recently answered a question from a student on my writing for children course. I’d like to share my advice to her because I think it’s important to all writers.
My student told me that she’d wanted to write a story for a long time. She gave me a brief outline of it, which sounded good.
Her question had to do with her writing experience – or lack of it. So far, she’s written a handful of short, simple stories for children up to eight. She wanted to know if, as a novice, she was out of her depth writing a longer novel for older children on a difficult subject. She wondered if she should forget the idea for the time being and try something less challenging.
There’s only one way to find out, I told her – by writing it.
I was encouraged by my student’s enthusiasm and passion. She wanted to write the story. That was obvious. Therefore, I think she should do it.
As I explained in my response to this student, I believe that passion is most important to a writer, of any genre. I believe that you have to feel passionate about a story to write it.
Writing is hard work. It takes time, dedication and commitment. It means sacrifices. It’s also a lot of fun, if you’re passionate about it.
I write for my own pleasure. I write because I love writing for children. I love doing it more than anything else. I write a children’s book because I want to – have to. I feel passionate about it. I write for my own fun first. Getting it published is a bonus.
I believe that, if I write something for my own enjoyment, then others will enjoy it too. If I laugh, others will laugh too. If I cry, others will cry too.
Not all of my manuscripts are published. Some are rejected. But writing for me in the first instance seems to work most of the time.
I recommended to my student to write her story, do the best job she can with limited experience and have fun.
There are no guarantees that her story will be published. There are simply no guarantees in life. But she’ll have fun writing it and she’ll also gain valuable experience in writing for children.
If you want to be a writer you have to write. The more you write, the better you get. Every story is valuable experience.
Let’s consider the following scenario: you’ve written a story and made many attempts to get it published. Some say that J K Rowling’s first Harry Potter story was rejected about 30 times. If you’ve received 30 rejections for your manuscript then it’s probably time to think about rewriting it. Is there anything you can do to improve it? Or maybe it’s time to call the story a step in your writing career – good practice – and move on. We all need experience. It makes us better at what we do.
I often say that persistence is a key to success. You haven’t given up. You’re still trying. Obviously, you’re in with a chance. The practice of continuing to write improves your skills. And passion keeps you going.
Thousands of stories have been written. Many of these books have the same basic idea. They are different because different personalities wrote them.
The Quest? I can’t imagine how many books contain this underlying theme. Boy meets girl? The number is even greater here, I’m sure. Catching a serial killer? I think you get the point.
Everything has been done. Every idea has been used. Your job as a writer is to make your idea seem new and fresh. You do this with passion. The way you tell the story. Your excitement. Your connection with the characters. You!
Last year, I wrote a story based on a true historical event which intrigued me. To get into the mood – inspire my passion – I read books about the time, place and incident. It wasn’t long before I was so excited that I had to start writing. I couldn’t help it. My research also gave me the plot, as if handed to me on a platter. As I read about the real people and the period, individual words inspired my imagination. Soon, ideas were swirling around in my mind, forming a story.
There are plenty of things you can do to inspire passion when writing for children:
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Read books on a particular subject, time or location. Look for facts that excite you. Think about them and their possibilities.
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Read the latest children’s books. This relaxing activity is work for a children’s author. You’re learning about the market, getting your brain used to thinking about children’s stories and plots, and stirring the imagination.
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Read books on writing for children. Immerse yourself in the subject. You’ll gain valuable knowledge and skills. You’ll also get your brain used to thinking about children’s books and how to write them.
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Take courses and learn everything you can about writing for children. Learning more about a favourite subject (and doing homework) is great inspiration and motivation.
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Join writers’ groups and find other people interested in writing children’s books. Make friends with these writers and talk often, in person, on the phone or via email.
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Act like a writer. People often say that if you want something then pretend that it’s already happened. It’s a form of visualisation. So pretend that you’re a professional writer and act accordingly.
You need the skills of a writer and experience goes a long way, as it does in any profession. But don’t forget passion. Don’t under-estimate it.
© Copyright Robyn Opie. All Rights Reserved.
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