I am now just over the half way point in my 'year of change'. I also turned 44 last Sunday. This has put me in a reflective mood (i.e. ‘oh god, where has my life gone?!’) and I have been mulling over what I have achieved so far this year. For those of you who… Continue reading 7 months into my year of change…
Author: Katherine Bassford
Hello, I'm Katherine. I'm a writer and illustrator living on the south coast, UK. www.katherinebassford.com
How to be a children’s author
Reading a book is easy. Writing one is slightly harder. (Guess which I excel at?!) So when I met Christine Hurst on the 30 Day Challenge earlier this year and discovered that she was a children’s author, she was instantly catapulted to god-like status in my eyes. Thankfully, her journey to being published has been… Continue reading How to be a children’s author
Being seen
I once dreamt that I was lying on a stage, singing. I think I was naked. I had crept up onto the stage and, thinking I was alone and it was safe, I had laid down at the front of the stage, with a microphone in one hand, and sung. I don’t know what I… Continue reading Being seen
Why writers need to lie down as much as possible
I discovered something cool this morning. I woke up with a migraine (not cool.) It was one of those migraines where waves of queasiness wash over you every 5 minutes and if you try to read a book, your eyeballs start to bulge out of your head. So I put on an eye mask (used… Continue reading Why writers need to lie down as much as possible
Aha! Is this the missing ingredient in my writing?
So…I haven’t been writing much recently. My children’s books are a major pain in the proverbials. I know I want to write them but I have a real problem with getting my bum on the seat. (It sounds like a good idea. I get a bit excited. And then my feet won’t actually walk me… Continue reading Aha! Is this the missing ingredient in my writing?
Dealing with rejection (the 33 per cent rule)
You know the sort of person who sings karaoke in pubs? The sort of person who stands up on stage and sings (or screeches) to their heart’s content…and seems to be having a whale of a time doing it? I sometimes wonder how the hell they manage to do this without drowning in a tidal… Continue reading Dealing with rejection (the 33 per cent rule)
Ambition in writers
In 2006 I read an article about ambition in writers written by Michael Allen. I knew it was a good article. (I printed a copy and reread it every year or so.) But ironically, I was so deeply mired in my own ambitions, I didn’t realise quite how good it was until now. Michael is… Continue reading Ambition in writers
The top 20 bestselling fiction authors of all time
You may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned my children’s books much recently. This is a cunning ploy to distract you from the fact that I am not writing them at the moment. I seem to have fallen into a mysterious trap; ‘Thou shalt not write any more picture books until you have heard back… Continue reading The top 20 bestselling fiction authors of all time
Adults need magic too!
"Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.” ~ Roald Dahl Roald Dahl is my hero. James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Magic Finger, Fantastic Mr Fox…these are the books that made my childhood magical. ‘Magical’ is not a word I use much as an adult. But when I… Continue reading Adults need magic too!
The Jobseeker’s Prayer
I am looking for work at the moment. It has its ups and downs. Today Richard Pettitt, a fellow 30 Day Challenger, posted an inspired ‘jobseeker’s prayer’ which is uncannily like the one I have been saying for a while now. Weirdly, it hasn’t been answered. Maybe I’m doing it wrong? See what you think: The Jobseeker’s… Continue reading The Jobseeker’s Prayer
Katherine Bassford 