In my last post I said I would share some of the things that have helped me start writing again after a 12-month break, but first I really need to tell you about something that happened on my birthday. Do you remember my blog post from 2016; 'A famous novel that almost didn't get written'?… Continue reading A sign that I should keep writing?
I was listening to one of Michael Neill's podcasts a few weeks ago - The Hercule Poriot Guide To Transformative Coaching - and he said something which I've been pondering ever since. He said that one day he was watching a colleague, George Pransky, coach a man who had writer's block. The writer said, "I just… Continue reading Why I stopped writing for 12 months
This is the story of how I wrote my first novel... Last summer I spotted a Facebook post announcing The Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition 2016. The prize was a £10,000 publishing deal. "Nice," I said to myself, "but I don't think I'm ready." Three months later, I saw the same post and I thought… Continue reading I did it. I finally wrote my first novel!
I went for a walk with a friend yesterday and he asked me how my writing was going. It took me a nanosecond to update him: I am half way through writing a children’s novel, I have written three picture books (unpublished), I am waiting to hear back about my fourth (my best, I reckon), and I… Continue reading Less talking, more writing!
Oooh, I have just been featured on the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) website. They asked me how to tell the story of how my first published book came about, and why it turned out to be a non-fiction title rather than my long dreamed of children’s novel. You can read my story… Continue reading My story is on the SCBWI website!
The second I emailed my finished Oh Sugar! manuscript to the publishers, I vowed I would not write another book for quite some time. I was exhausted. And yet that very same afternoon I found myself pondering, Yes, but I did write another book, I wonder what it be? Later that day, after I had… Continue reading Will snowflakes help me write my next book?
I am 15,000 words into my children’s book and I have a problem. My plot is missing HUGE chunks. Some plot-eating monster has come along and gobbled huge mouthfuls of my story and left me with odd bits and pieces that don’t quite fit together. (Thanks monster.) Where are these missing pieces? How am I… Continue reading Plot-eating monsters and other dangers
I read Once in one sitting yesterday afternoon. It is, quite simply, an amazing book. It’s the story of the holocaust through the eyes of a boy called Felix. Which sounds depressing but Felix has his own quirky way of looking at things. It made me smile. It made me cry. It made me marvel… Continue reading My name is Felix. This is my story…
I’ve just finished reading ‘How to Write a Children’s Picture Book and Get It Published’ by Andrea Shavick. When I first leafed through it I was a bit disappointed as it seemed so basic and simple. (Idiot!) This is exactly why it’s so flipping good! By the time I got to the end I was… Continue reading If you want to write a picture book, read this
It has been almost two weeks since I sent my manuscripts to the publisher. I know that’s not a long time in the publishing world. I’ve read that you can wait up to 3 months to get a reply. 3 months?! I was hoping for a slightly faster response. Here’s why: Two years ago I… Continue reading Waiting…
Katherine Bassford 