Love This Writing Life!

Had an excellent Young Writer session on Saturday  (I don't mean to be repetitive but most of the sessions are excellent) and came away as fired up as the children!  We were looking at play-writing - something we have not tackled before.  I put together an information sheet (one day I will put all these sheets into a book and call it The Young Writer's Handbook)  and, because the group was quite small, we all worked together to come up with a play.  It was a resounding success - take a look at the AYW blog (addiscombeyoungwriters.blogspot.co.uk) to find out more about what they came up with.  Suffice it to say that the pride on their faces when they realised what they'd done was worth a year's salary from the Day Job and they went home in a glow of achievement!  As well they should.

The Epic and I remain constant buddies.  I write whenever I can.  I have reacquainted myself with the characters - and already invented some new ones!  So very pleased with how that is going.

The Book is still selling well.  Don't know how well it is doing on Amazon and Kindle but my Steve and I are finding people who buy direct from us - which is pretty helpful because it gives us a good idea of how things are going.  Don't forget - if you know of a Craft Fair, Summer Fete or Spring Bazaar going on in or near the Croydon area, let me know.  When I used to do such events with the Yucketypoo books, they always sold well, so the power of Local must not go under-estimated!

Better go for now - but if you are very very good - I might even put a sample of The Epic into my next blog ...

Sorry - Just HAVE To Share ...

I write this blog every so often and have absolutely no idea who reads it because I rarely get any feedback.  However - two people I know have recently told me they read it so it stands to reason that other people might. 

The only reason I mention it is because anyone who has stayed with it since I first began to blog a couple of years ago will be familiar with The Epic.  This is a novel I began around three years ago and wrote feverishly for months.  But then The Book (ie My Writer) took precedence because I knew I had to see that through.  All those months The Epic rested in the back of my mind (and a drawer) until I took it out and read through it a couple of weeks ago.

Last night, my very best friend in the entire world (outside of family of course) came for a spot of dinner and we talked about many things (we are in a very spiritual relationship as well as being great mates) including The Book (My Writer) and The Epic (as yet untitled).  Well - Paul - this one is for you.  I took up my pen this morning and wrote a whole new chapter!

Yep - The Epic is back on.  But better still.  I am WRITING again!

Sequel? What Sequel?

Someone who came to the launch of My Writer and bought a copy for the young son of a friend of hers (whom I have never met), came into the Day Job yesterday with a message from the young son.  Jilly - when is the sequel coming out?  Sequel?  What sequel would that be then?  Talk about lighting the way through the endless Blank Page dunes of Writersblocksville!  Suddenly a whole new bunch of possibilities came to me.  Yeah - why not?  A professional editor who read the book in my trying-to-seek-a-publisher-or-agent phase came back to me with two very important points.  The first point she made was "I love the twist - this book will be published".  The next was the suggestion that I take the Creative Writing Academy thread in the book and build a whole series from there - looking at a different character and using a different genre for each consecutive story, whilst keeping the original characters in the background.  Thinking about this, I came up with ideas for maybe six  sequels - possibly even more!  But in order to make that work I need to find an agent, or indeed a publisher, who is prepared to take a leap of faith with my writing.  I very much doubt I could afford to fund them all myself.  So we shall have to see.  At least the feedback I am getting is positive!  Bit like me really.

Yesterday I physically took a copy of My Writer into Waterstones and left it, along with my About The Author sheet, with the manager there, who came out of her lunch break to speak to this persistent unknown local author who has been blighting her life for the past couple of months.  She has promised we will get together again the week after next after her holiday to look at the possibilities.  So fingers crossed.

You see - never ever give up!  Catch you later.

Achey Breaky Heart ...

I have a confession to make.  I am stuck in a writing-less desert and all I can see for miles around, instead of sandy dunes, is blank page after blank page as far as the eye can see.  Yes.  I have Writer's Block.  The problem isn't that I don't have any ideas.  The problem is that I have too many and I am struggling to find one I can commit to without deviating and trying another - thus dooming both.  I know what you are thinking.  You are thinking she can't have Writer's Block that bad if she is doing a blog-post!  And you're absolutely right.  Blog posts, random jottings, haiku and diary I can write, no probs.   Anything else?  Forget it!

When I was a Creative Writing tutor, students often came to me complaining of Writer's Block.  It is true it is an affliction that affects most writers at some point in their lives.  I used to say that there are two ways forward - one is to just give yourself a complete break for a couple of weeks.  The other is to fish out something old and breathe fresh life into it; bring it into the here and now.  The main thing is not to fret over it as that will inevitably make things worse.

So my question to you is this - why don't I heed my own advice?

I am going away for Easter with my Steve.  We are heading off to Yorkshire for the long weekend and I can hardly wait.  I am hoping it will recharge my batteries (I always find the Yorkshire Moors and Dales inspiring) and give me a little break.  Things have been incredibly intense since My Writer was published and then launched so maybe - just maybe - I have burned myself out a little?  I am also finding it terribly frustrating getting Waterstones to take me seriously; although the Croydon branch - bless their literary hearts - has suggested I contact them in June as the branch is currently being refurbished and their events diary is taking a back seat till it is all finished.  So I will.  Of course I will.  The others I shall just keep emailing until they get sick of seeing my name!  I took My Writer seriously, my husband took it seriously, everyone who attended the launch took it seriously and everyone who has thus far bought a copy have also taken it seriously.

Perhaps then it is merely a matter of time?  Maybe we should all take a little hiatus over Easter?

Let's Get More Kids Writing ...

I wish you could have been at my book launch last Saturday!  It came hot on the heels of a hugely successful Young Writer session which saw FOURTEEN children turn up!  We practically took the Library over!  Or so it seemed as I went hunting for more and more chairs in order to accommodate everyone!  With all this interest there is but definitely a gap in the market somewhere for Young Writers!  I want to get more kids writing.  Writing is the best thing in the world.  Writing preserves old worlds and creates new ones.  It is an opportunity to express oneself.  It is the opportunity to entertain, to share, to inspire.  And writing out of school is so different to writing in it!  I am so lucky to have been inspired and encouraged by a writer I knew as a child who just happened to be my favourite teacher at school.  I want to get the word out there.  I want kids to want to write!

As for the book launch itself - well - it was totally amazing!  I had a lot of people turn up and I sold a lot of books and donated two to the Library.  I am now pestering Waterstones to let me do some signings.  They are being a little slow off the mark - this is the second time I have had to contact them.  But I know they'll pick it up because they support local writers.  I just have to pester pester pester!

Cannot wait now to get out there and do more craft fairs, more signings.  Let kids (and grown-ups) read My Writer.  The magic is in the words!

GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Things are going absolutely swimmingly re: the book launch!  I have made bookmarks to give away.  I have sent out invitations.  I have heard the book is already being re-sold on Amazon.  This is great!  I have been tweeting about it, mentioned it on Linked In , have an incredibly clever nephew who is going to set up a Facebook page - and just about all my Young Writers are going to come along, too! So don't forget - My Writer  is now on sale!  Let's get more kids Writing!

So what else?  Oh yeah - I am working on some new ideas but this time I will  get picked up by an Agent!  I am going to go through my Children's W & A Yearbook like a trojan!  Someone somewhere will suddenly realise what I have to offer in the way of writing.  And I haven't forgotten about The Epic or the Yucketypoo books.

Boy - I am so fired up today!

See you on the 21st!

Ready Steady Go ...

Last Thursday I took delivery of 100 beautful copies of My Writer, all pristine and untouched by human hand.  They look amazing and I still can't quite believe I have actually done it!  And quite a few people are coming along to the launch on the 21st, so it will be good for the library as well - another reason to prove how vital they are to the community so STOP CLOSING THEM DOWN!!

Had a great session with my talented scribblers on 21st February.  Thirteen came along and it is so good to note how we seem to average between nine and twelve most sessions.  Can you believe it is almost a year since the group was re-launched?  How did that happen?  Did I blink or something? All joking aside though, I am absolutely thrilled by the fact that not only did Addiscombe Young Writers survive its first major setback in October 2013, it continues in 2015, to grow and thrive and gather momentum  - and I have heard of a couple of similar groups possibly being set up in other parts of the country which is truly awesome!  Making  Creative Writing as cool as the Arts and Sports is precisely why I started the group in the first place.  All children are born writers.  Nothing quite matches their innocence, their imagination and their belief which is exactly why their skills should be nurtured and honed from as early as possible.  

So how are you guys anyway?  Hope you are still Writing away and preparing for success and a sense of achievement!  I have been working my way through The Epic of late (remember that?  Go back a couple of years and you'll find a blow by blow account right here in this very blog!).  I don't know why.  I just picked it up the other day and began to read.  and I read,  And read.  And read.  And I have come to the conclusion it is FAR TOO GOOD to waste.  And if I think that - normally my own worst critic - then I happen to believe others will too.  Hey ... keep an eye out.  I might even put a bit of it in my next Post ...