In a July sort of mood

Tomorrow, Monday 1st July 2013 submissions open for Undiscovered Voices 2014.  Are your 4000 words poised ready to be uploaded as soon as submissions open? Could yours be the first? Or are you, like me, more interested in the the date they close? That's
Thursday 15th August
Put the reminder on your phone NOW!

Today, we also have our first Words & Pictures Slushpile Challenge Winner, who describes his experience of winning and his meeting with Agent Anne Clarke. Our next Slushpile Challenge has been set and will be posted next Sunday.

I know we're still June but I'm already in a July sort of a mood and July is Picture Book Month! Are you going to be at the Picture Book retreat next weekend? Did you know that this year it's the 50th Anniversary of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are? And here's a heads up - next weeks new Slush Pile Challeneg is especially inspiring for picture book writers.

Blackbirds are very friendly
near Swanage

We're also looking for feedback in July - how are we doing? Too much to read, too little or  about right? What do you like? What would you like to see more of? Let me know in the comments or at editor@britishscbwi.org or do our POLL.  There'll be a different question every week in the left hand side column.

I've just come back from a few days camping... not at Glasto - bless the lovely person who thought I was cool enough for that - but at favourite campsite near Swanage trying to deal with the muddling middle of the WIP. No internet there but the 3G was good so picked up this Twitter advice from UV 2014 which was especially pertinent for me or anyone trying  to  de-complicate a plot.

This is a personal plea from someone shamelessly using an internet platform for her own benefit - how do you plan, plot, map story and NOT overthink? I'd love to know. It seems I've asked a lot of questions this week - they have a lot to do with overthinking.

Here are some more:

Did you click on Bear's rumbling tummy on Friday, tell us where your group meets on Thursday or celebrate with Paula, Jackie and their guests on Saturday? Did you see that picture of Sally Poyton with the FAMOUS PERSON she interviewed? Nick did on Tuesday. Wednesday's workshops: what does make them work? And Twitter mentions: are you watching them as Sheila advised on Monday? Was your week a Words & Pictures week or did the big round yellow thing in the sky lure you away from the screen. That's ok it'll all still be here when it rains!

Next week, after all the talk of illustration for older readers we kick off Picture Book Month with some ancient texts from a time when no one (I'm guessing) thought twice about illustration for adults. Ask an Agent on Wednesday will be demonstrating how not to write a query. Friday's illustration feature about The Plaister Press, is from Gillian McClure, illustrator, writer and publisher.  

Don't forget Undiscovered Voices 2014 submissions open tomorrow - you could be the first...

Jan Carr

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Jan Carr is the editor of Words & Pictures. Her fiction is older middle grade, she blogs occasionally and loves to write in magenta.