Ten-Minute Blog Break - 23rd December

Is there anybody out there? I wouldn't blame you all for being frantically busy in the run-up to Christmas, but I hope you'll find a few minutes to join me for the last Blog Break of 2014.


Nicola Morgan has written a lovely post about Christmas spirit, and how it means different things to different people (and not always in a positive way). Nicola's own Christmas seems to involve a lot of food, booze and books, which sounds just fine to me!

While Nicola is full of Christmas spirit, Marie Basting has got the fear. Specifically, she's experiencing some significant self-doubt after meeting other writers in the flesh at the SCBWI conference, and realising that they're all really good! But Marie won't be kept down for long, and her post examines the cyclical nature of self-doubt.

For those seeking to polish their craft during those empty days between Christmas and New Year, a couple of our bloggers are here to help. Vanessa Harbour is looking at dialogue this week and considering its best uses within your story. And, following her post about evaluating picture book ideas a few weeks ago, Kate Peridot is now focusing on developing your chosen idea. In this week's post, she's looking at the typical structure and layout of a picture book, and how to map your idea onto it.

For last-minute gift ideas, you can't beat Space on the Bookshelf's A Book in Every Stocking series. Writers, editors and illustrators (including Sara Grant, Sarah McIntyre, Anita Loughrey, and, erm, me) suggest the children's books they'd like Santa to leave in their stocking this Christmas.

I'm convinced that Candy Gourlay wrote My Year in Books 2014 just to make me jealous. How else to explain how many more wonderful books she seems to have managed to read than me? Clearly, I need to set some reading targets for 2015!

Merry Christmas and see you in January,

Nick.

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A SCBWI member since 2009, Nick Cross is an Undiscovered Voices winner who writes children's short fiction for Stew Magazine.

Nick has delved into his archives for the third year running, and found some wonderful lost lunacy for your reading pleasure. Check out The Museum of Me - The Lost Years.

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 16th December

It's been one of those days - I broke my tooth during breakfast, and everything that followed had to be fitted around dentistry! But fear not, because I managed to squeeze the Blog Break in, and good job too, because there are some great posts this week!

On the SCBWI-BI Facebook group, I've already flagged up Anne-Marie Perks's prominent (but strangely uncredited) appearance on the BBC News site with her wordless picture book illustrations. Over at Big Little Tales, Anne-Marie shares more background on the project and artwork from the forthcoming companion volume.

Last week, we had a wonderful story of perseverance rewarded (from Kathy Evans). This week, it's the turn of my fellow Undiscovered Voices 2010 winner Abbie Rushton. Ever wonder what it's like to have that meeting with a publisher? Read Abbie's post and find out all about it.

There's a great process-related post on Sarah McIntyre's blog this week. Responding to a query from an MA illustration student, Sarah tells us all about her sketchbooks and how important they are to her creative process.

Claire O'Brien also has some great advice for picture book illustrators, focusing on internet video training courses. In her blog post, Claire highlights some courses on a variety of sites that she's found engrossing.

Have you got a difficult teenager (or adult) who you want to buy a book for this Christmas? Nicola Morgan has gone straight to the source for her book recommendations, asking the teens of Larbert High School for their must-reads.

We're all about advice this week, and Candy Gourlay is happy to contribute. She's just made her first virtual author visit using Google Hangouts, and her blog post provides a guide as to how easily you can use the same technology.

Nick.

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A SCBWI member since 2009, Nick Cross is an Undiscovered Voices winner who writes children's short fiction for Stew Magazine.

Celebrating the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the Best Young Critics Competition

By Candy Gourlay

PIERS TORDAY. Photo: Quercus

I am the keeper of the SCBWI British Isles Brag Book. Right now, it's a bit out of date because I've been extremely busy (to be rectified soon!).

I mention this because this was how I became aware that Piers Torday was getting shortlisted for all the major children's book prizes.



On Thursday, Piers won yet another one: the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for his middle grade novel The Dark Wild, a sequel to The Last Wild, in which a boy discovers he can understand animals in a world where animals are fast becoming extinct.

I've tweeted with Piers a few times but the Guardian awards evening was my first time to meet him in person (this being the age of social media, every event in real time is like a blind date).

Katherine Rundell, whose gorgeous Rooftoppers won the 2013 Guardian Children's Book Award, introduced the list of nominees, of which I am a proud member.

I only belatedly realised that the whole presentation would make a good video, so my film below is shaky and blurry and all kinds of wrong. But still - it captures the generous spirit and enthusiasm of the evening:

(Hear Piers' message at 9:20 on the video) 

Piers used his speech to criticise Education Secretary Nicky Morgan for declaring that the arts limited the choices of children, calling it a collective "slur on the value of the humanities".

"When you are writing for children, you are writing for the adults of tomorrow. They will make the decisions that inform and shape our society," he said.

"Reading a wide range of stories and studying them does not hold you back in life. It CHANGES your life. The very least we can do is give the children of today a literature that is worth reading and worth studying to make them wonderful human beings with opportunities and a life ahead of them, rather than just a kind of functional literacy which gives them tools and skills to become productive units. If we don't do the former, none of us deserve any prizes at all."

I was thrilled and hopeful when I heard that my book Shine was among the nominees (especially because the Guardian prize comes with CASH). I quickly downloaded the books I had not yet read and immediately realised it was going to be a tough fight. There are some absolutely stunning books on this list. So I didn't have to practise my gracious loser face -- I was just grateful to be introduced to such wonderful reads.

View the nominees for the Guardian Fiction Prize here

But the lovely company of authors and editors and publishers at the reception was not the best thing about the evening. The BEST thing was that the room was full of children -- alongside the Guardian Children's Fiction Award was the prize giving for the Best Young Critics Competition.

And here are the winners! Congratulations, you splendid young people!

Josephina Edwards, 12 who reviewed Shine by Candy Gourlay
Esme McNamara, 8, who reviewed Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
Ekaterina Rahr-Bohr, 13, who reviewed The Diaries of Bluebell Gadsby: Flora in Love
Charlotte Walden, 12, who reviewed Phoenix by SF Said
Ella Harrison Coggins, 11, who reviewed We Were Liars by E Lockhart
Eloise Schaw Miller, 10, who reviewed The Lost Gods by Francesca Simon
Sam Miller, 15, who reviewed She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
Auden Chamberlain, 12, who reviewed She Is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
Rosa Gatley, 12, who reviewed We Were Liars by E Lockhart
Maya Sales-Hyde, 13 who reviewed We Were Liars
Petros Bougheas, 10 years old, who reviewed The Dark Wild

Remember these names, everyone. You'll be begging them for their autographs someday!

The winners of the group category of the Young Critics are students from Nightingale Academy
Also highly commended: students from Ellen Wilkinson Academy (pictured in the video)

The Guardian laid out a feast of SWEETS for the winning young critics. It made my teeth ache to look at it.

Thank you to the judges (on my list of favourite authors!): Frank Cottrell Boyce, Katherine Rundell and Gillian Cross. And thank you to the Guardian for keeping the faith with children's books.

(And Piers, your SCBWI membership lapsed just the other day. Please come back ... all is forgiven!)

Meet Our Conference Volunteers!

The annual SCBWI British Isles conference is fast approaching, with yet again many amazing keynote speakers, workshops, and opportunities to get your work noticed. But while most of us are worrying about what outfit to wear for the Saturday night party, and polishing our portfolios until they shine, behind the scenes, a group of extremely hard-working and dedicated volunteers are beavering away so that we can all enjoy the huge benefits that attending a conference has to offer.

We asked a few of those fabulous conference committee volunteers about why they volunteer and what SCBWI means to them.

Marnie Riches

Marnie Riches - Conference Chair

During my two decades as a fundraising and marketing professional, I organised many events, single-handedly and as part of a team...from the Duke of Edinburgh’s 80th birthday celebrations at the Royal Albert Hall, to fundraising dinners in premium London venues, to writing masterclasses at Manchester Children’s Book Festival, given by stars of the literary landscape. There is something intensely satisfying about booking speakers/entertainment, deciding on a venue, a theme, producing the printed material and shaping a PR campaign that will ultimately sell tickets to a highly enjoyable event. 

But events-management is not for the faint-hearted. You have to be super-organised, energetic and importantly, have the ability to bring a project to fruition, from vision to end product. 

By 2009, I had started to write seriously for children. A literary agent advised me to check out the Manchester writing scene. I discovered my local chapter of SCBWI. Attending my local crit group galvanised me into pursuing writing seriously as my new career – a vocation that will almost certainly fulfil me and sustain my passion and interest for the rest of my life. When my Time-Hunters deal came along, therefore, (I penned the first six books of the series for HarperCollins Children’s under the pseudonym, Chris Blake) I decided I’d had enough of Lottery and Arts Council funding applications. The day-job bit the dust. Ace! Or was it? Being self-employed and working from home is wonderful. I have always liked being the boss. But what you forget is that working from home can be terribly socially isolating. 

Over time, I found myself turning into that stereotype of the anti-social author; silent, chained to a laptop and motionless, but for typing and scratching myself through week-old pyjamas. So in early 2014, when Natascha Biebow approached me and asked if I’d like to volunteer for SCBWI, I agreed to chair the SCBWI Annual Conference. I knew I could help to put on a fantastic programme, offering something for everyone. I couldn’t wait to meet my committee. And I was not disappointed. They’re a great bunch of fun-loving, talented and committed people. I have no doubt that the conference in November in Winchester will reflect our collective energy and skill. Most of all, I am proud to be putting my name to an event, which promises such quality and variety.

Candy Gourlay

Candy Gourlay -- Volunteer Extraordinaire!

I love seeing an idea turn into a reality -- and this year I had the delicious challenge of curating the Pulse programme for our burgeoning numbers of published members!"   

George Kirk

George Kirk

I always thought that writing was a lonely occupation and then I bumped into SCBWI. A nicer, more well-mannered organisation you will not meet. It’s always opening doors, making introductions and pointing people in the right direction. So when the opportunity came along to lend a hand, well it seemed rude not to. A chance to give back a little, not to mention the fact I love to be fully involved, especially when there is a social.

Sean Noonan

Sean Noonan

I wanted to learn the craft of story writing for children and was recommended SCBWIs. Since my first event, a social in London in 2012, I have been inspired by the enthusiasm and knowledge of the members. 

Attending three conferences in two years I realised these amazing events were put together by volunteers who gave their time and efforts willingly. I knew it was time to step up, make my own contribution.   

Sally Poyton

Sally Poyton

As much as I LOVE writing, it is solitary; spending all day in my own imaginary world talking to characters from my own mind isn't that great for my sanity. This is why I volunteer; to meet and work with other like-minded lovely people and to preserve what's left of my sanity! It’s also a way of paying back for all the opportunities that SCBWI has opened up for me, plus further my knowledge of the industry.

Addy Farmer

Pals, inspiration and boundless possibilities for a creative life. Everyone should join the SCBWI - it's good for you. 

Alice Thorp

Alice Thorp

I attended my first conference in 2011, after winning the Margaret Carey Scholarship. It was such a valuable experience that I promised myself I would volunteer for SCBWI when my children were older. Three years later, I find myself on the Conference Committee! I am particularly enjoying coordinating this year’s Outstanding Contribution Award. Reading about the dedication of each nominee is moving and inspiring. 

Bridget Strevens-Marzo

Bridget Strevens-Marzo

Well over a decade ago (yikes!), I was a reluctant volunteer, having to divise illustrator content for the first non-US based SCBWI conference. I had never 'done the rounds' myself or sent work out as I was too self-critical. Volunteering did wonders for my self-confidence. I’ve met many publishing professionals I had admired from far, and realized there is no 'them and us' divide - and a common interest in creating the best we can for kids. 

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If you're interested in becoming a volunteer for our fabulous organisation, check out the current list of volunteer vacancies and how to apply here. 

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 7th October

I'm not keen on doing research because I just want to get to the writing, even if that subsequently involves staring at a blank screen for hours! But the Blog Break forces me to do my research, because otherwise, what would I write about?

Hopefully, you read Sue Hyams' excellent W&P post last week all about research, and she's not the only SCBWI writer thinking about the subject. Dave Cousins turns in his own fascinating blog post for The Edge, taking us inside his unusual research methods (weather diaries anyone?) And I also have to give a mention to Mark Jones, who is getting very excited about drawing maps.

There's more useful stuff in the blog post Sheila Averbuch has written, summarising SCBWI SE Scotland's session on getting the best from a critique. Critique can be hard for any writer, so do yourself a favour and learn some new coping strategies from Shelia's post.

Sadly, my dream job of ice-cream-powered spaceship pilot has yet to come up, but fortunately Layn Marlow is having more luck. Not with dairy-propelled interstellar vehicles, but rather a job illustrating the website of much-loved author Dick King Smith. Layn blogs about the opportunity and shares some of her sketches.

It's great to welcome Jane McLoughlin back to the Blog Break with her brand new blog, after what she describes as "a major Blogger mishap involving malware and dodgy addresses and other befuddling and frightening things". Jane picks up the TGFW (Thank God For Writing) baton that I mentioned a few months back and talks about the power (and pitfalls) of escaping into your own imaginary world.

After all that reading, here's a post that's mostly pictures! Candy Gourlay is just back from an incredible school tour on behalf of the Siobhan Dowd Trust and Authors for the Philippines, and she shares her vivid experiences.

There have been so many great posts this week that I've gone way over my self-imposed five link limit. But I just loved Vanessa Harbour's sage advice on redrafting and the marvelous title of her post: Are you STILL writing that book?

Nick.

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A SCBWI member since 2009, Nick Cross is an Undiscovered Voices winner who currently writes children's short fiction for Stew Magazine (September issue out now).

Nick's most recent blog post takes a look back at a year of Stew Magazine stories and teases out the common threads that bind them. What's the Story?

Keep Your Finger on the PULSE

This year’s SCBWI conference sees the introduction of an exciting new PULSE Track, which focuses on the needs of our growing numbers of published authors and illustrators.


It covers marketing and publicity, school visits, media training and self-promotion.

For the first time, the conference has a third keynote speaker, Sally Gardner, under the aegis of the Pulse strand.

Sessions on offer include:

Sara Grant

~ Self-Promotion Best Practice: Sharing Session led by Sara Grant Media Training.





~ Media Training: Interview Technique with BBC Presenter, Claire Bolderson.

Claire Bolderson

Michelle Goodall

~ Twitter Triage with social media guru Michelle Goodall.



~ School Visits: What Teachers Want.





~ Blogging, websites and building an online presence with Candy Gourlay.

Candy Gourlay

The PULSE Track is open to unpublished and indy-published authors too. The programme has also been designed so that the workshops fall on the Sunday only, so you can choose to attend for one day (and pay a reduced rate), rather than stay for the full weekend.

Here’s what a couple of our published members have to say about the new strand: 

I’m looking to gain the ideas, knowledge and enthusiasm to build and improve upon on my established self-promo platform, in the hope that I might, through sharing my best practice, help my fellow authors do the same. 

Christina Banach, author of Minty 

My second session is the media training module. This is a skill that I think's an essential for authors who want to to publicise their work on YouTube, Google+ hangouts, or even good old TV! I've done two radio interviews already, but I think the demands of a video interview are very different. I'm currently planning a promotional video for Cloud Riders, so this course has come at an ideal time for me. 

Nick Cook, author of Cloud Riders 

If you’re interested in finding out more about the events on offer, you can find more information here.

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 23rd September

Although it's time-consuming to read so many blog posts each week (SCBWI people do write a lot!) I always learn something new. So I hope that you too will pick up some glorious pearls of wisdom from this week's Blog Break...

As well as a choice of surnames, the ever-generous Olivia Bright/Kiernan offers us a choice of blogging formats. Do you prefer reading about her thoughts on writing a great opening to your novel in a standard blog post, or to have them summarised in a vlog (with added whiteboardery?)

More choices present themselves with Larissa Villar Hauser's latest post, as it comes with a warning that the content is "really boring for anyone not interested in the brass tacks of self-publishing!" But if you are looking to self-publish, her advice on obtaining and managing ISBNs is invaluable.

I initially thought that Sue Hyams' 500 Word Challenge was going to be about flash fiction (my own personal word count obsession), but it turned out to be a post following her attempts to write 500 words a day for ten days. The results may surprise you (and indeed her!)

Bryony Pearce's plea for us all to take responsibility for childhood literacy may be preaching to the converted here in SCBWI land, but that doesn't make it any less true. How can we help those families who don't consider reading either a pleasure or a necessity?

Double Crystal Kite winner Candy Gourlay may already seem "kind of a big deal" in our world, but she's front page news in her native Philippines! Read Candy's interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and the accompanying blog post about her Filipino book tour.

Nick.

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A SCBWI member since 2009, Nick Cross is an Undiscovered Voices winner who currently writes children's short fiction for Stew Magazine (September issue out now).

Nick's most recent blog post finds him exploring a character he just can't stop writing about: The Evolution of Max.

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 16th September

I'm sure I wasn't the only one buoyed up by Jan's super-positive editorial at the weekend. And there certainly is plenty of good stuff out there if you know where to look, as this week's Blog Break once again proves.

Every writer is looking for the golden ticket, an idea which is just so compelling that it will motivate them to do their best work and crack the market wide open. But how can you identify a breakout premise for a picture book? Natascha Biebow has plenty of advice at Picture Book Den.

My drawing of Pilbeam the robot from Cakes in Space

I was at Sarah McIntyre and Philip Reeve's book launch for Cakes in Space on Saturday, and I can confirm that a very good time was had by all. Amongst the treats on offer were drawing lessons, a new song and interactive video comedy involving sporks(!) But fear not if you couldn't make it, because Sarah has written a blog post with tons of photos from the event.



There's a fantastic interview with Sam Zuppardi on the Scottish Book Trust website this week. I especially liked the anecdote about his childhood biblical confusion!

Candy Gourlay is exploring diaries this week, discussing how they can be used for personal reflection, as creative fodder and as an exercise for author visits. She shares some great tips for keeping a diary, and lets us have a peek at the diaries the kids made in response.

Finally, I found a lot of food for thought this week in Marie Basting's blog post all about embracing the dark side of her creative personality. It set me wondering as to why it is that we become compelled to write certain stories, even when we're trying to do something quite different. That led me to my own post a few days later, all about a character that I just can't stop writing about.

Nick.

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A SCBWI member since 2009, Nick Cross is an Undiscovered Voices winner who currently writes children's short fiction for Stew Magazine (September issue out now).

Nick's most recent blog post (mentioned above) traces The Evolution of Max.

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 19th August

August is one of those rare times of the year when living Down South seems like a disadvantage, as the various Edinburgh festivals take centre-stage. I'm hoping this isn't the last year that this cultural smorgasbord is held in the United Kingdom!

The SCBWI South East Scotland regional team were particularly busy at the Edinburgh Book Festival, organising a panel on author events with Nicola Morgan as one of the speakers. Nicola's terrific blog post on getting and giving great author events covers everything she talked about and a lot lot more.

Maureen Lynas was also in Edinburgh last week, indulging her inner artist and soaking up as much inspiration as possible. And because she's nice like that, she's blogged all about what she learnt.

Candy Gourlay has been nominated for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize (yay!) and this week it's her turn to feature on their website. Candy's re-posted the two videos she made on her blog, one of which wasn't even supposed to be a video (but is great anyway). Hooray for quiet books!

I didn't have room last week for Marie Basting's blog response to the last Slushpile Challenge (in which Penny Holroyde infamously failed to find an entry funny enough to make her laugh). With the help of The Sooty Show(!) Marie's blog post explores how that competition result made her feel, and her thoughts on the enduring popularity of "goo and poo and stinky farts."

I'm going to end this week with four letters - TGFW. It stands for "Thank God for Writing" as Vanessa Harbour talks movingly about what writing means to her and how it helps her through some difficult life situations. #TGFW indeed.

Nick.

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A SCBWI member since 2009, Nick Cross is a former Undiscovered Voices winner who currently writes children's short fiction for Stew Magazine.

Nick's most recent blog post found him coming Out of the Cave, to consider writing, hiding and "the rent-a-gobs of children’s literature."

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 5th August

A big thanks to Philippa for holding the fort so expertly last week.
I'm just back from holiday and still catching up on stuff, but I've prioritised the two most important activities - booking my place at the November Conference and writing this!

The SCBWI Picture Book Retreat seems to have triggered a massive burst of creativity, inspiring three very different blog posts. Sue Eves gives some nifty advice on making mini books and talks about her adventures with colour. Candy Gourlay finds that time spent with illustrators gives her sudden insight into her writing. And Sarah Broadley? Well, she's written a poem all about the weekend.

Space on the Bookshelf are moving away from traditional books this summer, to focus on some alternative routes to literacy. Their WOW! series promises to celebrate children’s comics, magazines and graphic novels.

Katie Dale is also taking a sideways look at her bookshelf, trying not to judge a book by its cover. There are many wonderful stories out there, which you might never spot if you went by their blurb or their position in the book store. Why not take up Katie's challenge to go Discovering Diamonds?

The ever-busy Sam Zuppardi has contributed an illustrated story to a new music-themed anthology comic called Radio On from indie publisher The Analogue Press. Sam shares a page of his story on his blog, and you can get your own copy of the comic by contributing to the publisher's Kickstarter campaign.

Sarah McIntyre has (of course) written loads of blog posts while I've been away! I particularly liked this one about the American inspirations for her Oliver and the Seawigs drawings, and these very silly unicorns inspired by her Summer Reading Challenge.

Nick.

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A SCBWI member since 2009, Nick Cross is a former Undiscovered Voices winner who currently writes children's short fiction for Stew Magazine.

Nick's most recent blog post is a guide to writing flash fiction, to celebrate the latest issue of Stew!

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 22nd July

Following Sarah McIntyre's celeb-heavy contribution last week, a couple of other SCBWI bloggers are giving us their perspective on YALC (the first YA Literary Convention) in London.


Liz Flanagan clearly had a whale of a time at YALC and left feeling a whole new sense of community. Lucy Coats, on the other hand, celebrates a community she already knows well - the tireless book bloggers who do so much to promote YA books by UK authors.

Candy Gourlay can often be found celebrating writing by children, but this week she makes a joyful leap into the world of children's art. On a visit to Grafton Primary School near Holloway, she finds a wonderful variety of artworks which she had never known were right on her doorstep.

Sarah Broadley is dealing with the knotty problem of regional dialect in rhyming picture books, after a crit group couldn't get their mouths around her rhymes. It's not what you say, it's how you say it.

It's great to welcome a couple of new faces to the SCBWI Blog Network this week. Vanessa Harbour is a frequent blogger who has escaped the Blog Break to date, which is something I must rectify forthwith. Much like Seinfeld (the show about nothing), Vanessa's written a blog post about not writing! Is procrastination a bad thing, or just something else for us to feel guilty about?

Marie Basting is also new to the Blog Network, and I enjoyed her thoughtful post about the ramifications of discovering her six-year-old son had written a story all about a murdered koala. Was it Marie's fault for exposing him to crime stories, or were there other social and environmental factors at work?

Nick.

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A SCBWI member since 2009, Nick Cross is a former Undiscovered Voices winner who currently writes children's short fiction for Stew Magazine.

Nick's latest blog post is a guide to writing flash fiction, to celebrate the July issue of Stew!

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 15th July

Some weeks, compiling the Blog Break is hard - usually because there are too few good blog posts or too many. It's definitely a case of the latter this week, so apologies go to anyone I've missed out for reasons of space!

Who do we write for? And why? A couple of our bloggers come at this issue from different directions this week. On The Edge, Sara Grant is reliving her teenage years (with a shudder) and analysing why she writes teen fiction. K.M. Lockwood, meanwhile, finds herself trying desperately to follow an agent's advice to write for the child-of-now, when she really wants to write for the child-of-then (herself).

Space on the Bookshelf have rustled up a rather spiffing 3D review of Robin Stevens's 1930s boarding school mystery Murder Most Unladylike. Robin is a SCBWI member herself, and answers questions in an interview, while her editor Natalie Doherty gets a grilling of her own. There's also a review of the novel by both an adult and a nine-year-old reviewer. Top hole!

I'm very glad this week that we get to see the long-awaited results of Candy Gourlay's graphic novel course. Candy's sharing a terrific comic strip with us, an alternately funny and dramatic rendition of the revolution that brought her and her husband together!

I missed YALC (the UK's first YA Literary Conference) at the weekend, but luckily Sarah McIntyre was there with her camera. Check out her unbelievable costume and unbelievable schmoozing!

Nick.

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Nick Cross doesn't think he can come up with a biography this week that's anywhere near as exciting as last time, so isn't going to try.

Hope & Persistence

Some interesting debate around the Carnegie Medal again this year. The Bunker Diary has been described as bleak and without hope, Room meets Lord of the Flies. It seems to be the lack of a happy ending that persuades some adults of its inappropriateness for children. Author,  Kevin Brooks says that children don't need to be 'cosseted with the artificial hope that there will always be a happy ending' because in real life often there isn't. Discuss.


I've yet to read The Bunker Diary and I should because my WIP is a Room meets…  but I have read Shine by our own SCBWI British Isles', Candy Gourlay which has not only won SCBWI's Crystal Kite Award for the The UK & Ireland, it's also been long listed for this year's Guardian's Children's Fiction Prize on quite a short longlist of eight!

Huge Guardian congratulations go to two other SCBWI members as well,  Piers Torday, also part of our British Isles' Chapter, for The Dark Wild and  the US' Kate Di Camillo for Flora and Ulysses who 'collected hundreds of rejection letters' before she was published.

Prompted by Kevin Brooks, I've been considering 'hope' and how 'a vain hope' did not become a cliché for no reason. Hope can often be as vain as real life endings are unhappy. Often, but not always and that's where the hope lies - in the tantalising possibility that all could be well, that someday someone could offer representation, buy your book, slap a medal wherever it is medals are slapped.  It's people like Kate Di Camillo who stabilise wavering hopes and widen the slimmest windows of possibility with attitudes like this…




…when so much is out of our control, I love that persistence is something we can control.  And this is why we have stories like yesterday's, of octogenarian José Patterson's success with The People's Prize and Janet Foxley whose experience as an older debut you can read about on Wednesday. Janet, in fact heralds a hopeful month - July is Debut month.

Last week we had a diversity (hurray) of Unicorns from Ken Lymer - they're often white but not always, the wonderful image of Nick Cross manning the school fête bookstall - just can't get Shirley Hughes' Dogger out of my head and some possibly plot enhancing Americanisms to watch out for 
from Catriona Tippin. To conclude our month of Dahl,  we also had an illustrator's discovery of the ecstatic art that is Quentin Blake's from Heather Chapman.

Next week, with Janet Foxley, we have our latest Podcast and that's TOMORROW with Sarah Odedina of Hot Key Books . What's the one thing Sarah wishes every author would do? Hmm… 'tune in' to find out. And Heather Chapman will be with us again, reporting on the recent Illustration Fair.

Hoping your hopes are ever widening and never wavering;  published, unpublished writers and illustrators I wish you another week of persistence...


...and pay offs. Congratulations again Candy, Piers and Kate,

Jan Carr

P.S. We had a lovely time with Sarah Lean in Southampton on Saturday - write up to follow!

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Jan Carr is the editor of Words & Pictures. Her fiction is all over the place, she blogs occasionally and loves to write in magenta. You can contact her at editor@britishscbwi.org.

Stepping in and Stepping Up

Our lovely W&P Editor Jan is on a well-earned break, so I offered to step in for this week's editorial. 

First up, if you haven't already noticed our sparkly new banner, we have another amazingly talented featured illustrator Heather Dickinson, inspired as many of us are in our creative pursuits, by her children. You can find more of her beautiful illustrations at her website.

If you missed any of our packed Indie-inspired week, on Monday we had the first in a two-part installment from Nicky Schmidt, who further explored a discussion on the SCBWI-BI's Facebook page, stemming from an article she posted, about whether or not there is a third way of publishing.

On Tuesday, Nick brought us another jam-packed Ten-Minute Blog Break (although I think we might need to change his weekly features to Procrastination Station, as I spend a good hour reading through all of the fab blog posts when I should really be writing!) filled with video games, viruses and vampires.

Wednesday saw part two of Nicky's feature with some interesting points about the ever-changing publishing industry and what it means to be a successful author.

Colleen gave us a fantastic write-up on Thursday about her experience of this year's SCBWI-BI retreat, and on Saturday we all gave an extra loud HURRAH! to Candy Gourlay's well-deserved and hard-earned second win of the SCBWI's Crystal Kite Award in an honest post that showed that the hard work never stops even after being discovered.

Coming up this week :

• Monday - Elizabeth Wein is guest blogging about her experience of stock signing.
• Tuesday - Another Ten-Minute Blog Break from Nick.
• Wednesday - More proofreading tips from Catriona Tippin focussing on fonts.
• Thursday - Gill James brings us more Network News from the North East, featuring an online pitching session from Hot Key's Sara O'Connor.

Also, announced today, our next Chalkface Challenge! This time our judges from Sparsholt Primary School in Hampshire, are looking for the first 500 words of your novel for 7 - 9 year olds.

That's it from me. I'm off to enjoy the sunshine?? that's supposed to appear at some point during this Bank Holiday weekend, and to get back to my writing . . . once I've finished reading through Nick's Blog Break...

Katrina 

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Katrina Charman
@katrina_ charman

Katrina is Joint Features Editor for W&P, and has been a member of the SCBWI since 2008 in both the UK and in the US, where she rediscovered her love of writing for children while living in the sunshine state of Florida.

She was one of the winners of Undiscovered Voices 2014 with her YA novel, Phoenix, and is represented by Gemma Cooper at The Bent Agency.

Candy Gourlay - Winner of the Crystal Kite 2014!

Candy's First Crystal Kite

It's official: Candy Gourlay, you're the toast of SCBWI British Isles and SCBWI Ireland!
Candy is now a two times winner of SCBWI's Crystal Kite, her debut novel Tall Story won the prize on its inaugural outing in 2011. When Crystal Kite winners were announced on 12 May this year, her teen novel Shine came out on top - against a shortlist for the British Isles and Ireland Region that included multi-award winning authors Teri Terry (Fractured) and Elizabeth Wein (Rose Under Fire). Here is Candy with a few thoughts on being discovered:

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The business of becoming a published author is such a peculiar thing. You spend years struggling, growing extra layers of skin to withstand the inevitable rejections. And then suddenly you are published, your books are on the shelves of bookstores, and you learn about a new fear that you weren't aware of when you were just an aspiring author.

That is the fear of being UNdiscovered.

This is rich of course coming from someone whose big breakthrough was the Undiscovered Voices anthology - which was how I got my agent. Surely after the UV, the dream has come true. I've been discovered.

But UV glory didn't result in instant publication. It was two years (and two widely rejected novels) before my debut novel Tall Story made it to publication.

And the publication of one's work, as SCBWI's burgeoning numbers of debut authors (congrats to our most recent debuts, Christine Banach and Nick Cook!) are realising, is not the end of the journey but the beginning.

Suddenly your concerns are not: have I written a book that will get published? But: will my book be discovered?

Rosa suffers from a rare condition that renders her mute. She has to live a hidden life on the island of Mirasol where it never stops raining. Every night Rosa lights a candle at the window to summon the ghost of her Mother. One day she is befriended by a boy online who calls himself Ansel95 - and she quickly realizes that this is one friendship that can take place in the real world. Can she really trust him? What does he want from her? ... And then Mother turns up at the front door.

Once you join the world of the published you become aware that only a few select names enjoy the privilege of expensive book tours, flashy book launches and celebrity appearances. It ain't so for the majority of us in this funny business.

The publisher does plenty - getting your book into bookshops and what have you. But it is you who must design and print your own bookmarks to give away, you who must angle for invitations to visit schools, you who must write that press release for the village paper and hope that it makes page 24, and it's you who must wrack your brains for creative ways to raise awareness about your new book.

Lucky for me I'm a web designer. I can make book guides like the one below. Even so, one is never sure if anyone is paying any attention.

Discussion Guide: Shine by Candy Gourlay

Which means you are constantly crossing your fingers for a little bit of edge. There is only so much you can do for yourself. The rest you owe to total strangers deciding to champion you.

I owe any success of my debut Tall Story to unexpected champions. It was shortlisted for the Waterstones Prize because one bookseller believed in it (and SOLD it -- imagine my delight to discover that one week, Tall Story outsold Percy Jackson, hand-sold by the bookseller). Other shortlists Tall Story got on were down to the generosity of librarians. Librarians literally put Tall Story into the hands of young readers. There are unexpected champions everywhere still promoting Tall Story now, for which I am speechless with gratitude.

Shine came three long years later. It took me a long time to write it -- which is another long story. But it was clear that promotion-wise, Shine wasn't going to get a free ride on Tall Story's debut buzz. Besides which, it's a very different book and another stand-alone.

When I finished writing Shine, I was very worried. What had I done? Why couldn't I have written a commercial, easier to sell book? What is it with me and quiet novels that explore my own bizarre stuff that nobody else probably cares about? Why couldn't I write a vampire novel?

I feel sometimes that I have no power over my stories. My characters go their own way and surprise me with their own versions of my story. Don't get me wrong, I'm so proud of Shine. But it's never gonna be The Hunger Games.

So just making it to the shortlist of the Crystal Kite was disconcerting.

And this was a year when SCBWI books were ON FIRE.

Our big name members had new books: David Almond had Counting Stars, Meg Rosoff released Picture Me Gone.

The shortlist was very short, and very tough -- with Teri Terry (her Slated books are winning EVERYTHING at the moment) and Elizabeth Wein, who with Rose Under Fire was continuing the story of her magnificent Code Name Verity, which has collected awards here and across the pond.

So many truly brilliant books: what about Half Lives by Sara Grant (which I adored), Paula Harrison's right-on Rescue Princesses, Dave Cousins' charming Waiting for Gonzo, Steve Hartley's supercharged new series Oliver Fibbs,  Sarah McIntyre's rumbustious Oliver and the Seawigs? ... and the picture books! Oh the picture books! (Dare I suggest: the Crystal Kite should have a picture book category to do justice to our members' picture book output!)

I could go on and on and if I didn't mention your book, forgive me. But this is the thing about being discovered, I guess.

Getting published is all about doggedness, craft, luck. Staying published is about all the above PLUS continuously being discovered.

Thank you, fellow SCBWIs, for honouring me with this prize. This has given Shine that extra something that might help it be discovered by readers, librarians and booksellers. I sure hope so.

Meanwhile, I urge you to continue this voyage of discovering. In these times, when the book world is drowning in promotional clamour, there are many who need your help.

We don't need to wait for the Crystal Kite Prize to support our fellow writers and illustrators.

Whenever you love a book, take the time to tell the world - whether it's a Twitter mention, a blog review, a like on Facebook or five stars on Goodreads or Amazon. Your little push might make all the difference.