Network News: On Teens, Treats and Peeking into Picture Books in Central North.

By Liz Miller

We’ve been a bit spoilt in recent months in Central North with not one, not two, but three visiting speakers who kindly agreed to come and share their expertise and work with us. First up were uber- experienced editors, Non Pratt and Emily Sharratt who came to talk to us about ‘How to Get Your Teen Novel Published’ as part of the Lincoln Inspired Festival. Except they didn’t just talk to us, they made us work as well!

Creating characters and voice 

Non and Emily contemplating what to ask us to do next.

Non spoke about creating characters and voice and then got us to do a couple of writing exercises to work out our own strengths and to help us to consider what we needed to be focussing on to create that all important ‘voice’.  Heads buzzing, Emily then moved onto plot and considered the narrative arc and journeying between each point of the arc before setting us another exercise. Heads whizzing, we moved onto themes and finding the ‘heart of a story’. Then, more writing but this time with a lucky dip bag!

Our thanks to Non and Emily for a thought provoking event. Yes we had to do our bit as well but we were all much the wiser for doing so. 

'Peek into Picture Books'

Our notebooks barely made it back into bags before we were welcoming our next visitor. This time it was our much anticipated ‘Peek into Picture Books’ with award-winning children’s illustrator, Lynne Chapman. Lynne is a member of our Lincoln SCBWI Facebook group and we were looking forward to meeting her in person. 

Lynne gave us an engaging, funny introductory talk about her journey to children’s book illustration. Essentially, her journey involved a lot of hard work, a touch of serendipity and holding a cat to ransom! Not a real cat you’ll be relieved to know and thankfully there was a happy ending to its briefly worrying predicament. 

Checking out Lynne's sketch books

Next, we moved over to the tables where Lynne had brought along a selection of early sketch sheets, roughs and finished artwork. She talked through the stages in her illustration process and we were soon poring over her work, fascinated by it and feeling very privileged to get such a treat! Lynne told us that one of the ways she keeps her illustration work fresh is by sketching outdoors, for the fun of drawing. So after a brief pause for lunch, we had more treats looking through her sketchbooks and her impressively light (and very ingenious) sketch kit. I wish I’d remembered to take a picture of her sketch kit though I did jot down its components! 

From sketch sheet to finished art work 

You can learn all about Lynne and her work from her website and blog; both are a treasure trove of insights, illustrations, sketches and generously shared resources. But in Central North, we feel rather fortunate to have had a closer peek.  Thank you for sharing your journey and work with us Lynne!

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Liz Miller joined SCBWI in 2010. She likes to make lists and is one of life’s volunteers.  When she is not making lists and volunteering for things, she writes picture books. Her picture book Farm Zoo Hullaballoo was Commended at the Winchester Writers’ Conference this year, which made her very happy!

Network News: Sobriety and Shakespeare in Central North

Liz Miller and Gill Hutchison

Sadly I couldn’t make Central North’s recent Christmas bash due to a family wedding. Fortunately, Gill Hutchison stepped once more into the breach and sent me this report so that I didn’t have to renege entirely on my network reporting duties. (There was a suggestion that I might want to make it sound sober and sensible but why would I do that when the reality was so much more fun?)

On December 14th, Brown’s Pie Shop on Steep Hill, Lincoln, hosted a Christmas party for current SCBWI members, some we haven’t seen for ages and some we hope to convert to the SCBWI cause. Best behaviour, then? Well, you can if you want to, but at the atmospheric Brown’s anything untoward can always be blamed on Humphrey, their resident Poltergeist!

Christmas cheer

Even at Christmas, we take our writing seriously and many useful critiques were exchanged, such as: “You know my new (hic) shtory? Ish about a boy wizzy…wizzy…wishard.” “Thasha shuper idea, Sho orig’nal…” and so on. Secret Santa gifts were exchanged, including a Dragon Tooth, a set of Great Literary Moustaches and something which I did not see but which by the next morning had apparently rendered the inside of Alan Gidney’s nostrils “like Formula One piston shafts” 

Gill and Norah entertain

Thank you to all the Secret Santa participants who put so much thought and/or humour into their choices!
 

The theme of Gill Hutchison’s special crackers this year was “Rude Shakespeare”. 

The answers to the first three questions were Bottom, Titania and Coriolanus. You get the picture. There was also a competition to select the best Shakespearean oath, but the typeface was a bit small and by dessert, it was easier to focus on Norah “Mother Christmas” Pellatt’s outsize card game! (with prizes). 

It’s a far cry from the days when our Christmas party was a small, all-female affair with a couple of sheepish husbands whose idea of a great children’s writer dates back to Richmal Crompton. All four of our literary men turned up! Sam Hawksmoor was even brave enough to sit between Norah and Anita ‘Fred’ Yorke. Addy Farmer, wedged so tightly in the centre that it was almost impossible for her to use her knife and fork, presided benignly over the proceedings. As ever, Addy has everyone’s grateful thanks for her wisdom and support over the past year.

My thanks go to Gill for making my job this month very easy and for saving me a rude cracker! And now for the sober and sensible bit. . .

Upcoming in Central North this year:

• Our Monthly Critique meetings at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life
• Picture Book and YA Workshops 
• Lincoln Inspired Festival in May • New for 2014 – Goal Setting Brunches in Nottingham • Schools’ Challenge
• Travelling Critique Groups and Mini Critique 
• Summer Scrawl Crawl 

If you’d like to be sensible (or not) with us in Central North or would like any other information about the group and upcoming events, contact Gill Hutchison and Addy Farmer at centralnorthATbritishscbwiDOTorg

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Gill Hutchison joined SCBWI in February 2006. Her contribution to the world of writing up to that point had been yearly school shows, press reports for her sport of tenpin bowling and songs for her comedy folk band.
Gill enjoys everything about SCBWI, from the critiques and workshops to the friendship and support within our Central North group – and of course the wisdom of guru, Addy. She won Sarah Frost’s July 2013 “Slushpile Challenge” with My Mum’s bigger than your Mum.

Liz Miller has been a SCBWI member since 2010. When she is not making lists and volunteering for things, she writes picture books. One of these, The Pirate who Liked Pink, was Highly Commended in the Winchester Writers’ Conference 2013. This made her very happy!

Network News: Central North

The critique group

Normally news of us comes from Liz Miller and will continue to do so. However, the dates of our critique groups have fallen all wrong for her just lately so this is a quick fill-in from Gill Hutchison.
I don’t want you to think that here at Central North we don’t take our writing seriously – we do. However, we’re all in various stages of recovery from our meeting on September 28th; a stunningly ribald crit group considering we were within the hallowed walls of the Museum of Lincolnshire Life. Why? 

Well, our leader and guru Addy Farmer had accidentally managed to pen something along the lines of 50 Shades of Grey meets Little House on the Prairie. Should we mention our “minor reservations” with the activities of the characters, or should we not? Of course we did! Our wonderful Addy was soon rolling in the aisles with the rest of us. She could afford to - having also invented an other-worldly villainess who is clearly the love-child of Lord Voldemort and Miss Trunchbull, only spookier, she was still onto a winner.

Sobriety returns!

We were brought back to sobriety by our first taste of the wonderfully polished and lyrical prose of Brian Gray (publ: King Midas and Other Tales) in “Unsung Moon”, and by our very own flower child, Norah Pellatt with one of her Blam! Splat! off-the-wall offerings “Why has my dog got horns?”
However, it was a memorable meeting, ranking up there with the one where Suzanne and her husband had spent half an hour wrestling on their front room carpet “helping” Sam Hawksmoor (The Repossession) to determine whether it is in fact possible to shoot yourself through the head with a double-barrelled shotgun whilst being attacked by a Rhodesian ridgeback...
Our final two meetings of 2013 are on October 12th and November 16th also at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life. We have a crit slot up for grabs at each of these meeting, so if anyone out there likes the sound of us, please make contact!

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 Gill joined SCBWI in February 2006

Her contribution to the world of writing up to that point had been yearly school shows, press reports for my sport of tenpin bowling and songs for her comedy folk band.

Gill enjoys everything about SCBWI, from the critiques and workshops to the friendship and support within our Central North group – and of course the wisdom of guru, Addy. She won Sarah Frost’s July 2013 “Slushpile Challenge” with “My Mum’s bigger than your Mum”.

It’s all About Audience in Central North

 Liz Miller

We’ve had a busy few months in Central North. Lincoln Inspired  has been and gone but is not forgotten. It was every bit as enjoyable and inspirational as we had hoped. Addy Farmer blogged here about the SCBWI events and the importance and delights of communing with your fellow writers and illustrators.

Addy Farmer busy plotting!

Addy combined communing with teaching when she ran a workshop on plotting in an extension to one of our monthly critique sessions.

Central North member, Debbie Holt reports: Addy helped us to get right to the heart of our favourite stories by asking us to think about what makes our favourite characters behave the way they do. We all agreed that the most interesting ones are on some kind of journey and, of course, something or someone tries to hold our heroes back and throw obstacles in their way. We considered our own works in progress and Addy gave us examples and before we knew it we were ripping apart our favourite novels and films to expose their plots. We all left inspired and with a deeper understanding of how essential a good plot is to every story.

Communing and teaching 

Communing with your audience of course is immensely important and a lot of fun as Sam Hawksmoor has been finding out. Regular readers of Words and Pictures will know that Sam has been dashing about the country meeting lots of his fans and readers of his YA thriller The Repossession. His fellow Central Northerners are delighted that Sam has collected so many accolades (and new fans!) on his travels – Joint Winner with Jon Mayhew of The Wirral Paperback of the Year, Bronze Winner of the Amazing Book Award in Sussex and a finalist for the Leeds Book Award. We’re sure that the sequel The Hunting will prove just as popular and successful.

Keeping your audience on tenterhooks 

Suzanne knows something
but she's not telling us!

Keeping your audience on tenterhooks is one of Suzanne Afford’s many skills. Suzanne writes breath taking YA fiction and always knows how her stories end but, by her own admission, can be distracted when a new story idea takes over. Earlier this year, Suzanne sought advice on Creative Writing MA courses from the SCBWI Facebook group. This lovely supportive community duly advised and Suzanne has been accepted onto Manchester Metropolitan’s MA in Creative Writing. We’re thrilled for Suzanne not only because she deserves it but because we’re hoping they’ll tease out one of her endings for us to share!

Join us in the Central North 

If you’d like to commune with us in Central North or would like any other information about our group and meetings please contact Gill Hutchison and Addy Farmer at centralnorthATbritishscbwiDOTorg

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Liz Miller writes picture books and joined SCBWI in 2010. She has a penchant for volunteering which has led to her being joint moderator of the SCBWI e-critique group PictureBook Too, co-founder of the Early Readers e-critique group and a reading volunteer in local schools. She knows she should sit on her hands when volunteering opportunities arise but life would be less varied and she can’t write with her nose.

Network News Central North

By Liz Miller 

 

Here in Central North we are a welcoming group of published and pre-published writers and illustrators of everything from picture books to YA. We hold regular writing workshops, occasional author talks and annual publisher events alongside our thriving monthly critique meetings at the Museum of Lincolnshire Life. Most of our group are Lincolnshire based but the Nottinghamshire contingent is growing and we’re always trying to think of new ways of reaching our members in East Riding and South Yorkshire.

Writing, critique and support are priorities but in recent months many of our members have also been seen bowling, climbing, power walking, running, cycling, fencing and working out with Davina. What is driving them to these extreme fitness challenges?

Well if you’ve been to Lincoln you’ll know all about the vertiginous incline in the middle - Steep Hill.

So when our very own Addy Farmer told us she was putting together a fantastic selection of events as part of the forthcoming Lincoln Inspired Festival of Literature, Performance and Art, we knew we had to do some serious training.The following SCBWI led events take place over the weekend of 11th and 12th May . . . betwixt the top and bottom of this hill.

We warned you it was steep!

On Saturday 11^th May, Addy will run The Craft and the Graft and the Road to Being Published at Lincoln Drill Hall, offering one- to- one slots for children’s writers.  Book in early and you’ll have time to stroll leisurely up to the Museum of Lincolnshire Life for Museum Curator and SCBWI member, Debbie Holt’s Inspiration Through Artefacts session. Book in late and we suggest you pack your running shoes because you won’t want to miss it – we know, we’ve done it before! Come and handle objects from the museum’s educational boxes, hear some of their stories and be inspired to write your own.

We're going on an artefact hunt.

Walking shoes on (or something faster if you need food as well) and then it’s back to the Drill Hall to hear Emily Thomas, publisher with the fabulous HOT Key Books, talk about the children’s book industry and how she finds and nurtures talent.

Now you can don your leisure shoes as you have time to wander, shop, be a tourist, relax, eat, sleep, fence, bowl, whatever. Just remember to come back on Sunday morning, 12th May and join Katherine Lynas (temporarily poached from the North East, shhh don’t tell them!) Katherine will be leading a Scrawlcrawl from the Drill Hall. Pens, paper and drawing equipment advisable; bowling balls and epees optional. Sturdy leisure shoes should be fine – it is Sunday after all.

If you’ve been inspired to join us for these events, further details and booking information can be found here. 

If you’ve been inspired to come and join us at one of our monthly meetings we’d love to see you.

SCBWI Central North

Or if you’d like help in setting up something more local to your part of Central North we can support you to do that. Email Addy Farmer and Gill Hutchison at centralnorthATbritishscbwiDOTorg

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Liz Miller writes picture books and joined SCBWI in 2010. She has a penchant for volunteering which has led to her being joint moderator of the SCBWI e-critique group PictureBook Too, co-founder of the Early Readers e-critique group and a reading volunteer in local schools. She knows she should sit on her hands when volunteering opportunities arise but life would be less varied and she can’t write with her nose.