Ten-Minute Blog Break - 18th November

Diversity is a word that gets bandied around a lot, and I hope we can agree that diversity in children's books is generally a good thing. But moving from that concept to actually bringing more diverse books to the market seems to be a tougher job.

K.M. Lockwood takes on the diversity question this week, in a blog post that starts with dressing up and ends with the challenge of trying to write a character who sits outside of your own cultural experience. This is something I've been tackling in my own writing (with much trepidation), and K.M.'s post has made me think and reflect more than anything else I've read this week.

The checklist that Kate Peridot uses to evaluate her picture book ideas is immensely useful for pinning down what makes a story work. But it also strikes me as a little controversial in its focus on the commercial appeal of an idea over its creative merits. How do you choose which ideas to develop and which to put aside?

There are more picture book happenings at Story Snug, where Catherine Friess is interviewing SCBWI US illustrator Hazel Mitchell. Hazel talks about her process and the inspiration for her illustration work on Imani's Moon by (fellow Scoobie) JaNay Brown-Wood.

A lot has happened in Larisa Villar Hauser's life since we last checked in with her. In particular, her self-published book has gone out into the world and been received pretty well. Read Larisa's insightful blog for her reflections about launch week.

NaNoWriMo is motivating for sure, but also a big ask in terms of commitment. Those seeking a somewhat gentler November may appreciate Julie Day's approach, which focuses on good process rather than strict word count.

Show don't tell - this simple mantra hides a multitude of complexity, especially for a novice writer struggling with character, dialogue, structure and everything else in-between. Thankfully, Dr Vanessa Harbour has put on her teacher's hat for a succinct and illuminating post that explains when to show and when not to. Thanks, Doc!

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.

Nick's most recent blog is all about the reasons Why You Should Support Stew Magazine, in their Kickstarter campaign.

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 26th August

I'd like to start this week's column with a special message for the Space on the Bookshelf team. Stop writing so many interesting posts! It'll be your fault if no-one gets any further than paragraph two on this week's Blog Break.

Space on the Bookshelf, you may remember, have a special series of features running about comics, graphic novels and magazines. Let's start with their top picks for graphic novels for various age ranges, then move on to off-the-shelf and subscription magazines for children and a special spotlight on The Phoenix (as championed extensively by David Fickling the other day). Most recently, the site ran an informative interview with Emily Haworth-Booth, who teaches a course in London on making comics and graphic novels.

One SCBWI blogger who always seems to avoid appearing in the Blog Break is our very own Words & Pictures editor Jan Carr. She generally does this by not blogging very much, but this week I've caught her! Her latest post may be "shameless self-promotion" for her novel You're Magic, Duggie Bones, but it's also a chance to see the very positive kids' feedback that gave her the idea for the Chalkface Challenge.

Moving to illustration, Loretta Schauer contributes a terrific process post to Big Little Tales this week. After admitting her unusual phobia of sketchbooks(!), Loretta talks us through her recent life drawing classes and shares the results at each stage.

What made you the artist you are? Miriam Halahmy and her photographer brother have journeyed back to Hayes in Middlesex, where they grew up. In a reflective post for The Edge Miriam traces how this outwardly uninspiring suburban environment shaped her creative outlook.

Finally, author events can be scary enough for anyone, let alone if you have Asperger's Syndrome. So you have to applaud Julie Day's determination to get out there and meet her audience, as she does in her latest post about a children's workshop at Bexley Community Library.

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.

In Nick's most recent blog post, he enters phase 0.5 of his plan for world domination, sharing A Work in Progress.

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 12th August

After a quiet last week at the offices of my day job, there's been a sudden return of people from holiday. I hope the same is true of you SCBWI folks and you're all out there raring to read another Blog Break!

Sarah McIntyre contributes this week's must read blog post, fearlessly taking on the furore around the new Penguin Modern Classics cover for Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. As well as showcasing some great parodies of the cover art by Philip Reeve, Candy Gourlay and others, Sarah engages thoughtfully and rationally with the issue, without making a knee-jerk reaction.

What is it that makes writers feel so bad about not writing? Sue Hyams contributes a somewhat guilty list entitled Ten Things That Are NOT Writing My Novel (but they're not far off). Strangely, Sue fails to mention writing blog posts in the list, which perhaps brings the total to eleven!

Fans of A Boy and a Bear in a Boat and Good Dog, Bad Dog will want to check out Space on the Bookshelf's interview with their writer/illustrator Dave Shelton.

It sometimes seems as though self-published authors are just hanging around in the wings, waiting for a traditional publisher to pick up their novel and drive them to fame. So I found Julie Day's defence of her independence a refreshing perspective.

Finally, if you're not returning from holiday, but (like Dave Cousins) about to leave, you'll be wondering about suitable reading material. There's a teensy bit of self-interest for me in promoting Dave's post on summer reading, as I wrote one of the recommendations. But there are also lots of other kidlit people offering their advice on great books to take to the beach this year.

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 - 27th May

Some of our SCBWI bloggers are so reliable that the same names crop up again and again on the Blog Break. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's nice this week to hear from some people who don't get featured as often.

We start with a couple of posts giving different perspectives on library visits. Julie Day guest blogs for the Alliance of Independent Authors, talking us through the self-publishing session she ran at her local library, and how she used it to drive awareness and book sales. Meanwhile, Dawn Finch has some (occasionally cryptic) notes from a School Libraries Group discussion, giving tons of ideas for how authors and librarians can maximise the impact of writer visits.

Writers are constantly being exhorted to "write for yourself", though if that were the whole story, no-one would be reading this site! In an exuberant blog post, Sarah Broadley explores the conflict between being a solitary writer creating only for your own amusement, and the rewards that come from entering the broader, scarier world of critique groups and writing communities.

Like many authors, Jo Franklin is addicted to "How to Write" books. In an insightful post, she picks the inspirational ones that are most guaranteed to give you a lift in times of discouragement and despair.

Finally, Loretta Schauer thinks there should be a BAFTA for Best Supporting Character in a Picture Book. To support her claim, she's made a red carpet style montage of all the important incidental characters in her recent work. And your eyes aren't deceiving you, one of them is a cushion!

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, the May issue of which is out now!

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 11th February

It's nice to emerge from my hermit hut for a quick blog-reading break, as I've had my head down writing this last week. It's kind of weird not blogging myself at the moment, but also great to be spending so much more time in the world of my story.


Despite my current productivity, reading Julie Day's review of her 2014 writing goals made me feel positively slothful! It's great to see Julie following through with this and using the monthly SCBWI goal-setting brunches to stay on track.

There seems to be a motivational theme in the air, because Kathy Evans is sharing Eight Ways to Trick Yourself into Writing (BTW Kathy, I agree on gateway techniques - mine is taking a fifteen-minute walk every day before I start writing). Bryony Pearce, meanwhile, has the opposite problem, because she's stuck at the Procrastination Station and finding a myriad ways to prevent herself from writing! Perhaps these two should compare notes?

Another pair of posts turned up at Big Little Tales. In the first, Trish Phillips tells us about her trip to the Houses of Parliament as part of the "Born to Read" campaign. In a very different blog post, Anne-Marie Perks shares some colour roughs from her wordless picture book on domestic violence, showing how she creates drama through careful composition. The pictures certainly made me wince, which I guess is rather the point!

As creative people, we sow seeds all the time, without knowing if they'll bear fruit. A case in point is Nick Cook, who was one of the most enthusiastic attendees of the Transmedia session I ran at the 2012 SCBWI conference. Nick has really taken the idea of Transmedia and run with it, and the very tip of the iceberg is the amazing first teaser trailer for his forthcoming Cloud Riders opus. Strap in, people - I think we're in for a thrilling ride.

Nick.

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Nick Cross is a children's writer, blogger and all-round techno-ninja. In 2010 he was a winner of Undiscovered Voices with his zombie comedy Back from the Dead and currently writes short fiction for Stew Magazine, an event that was recently celebrated on this site.

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 3rd December

December has crashed into my life, and I suddenly feel the impending pressure of trying to find exactly the right Christmas presents for my wife and daughters. Luckily, quite a few bloggers have pitched in to suggest the perfect gift.


Space on the Bookshelf are running their festive Book In Every Stocking campaign again this year, asking authors, illustrators, editors, bloggers and other book-lovers to write to Santa with their recommended stocking book fillers. It's a great way to get Christmas gift ideas, together with a more serious message about the importance of literacy for every child. I'll be visiting the Children's Giving Tree at Oxford Blackwells again this year, and I know that some of the other Blackwells stores around the country will be having similar promotions.

I feel a bit remiss that I haven't featured Sarah McIntyre on the Blog Break up until now, but to be honest she blogs so often that it's all a bit overwhelming! Sarah is an awesome powerhouse of creative energy, and this week she's turned her attention to Christmas, with 20 Top Tips for Great Holiday Prezzies. Can I have all of them?

There were a couple of great posts focusing on graphic novels this week. Over at Big Little Tales, Katriona Chapman is listing her three Recommended Reads from the past few months. One of them, The Black Project by Gareth Brookes, was the winner of Myriad Editions' 2012 First Graphic Novel Competition. Amanda Lillywhite has blogged about the 2014 competition, which sounds so good that I'm sorely tempted to start my own graphic novel! I can write a masterpiece by March, surely...

There's no substitute for having first-hand knowledge when writing a book review, and Julie Day brings a unique perspective to her review of Sally Thibault's book on coping with her son's Asperger's Syndrome - David's Gift.

Finally, I know I shouldn't pick favourites, but I absolutely loved John Shelley's blog post all about the book A Father's Diary, a satisfyingly circular tale of illustrations lost and found.

Nick.

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Nick Cross is a children's writer, blogger and all-round techno-ninja. In 2010 he was a winner of Undiscovered Voices with his zombie comedy Back from the Dead.

Nick found not one, but two things to celebrate on his blog this week - a new Oxford app and his short story finding its way into print. Why not Celebrate Everything?

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 5th November

November has arrived, and with it the chance to blow up your back garden for Guy Fawkes Night, grow a moustache for Movember or write 1,666 words a day for NaNoWriMo. But I'm a spoilsport who's doing none of these things. Instead, I've been reading your blogs!

There were a couple of good reasons to visit Notes from the Slushpile this week. Candy Gourlay seemingly dashed off a post about social media marketing that was better than blogs other people spend weeks on. Oh, and it had a great title too: Just Because Social Media is a Tool Doesn't Mean You've Got to Be A Tool Too. Later in the week, the newly-agented Benjamin Scott followed up with a fine guest post: Ten Top Tips to Finding an Agent. Look out for a follow-up to the latter on my blog this Friday (and no, it won't be called "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Agent"!)

Space on the Bookshelf's latest 3D review is The River Singers by Tom Moorhouse. Of course, I'm biased here (because my employer publishes this book), but Tom's story of water voles in danger sounds like a terrific read in the vein of Watership Down. The blog's coverage will be continuing throughout the week and they've already added an interview with the author.

How much realism can teenagers take in a YA novel? And how much should we give them? Nicky Schmidt takes up the debate with gusto on her blog this week: YA Fiction - a safe-haven for teens.

Finally, those of us who misspent our youth reading comics instead of "important literature" will enjoy Julie Day's remembrance of the comics/graphic novels of her youth. What comics did you rush out to the newsagents for on a Saturday morning?

Nick.

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Nick Cross is a children's writer, blogger and all-round techno-ninja. In 2010 he was a winner of Undiscovered Voices with his zombie comedy Back from the Dead.

This week, Nick discovered Jedward in his office (honestly!) but managed not to write a blog about it. Instead, he's Being Brave.

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 21st May

It started as a bit of a slow week in the SCBWI blogosphere, with a lot of people clearly still recovering from the SCBWI retreat! Luckily some great posts have popped up in the last couple of days, so I do have plenty to discuss...


Talking of the retreat, I'm hoping we'll get a report on Words & Pictures about it in due course. But in the meantime, Julie Day blogs about the weekend and on being brave in reading out her work, and showing it to others. Actually, there were a lot of brave people at the Sunday night read-through, and the quality and diversity of the writing was phenomenal. I know my heart was hammering like mad as I tried to calmly read off my laptop screen!

Jo Wyton weighs in on the gay marriage debate with an impassioned post about sexual diversity in YA. She discusses the different approaches in the US and UK book market and highlights a book with the gloriously provocative title Two Boys Kissing. I couldn't even begin to work out how to structure a book about two characters kissing for 32 hours, but I'm really glad someone's tried.

Amanda Lillywhite's daughter was lucky enough to win a trial subscription to The Phoenix comic, and Amanda analyses the first copy to drop through her letterbox. I have to admit to being hopelessly biased here, as my family have been subscribers to The Phoenix from day one and we even keep all our back issues in a special binder (we especially like the very funny Star Cat).

Finally, in what seems to be turning into the "guest post slot", we have a couple of great contributions from Cathy MacPhail and Cliff McNish. Cathy blogged for the edge about handling dark and gritty subjects in teen books, and she's certainly not one to turn away from some incredibly harrowing plotlines. Cliff's piece on deepening characters is structured as an extended conversation between himself and Candy Gourlay, and contains oodles of good stuff. So go read it already!

Nick

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Nick Cross is a children's writer, blogger and all-round digital guru. In 2010 he was a winner of Undiscovered Voices with his zombie comedy Back from the Dead.
Read Nick's latest blog post, a very serious look at some Common Writing Disorders. And we'll have no sniggering at the back, do you hear?

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 30th April

It's been another great week for SCBWI blogging and I've been literally spoilt for choice (What exactly does that phrase mean? Will I start throwing tantrums or smelling like sour milk?). Whatever, there's plenty of good stuff to talk about...


The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has leapt off the page to become an multi-award-winning play. SCBWI blogger Julie Day provides a uniquely well-informed review of the production on the Disability Now website. Well-informed, because Julie herself has Asperger's Syndrome, a condition she shares with the play's protagonist.

Over at Notes from the Slushpile, Jo Wyton has been compiling a very funny list of writers neuroses. It's not an exhaustive list though, because I definitely have some she's missed. Twitch.

Moving into the world of illustration, there's a new artzine on the block. Yes, you might not have known about artzines in the first place, but get with the plan, because Tiny Pencil has arrived! Edited by Katriona Chapman and Undiscovered Voices winner Amber Hsu, Tiny Pencil will be "publishing twice-yearly anthologies showcasing exciting and extraordinary work by artists working in graphite." For more information, check out Katriona's post on Big Little Tales, or read Amanda Lillywhite's review of the first edition.

Elsewhere, I followed a couple of interesting links from the SCBWI-BI Facebook group. Bridget Strevens-Marzo posted a link to an article asking: Are children's books reinforcing materialism?, which sparked off a spirited discussion. Then Teri Terry posted this link to an article on the necessity of suffering for your art, by musician James Rhodes. A lively and provocative read, it nonetheless reminded me why I never want to be a concert pianist!

Nick

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Nick Cross is a children's writer, blogger and all-round digital guru. In 2010 he featured in Undiscovered Voices with his zombie comedy Back from the Dead, and you can now read his winning extract on his blog.