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

---

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

---

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.