Not the last word in endings: South East Scotland Network news

By Sarah Broadley 

December is a fantastic time of year to reflect on what you have achieved in the last twelve months as a writer or illustrator. As it’s the end of the year, South East Scotland's members arrived in Edinburgh on Saturday 6 December ready to discuss our topic, 'Not the last word in endings'.

Joined by published authors Keith Gray and Christina Banach, we racked their brains about their endings and the processes they use to get there. Christina uses James Scott Bell's PLOT & STRUCTURE. A fantastic book, slowly helping you carve your way though what can seem a never-ending road, this is also the work Christina drew from when guiding our very first SES teach-in last October on plotting (http://www.wordsandpics.org/2013/11/network-news-scbwi-south-east-scotland.html). Christina noted that looking at your novel in a more unconventional way might also help - write the end first or start from the middle (another Bell work Christina recommends is WRITE FROM THE MIDDLE).

As we went round the room, we talked about our own personal experiences on writing and we all have different ways of getting there. So, if you have reached the point of no return and it's only downhill from here to the last page then...take your time, optimise the ending and Clang Like A Bell! Christina reminded us of the favourite Micky Spillane quote that Bell likes to share: “The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.” (See more on Bell and endings here)

Final emotion for the reader 

Emotions were also the order of the day. A fascinating question for any writer was posed by new SES member Carol Jones - what emotions do you want your reader to go through when they read your book, and what’s the final feeling you’d like to convey? Sad, elated, nervous, fearful, anxious, happy, joy?

As we all come from different walks of life, we discussed how we all see the characters forming in our minds. Have you ever thought about your book in colour? What would it look like? What shape would it be? Thanks to member Linda MacMillan for that insight.

In addition to the Bell works mentioned above, books discussed this meeting include THE BUNKER DIARY, HUNGER GAMES, THINNER, A BOY A BEAR AND A BOAT and THE FOREST OF HAND & TEETH.

 This was our farewell to 2014 and everything that has gone before. We have been a busy network with book launches, agents acquired, NaNoWriMo success, Scottish Book Trust Awards and so much more. Look out for more from SES in 2015, including our spectacular Nicola Morgan event on 14 March 2015, Perfecting your Agent or Publisher submission. Bookings for that are open now – do join us if you can: https://britishisles.scbwi.org/events/edinburgh-nicola-morgan-on-perfecting-your-agent-or-publisher-submission/

All the best to you all,

South East Scotland
____________________________________________________________

Sarah Broadley joined SCBWI BI in July 2013 and has recently taken on the role of picture book Eyes & Ears and PB & MG critique group organiser for BI South East Scotland. She recently attended her first SCBWI conference in November 2014 which gave her the push she needed to stop procrastinating and just get on with it!

Sarah normally writes rhyming stories for younger readers, however she finds herself throwing caution to the wind and is currently working on an 11+ that has been keeping her awake in the wee small hours.

You can read more about Sarah here: www.greatbigjar.com  

 

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 6th January

Welcome to the future! According to Back to the Future II, people in 2015 should be riding on hoverboards or driving flying cars. Sadly, this doesn't yet seem to have come to pass, but at least someone invented the blog post!

Christmas came late for Chitra Soundar, who definitely wins this week's prize for perseverance. Seven years after first writing a picture book about Anasi (the West African spider-spirit) and a mere two years after she first submitted it to OUP Pakistan, they finally accepted it for publication! Such are The Perks of Patience.

Alistair Lane has set himself a target for the year - writing 12 stories in 12 months. But he doesn't want to do it alone, and he's set up a Facebook group to encourage other writers to join him. Read Alistair's blog post to find out all about his new collective.

Space on the Bookshelf are trying something a little different this week, with their first 3D review of a self-published book. SCBWI author Amanda Hatter is the lucky recipient, and her novel Callum Fox and the Mousehole Ghost is clearly one of those books that gives self-publishing a good name!

Is it a bird? Is it a horse? No, it's a Dartmoor Pegasus! Enjoy Sarah McIntyre and Philip Reeve's latest burst of adorable whimsy, as it unfolds post-by-post on Sarah's blog.

I'm sure we all managed to leave plenty of used wrapping paper and empty chocolate boxes behind in 2014, but sadly, library closures seem harder to shake off. Nicola Morgan has written an impassioned post about the fight to save Falkirk School Library Service, with a deadline to leave feedback for the council by the end of this week.

Whenever I've tried to write a review of my year, I generally can't remember more than the last couple of months. Dee Kirkby was smarter than me - she's been recording all the very nicest bits of 2014 as they happened, and gives us a quick rundown on her blog.

Nick.

---

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 - 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.

---

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.

---

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

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 2nd September

Hello! I'm here and I'm fine. Better than fine, actually, due to a whole lot of SCBWI love sent my way over the weekend. So that's enough about me, because it's time to focus on what you clever people have been doing this week...

The triumphant return of Kate Bush to the stage has certainly fired up our bloggers this week. KM Lockwood contributes a wonderfully empathetic piece that delves into Kate's thoughts and motivations for her great comeback. Sue Hyams also avoids the concert review route, examining how the power of heartfelt emotion binds Kate Bush and her audience together.

Encouraged by proximity and her very obliging family, Sarah Broadley threw herself body and soul into the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Her exhaustive (but far from exhausting) post takes in many literary luminaries, including Scoobies such as Sarah McIntyre, Dave Cousins and Stephanie McGregor.

Another well-deserved success at the Edinburgh Book Festival was Nicola Morgan, whose signing queues have now swelled to rival those authors who seemed to overshadow her in past years. But it's not just a matter of ego, as her blog post makes touchingly clear.

I know I claimed I wasn't going to say any more about me, but Space on the Bookshelf did a whole series of posts about Stew Magazine last week and I was very proud to be interviewed, as was fellow SCBWI member Lisa Mann. You can also read the thoughts of editor Ali Fraser and Grace Sandford, who is one of the fine Stew illustrators. Remember, it's never too late to subscribe ;-)

Finally, here's a technological departure for the Blog Break, our very first vlog! For the uninitiated, these are video blogs, and I've embedded Olivia Bright's whiteboard-tastic introduction to her self-publishing process below:



Olivia also posted an accompanying blog about the wider process of bringing her book to the market. And I say good luck to her!

Nick.

---

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 post is "less a cry for help, more a squeal of frustration" as rejection and dejection find him Falling Back.

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.

---

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 - 1st July

The Bunker Diary has been very much in the news this week. I knew that my teenage daughter had read the book and disliked it, so I asked her why. I expected a reply that cited the darkness and brutality of the story, but instead she said: "The character arcs were too flat."
I guess this is what comes of having a writer and a librarian as parents!

Nicola Morgan has written an eloquent post that aims to sidestep the Bunker Diary controversy and focus on why we shouldn't fear bleak books for teenagers. Ewa Jozefkowicz also finds inspiration from the book in her blog post considering the nature of happy endings.

Space on the Bookshelf seem to be sneaking into this column rather regularly of late. This time, their appearance is because of another informative award round-up, analysing the non-fiction shortlist for the Booktrust Best Book Awards. Children's non-fiction doesn't always get the coverage it deserves, so it's good to see awards like this celebrating it.

My wife has been pestering me for literally years to visit the Keswick pencil museum - to the extent that I've renamed it "Chessington World of Pencils" and turned it into a family joke. But Layn Marlow has no such prejudices; as a self-proclaimed "pencil nerd", she's blogged about her visit to the museum, and may even have managed to change my mind!

Everywhere I look - either at home or at work - there are stacks and stacks of books. But it hasn't always been that way, and I enjoyed Miriam Halahmy's reminiscences for The Edge, about a childhood where books were in rather short supply, and how she grew to cherish the few that she owned.

Finally, Sam Zuppardi often posts a weekly illustration, but this week he chooses to pair it with a lovely piece of observational storytelling. Read all about The Bubble Man.

Nick.

---

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

Nick really should write another blog post, but until then, you can enjoy his recent fairy tale on the "dangers" of fairy tales: The Improbable Prince.

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 7th January

Welcome back to all you word-wranglers and picture-makers, for a whole new year of blogging. Christmas and New Year is a time for both gazing back and looking forward, so we've got a mix of both on the Blog Break today.


Kathy Evans starts her festive blog with an apology - for not having had enough time to write during 2013. But in the midst of all her other responsibilities, "slowly something stirred in the space between words" and she has begun to furiously write a new book. Hooray!

Jane Heinrichs looks back on a super-successful 2013, and instead of making resolutions, picks a single word that encompasses her approach for 2014. I really like this idea and decided to plump for "do", meaning that I will get on and do stuff this year with minimal faffing around. I can't control what other people think of my work, but I can increase my opportunities by getting that work finished and out there!

A simple year-end round-up is clearly not enough for Notes from the Slushpile. Instead, we have 4 authors for the price of 1 as Teri Terry, Maureen Lynas, Candy Gourlay and Addy Farmer each give their highlights for the writing year that was.

Nicola Morgan greets the new year with a rather startling question: What does your existence do to the world? Nicola thinks that authors can make the world a better place and sets out an inspiring list of things she's doing in 2014 to make a difference.

One problem with New Year's resolutions is that outside events sometimes get in the way. Juliet Clare Bell blogs about how her plans to become more organised in 2013 were knocked off track by the sudden death of her mum, SCBWI member Margaret Storr. But 2014 (Clare assures us) will be a happier year, and her advice to herself to JUST DO IT! fits in very well with my new word for the year.

Sue Hyams had a pretty rubbish 2013 as well, but she transmutes that into a joyful list of intentions for 2014. Intensive reading, Tom Hiddleston fandom and experimental cookery? Sounds like it's going to be a memorable year!

Nick.

---

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.

This week on his blog, Nick wonders if writers have forgotten the Girl Power legacy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And, in case you missed it, he also posted another awesome archive ramble through The Museum of Me - Special Collector's Edition.

Publishing with Passion

@nicolamorgan

I've been eating cake AND drinking champagne today because the lovely  Nicola Morgan has come to visit!  As a long time reader of her blog it's a huge thrill to be able to help her celebrate the release of her new e book - Sleepwalking and The Passionflower Massacre.






Nicola Morgan is an award-winning author of nearly 100 books, including YA novels Wasted, Fleshmarket (in adaptation for London stage), Mondays are Red and The Passionflower Massacre, and her renowned book on the teenage brain, Blame My Brain. She speaks internationally on topics including adolescence, the reading brain, and all aspects of writing and publishing. Nicola’s advice for writers is much respected, including her book, Write to be Published, blog, Help! I need a publisher. and ebooks Write a Great Synopsis and Dear Agent, as well as her manuscript critique consultancy, Pen2Publication. She has also successfully self-published. Nicola is on the Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group committee of the Society of Authors and formerly chaired the Society of Authors in Scotland. She recently joined SCBWI.

The Passionflower Massacre and Sleepwalking (combined in one ebook) Deep, mind-stretching, coming-of-age thrillers, appealing to readers who enjoyed Wasted. 
  

Passionflower Massacre: An 18-year-old girl and a charismatic cult-leader, both damaged by their pasts. A summer of strawberries, freedom, heat, passionflowers and murder. Twenty-five years later, an old woman with secret reasons for visiting the cult-leader in prison. And a final twist. 

Sleepwalking:In a cowardly new world, the Citizens are free from suffering. But the Outsiders fight for real freedom and the power of language. When a virus strikes, four chosen teenagers will need courage beyond imagination. If they can’t solve the City’s chilling secret, they will all die, along with Hope.  

And because we asked very nicely and because Nicola is not quite as crabbit as she may claim, she has also shared the reasons behind self publishing her backlist.

Over to Nicola...

We often hear about authors ebooking previously published books. SCBWI members might like to know why most books go out of print and whether writers can really do what the original publishers perhaps couldn’t. So, I am interviewing MYSELF for you!

 

Inteviewer (AKA Nicola Morgan) : OK, so, if these books went out of print, they failed, right? If they were such a pile of crock, isn’t it a waste of time to republish them yourself?

 

Me: Actually, you cheeky person, they didn’t fail! Or at least, not in terms of reviews and fans. Sleepwalking even won the Scottish Arts Council Children’s Book of the Year. I still get people telling me one or other is their favourite of my books.

Interviewer: Why did they go out of print, then? 

Me: When any print-run has almost sold out, the publisher decides whether to reprint, based on the sensible question, “Do we think we can sell another print-run easily enough to justify the cost?” Several factors affect this. Publishers look at the recent rate of sales and work out whether a) that’s enough to justify a reprint and b) if not, whether that rate could practically be increased. Now, of course it couldbe increased, with effort (which costs money because you must pay the people making the effort.) But publishers have many books to promote, with finite resources; so, if the necessary resources exceed the likely benefit, you don’t reprint.

  One factor behind whether a publisher should put more effort into selling a title a few years after publication (when sales are usually slowing) is this: “Does it make business sense, relative to what we plan for this author?”

And there lies one reason Hodder understandably decided not to reprint again: by the time the PFM and Sleepwalking came out, I was also being published by Walker Books. There was no negative reason for this: it was simply that my first editor at Hodder, who had edited Mondays are Red and Fleshmarket, moved to Walker and we wanted to continue working together, so I started doing non-fiction and younger fiction for them. The result was that one year I had four books published: The PFM, Chicken Friend, The Leaving Home Survival Guide and Blame My Brain. So, totally understandably, Hodder would look at the modest and naturally slowing sales of PFM and Sleepwalking, assume that I’d be writing more for Walker and decide not to reprint the two slowing novels. (Btw, Fleshmarket is still in print with Hodder and doing well, but it sells itself because it’s widely used in schools and has a theatre production in process.)

Interviewer: So, frankly, what you’re saying is that the novels did fail – they failed to sell.

Me: No. (*grits teeth*) They failed to achieve critical mass so that they would sell themselves. Most books fail at that. This is the fundamental thing we must all understand: every publishing contract is a combination of the passionate desire by publisher and writer that a book will succeed and the belief that it deserves to. But the luck fairy has to sprinkle magic dust and she’s pretty mean and unpredictable.

Interviewer: So, what makes you think you can do better than a big, highly professional publisher?

 

Me: I have no confidence in that. I don’t have the time or the resources to do what’s probably necessary. Just as publishers have other books to promote, so do I. And not just other books, but other genres and completely different fields – my brain books and my how-to-be-published books, for example, not to mention the other things I do to try to earn a living – tea-towel, anyone?! I’d love (need) to make some money but I’ve no expectation at all, and I’m not just saying that.

Interviewer: So, why do it?

 

Me: Because of the people who write to tell me how much they loved those books. Because I put a massive effort into writing them. Because I didn’t write them for them to be invisible. Because they are there. Because they’re worth it.

My message to you all is this: when you get your first publishing deal, rejoice and be proud. But if/when it goes out of print, don’t be ashamed or surprised or afraid. It’s a new opportunity to find new readers. It’s fun, and simple, and right.

The only bad thing about it is that I can’t rely on a publisher to ask you to buy it: I have to ask that myself. Pretty please with sprinkles on.

 Big thanks to Nicola for asking herself those cheeky questions and sharing her reasons and publishing expertise with us. I'm sure you'll all raise a glass and wish her the best of luck with her new e books!

---

Lorraine Gregory has been writing fantasy adventure books aimed at middlegrade boys for the last three years. She's been a chef and a restaurant manager and now works from home as an Antenatal Teacher. She belongs to the Words & Pictures Team and helps Tania to bring joy to our Saturday Celebrations' posts