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| First reason: Pyjama Party |
Once upon a time, I sat down and wrote a children’s book called Brimstone for Breakfast, about Lucifer’s youngest son who was hopeless at being evil. And then I stared at my computer and wondered what on earth I was supposed to do next. So I researched agents, and read blogs, and befriended writers on Twitter, and along the way I ran across an organisation called SCBWI, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. An organisation who just so happened to be running a weekend retreat only an hour away from me.
So I packed up my hopes and set off for the land of wine and cake and words.
‘That might be good,’ I said to the cat, who was blithely plotting the death of a pigeon outside the window. ‘I’d be able to talk to real live kidlit writers and take workshops with published authors and even get to meet a bonafide acquiring editor who *pause to read fine print* yep, who would actually critique my first chapter for me. Plus that hotel looks really pretty and I’d kill for a weekend in the country away from screeching seagulls and thrumming traffic.’ The cat mewed encouragingly. Or possibly homicidally, I can never really tell.
Award-winning authors taught us about bringing setting alive and keeping motivated to write as we scribbled frantic notes
So I packed up my hopes and set off for the land of wine and cake and words. And my hopes weren’t disappointed: for the first time in my life, I met other children’s writers in the flesh, and stayed up late discussing agents and book deals and middle-grade voice and just how many glasses of wine it was possible to drink and still get up for the workshop the following morning.
...we made friends and picked each others’ brains and even had a pyjama party where we read extracts from our work, some of which had us in fits of giggles...
Award-winning authors taught us about bringing setting alive and keeping motivated to write as we scribbled frantic notes, and the real live editor explained all about the inner workings of publishing as curious writers bombarded her with questions. And in between, we made friends and picked each others’ brains and even had a pyjama party where we read extracts from our work, some of which had us in fits of giggles. So by the time my meeting with the editor came round on the Sunday, I was just hoping she wouldn’t hate my story and rain on my parade, because I was having so much fun. What I got was better than I could have possibly hoped: she loved my chapter. It had made her laugh. She thought it was fresh and original and could I please send her the whole thing straight away?
‘We are enthusiastic about your manuscript,’
Well, if you insist, I said, skipping all the way home with a grin the size of Texas on my face. Then, a few months later, an email pinged up on my phone. ‘We are enthusiastic about your manuscript,’ it said. ‘We would like to invite you to our offices to meet our editorial team.’ So I went, and they were lovely. And offered me cake which I was too nervous to eat. And said they might even be interested in a sequel. And told me my book would now go onto acquisitions. In return, I basically just tried not to faint. The cat, naturally, remained unimpressed.
Multi-award-winning YA author Teri Terry will be running the retreat again this year, and to be serious for a second – although you can probably guess my feelings on the matter – I can’t recommend it enough.
I still didn’t even have an agent at this point, so I dashed out to the shop and got myself one. And shortly afterwards we had an offer – a two-book-deal, to my utter amazement – with the terrific Orchard Books, and all because I’d thought it might be nice to have a writerly weekend in the country.
Multi-award-winning YA author Teri Terry will be running the retreat again this year, and to be serious for a second – although you can probably guess my feelings on the matter – I can’t recommend it enough. No, not everyone’s going to get a book deal out of it. I was extraordinarily lucky. But the friends and connections you’ll make and the things you’ll learn – all wrapped up in a gorgeous bundle of wine and food and beautiful countryside – are more than enough reward on their own.
For more pictures of pyjamas and writerly fun go to Tania's report from May last year.
For this year's retreat with special guests Carnegie shortlisted author Elizabeth Wein and Bookseller 2013 'rising star' agent Bryony Woods BOOK HERE.
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| @Tatum_Flynn |
