Keith Gray's sell-out Edinburgh workshop tackles Strong Beginnings

by @suzebain

Where are you on the writer’s pyramid? Are you a ‘wannabe’? Full of ideas? Prepared to rewrite?

Keith Gray, author and passionate advocate of young people’s books, issued that challenge at 'Strong Beginnings & the War of Attention," a sell-out workshop organised by SCWBI SE Scotland’s network.


Thirty writers converged on Edinburgh on 29 March, across the road from Harry Potter's birthplace in the Elephant House cafe, to discover the ingredients that make magical openings.


Keith has a strong background in teenage fiction. His first novel, Creepers, was shortlisted for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize when he was just 24, and he has gone on to write a number of critically acclaimed books which have won, or been shortlisted for, all the major awards that any aspiring YA author would dream of.

A sell out!

He’s been on the other side of the awards process, too, having judged the Guardian Fiction Prize, the Blue Peter Award and the Booktrust Teen Prize, and reviewing regularly for both The Guardian and The Scotsman. So if there is anyone who can advise on what gives a manuscript’s opening lines punch, it’s Keith - and we had him to ourselves for a whole afternoon.

Write what you must

In a world full of publishing advice, the sheer volume of ‘write right’ tips can prove overwhelming. Keith’s approach was refreshing – don’t write what you feel you should write, write what you must, and be sure to always keep the needs of the reader central.

It was a challenging start to what would be an inspiring and informative session. However long you’ve lived with your book, he advised, the reader only joins it at line one, so it’s crucial to grab their attention at the start and hold on to it. How do you set up a character for the conflict that follows? How can you line up the dominos that will fall through your plot? What keeps interest maintained once you’ve seized it?

Keith Gray inspiring SE Scotland

Over the course of two hours, we talked through it all, using a combination of examples, exercises and group work. For all his success, Keith is extremely approachable and he is a phenomenal encourager. No question was too big or small to be dealt with, and explanations were clear and concise.

The crux of the session was perhaps this; while tastes change and differ, what works works, and it works for a reason. Strong beginnings, however they may vary, have some things in common, and it is these that combine to drive your story forward. It was an invaluable session: relaxed, informative and, above all, fun – complete with handouts, including Keith's all-important writers' pyramid, encouraging us all to write, revise, accept criticism, and revise again.

Now to put it into practise…

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 @suzebain

Susan Bain is a former political journalist and documentary maker, and author of Holyrood: The Inside Story. She has now moved into the more mature and rational world of children’s fiction and is currently building a house based on children’s stories. You can follow its progress, read reviews and find cheap recipes from The Starving Artists’ Kitchen. Susan is part of the SCBWI British Isles SE Scotland Network, coordinated by Sheila Averbuch (@spacekidsbooks) and Louise Kelly (@mlouisekelly).

Keith Gray is represented by Lucy Juckes at Jenny Brown Associates. He has been multiply published, translated into Polish, German and Japanese, and his books include Ostrich Boys, The Fearful and Malarkey.

Virtual Authors

Jonathan Emmet

Virtually visiting a school in Atlanta

Much has been written recently about the benefits of authors and illustrators visiting schools and how such visits are seen as an effective way of promoting reading for pleasure to children. A Society of Authors report published in 2013 noted that schools recognise the benefits of author visits and that most schools would like to hold more, but that lack of funding prevented them.

Like many authors I charge a fee for my school visits to cover the time spent preparing my sessions as well as the time spent at the school. Unfortunately, with budgets being tight in most state schools, such fees deter many schools from booking author visits. The problem is particularly acute for small schools in rural communities where the cost of the visit on a per child basis can be three or four times that for a child attending a larger urban school. I’m a picture book author, so I visit primary schools. The last primary I visited told me that I was their first author visit in four years. At some primaries the gap has been even bigger and it’s not uncommon for a child to go through all seven years of school without an author or illustrator visit.

So how do we get authors and illustrators interacting with schools more regularly and with less expense? One solution that’s become popular in the US is virtual visits. Many US authors use Skype video software to read their books and talk to children in US schools. While many authors charge for longer in-depth virtual visits, most offer short visits for free and I think this is one reason that virtual visits have become so popular, so quickly in the US. 

A few of my picture books have been published in the US and eighteen months ago an elementary school in North Carolina asked if I would virtually visit to read one of them. It went so well that in June last year, I started offering a limited number of free virtual visits through my web site. Since then I’ve visited lots more US schools but so far very few UK schools have shown any interest. 

And another in Pennsylvania

I think the main reason I get so many more requests from the US is that my name is on a couple of US websites. Author Kate Messner has a page on her website listing authors who Skype for free and the “Skype an Author Network” is a directory site listing authors who offer both free and paid Skype visits. It occurred to me that a similar directory site for UK authors willing to Skype with UK schools might help make virtual visits more popular on this side of the Atlantic - which is why I’ve set up virtualauthors.co.uk 

To get the ball rolling, I’ve decided to follow Kate Messner’s example and only list authors and illustrators who offer free 15-20 minute visits — although authors and illustrators can obviously offer longer, paid-for virtual visits in addition to this. At present I’m restricting the directory to authors and illustrators who have had their work traditionally published in the UK (not at the author's expense and not solely in print-on-demand/ebook format). There is no charge for being listed on the site. 

My aim is to kick-start virtual school visits in UK schools, so I’d like to get as many authors and illustrators listed on the site as possible. If each author or illustrator offers just one free 15-20 minute virtual visit a month during school term time, that's potentially 10 schools a year, some of which may never have had an author or illustrator visiting them before. 

A school in Vermont  from my end.

The schools I’ve visited have been very appreciative. Teachers often follow up with classroom activities and schools have sent me letters, drawings and even an ebook the children created in response to my visit. And schools often order in copies of my books before and after my visit, so there’s a sales angle too. 

 Here’s what a couple of UK schools had to say about my virtual visits with them:

"The Skype session was fantastic and the children really enjoyed it. It was great to be able to get the children to write questions and then have answers to them. I would certainly recommend it to other teachers. The parents all heard about it when their children got home from school and it certainly impressed them." Cossington C of E Primary School, Leicestershire, UK 

  “We thought the session was fantastic - just what we needed, a real life author to give out the messages we continually say … It is a brilliant opportunity to speak with you virtually and move into the 21st century! … The session was very clear and just the right time for year 3.” Corrie Primary School, Manchester, UK 

I’m hoping that virtualauthors.co.uk will encourage more schools to invite authors and illustrators into their classrooms. Virtual visits are no substitute for an author or illustrator visiting a school in person but, who knows, once schools have seen the benefits of a quick virtual visit, they might book a few more actual visits too

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Jonathan Emmet is a children's author, paper-engineer, part-time astronaut and full-time fantasist working from home in Nottingham, England. You can find out more about him and his books here.

Ten-Minute Blog Break - 15th April

Your erstwhile Blog-Breaker, Nick Cross, has decided to skive off for the week, and I’m here in his stead. It’s only a small change really, we’re just adding a “Y”– Nick for Nicky… I was a little concerned that it might be a quiet week on the blogs, with little to give you in your ten minute blog break, but I’m delighted to see that our stalwart SCBWI bloggers are blogging diligently.

Who doesn’t love a competition and the possibilities that come with it? Ewa Jozefkowicz has kindly done all us children’s writers a good turn by creating a record of all the competitions  coming up over the next 12 months in the children’s book genre. So far there are nine competitions listed – if you know of more, do let Ewa know in the comments section of her blog.

Anna Violet posted to Words & Pictures last week  about the sketchcrawl in Manchester led by Lynne Chapman. In her own blog, Lynne reveals her experience of leading the sketchcrawl . And gives you the lowdown on what she keeps in her kit bag to illustrating the post with stunning sketches done during the course of the day.

Old books and particularly old picture books hold many evocative memories. Paeony Lewis, faced with a house move, blogs about which books she decided to throw out and which to keep and why. Have you held onto old picture books from your childhood – and if so, which ones?

Some of you may have noticed that there’s been a thing called a Writing Process Blog tour doing the rounds of the blogosphere. The tour has been a fascinating insight into the writing process of so many writers. The striking thing that comes through is that there is no right or wrong way to write, only “your” way. Take a look and see how Kathy Evans, Sue Hyams and Larissa Villar Hauser  set about their writing.

And finally, I couldn’t possibly do Nick Cross’ column for him, without taking a look at his own blog post for the week. This week Nick, in inimitable style, considers how important it is for writers to get a firm grip on their ambition so that they’re able to creatively realign themselves to a realistic vision. As he so wisely says, madness is the way for those too focused on the market.

Nicky.

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SCBWI-BI “member abroad”, Nicky Schmidt  is an ex scriptwriter, copywriter, and marketing, brand and communications director who "retired" early to follow a dream. Although she still occasionally consults on marketing, communications and brand strategies, mostly she writes YA fiction (some of which leans towards New Adult) in the magical realism and supernatural genres. When not off in some other world, Nicky also writes freelance articles - mostly lifestyle and travel - for which she does her own photography. Her work has been published in several South African magazines and newspapers. As well as being a regular feature writer for Words & Pictures, Nicky also runs the SCBWI-BI YA e-critique group. Nicky lives in Cape Town with her husband and two rescue Golden Retrievers.

Ask a Publisher: Liz Cross, ‎Head of Publishing, Children's, OUP

@LizJCross talks to @CathJacobNews.

This interview was recorded in Oxford, 

at Oxford University Press, on 12th March 2014.

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Catherine Jacob is an award-winning journalist who has worked for ITV, Five and Sky News. She is also an Honorary Mention for Undiscovered Voices 2014 with her MG novel The Perigree Moonlings. Her first novel was shortlisted for the Northern Writers' Crime Competition 2012 and her short story, Child's Play was shortlisted for the Asham Award 2011. She juggles working with being a mum to two little girls.

What a lovely day!

We had a lovely time yesterday. There was food, fizz, cake and chatter - people meeting for the first time or catching up in real life after an age!   It was so lovely to see everyone and especially to welcome Angela Cerrito, SCBWI’s Assistant International Advisor…
In my back garden.
Wow.





Here we are…

 Cake made by my lovely girl, @daisycarr.

The Selfie

If you missed last week we had:

• The second brilliant Ask a Picture Book Editor - what makes a good subject for a picture book?
• Brilliant SCBWI bloggers Blog Breaking with Nick
• Really good Proofreading Tips on what to bear in mind when choosing titles and character names from Catriona
• Beautiful art produced on the the recent Manchester Sketchcrawl from Anna
• And we celebrated with the lovely Christina Banach on her debut YA novel Minty published by Three Hares Books.

 Next week look out for:

• Wednesday, author Jonathan Emmet on his new venture to get more authors into more schools more easily.
• Thursday, a new monthly preview of the following month's events from our SCBWI BI events team. First up is our excellent new ARA Steph Macgregor with what's happening in May.
• Friday, new W&P contributor and UV2014 honorary mention, Heather Chapman on Medieval illuminations
• Saturday, we're celebrating with W&P Competitions Editor, Chitra Soundar (April's Slushpile Challenge is here) 

Plus...

MONDAY 14th April sees our first podcast go live!We are delighted to welcome Liz Cross, Head of Publishing, Children's, Oxford University Press to Words & Pictures! She was interviewed by award winning broadcast journalist and SCBWI member Catherine Jacob on March 12th 2014

And a very important reminder:

Don't forget to vote for your favourite Crystal Kite Nominee. Log in to your home page on scbwi.org and vote from there. First round of voting closes Monday 14th April.

Have a great week!

Jan Carr

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Jan Carr is the editor of Words & Pictures. Her fiction is all over the place, she blogs occasionally and loves to write in magenta. You can contact her at editor@britishscbwi.org.

Minty Fresh Success !

Christina Banach

Christina Banach is our lucky champagne toast recipient today! Her debut, Minty is out this week from Three Hares Publishing  and I'm sure we'd all like to congratulate her and wish her the best of luck!

Christina lives in Scotland with her husband and their two rescue dogs. Her debut novel Minty is set in and around Fife, and features the picturesque coastal town of Elie, one of Christina’s favourite places on the planet.

Minty, a contemporary young adult ghost story, was Three Hares Publishing’s first acquisition. Although the book comes out this month it will be launched, along with Three Hares’ other lead titles, in London in May.

Fourteen-year-old twins Minty and Jess are inseparable. Maybe they bicker now and then, even crave a bit of space once in a while. But they have a connection. Unbreakable. Steadfast. Nothing can tear them apart. Until a family trip to the coast puts their bond in jeopardy. As Minty tries to rescue her dog from drowning she ends up fighting for her life. Will Minty survive? If she doesn’t, how will Jess cope without her? 

Christina says, "The idea for the book appeared early one summer morning, just as the sun came up. During the night I thought I had sensed my late father's presence, so, unable to get back to sleep, I sat in the sunroom contemplating what had actually happened. While doing this I heard my dog panting and put out my hand to stroke her. Until I remembered - she had died the month before. That's when Minty's story came to me."

"2013 was an incredible year for me. To be signed by my wonderful agent, Yasmin Standen, was thrilling in itself, but to be offered the chance to be part of an exciting new venture was way beyond my expectations. I’d like to say that I was very calm and controlled when I heard that Three Hares wanted to publish Minty. I’d be lying. To be honest, I did a little jig, grinned a lot – laughed - and then succumbed to a few tears. Truly, my emotions were all over the place, which I suppose isn’t all that surprising given the fact that I’d been working towards that moment since turning my back on the day job in January 2006."

 Helen Bryant, co-publisher for Three Hares had the following to say;

"I've had my eye on Christina as a writer for a while. When the opportunity arose for Three Hares Publishing to acquire Minty as a lead title I felt like she'd come home. Minty is one of the most moving books for YA I've read in a long time. It's a real weepy from start to finish but with heart and warmth at the core. It's a cross between The Lovely Bones (without the grim murder) and Ghost and it stays with you long after you've finished the book.

  Christina is a delight to work with. She's the perfect author: she's professional, enthusiastic and responds immediately to editorial suggestion. She has real talent and having been a Headteacher she's in touch with her audience, which is invaluable. She's also creative and proactive with her social media and PR opportunities. We're looking forward to publishing her with a flourish when we launch in May 2014."

You can read more about Christina, and watch the book trailer for Minty, by checking out her website www.christinabanach.com. To give potential readers a flavour of the story, Christina has created a Minty mood board on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/cbanachauthor/.

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Lorraine Gregory has been writing fantasy adventure books aimed at middle-grade 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

Sketchcrawling in Manchester

SCBWI BI North West held its first sketchcrawl day event last month at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), Manchester.

Children's book illustrator/author Lynne Chapman led our group of 12 people, including illustrators, designers, teachers, students and writers. We had the use of MOSI's wonderful Learning Loft as a base on the top floor of the Great Western Warehouse. 


Lynne started filling sketchbooks on train journeys on her way to school visits, and went on to become involved with Urban Sketchers. Lynne sketches in a variety of small easy-to-carry hardback sketchbooks, sometimes with grey paper and sometimes in a concertina-fold format. 

The contents of Lynne's small black sketching bag: 

*Wrist sweat-band (to replace a cloth, for cleaning brusheswhile painting on-the-go). 

*3B pencil & other b&w mark-making stuff incl graphite stick, white chalk, sharpening tool 

*Watercolour pencils (Inktense by Derwent) 

*Calligraphy pen which gives lively lines (cheap Sailer) with waterproof writing ink (Noodlers) 

*Variably coloured pencil (Koh-i-Noor) 

*Small pan set of watercolours 

*Clips (to hold down paper) 

*Waterbrush (brush with a small water reservoir) 

*Blu-tack with 2 plastic hairspray tops (to stick to surface and fill with water, but too messy to use inside museum) 

*Hairspray fixative

We had 4 sketching stops in total, about 1 hour each, spaced throughout the day. The first was at the Air and Space Building, with planes and roadster cars. 

Katie Weymouth

Pattie Callaghan

Jonny Wood

 The second sketchstop was at the Power House, full of moving engines and very challenging to sketch.

Lucie Golton

Pattie Callaghan

Lynne Chapman

The third sketch stop was in the Castlefield canal basin area in the sunshine (yes, it came out specially!). Some of us also recorded writing on signs and overheard snippets of conversation.

sketching & writing in sunshine

Adelina Pintea

Anna Violet

Eleanor Boyle

The fourth sketch stop was the view from the Great Western Warehouse (top floor or ground level). 

Heather Dickinson

Celia Hume

Lynne Chapman

writing by Gill James

 At the finish, we had great fun sharing our sketchbooks and writing. Being part of a sketchcrawl group made many of us feel more relaxed than sketching alone in public places. The event also gave the challenge of drawing industrial scenes and machines, out of the usual comfort zone for most of us there. Gill James will post a further article about this event from a writing angle in Words & Pictures Network News. 

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Anna VioletFreelance Illustrator www.annaviolet.co.uk 
annavioletillustration.blogspot.co.uk