On writing with wine and editing with coffee. Some thoughts on balancing our conscious and sub-conscious minds in our writing. http://morethanwriters.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/writing-with-wine-editing-with-coffee.html
Supporting act for the Gruffalo
I was recently invited along to help open the new library of Woodlawn School in Whitley Bay http://www.woodlawn.org.uk/. However, when I got there I discovered I was a mere supporting act. When the Gruffalo arrived the children squealed with delight and queued up to have their picture taken with him. I managed to kick a few of them out of the way to make sure I had a chance with him too 🙂 After he left, I donated a set of my Young David Picture Books on behalf of SPCK Publishing and read some stories to the younger children. I then spent some time with the senior students talking about the life of a writer. I hope the children and staff will spend many happy hours in their new library – it’s a magical place.
Get rid of that loincloth!
I gave a talk on adaptation – the process of transferring stories between different media – at an ACW conference in Leeds last weekend. Had a wonderful time meeting old and new friends. Other speakers included Corin Child giving tips on taking opportunities to promote your own writing and Steve and Mandy Briars on getting books into bookshops. One of the delegates summed up what he’d learned during the day:
- Get rid of the loincloth
- Write in your pyjamas
- Sleep with a skeleton
- Some church people misunderstand writers
Now I’m going to be a real tease and not explain any of that!
Picture book workshop and donation at Trinity School
I visited Trinity School and College, Rochester, in May, to make a donation of books to their library. I did an interactive reading of my book, David and the Hairy Beast, where the children were encouraged to act out the stories. I then did a workshop with the older children on how to write and illustrate picture books. The books were donated by SPCK Publishing in celebration of the re-launch of the Young David Books series. Trinity is an independent day school specialising in teaching children aged 6 – 18 with a diagnosis of speech, language and communication difficulties, including dyslexia, dyspraxia, high-functioning autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. The staff do a brilliant job and I was highly impressed with how well the children engaged with me. It’s a school run on love. http://www.trinityschoolrochester.co.uk/
And just as I was putting this on my blog some wonderful thank you cards arrived from the children. I loved them all, but this picture from Erin and message from Bethany really touched me.
Young David in the Bookseller
The Young David Books have just been mentioned, along with their new publisher SPCK, in the Bookseller! Well chuffed. http://www.thebookseller.com/news/spck-start-childrens-list The new versions of the books will be coming out in August. And work is well under way to find a new illustrator for a second series.
What does a ‘real writer’ earn?
So how much does a ‘real writer’ earn? I’m guest blogging here about a time when I spoke to a group of students who were less than impressed by my so-called success More than Writers Blogspot
