I have a picture book coming out next year about a tree. But I also have a picture book coming out later this year (Octoberish) that isn't about a tree. It's about things that happen at night. T'is very simple (my shortest ever coming in at under 200 words) and, I think, a little poetic. I got sent some of the artwork the other day and it is so much fun. Yay!! I cannot wait to see the whole thing in its final form. Here is an illustration (by Greg Straight) to give you a taste:
For some years I have invested in the long game, wearing my patience paper thin, and plodding on when I didn't really feel like plodding on. When rejections are the response du jour, and the last publication was some time back it can be nothing more than an act of faith to keep writing new stories and sending them out, reworking the old ones, looking for new ideas and keeping positive. But in small ways the long game is starting to kick in for me. I still have a long way to go and a lot of work ahead of me. I make few assumptions, realise I have to keep up with all the changes and developments, and I have learnt the hard way that there are no guarantees. But some things are coming together and sometimes the news is good. This is probably my most important advice about being a writer. Keep going. If this is what you truly believe in, keep going.
And here is a beautiful blog post by Amanda Palmer about her husband Neil Gaiman. It is about love and creation and difficult things. It is about relationships and timing and art. It is about marriage and pride. Cos sometimes the people we love make us so proud, and for all those times when we think 'was this a good idea?' there are those perfect moments when we know it was the best idea ever.
1 comment:
Yay for you. So glad all that patience is coming to fruition. You are an inspiration.
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