Don't be the wrong kind of influencer...

You would think, as writers who constantly scrutinise words and their meaning, and agonise over their use and placement in our works, that we would be better at using them on our own behalf. 

Lol.

We are sweet gentle souls who have some terrible habits. We hate to risk offence. I want to bring a few of these habits to your attention, point out why they are not in your best interests, and suggest some better habits.

Stop apologising. Okay. Not all the time, in every instance. Sometimes we do make genuine mistakes and an apology is the best way forward. But I suggest apologising for taking up someone's time to do something for you when that is their job, or for intruding when they are at their desk doing the thing that involves the kind of work you are enquiring about, is unnecessary. Providing an apology indicates there is something to apologise for. The reader of that 'sorry' will go looking for that justification and then feel aggrieved in accordance with that apology. There are many variations of this 'sorry' too. Don't use any 'maybe's' or 'perhaps's', or 'I hope you don't minds'.If you are confident in your approach and your belief that you are within your rights to access their time, attention and services then they will believe you. Of course, there should also be no pushing too far the other way into arrogant or pushy language. It can be good to thank them for their time and attention. Be polite and professional. Be someone other people want to work with. Just don't make excuses for your presence in their inbox. 

So, if you are sending an email or other type of enquiry, check it over for apologetic language before you press send. If you find any evidence of apologising, test it. Is it justified? Are you apologising for just being you? For making the enquiry? Delete that self doubt straight away. 

This applies to your work as well. I discovered that if I supplied any notion of hesitation, disappointment or dissatisfaction with a piece of writing when speaking with others, then they would hear or read the piece with that in mind. They would be looking for what is wrong with the piece, whether there was anything wrong with it or not. And it was my own fault. I'd laid the ground work for that response. I'd suggested there was a problem. Present your work neutrally - let the audience decide objectively. Don't give them any reason to question. Of course there might still be problems but let your readers come to their own judgements - their feedback will be far more useful that way.

Taking risks ...

I am not a fan of new year's resolutions. Which is a little flakey because even though the first of January is just another day, like the 31st of december, the beginning of a year still feels portentious and weighty with promise and possibility. Nothing has changed but everything has. There is no mechanism but the slate is somehow empty. So what of 2025? What promise does this year hold?

I tell myself I want to write more. I am doing my best to make the space for this. Wish me luck.

The year is kicking off with the release of the third book in our BatKiwi series. This book, BatKiwi and the Big Wet, illustrated beautifully  by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White, and published by Scholastic, is releasing in February and it is heartening to see a lovely first review here. We have also had an offer to publish My Elephant is Blue (Penguin Random House, 2021), in another territory/language which is very exciting. I thought our wee book had done its dash so it is very cool to see its journey continuing.

I saw A Complete Unknown the other day - the movie about an early phase of Bob Dylan's life/musical career. It was a very good movie. It's had me thinking a lot about creativity, about evolving your work within your art form; what it takes and how it might unfold, about the environment necessary, about how you respond to the market/your audience and how you are allowed to behave. Apparently people will forgive you/put up with a lot if you are a genius. In the movie there is a lot of ambition, selfishness and expectation on display. I am reminded of Henry Thoreau who talked of going to the woods to live deliberately, implying he was isolating himself to think deeply and philosophise, but his wife and (I think) his daughter went too to take care of him. When everyone else is meeting your needs, perhaps it is easier to devote all your time and energy to your craft. Do you have to be selfish to be creative? I certainly think about what is required to improve. Time working on your craft will see improvements. But how do you push through to new heights. What do you need to find another level, to push the envelope to challenge the form? I do think it means thinking less about what your audience expects. In Dylan's case (at least in the movie), he was evolving while his audience were still expecting more work like his previous songs. He took a risk that they would come along for the ride. Obviously we know how that turned out, with 55 albums over more than six decades. I imagine there are also many examples of artists who took risks that their fans couldn't accept. We don't hear their stories. Maybe their artistic endeavours were too avant garde, too experimental or niche? Or just bad. Plenty of experiments fail. I guess it depends what we want out of our writing. I have to accept that I don't always want to play it safe, and that my audience may not always join me on my creative journey. But understanding that and making that choice deliberately makes it easier to accept the outcomes. So maybe this year is a year of greater exploration, of risk taking and envelope pushing. I am kind of excited to see the results.

There's a great line in the movie when Dylan (played by Timothee Chalamet) talks about being asked the eternal question, and his response is a thought provoking tin opener on that can of worms - "They ask me where the songs come from. But what they really mean is why don't they come to them." Perhaps being brave (and maybe a little selfish) and stepping out in to the unknown is where we find the most excitng stories.