Mixed bag ...

 I'm not sure if writers still get caught up on the whole issue of copyright these days - the whole, do you need to assert copyright on your work, when do you do it, how do you do it, and what might happen if you don't? 

I'm pretty sure copyright is automatic here in NZ, meaning it applies as soon as your words are assembled on the page or screen. You don't have to add the symbol or register your story anywhere. Once you submit your completed story to a publisher there is a date stamp on your email which can corroborate any arguments about who had an idea first (information that is required so rarely that I cannot recall any instances of stolen ideas over my more than 20 years in the business). And if the publisher decides to publish, it is then up to them to do the final official paperwork/admin and copyright appears in black and white on the imprint page. 

So you are not required to do anything. And doing something can cause problems and make you look amateurish. You can read about it here - this from a US blog but it is relevant here too.

Things have been quiet around here since my big news about getting the residency. I have a few articles to write, a few missives too, and I am slowly sorting the admin for my trip. Visas and the like. Part of me wishes I was going away next week. I want the admin to be over and I want to be focusing on my project. I have made a very modest start and I have been wondering/worrying about the technique I am using. It is new to me so I have gotten some books using the same technique to read. The one I'm reading first is next level genius and it is a little intimidating, but when I went back to my own modest beginnings I thought this isn't so bad. Probably not Cilip Carnegie Medal material like my exemplar, but not as bad as I suspected. Maybe I can do this. The technique I mean. I already think the story idea itself has legs. Anyways, in lieu of having anything else to talk about I thought I would post up some poems for younger people. Enjoy!

(And if you are an NZ adult writing children's poetry you might like to enter a poem competition some poet friends and I are running. You can check out details here. The competition close August 4th and there is a small cash prize and the winning poem will be printed and displayed.)

Reluctant Ambler 

I go out for a walk,

(they make me),

I don’t want to go!

I dawdle, mope,

and drag my feet

I get so rambly slow!

The grass is tall

above my head,

each step I take

fills me with dread,

I fancy being in bed instead

but no one is at home -

so!

I smell the flowers

(Pinks I think),

I must admit

a spicy stink.

I touch the grass,

admire the sky,

watch monarch

butterflies sail by,

and by the time we reach the bay

I actually have a mind to stay.

The sun is shining

waves shush in,

I secretly let

out a grin.

We picnic on

a sunlit shelf,

don’t tell them

I’ve enjoyed myself.

And just in case

next time’s a pain,

I drag my feet

back home again.

Blistery Mystery

There’s a word for this

I know what it is

it’s just on the tip of my tongue

and ‘tongue’ is a tip

well, a clue -

it’s a quip

or a joke

not a word on its own.

It’s a weather event

it’s a tempest, a storm

but it means

something different

as well

giving your tongue a blister -

‘She sells shells,

that shore sifter.’

That’s it -

a tongue twister!

Well done!

My writing tip for the day: on voice ...

I had a bit of an interesting thought while giving my Writing Children's Picture Books workshop recently.

When I talk about language techniques that can be used in picture books I always include a discussion on voice. Voice is the quality that can make a story stand out from its peers, that can grab the attention of publishers and readers alike. It's something I think every writer should be cultivating. When I think of my favourite picture book writers, their voice is distinctive and is a big part of why their stories appeal to me. Oliver Jeffers, Lauren Child, Ian Falconer, Mo Willems, Margaret Mahy. And yet voice can be hard to explain and teach. What IS voice and how do you achieve it?

For me the simplest explanation is that voice is the personality of the story. It can be chatty or crisp, jaunty, winsome, funny and cheeky, wry, dry or serious. It is achieved through sentence length and punctuation, phrasing and word choice. It is the way the narrative 'speaks.'

In my workshop we do an exercise where I provide two different images/scenes for a familiar fairytale - I use Little Red Riding Hood. I then get students to write a paragraph telling the story in each image. The images each drive a very different voice: one a classic, young, old-fashioned depiction, the other a modern, provocative, young adult visualisation. 

After the exercise last weekend I realised that if you are struggling with the voice of whatever you are writing then making a mood board with images/illustrations/scenes that fit with how you imagine the story can flip the switch. Use the images to inspire and influence your writing, working your way through the different scenes till you find what feels right. Describing the scenes might just be the way in to discovering/developing the voice for your story. And they might also help clarify your thinking on what your story is or should be.

You may already be doing this. Someone else may have already suggested this to you or you might have already read it somewhere. But just in case you haven't, this is my writing tip for the day :-)

I also stumbled across this interesting old post on twitter about whether you should quit if you are an unhappy writer. It's kinda philosophical and big picture thinking and I liked what it had to say. I thought you might like it too.

It's all a mystery here at the end of the year ...

 

It's been a year. I didn't realise how much of a year until I actually looked back and took stock. I spoke as part of the schools programme for Featherston Booktown in June, I gave a talk at the Storylines Hui in July and went away to Southland on a Storylines Tour in August and had a brief appearance at the Auckland Writers Festival. I am grateful to everyone who invited me to be a part of their event. I had a few school visits, ran a few workshops for Selwyn Community Education, attended the NZCYA Book Awards and was voted on to the NZSA National Board. I did around twenty manuscript assessments. I had covid. We travelled overseas. I had a picture book come out (welcome to the world There are No Moa, e Hoa/ Kua Kore he Moa, e Hoa ), and wrote a wee bit of poetry, both for adults and children.

The marvellous Paula Green did an incredible series of poetry illustrated by children on her blog, Poetry Box, and kindly included my poem If Fish Could Talk. The illustration is brilliant and you can check out the picture by Oscar D. and my poem here. And I gave a talk at a SLANZA end-of-year event.

It is always surprising to me that a few things dominate my memories looking back so it helped to actually look through the diary and tot up all my commitments. I was busier than I remembered. And there were so many wonderful experiences. I've been very privileged to take part in so many amazing things. Now I'm looking forward to 2023 and wondering what it has in store. I wish there was more certainty. I only have two workshops and an event I am required to be at signed up for next year. Yet 2023 may end up being as busy as 2022. I just have no way of knowing. I have two picture books coming out if everything goes to plan. And two poems.

I'm not much of a fan of the not knowing. In the past I guess I've surrendered to it and gone with the flow but I am tempted to take a different approach to the coming year. Maybe some study. Maybe a more structured approach to my writing. How much should we give in to destiny/luck, how much should we try to shape what lies ahead? It's all a mystery, here at the end of the year. What are you going to do? Make some plans, or leave it all to fate?

It's okay to make something terrible ...

 Auckland has made its way from level 4 lockdown to level 3. This still represents a lot of time at home and while this sounds like the perfect opportunity for writing creatively, I have to say I'm very stuck on that front. Instead I have been ruminating and contemplating about a bunch of stuff and it seemed like it might be a good plan to assemble all the musings here. 

1) So much of a writer's life is outside of their control. If you decide to seek traditional publication, will the story be accepted or rejected? It's not up to us. If accepted, will the book sell well, get appreciative reviews, make its way to other countries, other languages? Will it bestsell, win an award, receive harsh criticism, languish at the bottom of the bargain bin, get pulped? All of these things can send an author into raptures of delight and depths of despair. And we wait constantly for any and all of these things to happen. Our happiness or otherwise is in the hands of others who answer to needs and expectations unrelated to what drove us to write the thing we wrote. 

I can see you frowning (and not just over that last sentence).  

It is not healthy to put all your happiness in the hands of others I hear you say. And you are right. But the nature of this calling means that some of the things we covet most - our words in print, the success of our book - requires the participation of others and in a manner of their choosing. At least some of our happiness will be at the mercy of others. But it shouldn't all be.

Obviously there will be other aspects in your life that bring you happiness and over which you have control. But you should also have some things like this within your creative existence. What makes you happy in this realm? 

For me?

I love the feeling when a story comes together and works like it should. When you write The End and you think, 'Yes, that's it! How handsome are you!'

I love the feeling of having a fragment of an idea and you sit down to write and it all (and more) pours out unexpectedly but satisfyingly.

I love the feeling of a hot new idea. No matter where it goes and if it turns into a full story, the frisson of excitement when you first grasp that dazzling spark is so delicious.

I love the feeling of sending a story out on submission. When I hit send and I think 'good luck little buddy, fare you well'. All the potential possibilities as it makes its way out in the world.  

I love talking with other writers, sharing our hopes, dreams, disappointments and dreads. I love not having to explain how things work in the writing world because we all speak the same language. I love the shared understanding and the camaraderie. I love the trust I feel that my fellow scribes will cheer me on when the news is good, and support me when I'm down.

I love making a conscious effort to fill my mind with fun and interesting experiences, especially when something catches alight in my mind and I am inspired.   

I love writing anything, once I get going and the words are coming together, and I feel that hum ... which kind of brings me to my second contemplation. It's okay to be dissatisfied by what you've written ...  

2) Being stuck is not a good time. I feel ill-at-ease when I am not writing. It's like having a broken leg when you're an athlete and all you can do is lie around when you are itching to be active. Wanting all that you write to be good can be a fly in the ointment - a part of what keeps you stalled. I came across the most wonderful tweet the other day which managed to give me permission to unstick myself a little. It's okay to make something terrible. It's a step on the pathway to making good things.

Bianca Stone

@biancastone

· Sep 22

One big stupid (understandable) human problem is looking for shortcuts, when literally the end results are only truly achievable by the relentless, *almost* unbearable work. Terrible poems, humiliating conversations, reckoning, change...it's brutal, but glorious to live.

So perhaps wrestling with some written things which are refusing to obey you is the step you need to be taking now. Not everything will work. Not every idea becomes the desired object. And sometimes the only way to find a solution, is to try, try and try again. Do the work. Muddle through. It's okay to make a crap thing. Sometimes seeing the crapness is a way to get past it. Sometimes you just need to get it out of your system. 

This tweet felt particularly pertinent because I have been sporadically writing some grown up poetry - not so much because I have big ambitions to be a writer of grown up poems, but more because the ideas that have turned up have had mature themes or demand a mature approach. It is a very different form and at times it feels like trying to speak a new language when I don't know all the words. But I feel like I have things to say and this is the way to say these things. A few of my efforts have worked (and made me happy - see 1) but I have had more misses than hits. Maybe being terrible at it isn't the worst thing. Maybe not doing it at all is the worst. 

 3) A local philistine has been on twitter the last few days moaning about the arts in New Zealand and the government's funding support for them. The arts (according to said philistine) are a luxury, a frivolous indulgence. Its not a real job. Its just lazy people not doing anything worthwhile or productive and just farting around with fringe ideas while avoiding getting a 'real' job. Critics forget how creative minds are responsible for their tv entertainment that preserved their sanity during lockdown, that Netflix movie, that amazing podcast, that comedy set that made them laugh so hard they cried, the songs they listen to on the way to work or while they're exercising, the books that grow their children's minds and teach them the fundamental skills of reading and writing and being human. And the artwork that is a part of it all. All the creative minds involved in product design, fashion, hairdressing, jewellery, watch making, mobile phones and so on ... All the every day things we take for granted that look and work best because a creative mind got involved. And the ideas we debate and discuss in fiction that illuminate our lives and contribute to the way we shape society. Just imagine your life without all that and then get back to me about the necessity of the arts. Sheesh. 

4) There is also a persisting line of thinking that children's books are an inferior art form. I think about this a lot, and feel immensely frustrated that people are so wrong about children's literature. I have discussed it before on this blog here, and here, and former UK Children's Laureate Lauren Child touches on it here. I'll be very interested to see her manifesto and will post it here when/if I can.  

Self trickery - how to grow a word count

The competition to win a copy of my new picture book Moon and Sun has now closed and it only seems right that there should be two winners. So Clare Scott and Craig Campbell, if you message me your addresses I will send those books right off to you. Congratulations!!! 

I was chatting with a writer friend t'other day (waves to Heather Haylock) and we got on to the topic of productivity. What we think we can achieve vs. the abject realities of what happens under self motivation.  Sitting down and writing productively every day is fraught. There are a lot of contributing factors when it comes to how many words one might tap out in a day. Mood, the general state of the world, other worries, personal news - good and bad, confidence, the state, and desirability, of one's current project, other projects that seem more alluring but are actually equally challenging once directly addressed, whether there is chocolate in the house, the fact that your two favourite tv sitcom characters have just broken up (it's alright, they got back together), the depth of one's laundry, the day's imposter syndome scale ranking, and a host of other things.  Whew - I'm amazed I get any writing done at all. What!? I hear you say, what about self discipline? I think you are very lucky if you have it, but there are plenty of us who don't. This blog is for those who sometimes (/often/always) find their self discipline is AWOL. Including me. It turns out I require a lot of cajoling and self trickery.

So I am currently resorting to several methods of indirectly talking myself into writing more words. The fab Maureen Crisp recently mentioned Austin Kleon's 100 days and suck less challenge on her blog, and I like this because 100 days of applying yourself is a most excellent way to build a habit. I would however like to know why it only takes a few days to break a habit and around five hundred years to build it up again. 

The embarrassment of having something of long standing that you still haven't completed can also be good motivation. Honestly, it is worth finishing just to avoid the awkwardness of saying 'I am still working on that particular project.' The difficulty here is that this particular project is past redemption and will be slipped in to the bottom drawer once complete. But it will be finished and I will have gained the writing mileage.

The fear (constant), of falling in to a permanent publishing hiatus is also a really good cattle prod - keep writing, or else. Laurels are a stupid thing to rest on - all right, they do smell nice, but they aren't exactly soft and cushy. On the other hand fear doesn't always get the best results.

And before you suggest it, yes, I have tried bum glue and sadly it doesn't work for me. Or more to the point, it is an indiscriminate adhesive for too many things, like other people's books, netflix bingeing, social media scrolling and email refreshing. Bum glue can be a blunt tool.

Running races are a practical approach. Team up with one or two (or more) other writers, and check in with each other daily with word count tallys. This only works if you are all able to participate to the same degree. But knowing someone will be checking in daily can keep you honest. 

Rewarding personal word count achievements can also spur you on. As can fake deadlines. But the trick is in making the reward big enough to keep the writing going without breaking budgets or breaking a writing stride. And fake deadlines need to convince you that they are real even though they aren't. The running race can work as a fake deadline.

And sometimes it is just enough to know that plodding on will be the bridge between the last hot project you excitedly sped through and the next hot project you will not be able to resist. It's keeping your writing muscles sufficiently exercised that you know what to do when the next idea is irresistable. You don't have to keep doing a marathon, it's okay to slow to a walk between bursts of sprinting. And on that exhausted metaphor note I am off to potter on some average ideas.   

Annual stocktake ....

So here I am, at the end of the world year, looking back at what I got up to, what I achieved, and what I didn't achieve. And looking toward 2020, wondering what it might hold for me. A stocktake is always interesting and useful.

I had four school visits. This is lower than recent years, and most of my invitations came directly, rather than through second parties (this is a complete 180 on previous experiences). I guess this may be a reflection of my publishing hiatus. Perhaps this might change now I'm back on an upswing. But its hard to be certain. In many ways I feel like I'm starting over again. But I'm not a beginner anymore. It's a little weird.

I was involved in several conferences, one 'Speed Date the Author' event, was invited to give a talk, ran two week-long, creative writing camps for school students, and two day-long picture book writing workshops for adults. There were a couple of other small unpaid gigs, and I mentored another writer over the year. I'm very familiar with public speaking, feel comfortable creating content for these events, and feel as nervous as if I was giving my first talk ever, every time. Yay nerves, my constant companion these last 'many mumble' years.

I titivated a few larger projects but didn't complete any of them, and wrote three new short stories and seven new picture books (result!). One picture book manuscript from 2018 found a home this year, and is one of two that will be published next year. I have a bunch of irons in the fire, and don't expect any further results until next year. I had one book out this year, Time Machine & Other Stories, of which I am very proud. Yay!!

I was involved again in Fabostory which is such a great way to get young people writing (also very proud to be a part of this), will be judging a picture book writing competition again over the summer break (194 entries - yikes!), and I've blogged, reviewed books for a few different platforms, and written a few articles. I interviewed somebody this year too which was a first for me. You can teach an old dog after all.  I threw my hat in the ring for a bunch of things such as speaking opportunities, residencies, and the like, and can report that so far I have had zero success. Hmm, I'll probably stop doing that for a while until I've licked all my wounds, and then get back to it.

So not too much of a slack arse then. But definitely a different combo of things this year. The only thing a writer really has any control over is the content they create, and turning up. The rest is all in other people's hands, with a dash of luck thrown in. I don't think I'd do anything differently. What about you? What did you get up to?

So, next year. As always, tis mostly a mystery. It will involve lots of waiting (see comment above re: irons in the fire) and frequent shaking of the patience jar to activate the contents. I have my regular Picture Book Writing Workshop and Write Like an Author Camp gigs and I'm booked in for an event mid year. I have a new writing project I want to work on, but I have some pre-project doubts and uncertainties, so I'll be girding my loins to try jump those hurdles. And that's it. That's all there is on the menu. I don't feel too worried. That's how things usually look at this time of year. And I don't have any big plans or strategies for things I think I should do. One thing I have learnt over the last few years is the value of writing retreats. I think I will try to book at least one of those in for 2020. Whaddaya reckon, retreat buddies?

Looking back at my last post (on overthinking) I don't really have many further survival strategies. At this time of year the most obvious one is to remind yourself that you have worked hard over the year (do a stocktake to remind yourself what you got up to), and it's important to take a proper holiday. Go relax over your favourite things to do, with your favourite people. Breathe deep and empty your mind. Recharge the batteries, read some books and smell the roses. If creating content is the thing we can control, we need to take care of our creativity. Ask yourself, what can you do for yours?

And last but by no means least, here is a really interesting insight on the topic of diversity and acknowledging our own blindspots when writing, by literary agent Janet Reid

The end is nigh...

I've started this post about five times - clearly I need more coffee. Hang on, just gonna go make myself a cup. BRB............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Righto

So, now that I am correctly caffeinated for my end of year rant, let's get started.

What to say about 2016?

I ended up being way busier than I expected to be, doing a lot of school visits, running workshops and getting involved in some amazing projects. I did heaps more talking (and writing of talks) than I did writing but it was just that kind of year. Thank you to all the wonderful people who invited me to be a part of things. I did lots of things that scared me and for the most part I was so glad I did. Not everything worked out. Some things terrified me too much and I won't be doing them again. Knowledge (and experience) is power. Actually most things will always scare me but some things aren't worth a repeat fright. I guess the bottom line is that doing things that terrify you isn't a cure, it's more of a life management plan.

2016 also demonstrated that it is impossible to plan ahead in too much detail when you are a writer. I put my name down for a couple of things in 2016 but for the most part I wasn't anticipating the invitations, requests and suggestions that I received. I think it's the fruit of my 'long game' philosophy. The last three years have each been distinctive anomalies compared with the previous 13 or so years, (the Dunedin Residency in '14, the Pah Homestead Residency in '15 and the Book Award judging and Otahuhu Project this year). Is three years of different now a trend? I might have a better idea at the end of 2017 so I'll have to get back to you on that one. On current evidence, although I only have a few fixed points (repeats of a couple things I took part in this year), next year has the potential to strike out in a new direction. I suppose enough uncertainty eventually becomes a certainty of its own. I am, if nothing else, adaptable. Saying yes to (nearly) everything is a key contributor to this but I have been liking the results of this approach to my work life so for the moment it's still my MO. I will just have to accept the randomness that comes with it.

My picture book with Donovan Bixley, Fuzzy Doodle, took flight in the middle of the year. It's a thrill to have a book come out and I thank everybody who has encouraged, supported and said nice (or otherwise) things about Fuzzy. Writers pray that their books will be reviewed, so it does break my heart a little when a review does nothing more than summarise the plot, especially when it is just based on the back cover blurb. I've had a few of these for Fuzzy and there is so much more to the book than that. I appreciate that space for reviews is shrinking but I know a lot can be done with so little (especially as a picture book writer). I loved this very brief review of the book on Goodreads by Miss Wilson  - A visual transformation that improves with each page turn, much like the content it discusses literally and metaphorically. Only eighteen words, yet so delicious and intriguing. It can be done! And most recently there was a lovely and thoughtful (and longer) review of the book here by blogger Steph Ellis.

And to cap off an exciting and interesting year, I recently took part in a wonderful event showcasing the students' work from the amazing Otahuhu Project I was involved in. I was so impressed by, and proud of, what the students achieved. They are our writers and illustrators of the future. Thank you to the school, the dedicated teachers, the NZ Book Council and the fabulous funders of this amazing initiative. Long may it continue!

  


So what of 2017. Just a few things booked so far. And a few more prospects hovering. I have a ticket to see Adele in concert in March and I am out of the country for New Years which will be weird. This last fact somehow seems like some kind of portent about the year to come. That the usual order of things might be shaken up. Time will tell I guess. I'll keep saying 'yes' to things. Keep trying to learn more about this business I am in. Keep trying to pass this information on. Keep trying to produce more written work because without that I will stall, stagnate, become stale. From time to time I throw up my hands and say 'I give up'. Being a writer and staying published has more than its fair share of challenges and issues and more than a whiff of futility about it. On the days that all I can see is the wood of the door I am banging my head against, I feel certain this industry and I cannot remain together. But repeated examination has slowly revealed that it is not what I do, it is who I am. I could no more give up writing than I could stop being human so I shall stay on, thumping the keyboard and staring out the window and into the distance, mulling ideas over and attempting to turn them into stories. 2017? Here I come... 

Girls won't spoil the story....

I read this terrific article and wanted to shout 'hallelujah, it's not just me!!' I have long thought that there is something inherently wrong in providing books strictly for boys, to boys. Books with boys as the central protagonist, doing 'boy' stuff in a world of adventure and action and mayhem. 'We need more books for boys,' goes the battle cry. Write something boys will like. And somehow that has included an absence of girls. WE have given girls cooties, in the stories we offer to boys. And books about girls? WE have deemed them toxic to boys. I think in our desperation to get boys reading we made it too much about gender, to our detriment. To society's detriment.  Because in doing so we gave them, between the lines, the message that reading about girls is uncool, and/or embarrassing, and/or unnecessary. And I think this doesn't help anyone. In fact it is has become harmful. Females make up more than half the world's population. How can it be a good idea to tell the other half that females aren't included in the cool stuff. That they can't be brave or resourceful, the problem solver or the hero (and that they don't have to behave like a boy to be any of those things). How can it be a good idea to tell boys that girls aren't even worth reading about. That they'll spoil the story. That they always need rescuing and will reward their rescuer. That they can't be interesting in their own right. Or on their own. We have shot ourselves in the foot and I am tired of hopping around. Stop trying to find a boy book for that boy to read. Just find them a good book. We need to change our posture and vocabulary when we talk about books with boys. We need to stop genderising covers and that goes for 'books for girls' as well - because what matters is what's between the covers. We need to read stories about girls to boys at every level. We need to show them that a story doesn't have to revolve around a boy to be a great read. They should read widely. Like so many girls do. And we need to do the same for diversity. I know this will take generations to change.  But we better start yesterday and stop digging the hole that we have dug so deep.

Some brain twirlings on being a mid-career writer

Chuck Wendig recently blogged about mid-career writing. Tis an interesting read (although the faint-hearted should avert their eyes cos there are swears and sexy bits) and it got me to thinking. Cos I guess that's where I am at now. Mid career that is. I'm certainly no longer a beginner and I hope, hope, hope I am not at the end (at least not an end that isn't prescribed by me). So anyways, humour me, and let's say I'm a mid career writer.

Mid-career - you jumped in, you've done a few lengths and touched the end of the pool each time, and you are still swimming.

Mid-career means you have been published. How doesn't matter if your books have been bought and reviewed positively by people who don't know you, and some folk outside your family and your writing circle know your name.

At mid-career point, theoretically, you probably know a fair bit about the craft of writing. About rules of grammar, and the way words, sentences, paragraphs and chapters are ordered. You have a handle on plot and character development and understand why it's important your character has an arc as well as your plot having one. You know what voice, tone and style are. And the difference between 'show' and 'tell' and why that difference matters. You are probably still in two minds (or maybe three) about how many adverbs are too many. And if you are me you have given up caring about the correct use of commas and how many times you've used the word 'just' knowing that an editor won't hold it against you for too long after you've bought them that second cocktail.

But you don't have all the answers. You've realised there is always more to learn, and envelopes that can still be expanded and pushed. It's a journey with a destination you are never likely to reach, but that's not a bad thing. It is harder to find writing courses that are pitched for mid-career folk. You know the fundamentals and you've developed your own habits and style which are individualised to you. If you have been published several times or more you are doing enough right and it isn't always easy to pinpoint what you now need to add to your writing repertoire. I try and reach towards more ambitious projects, grander ideas that force me to try new things. And I am always reading which still remains one of the best schools of writing. And I keep working on my books.

Chuck talks about checking your direction, and making career plans. He acknowledges the difficulties of making plans in an industry where the individual (author) has so little control. But I agree it's smart to check what your desires are and to write and act accordingly. And these things need to be updated on the regular because you will continue to discover things about the industry and you will probably continue to evolve as a writer. Whether your goals are seriously ambitious and your plans structured and aggressive, or you decide you are going to see where fate takes you and you keep things simple, what you choose to do will affect your outcomes. Just remember, choosing to do nothing is also a plan. Whatever else you do, keep working on your books.

There are potential perks to being a mid-career author. It's not all a big mystery anymore (although at times you still wish it was more like a fairy-tale) and you know other writers and some industry professionals. You are a card-carrying member of your tribe and this feels like a warm hug. You are familiar with the process and have found a few shortcuts, even if the process is ultimately still sometimes difficult. It's a bit like running a hurdles race. You are pretty good at getting over the hurdles now after considerable practice, but sometimes your shoe catches and you eat asphalt. Sadly reaching this point has also not necessarily provided you with any security or certainty. While YOU have changed, the publishing industry, at its heart, remains fundamentally the same. The majority of mid-careerists still get rejected and don't get automatic invitations to schools, festivals and other events. But now you know not to take it personally. Keep working on your books.

I like what Wendig says about marketing and promotion. Who you are and how you behave in the real world and on social media will, in the long run, have an impact that goes beyond any structured promotion. And the final word on whether people continue to buy your books is their content. Keep writing and work hard on making it something you are proud of. That is the thing you do have control over.

Some mantra for the mid-careerist:

Things will probably stay the same more than they change
It's not just you, they are like that with everyone
You know more than you think you do
Keep working on your books

Our literary underpinnings

I came back from our trip to Europe and the UK last September filled with a difficult kind of jealousy that time will not remedy. I love the country of my birth in so many ways, but I cannot help craving, especially deep down in my creative soul, the long rich past that is so visible everywhere you go over there. The tumultuous centuries old histories, the long slow burning cultural evolution that is revered and celebrated in public galleries, theatres, monuments and artworks. The roads, footpaths, parks and buildings sing with the voices of all those who have passed over, under, by and through them. Our country is so young by comparison and we are in many respects still finding our way.

When I read this article that compares the children's literature of the US with that of the UK, concluding that the British tell better children's stories because their story telling culture is rooted in fairy tales and make believe, I began to wonder what this might say about the underpinnings of our children's literature here in New Zealand.

I grew up on children's stories from both the US and UK, reading Tolkien and Cooper, Garner, Lewis and Aiken, but also Le Guin and Ingalls Wilder, EB White, Alcott and nearby neighbour L.M. Montgomery, as did many of my peers. Here in New Zealand we have a rich Maori mythology to draw on, but our history is ultimately too youthful and still dominated by the pragmatic. It's that number-eight wire, can-do attitude. In my childhood I had little in the way of local literature to read and so, of course, much of my literary diet was imported from countries that saw the world very differently from what I was able to observe out my window. But that sounds about right for an emerging nation looking to Europe and the UK, as well as to the Pacific, Asia and the New World.

On what do I now base my own writing for children? Do I lean toward the fantastic and enchanted, or the realistic derring-do? Or do I fall somewhere in between or find new and unique ground? I recently sent some samples of my work to some US agents and realised when looking over what I'd sent, that my word choice and phrasing leant towards the British. I'd used the phrase 'let him have it' when talking about an episode of bullying, which on reflection seems very English to me. And there were other examples of a UK kind of sensibility in my writing. I like magic and fairy tales, mythology and fantasy, swords and pixie dust and the supernatural. But there is plenty of realism in my writing and contemporary issues informing my work too. Yet I can't forget that our contemporary issues have a particularly New Zealand spin on them.

Many of my stories are a blend of the real and the magic. New Zealand's most famous children's author, Margaret Mahy, made a highly regarded art of writing magic-realism but I don't think I'm trying to emulate her. I think this is just the result of those widely varying outside influences. I love incorporating fairy tale elements and qualities in my shorter stories and picture books. Yet, like many New Zealand Children's writers, some of my novels tend towards the realistic, whether contemporary or historical. Our fantasy often harks back toward the European or British, with vague settings that don't really feel local and mystical elements that draw on a range of cultures. Although of course there are exceptions where fantasy sits seamlessly inside a NZ setting and at times incorporates Maori mythology.

I guess the best question might be, does it really matter? The writer of the article believed the British wrote better children's stories but perhaps that depends what you are searching for in your reading experience. As a young reader I found much to like in both kinds of stories, and I guess the different kinds of stories met different needs. There is a place for both in a young person's reading diet.

As much as I love and yearn for the cultural and historical heritage of Europe and the UK, I have grown up here. And perhaps both of those things belong in my writing. Even the longing

A winner haz been picked...

Tis time to announce the winner of my competition to win a copy of my new book The Song of Kauri. I have had a range of terrific entries on facebook and here on the blog. And the winner of the English version, with her name picked out of a hat by my eldest, is Sue Copsey, who picked her favourite name, the hattifatteners (from the Moomintroll books) for it's sublime mixture of silliness and pathos. Your book will be making its way to you soon. As it was unclear whether any of you would like to win the Maori version, if any one would be interested in this copy, I will give it to the first person who puts their hand up. Thanks to all for entering my competition.

I will be officially launching the book in Dunedin on August 1st. Exciting times!!

And in the ongoing debate about YA literature and what teens should and shouldn't be reading, here is a terrific post to remind adults everywhere that the kids, and their books, are alright.

A competition - make me a better person

My preparations for Dunedin so far? I am breaking my Docs in. I am (mentally) putting aside DVDs and books I want to take with me. It is going well.

Recently I passed my 700th post (I think this is post 702). I fancy having another competition. More on that later.

Meantime I am working on a few other more imminent things - principally an exhibit about my book While You Are Sleeping for the What Lies Beneath Exhibition at the National Library in Parnell, Auckland starting next Monday January 20th.

And thinking, always, about how I can raise the reputation of children's literature. Folk sometimes recognize the importance of children's books and probably do understand the value in switching children on to being readers. But there is a persistent refusal to believe that a children's book might be literary, like an adult book can be literary. That it might be clever, challenging, thought provoking and capable of making you a better person. This article has been doing the rounds on facebook. It is interesting. I have read a few of the books. I'm not sure they all changed me. I have read other books not on the list that 'have' changed me. But that's always the way with lists. I never agree with everything included, or not included - they are subjective entities. That's okay. But this isn't okay. The one children's book on the list of 50 life changing books is introduced by way of an apology. Sorry for including a children's book. I hope it doesn't offend you reader. Ya know its a children's book, but it somehow actually manages to still have a message that might be of interest/be beneficial to an adult. Maybe it was an accident. Okay - I apologise for my sarcastic tone (lowest form of wit, yada yada, yada), but the tone they have adopted encourages the continued subordination of children's literature to adult literature. This is the common consensus. And if it is never challenged it will never change. Children's books can be transformative for both child readers and adult readers.

So for my competition, to win a copy of one of my books (your choice of any of my books except Clever Moo which are now like hen's teeth or any short story anthologies I am included in as I don't have copies of these), tell me the name of a children's book that changed you (you can comment here or on facebook or Goodreads). I will pick my favourite - judges decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. One winner only - competition closes this Sunday 19th at 8pm. Examples for me would be The Earthsea Trilogy, The Outsiders, The Little Prince, The Changeover, The Lion in the Meadow, Where the Wild Things Are (...'and it was still hot'), to name a few... So get cracking!!

Crabby with a side of frustrated...

In response to the University of Kent's woeful attitude toward children's literature and sadly a few other disparaging and dismissive comments on the subject, and the recent dismissal of the experienced and well regarded children's book reviewer, Amanda Craig, at the Times in the UK, Keren David posted about the persistent problem at An Awfully Big Blog Adventure. And then there was this on Nicola Morgan's blog. The Times wasn't interested in the letter regarding Miss Craig with over 420 signatories (many of them award winning children's authors and illustrators).

I don't expect all the grown up writers to know all about children's literature as well as adult literature (although it is possible to keep up with what's happening in both areas, I certainly give it a go). However it does seem very rude when sweeping generalisations are made about such a wide range of literature without actually cracking the spine on any examples, yet somehow the commentators are still qualified to talk as if knowledgeable on the subject. And if they are widely read in children's books are they saying that the adult experience is always going to be a better topic? Or that emotional, spiritual or any kind of personal or social growth or change is more worthy if experienced by an adult?  The comment  'JK Rowling is now trying to write proper books for grown-ups...' unfortunately does seem to be a common attitude held by many readers/writers/studiers of adult literature towards the creators of literature for children. Should I accept this idea that my books aren't 'proper' books? Or that writing a book for children does not require any effort or sophisticated thinking? That I am taking it 'easy'?Or that my effort is worth less? Or I am a lesser kind of adult? Why so defensive? Maybe it's the constant belittling. Or the bewildered reaction that appears when it is suggested that writing for children is also literature. I am so disappointed that writers would do this to other writers. I am disappointed that this kind of thoughtless dismissiveness is delivered so easily. There are wonderful supportive and encouraging exceptions but sadly I think they prove the rule. I would apologise that I appear disrespectful towards writers of, or academics in, adult literature but I've been wading through so much blithe disrespect recently some of it has tried to cling to me. I am shaking it off. It really stinks.  

   

Genre doesn't determine quality...

Some people genuinely believe that children's literature can never qualify as good literature. I feel bad for them. Kent University thought it was okay to say this 

- teachers at the Centre for Creative Writing "love great literature and don't see any reason why our students should not aspire to produce it … We love writing that is full of ideas, but that is also playful, funny and affecting. You won't write mass-market thrillers or children's fiction on our programmes." 

I think they were truly surprised that other folk didn't agree with them and brushed off the complaints about their position on children's literature with a few jokes. Eventually they apologised but I couldn't help feeling they weren't entirely sure what had just happened. A book for children is simple to write and simple to read. Move along. Nothing to see here people.

And folk commenting on the article didn't get it either 
- lol at all the butthurt Dan Brown and Harry Potter readers on CiF crying because someone pointed out they are reading childish unchallenging books said letusberealistic.

I don't think letusberealistic (or Kent University) is reading children's books properly, or the right ones. But Frip's comment 

- A lot of people read for pleasure - not to be challenged. I am one of them. My work is challenging - I want entertainment when I read. Why does a book have to challenge you? 

which appears to be an attempt to support children's books is not much better. Many children's books from YA novels to picture books contain big ideas. Complex themes and issues are put forward in a highly distilled format (no mean feat) that explores, explains and enlightens sometimes in less than 1000 words. Sometimes in less than 500 words. In a way that a very young mind can take it on board and move forward toward adulthood with that knowledge understood and absorbed. These books are challenging and entertaining. Plenty of adult books cannot do both. 

I'm not going to dispute that there are some rubbish children's books out there with little thought or effort put in to them. With cliched, tired or empty themes or stories that revolve around a one note joke. But there are many children's books that easily qualify as good writing. Surely good writing or a good book is not determined by it's genre. My biggest surprise is that adult fans of adult literature believe they never read a good book until they read an adult book. Maybe they had difficult childhoods that they would rather block out or deny. How easily they forget that it is probably only good children's books that got them through those challenging years. 

How to catch an idea...

"How/where do you get your ideas?" is one of the most common questions I get asked. Ideas are everywhere and yet are more elusive than strange quarks/fairies/dark matter/Nessie/insert mythical creature here. How do you catch an idea? (This post applies more to picture books and poetry - I'll explore short story and novel ideas in the future)

I am always thinking about possible story ideas. I liken this, especially for potential picture book ideas, to trying to start a fire by rubbing two sticks together. Usually this requires a lot of time and effort and if you are lucky you might generate one or two little sparks and if you are very, very lucky a spark might fall on the driest part of your kindling or a patch of scrunched up newspaper with sufficient oxygen around it to start a fire. Fire = story. I try an awful lot of story ideas out in my head that never spark in to anything. They are too familiar, cliched, obvious, try-hard, preachy, superficial, empty or just downright dumb and are summarily discarded. Or the idea is intriguing and solid but I just don't know what to do with it. That kind I fill out as much as possible and keep for when I am ready to write them (this is how my next book The Song of Kauri was written and from first idea to final version was maybe around ten years with not much going on inbetween - I had to grow, as a writer, in to the idea ). But the best ideas are matches with a handy strike plate. Not a spark but an instant generous flame (watch out though - cup your hands around that flame, as unexpected and/or strong gusts of wind will blow it out). So where are the matches kept and how do we get them?

In a recent post I mentioned being inspired by the speech of a stuttering schoolboy and the result was my poem Eagle. The driving fragment of thought was 'I own the air' associated with the idea of 'birds' which came into my head after hearing the words (in separate sentences) own, birds and air. And while the resulting poem might not shake up the poetry world or win any prizes, the way it came about does say something about ideas. As I listened to the boy's speech the first time, while I appreciated the magic of what was happening to him I didn't hear what he actually said, I heard 'I own the air'. And this phrase was like a key that unlocked a larger idea about the relationship between birds and the medium they fly in.

I am watching, reading, thinking, observing (different to watching) and listening all the time. I read and watch widely from rubbish to academic material. This seems to make matches turn up more often. And by constantly trying on new ideas, and trying to get idea fires started I recognize when it's a match and not a twig or a knife or a pencil or a carrot. I know Neil Gaiman goes to the Idea Shop in Bognor Regis for his ideas. I'm not sure exactly how my brain goes from A (air, bird, own) to B (I own the air) - it's not a big leap but it came with useful baggage - but I think its important to feed your mind regularly and practice turning ideas into stories until you find one that works. Like a muscle, the more you exercise this process, the fitter it gets. This doesn't mean I get more ideas than the next person, it just means I know what they are when they show up. And then the hard work of turning the ideas into stories begins. How/where do you get your ideas?

A poem for Tuesday...

So I have this essay to write. The last one for the year. And my (self-determined) topic is rehabilitating the reputation of YA romance. Don't shoot me - even the feminists agree they aren't all bad. And anyways, because I was avoiding having to make hard decisions and actually write the thing, then I watched this and, I don't know if its real or not, but my tears and the inspiration were real. And of course I wrote a poem. Tuesday is poem day so here it is in all its raw and unedited (which is the only way I manage to write my poems) glory. Maybe it should be longer. I'll have to think about that.

Eagle

 by me

You own the air

treat it with a devil's care

make it bend to your will

for journeys

for need

for the way home

for fun

I see you out in storms

It's not that you have no

respect

for the speed and ferocity

of that wind

But maybe that it has

respect

for you

How the word cumquat could help you win a book...

Sometimes I like books that are just a gob-smackingly good read - with luscious language, pace and a plot so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel. The ones that make you feel like 'I didn't really know reading satisfaction, until I read this book.' Sometimes I like books that make me think, challenge my preconceptions and tie my brain in useful kinds of knots, like some metaphorical, metaphysical macrame pot plant holder. But my most favourite books are the ones that are the former, with the latter secretly hidden inside. The entertainy, learny kind all rolled into one 'oh-my-goodness-I am-so-devastated-it-is-over-how-will-I-live-without-it-but-look-how-much-smarter-I-am-about-the-world-now' package. These are the books that you want to un-remember so you can read them for the first time again ... and again.

I like to try and write books that make people think. That aren't just superficial and glossy but have some kind of greater meaning or examination of universal themes or revelation of some useful truths, or helpful ideas that people can take away and use in their own lives. Sometimes I think I get there, sometimes I almost get there: but it is always the goal. Words are a powerful medium. And with power comes great responsibility. A book is one of the safest ways to venture outside your comfort zone. To gain an insight in to the lives of others. And it is my job to put it in an entertainy, learny package that makes you put it back on your book pile to read again.

Authors work very hard to draw the reader in. To help them see what the author sees. The brilliant Maggie Stiefvater explains it well here. And shows exactly why some books need more than one reading to get the most out of them.

And because I now have a total of 40 followers I am going to have a competition. You can win any one of my books (except the first one, Clever Moo) in print, or where available, in a digital format if you prefer. Enter by commenting on this post with the title of the book you would like to win and with your favourite word (no swears please). I will pick my favourite of your favourite words as the winner. For example 'phalanges' is quite an amazing word, or 'cumquat'. The competition will close on Friday.

The best idea ever...

The assignment is in the post, I have sorted out a few things, and had some nice emails arrive. Things are looking up.

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.

What to feed your poem to keep it alive...

Words are such powerful things. Even the simplest. Yes. No. Love. Hate. They can be dangerous. Weapon-like. Cutting and cruel or heart-achingly beautiful. A single word can be the cause of immense happiness. Any author can confirm the truth of that.

Authors are often exhorted to show not tell. As they should be. Telling is so dull. And when you think of the potency of even the most ordinary little words why not take advantage of it. Showing is a satisfying challenge. When I do school visits I demonstrate the power of words with the following phrase (or a variation on it):-

"Get lost Four-Eyes."

I don't think I need add a dialogue tag for the reader of those words to understand something about the speaker and their character, something about the person being spoken to, and the relationship between them. It's a cruel statement. And a picture begins to form. I didn't use a lot of descriptive words to achieve these. Language doesn't have to be complex or generous to create a powerful image. Think of poetry - some of the briefest and yet most powerful language known.

I wish I was a poet. It only happens sometime - maybe days with an 'n' in them once every six months. Most often when I am not looking, it springs out of nowhere and surprises me - Boo! And then before I can hold on to it and put it in a very strong container for safe-keeping it is gone again. Maybe if I kept it in a box it would die anyway. I never know how many holes to poke in the lid or what to feed it.

Other people seem able to keep theirs not only alive but vigorous and healthy for years. Like the fab New Zealand poet Paula Green. Paula has the coolest blog for young poets. Maybe if I had had something like this when I was trying to keep my poetry alive in a box as a kid I would be writing poetry now on days with a 'y' in them. You should go check it out. 'Tis very excellent.

And then there was Benedict Cumberbatch's voice...

I have a big list of things to do - BIG - so I went to the movies and saw Star Trek Into Darkness which I may need to see again for the purposes of quality control and I just watched the first two episodes of Parade's End back to back and it has all messed with my head and I am disinclined to do ANYTHING which means of course I am now posting on my blog. That Benedict Cumberbatch boy is a chameleon with a voice that could lure you off a precipice. I am worried his head will inflate till it explodes because everyone is going round saying he's amazing as Sherlock/Christopher Tietjens/John Harrison/insert latest role here. I'm sorry Benedict but this is unhealthy, you need to be crap at something so you can rejoin the real world.

I liked the new Star Trek. Good work J.J. Plenty of nods and referencing of earlier Star Trek episodes and movies in a reverential kind of way. It was fun telling my co-watcher (middle child) about the scenes that echoed scenes I'd seen in my youth. And yet these fitted seamlessly into the new narrative. I thought it built well on the first movie. And then there was Benedict Cumberbatch's voice. And some good humour, and some excellent running and a stunning spaceship crashing scene and the cleverness of dealing with a spaceship tumbling through space. And then Parade's End focusing on a man struggling to deal with the decline of the rural idyll (yes I am oversimplifying here - sorry). The countryside and the noble tilling of the soil and the sense of community might have been utopia for Tietjens but any society that views cuddling your own child after a nightmare as soft may deserve a little readjustment. All the manners, and the traditions and the contradictions are disturbing and fascinating. And then there's Benedict Cumberbatch's voice. Oh and there's a love triangle. The love triangle is fairly straightforward. One woman is the wife and the other woman is called Valentine. And then there's the man sticking pipes in the bushes so his landowner lord and master can grab one any time and have a smoke - people probably actually did that. I am enjoying it all. So yes I have been waylaid. Let's call it research.

And there has been a lot of sharing and discussion over the last few weeks of Maureen Johnson's gendered-book-cover experiment. You can see her fab article here if you haven't already caught it. I have discussed something similar before. Ms Johnson makes some fair points. It all reminds me of the comment this year in the NZ Post Children's Book Award judges' preface to the finalists. The judges lamented the lack of strong heroines in this year's batch of books. Last year or maybe the year before they probably lamented the lack of books specifically for boys.  I'm not sure why they mentioned it. As if children will falter in their social and gender development without a book this year with a fiesty female character. There is a whole NZ canon out there with heroines and heroes in a variety of genre catering to all readers. Good readers read widely. They can get their heroines and heroes from the wider cache of books from any year, not just this one. Please don't suggest writers should be going out of their way to fill a gap, they're too busy writing the best books about serious and compelling issues with the protagonists that demand their story be told. Or watching Star Trek.