Writers Narrative March 2024 Issue

EDITORIALTEAM

WendyH.Jones-EditorinChief-isalsoourExecutiveCommissioningandFeaturesEditor.Sheisthe multi-award-winning,best-sellingauthorofadult crimethrillersandcozymysteries,children’spicturebooksandnon-fictionbooksforwriters.Inaddition,sheisawritingcoach,partnerin Auscot Publishing and Retreats andhoststheWritingandMarketingShowpodcast.

SheenaMacleodisourDeputytotheEditorinChief. Sheoverseestheday-to-dayproductionanddesign. Sheis authorofthehistoricalfictionnovels,ReignoftheMarionettesandTearsofStrathnaver,andco-authorofthenonfictionbookSo,YouSayICan’tVote!FrancesConnelly.

EditorinChief

DeputytoThe EditorinChief

PaulineTaitmanagesoursubmissions.Paulineisaprolificnovelist,children’sauthorandwritingmentor. Shewritesbothsuspensefulromanceandchildren’spicturebooksfor3to7years.

AllisonSymesisourCopyEditor.Sheisanawardwinning,publishedflashfictionandshortstorywriter. Shealsowritesaweeklycolumnontopicsofinterest forwritersforonlinemagazine, Chandler's Ford Today.

Susan McVeyisourContentEditor.Susanwrites dystopianfictionandfantasynarratives,tailoredfor theyoungadultandteenageaudience.ShepublishesunderMartiM.McNair.Herworksinclude Island of Ruin (RuinorRedemptionBook1).

MaressaMortimeroverseesourmarketingandoursocial mediaengagement.MaressaisauthoroftheElabi Chronicles, Burrowed and Sapphire Beach.

SubmissionManager

CopyEditor

ContentEditor

Marketingand Promotions Manager

Featured Interview with Children’sPictureBook

Author Greta

Yorke

Developingachapterbook series

Writingforchildren

Knowingyourgenre Andmuchmore...

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Writers’ Narrative is published monthly by Scott and Lawson Publishing. Graphic Design by Sheena Macleod. All contents Copyright © the individual authors and used with their permission. All rights reserved.

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52 ChildhoodFavourites byJennySanders

18 NarrativePoem: Gabby and Milo byLisMcDermott

MonthlyWritingPrompts

24 WritingPrompts:March byWendyH.Jones andTami.C. Brown

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WelcometotheMarchissueofWriters’ Narrative.Marchbringsusspring,new growth,WorldBookDay,wherechildrenworldwidecelebratebooksandreading. So,thisissueisdedicatedtochildren’swriting andpublishing.

Wearedelightedtowelcomeawardwinning children’sauthor,GretaYorkeasourfeatured authorasshegenerouslyshareshertimeand wisdom.

ArticlesincludeHowtoDevelopaChapterBook Series,FromSchoolExchangestotheWorkhouse,FindingInspirationforYourChildren’s Books,Children’sAuthors:TheImportanceof KnowingYourGenre,WritingforandPublishing Anthologies,andsomuchmore.

Therearereviewsofsomecrackingbooks,and ourWriters’Bookofthemonth, Polish Your Fiction,willgetyouinthemoodfornextmonth’s issueonEditing.

OurresidentOfficeDoghasanexcellentarticle onCharacterisation,demonstratingjusthowtalentedsheis.

Withallourusualfeaturestherereallyissomethingforeveryone.Ihopeyouenjoytheissue.

Ifyouenjoyedthemagazineoroneparticular articleresonatedwithyou,pleasewriteinand letusknow.Thereisa£10bookvoucheravailableortheequivalentinyourlocalcurrency.I lookforwardtohearingfromyou.

Wendy H. Jones Editor in Chief

Wendy H. Jones Author, Publisher, Writing Coach

Letterofthe Month

Dear Editor,

Maressa Mortimer (When Sheer Imagination Isn't Enough) advises going to the places you plan to write about and I wouldn't disagree with that.

Dear Editor,

Idon’tpretendtobeapoetalthoughlikemost ofus,Isuspect,I’vedabbled.I’mintrigued, however,bytheconnectionbetween mathematicsandpoetry,asillustratedinLis McDermott’sfascinatingarticlesaboutpoetic forms.

Couldthisbeawayinforme?It’scertainly worthatry. I’malsoleftwonderingaboutthe mysteriousWaldenGreenwell.I’veGoogledhim, but,likeLis,canfindnoinformationabouthim.I did,though,falldownanonlinerabbitholethat ledmetothisquote,attributedtoRussian mathematicianSofiaKovalevskaya:‘Itisimpossibletobeamathematicianwithoutbeingapoetinsoul.’Iwonderifthereverseistrue.

JuliaThorley

Once, though, I did the exact opposite. An idea for a short story set in Bristol came to me when it wasn't possible to make the journey from North Yorkshire and so I wrote it entirely from a street map and information about key locations found on the Internet.

BURP had already appeared in print by the time I had the opportunity to travel down to South West England and I set a day aside to walk around in my characters' footsteps. To my surprise and delight, the places in which I'd set the various scenes were exactly as I'd described them and I came away with the glow of satisfaction that follows a job well done.

Best regards,

Maggie Cobbett

Every month, a £10 book token will be awarded to the selected letter of the month. Congratulations to this month’s winner.

Please email letters to the editor to writersnarrative@gmail.com

FeaturedAuthorInterview GretaYorke

InterviewedbyWendyH.Jones

Wendy H. Jones interviews Children’s Picture Book Author Greta Yorke.

Greta,thankyouforjoiningushereatWriters’NarrativeMagazinetochataboutWriting Children’sPictureBooks.Itreallyisapleasuretowelcomeyou.Iamsureourreaders willlearnsomuchfromyou.

Whatinspiredyoutostartwritingchildren's picturebooks,andhowdidyoufindyour uniquevoiceinthisgenre?

Isupposethechildreninmyclassinspiredme tostartwritingchildren’sstories.Iwonaknitted witchinaschoolraffleandaskedtheladywho knitteditifshewouldknitme9morewitches formetousearesourcefornumberworkwith Primary1.Whenthewitchescame,theywereall differentcolours.Anotheropportunityfor teaching,coloursnow.

AsamemberofAyrWriters’Club,Iwasencouragedtowriteastoryforunder7s.Thisresulted inWitchHitchwhichwasextremelypopular withthechildreninmyclass.Itwontheunder 7scategoryintheScottishAssociationofWriterscompetition.

Thisstoryaboutthose10colourfulwitches provedsosuccessfulIwasaskedtowriteanotherstoryaboutthemandsoTartanWitchwas conceived.

Canyoushareyourcreativeprocesswhendevelopingcharactersforyourpicturebooks, andhowdoyouensuretheyresonatewith youngreaders?

IthinkallthepicturebooksIwasintroducedto asaninfantteacherandthearrivalofmyown grandchildren,wholovehavingstoriesreadto them,standmeingoodsteadtoknowwhat works,what’spopular.

Lisa Turley is from West Virginia. She is on numerous ARC street teams and reads in multiple genres. She is passionate about helping authors get the wordoutabouttheirbooks.

Howdoyouapproachcraftingacompelling andage-appropriatenarrativethatengages bothchildrenandtheirparentsorcaregivers?

Myteachingexperienceprovedinvaluablein gaugingageappropriation.Ialwaysconsidermy audience,bothparentandchild,whenwritinga

GretaYorke

storyandtrytoincludehumourwheneverpossible.Youngchildrenrespondwelltorepetition andrhyme,joininginwhentheycan.

Whatroledoillustrationsplayinyourstorytelling,andhowdoyoucollaboratewithillustratorstobringyourvisiontolife?

Muchofmystoriesistoldthroughtheirillustrations.IammostfortunatethatMaggieBolton,

‘Youcantaketheteacherouttheclassroom but…….’Thestoryusuallydevelopsfromthat initialidea.SometimesIhaveatitleinmindbeforeIhaveastory!

Whatchallengeshaveyouencounteredincreatingdiverseandinclusivestories,andhowdo youaddresstheminawaythatresonateswith abroadaudience?

withmeas,inmymind,Icanseetheillustrations

Whendevelopingthethemesforyourbooks, doyouhaveaspecificmessageorlessonin mind,ordoyouprefertoletthestoryevolve organically?

Iusuallyhaveaspecificmessage,whichtendsto beofeducationalvalue,inmindwhenIbegin.

Asmypicturebooksaremagical/fantasyIhaven’t hadissueswithdiversityandinclusivityperse buthopefullytheyareaddressedsensitivelyin mychildren’snovel.Ifindthesedifficultconcepts becauseIseeandacceptpeople/charactersfor whotheyarenotwhattheyare.Ihopethat makessense.

Canyoushareanytipsorstrategiesforcapturingandmaintainingachild'sattention throughouttheentirepicturebook,frombeginningtoend?

HopefullyIcreatecharacterswhoareinteresting andengagingwithattractiveillustrations.Iincludehumourintextandillustrationswhichpromoteopportunitiesfordiscussion.

Howdoyounavigatethechanginglandscape ofchildren'sliteratureandstayattunedtothe evolvingpreferencesofyoungreadersand theirfamilies?

Iamfortunatewith8grandchildrenagedfrom5 to14sothere’sarichseamthere.Ialsoreadat librariesandinschoolsandalwayschattothe childrenandlistentothem.Iaskwhat’spopular withchildrenatlibraries.

IrecentlyledaworkshopatAyrWriters’Clubtitled‘WritingforToday’sChildren’.Isentquestionnairesto4localschoolstofindoutwhat10 and11year-oldswerereadingandwhatthey

wouldliketoreadinthefuture.Thechildren’s responseswereenlightening,withafewasking formorestoriesincludingAutismandDyslexia.

Whatadvicedoyouhaveforaspiringauthors whoarepassionateaboutwritingchildren's picturebooks,andwhatkeylessonshaveyou learnedfromyourownexperiencesintheindustry?

I’dsaythefirstthingtodoistoreadwhat’spopular,asklibrariansthenjoinawriters’club wheretherewillbeawealthofinformationand supportavailablefromexperiencedwriterswho, inmyexperience,arehappytoadviseandgive positivefeedback.

AlthoughI’mnotasgoodasIshouldbeatthis, it’simportanttokeepahighprofileonsocial media.It’salsoamustthatallopportunitiesare takentosellyourbooksbeitlocalmarkets, bookfairsandapproachingbooksshopsand otheroutletsi.e.farmshops,cafes.

Whatdoesaworkingdaylooklikeforyou?

Iamverycommittedhelpingwiththeaforementionedgrandchildrenbutideally,Itrytowrite fortwohoursinthemorningandhopefullyan hourintheafternoon.Igetanideaforastory andthat’sdefinitelyafocus.OnceoncourseI makeapointofprioritisingmywritingwhenever possible.

Doyoupreferkeyboardorpen?

Ialwaysstartwithpenandjotdownideas,in copiousnotebooks,whentheycometomind whichissometimesinthemiddleofthenight.I keepanotebookandpenbesidethebed,justI case.OngoesthebedsidelightandIjotdown theideaasIknowI’dneverrememberthisgem

inthemorning.Thenthekeyboardcomesinto itsownwhenIgatherallthejottingsandstart thefirstdraft.

Ifyoucouldgoanywhereintheworldto write,wherewouldyougo?

IwouldgotothelittlevillageintheDordogne regionofFrancewherewe’veholidayedfor morethan30years.Wonderfulweather,deliciousfoodandspectacularscenerymakethe mostinspirationalsurroundings.

Wherecanourreadersgotofindoutmore aboutyouandyourbooks?

AsIsaidalready,I’mnotnearlyasprolificasI shouldbeonsocialmedia,mustaddressthis.I dopostonFacebookandInstagramandmy booksareallforsaleonAmazon.Findmeon FacebookatGretaYorkeandGretaYorkeAuthor andonInstagramatGretaYorke.Email gretayorke@yahoo.com

Thankyou,Greta,fortakingthetimetotalk tous.Ithasbeenapleasurefindingoutmore

Tartan Witch byGretaYorke

ReviewedbyWendyH.Jones

ThewitchesarealldreadingTartanWitch’svisitbecausetheydon’tunderstandwhatshesays.Canthey solvethisproblem?

FollowtheirstoryasTartanWitchtellsthewitches what’sbeenhappeningtoher.ToldinScotsandEnglishthisisafunstorywhichpromotestheScotslanguage.

Childrenenjoythestoryandthelovelyillustrations.

Thisisafunbookforboththechildrenandtheadultswhoarereadingittothem.Everyverseistoldfirst inScotsandtheninEnglish,meaningmanyadultsgettonguetiedwiththeScotsvernacular.This makesitadelightfulbook.

Theillustrationssupportthestoryineverywayandarecolourfulandcheerful.Ihavehadtheprivilege ofreadingthisbothinaSchoolandinabookshopandthechildrenlovedit.Imustadmit,Idotoo

TheWooinTheWildWoods

byGretaYorke

ReviewedbyWendyH.Jones

Blurb

Jamieisawouldbewizardwhocannotcompletehistrainingandbecomearealwizardbecauseheneeds afamiliarandJamieisallergictofurryanimals.

Jamiesetsoutonajourneytofindasolution.Hemeetsdifferentanimalswithproblemsalongtheway andtriestohelpbutwillhemanagetohelphimself?

ThisstoryisbeautifullyillustratedshowingAutumninallitssplendour.It’sataleofperseveranceand kindness.

Review

Whatadelightfulbooktoreview.Itisbeautifullyillustratedandthestorytugsattheheartstrings. IlovedJamie,ourwouldbewizard,andwasrootingforhimoneverystepofhisjourney.ThestoryisengagingandthechildrenIreadittowerekeptentertainedandlovedthestory.

GretaYorkeisaskilledauthorandthisshowsthroughineverypageofthisbook.

LibraryoftheMonth

TheLibraryofInnerpeffray

byWendyH.Jones

ThismonthourlibraryofthemonthisScotland’sfirstfreepubliclendinglibrary.

Foundedin1680anyone,regardlessof class,wasabletoborrowbooksuntil1968.The collectionwasstartedbyDavidDrummondwho openedupaccesstohissubstantialbookcollectionforanyonewhowishedtoborrowthem.He alsoprovidedfundsforthemaintenanceofthe booksandlibrary.Thiswasunprecedentedatthe time.

Equallyunprecedentedwashisfamilycontinuing tosupportthecollectionthroughoutitshistory.

Today,althoughvisitorscannotborrowbooks, theycanvisitthecollectionandreadthebooksit contains.

Havingvisited,Icanassureyouitiswellworthdoingso,ifonlytolookthroughtheborrowers’registerswiththeiruniqueinsightsintotheborrowing habitsofPerthshireresidentsthroughouthistory.

InnerpeffrayLibraryisatrueScottishgem.

Wendy H. Jones is the multi-award-winning, best-selling author of adult crime thrillers and cozy mysteries, children’s picture books and non-fiction books for writers. In addition she is a writing coach, editor in chief of Writers’ Narrative, partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats and hosts the Writing and Marketing Show podcast.

HowToDevelopAChapterBookSeries

Kidliteditor,bookcoach,andwriterJennifer Navarre,shareswhychapterbooksaresoimportantandwhytheyareusuallypartofaseries.

Picturebooksrightlygetalotofattention fromparentsandteachersforpromoting aloveofreading.Olderkidsandteens havenovelstopiquetheirinterest.Butinbetweenpicturebooksandnovelsarechapter books,acategorythatdoesn’toftengetas muchattention.However,ifyouwantreaders somedayofmiddlegrade,YA,andadultbooks, thenyoumusthavechapterbookreadersfirst. Why?Becausereadingchapterbookshelpschildrentobecomeindependentreaders.

Justafewshortyearsago,theywerelearning theirABCsandhowtosoundoutwords.But nowthey’remakingmeaningoutoftextwithoutrelyingasmuchonillustrations.Nolonger dotheyhavetowaitforanadulttoreadto them.Theycanreadthetextthemselvesand theywill overandoveragain.

‘Reading chapter books helps children to become independent readers.’

Ifyou’vebeenaroundchildren’sbooksatallin thelastfewdecades,you’veprobablyrun acrossachapterbookseriesortwo.Think The Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jones,or A to Z Mys-

teries Ivy and Bean, Jada Jones,or Mermaid Tales.

Chapterbooksarewrittenforkidsbetweenthe agesofsixandten.Forthefirsttime,kidsare readingbooksthatwillrequireabookmark.The shapeofthesebookslooksmorelikewhatthe bigkidsandthegrown-upsreadtoo.Andthe pagecountmightbeover gasp 100pages. Thosethingsmightsoundminortoyou,but they’reabigdealtothem.

‘Chapter books are written for kids between the ages of six and ten. ‘

Chapterbooksareusuallypartofaseries.Each bookintheseriesisanewadventureforkidsto enjoy,butitusuallyfeaturesthesamefamiliar charactersand/orsettings.Whilenovelsforolderkidsmightneedtobereadinorder,with chapterbooks,it’simportanteachbookisa

standalonestory.Thisway,kidscanbeginreadingaseriesoutoforder.Iftheylikethefirst booktheyreadintheseries,youcanpretty muchcountonthemreadingeveryothertitle theycangettheirhandson.

Soifyouwanttowriteachapterbook,what shouldyoudo?

Firstofall,thinkaboutyourmaincharacter(s). Whoisleadingthisseries?Isitaduo,likeIvyand Bean?IsitalwaysthesamecharacterlikeJada Jones?Whatareyourcharacterslike?Dothey haveasignaturelook,move,orcatchphrase?

Next,thinkaboutyoursetting.Isthesettingin eachbookthesame,likeJunieB.’shome, school,andgeneralneighborhood?Orisitmore liketheMagicTreeHouse,whereJackandAnnie begininthetreehousebuttravelsomewhere differentineachbook?

Nowputitalltogetherandwriteoutyourseries premise.Howcouldyoupitchthisseriesina sentenceortwotoafriend?Whatwillbethe sameineverybook?Forexample,in The A to Z Mysteries,thetriohasamysterytosolveinevery book,nomatterifthey’reathomeoronvacation.

Lastly,jotdownsomeideasforindividualtitles. Whataresomeoftheadventuresyourcharacterscangooninthisuniverseyou’vecreated?

Chapterbookshelpkidsbuildconfidenceand fosteraloveofreadingtheycancarrywiththem fortherestoftheirlives.Areyoureadytodevelopachapterbookseriesforthem?

DevelopingAChapterBookSeries

• Chapterbookscanhelpchildrenbecomeindependentreaders.

• Chapterbooksarewrittenforkidsbetween theagesofsixandten.

• Chapterbooksareusuallypartofaseries.

• Eachbookintheseriesisanewadventure butitusuallyfeaturesthesamefamiliar charactersand/orsettings.

• Whilenovelsforolderkidsmightneedtobe readinorder,withchapterbooks,it’simportanteachbookisastandalone.

• Chapterbookscanhelpkidsbuildconfidenceandfosteraloveofreading

Jennifer Navarre is a kidlit editor, book coach, and writer in the United States who works with authors of picture books, chapter books, and middle grade and YA novels. Learn more and download a copy of Your Writing Life 2024 at https://jenavarre.com/resources.

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WritingforChildren

Allison Symes discusses why children’s writing is so vital and shares useful tips on the importance of knowing exactly who your target audience is .

Allwritersneedtoknowwhotheirintendedaudienceisbutiftherewasacategory whichhasthisasagoldenruleitwould bethechildren’smarket.Why?Simplybecause therearedifferentagerangestocaterforsoyou must knowwhoyouareaimingat-thestyles acrossthemarketvaryconsiderably.

Childrenliketoread“up”-aboutcharactersa littleolderthantheyare-buttheyalsolike charactersofthesameage.Abooksuitablefor asix-year-oldwillholdnointerestforateenager.Theuseoflanguagechangestoo,whichis anotherreasontothinkaboutwhoyouwantto writefor.

Bearinmindmanybooksareboughtforchildrenbyparentsand/orgrandparents,especiallyattheyoungerendsofthemarket,sothey arethefirstyouneedtoconvinceyourbookis justthethingtheirlovedoneswouldenjoy reading.

Thereisnogettingawayfromtheneedtostudy themarket.Checkwhatchildrenarereading now. Studythelibrarybookshelvesandlocal bookshop.Getyourselfacopyofthe Children’s Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook.

Thisdoesforthechildren’sbookmarketwhat thestandardversionofthisexcellentdirectory doesforothergenres(The Writers’ and Artists Yearbook. BothbooksarepublishedinlateAugust/earlySeptember).Itliststhepublishers, theirwebsitedetails,whichenablesyouto

checkwhatbookstheyarealreadypublishing. Thisbookwillsaveyouresearchtimesoisworth gettingforthataspectalone.Youmustknow whotoapproachandwhattheyarelookingfor.

IhaveasoftspotfortheYoungAdultbooks whichcovertheagesof12to18.IsuspectI’mnot theonlyonewhoiswelloverthe“agelimit”who does.Thesebooksareafabulousintroductionto traditionaladultnovelswhich,ofcourse,isthe idea.

Thinkaboutwhatyouwantyourbooktoachieve withyourreaders.Areyouseekingtomakethem laugh,think,ordoboth?Islanguageusedappropriatetoage?

Childrenwanttolovetheirbooks,aswealldo. Thereasonbookssuchasthe Horrible Histories or the Captain Underpants serieshavedonesowell isbecausethewritersandpublishersknowtheir market.Itisnotthesamemarketasitwould havebeenwhenIwasgrowingup.Thisispartly becausetherewasn’taYoungAdultcategory then.Iwentstraightfromchildren’sbooksto adultones.

Lisa Turley is from West Virginia. She is on numerous ARC street teams and reads in multiple genres. She is passionate about helping authors get the wordoutabouttheirbooks.

Butthemarkethaschangedinotherways.Children’sbookscantackletopicsofinterestto them. Childrennowwon’tnecessarilybeinterestedinthebooks we foundappealingattheirage.

Allison Symes

Therearetimelessclassicsofcourse,thefairy taleswillalwaysappealforexample,butsomethingthatgrippedmyattentionwhenIwasakid won’tnecessarilydothesamenow.

Ithinkchildren’sauthorshaveatougherjob nowbecausetheyneedtoencouragechildrento read.Giventhereissomuchelsetheycando withtheirsparetime,booksmustgrabthemso theywillwanttoreadratherthanjustbeengrossedbyelectronicdevices.Solookatwhat characterstheylikeandfigureoutwhatappeals here.

Thinkaboutyourcharacters.Whatisspecial aboutthem?Whatwoulddrawachildtoreading theirstory?

Itistrue,regardlessofgenre,publishersare lookingformorethanonebookfromanauthor sohaveyougotacharacterwithpotentialfora series?Ifnot,haveyougotarangeofcharacters youcouldwriteabout?Whatwouldmakeyour storyamustread?Ifanythingistheholygrailfor writers,itisthatlastpoint.

Therearecoursesforwritingforchildren,includingwritingpicturebookssoifthisisanarea ofinterest,itmaybeworthcheckingtheseout. Awebsearchshowedthereareahugenumber ofcoursesoutthere.

HarperCollinsAcademy isjustonebutsomeof thecollegesanduniversitiesalsoofferthem. Someareinpersoncourses,othersareonline. Othersarelongcourses.Thereareshortones too.Alsolookoutfor The Faber Academy, The Golden Egg Academy, andplaceslike The Writers’ Bureau forcourses.

Readwhatchildrenarereading now aswellas theclassicchildren’sbooks.Itpaystobeaware ofwhatishappeninginthehereandnow.

Somepublishersofferawayintopublicationby runningchildren’sbookcompetitions. Chicken House areanexampleofthisand,whenthe

competitionisrunning,unagentedandunpublishedwritersarewelcometosubmitentries.

Oftenwiththiskindofthing,youdonothear backifunsuccessfulsodobearthatinmind. Thisisbecausethepublishersandjudgessimply won’thavethetimetonotifyeveryonebutthe disciplineofsendingachildren’sbookinfora competitionofthiskindwouldbegoodexperienceandifyoucangetlong-listedorbetter,fabulous.

Mostbookcompetitionsdohaveaheftyfee (£25.00orsoisnotuncommon)butthisisbecauseyouarepayingthejudgefortheirtimein readingyourentirebook.Someplacesoffer concessions.

Thinkabout why youwanttowriteforchildren andwhatyouhavetoofferintermsofstory. Havefunwritingit!

Aboveall,celebratewhatyoudohere.Why?Becausemostreadershavehadalifelongloveof reading,whichhascomefromtheirloveofchildren’sbooks.

Whatwewantisforthereadinghabittocontinuesopeoplegofromchildren’sbookstoYoung Adulttoadult.Withoutthefoundationofwonderfulchildren’sbooksencouragingaloveof thewrittenwork,thatscenariobecomesless likely.

Allison Symes is a flash fiction/short story writer, blogger and editor based in Hampshire. She runs writing workshops, judges competitions, and writes weekly for writers for Chandler’s Ford Today. She has two flash fiction collections published (Chapeltown Books) with a third in the pipeline.

NarrativePoem:GabbyandMilo

This month, poet Lis McDermott discusses narrative poetry which tells a story and is ideal for introducing children to the poetry world.

Thismonth’sthemeforthemagazineis, WritingforChildren.Withthisinmind,I decidedtowriteaNarrativepoem.

Anarrativepoemdoeswhatitsaysonthetin–a poem,thattellsastory.

Therearemanydefinitionsofwhatanarrative poemshouldinclude.Likeanystory,theyshould includeaplot,otherstory-writingdevices,poetic devicesandforms,suchasmetre,rhymeand verse.

Personally,Ipreferwritingwithasyllablecount, becauseithelpstobalancethepoemandalso helpstheflow.AndIliketorhyme.

Theprocess:

Mystartingpointwastothinkofastory.Ialso wantedmystorytohaveamoral–minebeing, theideathatyoucanbefriendswithanyonein life,whethertheyhavethesamebackgroundas youornot.

I’mnotachildren’swriterinanyshapeofform, soImayhavecompletelymisaimedmystoryin termsofwritingforthecorrectaudience.

Myinitialthoughtsonthebasicstory:

Thecatplayingthegardensuddenlyseesthe earthbegintomoveandseesthemoleemerge. Itmakeshimjump.

Themoleshouldbefrightenedofthecat,but isn’tandstartstalkingtothecat.

Thecat’shumanisgettingannoyedbythelittle moundsofdirtinhisprideandjoy–hisgrass,so heplanstogetinamolecatcher.

Catoverhearshimtalkingaboutitwiththefemalehumanandrushesdowntowarnmole aboutitsohecanpackupandmoveon.Tells himnottocomebackandkeepoutofthegarden.He’sheardthemolecatcherexplainhow thetrapworks,andhedoesn’twanthisfriendto getcaught.

HebringshisfamilytosaygoodbyetoCat.Cat wassadtoseehimgo,butpleasedheisstill alive.

LisMcDermott

Asalways,Imakemyselfawordbank,andlook forrhymingwords,thenIstarttoworkonmy poem.

Initially,Iwroteitwithoutcaringtoomuch aboutthesyllablecount,buttryingtogetthe correctendrhymes.

Iendedupwithquitealotofthelinesasimilar length,butoverall,theyweren’tconsistent,soI reworkedthepoemsothatIendedupwiththe samelengthofsyllablesineachline–19.

N.B.TherearesomedifferencesinhowUKEnglishandUSEnglishcountssyllables.Mycountis basedonUKEnglish.

Iwon’tsharetheentirefirstversionofthepoem, becauseit’stoolong–but,thisistheoriginal firstverse.

Upearlyonemorning,outforagentlestroll,(12) Listeningtothechirpingbirds,Gabbycouldn’t seeasoul.(14)

Thetabby-catwandereddownthegardenpath, (10)

Hopingforatastyfeatheredsnack,splashingin thebirdbath.(15)

Asyoucansee,verydifferentnumberofsyllablesforeachlineinthisfirstverse.

Thefinishedpoem:

GabbyandMilo

Onemorning,upearlybeforetherestofthe house,outforagentlestroll, Listeningtothechirpingbirdshighupinthe trees,Gabbycouldn’tseeasoul. Thetabby-cat,queenofherrealm,wandered nonchalantlydownthegardenpath,

Hopingforatastyfeatheredpre-breakfastsnack splashinginthebird-bath.

Asshepaddedalong,swishinghertailshenoticedalittlesoil-hill rightinthemiddleofherhuman’sprecious lawn,whichmusthavetakensomeskill. Slowly,inhunter-mode,Gabbycrepttowards thepile,tobemetwiththesight ofaweirdsmallanimal,pokingitssnoutfroma hole.Gabbyjumpedinfright.

“Hello”saidasqueakyvoice.“I’mMilo.Ididn’t meantogiveyouascare”

Gabbyfeltembarrassed,asshewaslarger; shouldhavekepthercool,tobefair. Sheintroducedherself,askedMilowhathewas. “I’mamole”washisreply.

Havingneverseenorevenheardofmoles,the catfeelingstupid,said‘Hi’.

Strangely,thetwoquicklybecamefirmfriends, andeachdayMilosharedmoleytales, asGabbywouldaskmanyquestionsaboutthe tunnelsandallthedetails ofhowMilomanagedtofindhiswayunderground?Howdidheusehisclaws? Gabbyshowedhimhowshecaughtbirds,but withhim,wasalwaysgentlewithherpawsandwouldteasingly,tapMilogentlyonhistiny pointyshovel-nose.

Forweeksthefriendshadsuchfun,chatting awaywithoutevercomingtoblows. However,Gabbyhadnoticedthatseveralmole hillshadstartedtospawn alloverherhuman’sbeautifullymanicured,and highlytreasuredlawn.

ThatnightGabbyoverheardhertwohumans talkingaboutsettingmoletraps Hejoked,‘’That’llbefinito!Goodbyemoley–for you,it’stheend,thewraps!

I’msickofthisanimalcreatingmoundsofdirtin mybeautifulgrass,

I’mgoingtocallamolecatcher,whowillridmeof mymoleyfriends,enmasse”.

Indarkness,Gabbyspedoutofthehouse,and waitedforMilotoappear, toldhimtopackup,moveon,andwhatwould happenifhedidn’tdisappear.

Milocalleddownthetunnels,forallhisfamilyto comeandsay‘goodbye’, leavingthetabby-cat,Gabby,wavingherpaw, withtearsstreamingfromhereyes.

Shehadn’texpectedtomakefriendswiththis cuteanimal,sopolesapart, yettheyhadbecomemates,andhistaleseach dayfilledherheart.

GabbywassadtoseeMilogo,buthappyhe wouldstaysafeandalive, thatheandhisfamilywouldsurvive,eachday movingforwards,growandthrive.

Gabby’shumanwasfarfrompleased,whenthe mole-catcher’strapsfoundnothingatall, Herefusedtopay;angrywordswereexchanged. Thingsalmostendedinabrawl.

Thelawnstillhaslittlelumpshereandthere,but notasinglemoleanywhere, Tabby-catGabbyisonmolepatrol,takingcharge of their socialwelfare.

NarrativePoem

• Anarrativepoemdoeswhatit saysonthetin–apoem,that tellsastory.

• Therearemanydefinitionsof whatanarrativepoemshould include.

• Likeanystory,theyshouldincludeaplot,otherstory-writing devices,poeticdevicesand forms,suchasmetre,rhyme andverse.

• Mystartingpointwastothink ofastory.Ialsowantedmystorytohaveamoral.

Lis McDermott is a multi-genre author, poet and writing mentor. Visit Lis’ website: https://lismcdermottauthor.co.uk

TheLaneBookshop,Perth,Australia

byWendyH.Jones

For our Bookshop of the month, Wendy H. Jones takes you to the Lane Bookshop in Perth, Australia.

ThismonththeBookshopoftheMonthtakes ustoAustraliaasIwillbevisitingtherelater thisyear.

AsmyfirststoptakesmetoPerth,IthoughtI wouldlookforanindependentbookshopIcan visitwhenIgetthere.ItturnsoutPerthiswellendowedwithbookshopsbuttheonewhichtook myattention,TheLaneBookshop,wasbecause ofitsaddress–OldTheatreLane.Howcanyou resistanaddresssuchasthat.

Fromtheshop’swebsite,itseemstobeabustlingplacewheretheyholdauthoreventsand bothadultandchildren’sbookclubsaswellas hostingasummerreadingchallenge. Iamverymuchlookingforwardtovisitingandto, ofcourse,pickingupsomebookswithanAustraliantheme.

Wendy H. Jones is the multi-award-winning, best-selling author of adult crime thrillers and cozy mysteries, children’s picture books and non-fiction books for writers. In addition she is a writing coach, editor in chief of Writers’ Narrative, partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats and hosts the Writing and Marketing Show podcast.

FromSchoolExchangestotheWorkhouse

Maggie Cobbett looks at how her life in secondary education has inspired her creative writing.

Muchofmywritingforchildrenhasbeen inspiredbythirtyyearsinsecondaryeducation.Asateacherofmodernlanguages,organisingexchangeswithschools abroadwasabigpartofthisandfurnisheda goodlycollectionofexperiencestolookbackon –manyamusingandsomehair-raising.

In2008,IwonafreeplaceattheWriters’SummerSchoolinSwanwickwitha1000-wordstory aboutanEnglishteenagerwhofoundherselfbeinghostedbythefamilyofaParisiangangster. Wheels on Fire,anovelaboutayoungwheelchair user’sadventuresonaschooltrip,isalsoset mainlyintheFrenchcapital.

Workhouse Orphan,however,wasacompletely differentundertaking.ItsprangfromstoriesI’d heardasachildaboutamanwhowasbriefly marriedtooneofmygreat-aunts.AllIknewfor surewasthathe’dbeensentupfromaLondon workhouseatatenderagetotoilontheWest Yorkshirecoalfield.

InthesmallminingvillageofHartshead,he’dgot toknowafamilywiththreelittlegirlsand,when thehusbanddied,hadofferedtomarrythewidow.WW1wasonlyhalfwaythroughand,accordingtomymother,anyway,he’ddonethissothat shecouldclaimhisArmypensionifhewaskilled, whichhewas.Mumthoughthe’dhadsomesiblingsbutbeenobligedtoleavethembehindin theworkhouse.

ThestoryintriguedmeandItriedtogather enoughmaterialfromtheinternettoattempta biography,butdetailsofhisshortlifewerealmostnon-existent.ThatwaswhyIdecidedinsteadtousethelittleIknewasathemeforachildren’sbook.

Byahappycoincidence,RiponWorkhouseMuseumispracticallyonmydoorstepandIconducted furtherresearchinthecollieryvillageanddrift mineatBeamishMuseuminCountyDurham,the NationalCoalMiningMuseumforEnglandin Wakefield,andalsovisitedHartsheaditself.

WritingthebookwasarealpleasureandIwas abletotryoutchaptersontheSquigglers,a groupofchildrenbasedatRiponLibrary.Their commentsandquestionswereinvaluableand reallyshowedthedifferencebetweentheirlives andthatofmyworkhouseorphan.Afewexamplesthatstillresonatewithmearethefollowing:

How did the workhouse cater for vegans?

Why did David lose touch with his brothers and sister in London? Couldn’t he just have borrowed

MaggieCobbett

someone’s phone or emailed them?

If a teacher had tried to beat me, I’d have broken the cane over his head. Or called Childline.

I wouldn’t have got up at five in the morning to go down a mucky old coal mine. I’d have told them I didn’t feel like it and gone back to sleep.

Althoughinitiallyaimedatthe10-12yearsold agegroup, Workhouse Orphan hasprovedto haveawiderappeal.Duringreadingsessions, I’vebeenapproachedbypeopleoldenoughto rememberhowworkhousescontinuedtocast theirshadowoverpoorcommunitiesrightupto theoutbreakofWW2.

Oneyoungfathertoldmehe’denjoyedreading itasabedtimestorytohischildrenbecauseit wasagreatstoryandhadtheadditionalbenefit ofthechaptersbeingshort.RiponWorkhouse Museumkeepsastockofthebookstoselltoits visitors,whichincludemanyschoolparties.

Workhouse Orphan isneitheramiserymemoir noraragstorichestale.Althoughthebackgroundtothebookisagrimone,Ideliberately keptthetoneaslightaspossibleandgavethe storyanoptimisticalthoughnotunrealisticending.Thereisscopetowriteasequel,whichindeedImight.

North Yorkshire writer Maggie Cobbett has seven fiction and non-fiction books to her credit. She regularly contributes short stories, articles and ‘fillers’, even the occasional poem, to a wide range of publications.

EnidBlyton1897-1968

Children’s author Enid Blyton was born in London in 1897. She was the eldest of 3 children (two brothers).

Her father was Thomas Carey, a cutlery salesman, and her mother was Theresa Mary Harrison.

Enid completed teacher training in 1918 and worked for a short tome as a teacher.

She married Publishing Editor Hugh Alexander Pollock in 1924. After their divorce, in 1942, Enid married a surgeon, Kenneth Waters in 1943

Enid had two children from her first marriage.

She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and died in 1968 , aged 71

First Book:

Child Whispers - A collection of poems (1922)

Early novels:

Adventures of the Wishing-Chair (1937)

The Enchanted Wood (1939)

NotableWorks:

The Famous Five

The Secret Seven

Noddy

Malory Towers

Books published under pseudonym Mary Pollock:

ThreeBoysandaCircus(1940)

ChildrenofKidillin(1940)

MonthlyWritingPrompts

Wendy H Jones and Tami C. Brown set this month’s writing prompts. Inspired by the theme of seeing the light they have provided a range of prompts. Why not give it a try?

OurtopicforMarchisSeeingTheLight andthankyoutoourAmazingPhotographerTamiBrownforthetopic.

Aswriters,itisimportantthatweseethelight. Thatweturnthingsontheirheadandsee thingsdifferently.So,pleaseusetheseaswritingpromptstofuelyourimagination.

Words

Iwasn’tusedtothelightsowhenIdid…

Sunlightdancingon…

Theminuteshewasbornthelightcameinto mylife.

Lightanddarknessareopposite.Orar they?

WritingPrompts

(Photographic images by Tami C. Brown)

Music

Haydn, String Quartets Op. 20 ‘Sun’

Blinded by the Light byManfredMann

Sleeping at Last byLight

Mr Blue Sky byElectricLightOrchestra

Image1:SunflowerField

WendyH.Jones

TamiC.Brown

Editor in chief, Wendy H. Jones is the multi-award -winning, best-selling author of adult crime thrillers and cozy mysteries, children’s picture books and non-fiction books for writers. In addition she is a writing coach, partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats and hosts the Writing and Marketing Show podcast.

Tami C. Brown loves to have her camera ready to snap beauty wherever she goes. Her family and friends, affectionately known as the Queenies, are well prepared for random stops along the journey to have a photo op. She’s grateful for all photography opportunities and the adventures that come along with it.

Image2:Oldchurchthatstillcapturesthelight

Image3: Fishermanandhiscatch

ReadingBooksTogether

Maressa Mortimer shares her experiences of reading with her children of various ages, likes and needs and why it is so important to choose the right books.

Mychildrenlovebooks,especiallywhenI readtothemintheevening.Becauseof EarlyYearsTrauma,mychildrenlikethe samekindofbooks,whichmakesiteasytoread bookstogether,aslongastheyallhavesomethingtodoandnobodyisinreachingdistanceof asibling.Ihavetogetthevoicesright,aswellas makesureeveryonecanseethepictures.

Choosingtherightbookstoreadisn’teasy.It hastobefun,withlanguagethathelpsmychildrentobroadentheirvocabulary,asalackof abilitytovisualiselimitstheirknowledgeof words.Havingwordsthatarenewtothemisfun though,aswefindoutwhatwordsmean,and theyloveusingthosenewwordsforthenextfew days.SomehowIhavefoundbooksthathave beentranslatedintoEnglishhavesomeincrediblyuniquewordchoices,andoccasionallywe havetoaskasearchenginehowtopronouncea word.

Thekindoflanguagemychildrenenjoymeans oftenwereadolderbooks,writtenawhileago. Thiscanleadtootherproblemswithwords,as someofthosewordsarenolongerused,oreven useable.Someofthechapterscomewithall kindsofwarnings,buttheyalsoleadtodiscussionsonhowlifehaschangedandthewaypeopleareviewedhaschanged.Readingsomeold booksislikesharingafriendwithmychildren, andit’shardtonotgettoomovedbysomestoriesorphrases.Oneofmyfavouritereadsarethe

Narniabooks,andsomeofthepassagesarevery moving,evenafterreadingitaloudseveraltimes. Anotherchecklistpointforeveningbooksisthe leveloftension.Therehastobeplentyofadventure,mysteryandtrouble,butnottoomuch,as mostofmychildrenwillactoutorliveoutwhatevertheylistentoorwatch.Wedopointoutthat thevillainsinmostbookscometostickyends, andhowcertainchildrenlandthemselvesinalot oftroublebydoingthewrongthings,butthisisn’tautomaticallyprocessedthewayIwouldlike. Thismeansthatthestoryhastobemorallyclear. Mychildrendon’tfeelsafewhentherearetoo manyexceptionstotherules,wherechildrenget awaywithmurder,sometimesliterally.Thereis plentyofinjusticearoundthem,sostorytime shouldbesatisfyinglyharshonevildoers.Truth shouldcomeout,andeventhoughitmighttake theentirebook,goodshouldtriumphbythetime yougettotheend. Treasure of the Snow,byPatriciaStJohnisanoldbook,withbeautifulthemes ofjealousy,braveryandhowbeingkinddoesn’t alwaysgetyouwhatyoufeelyoushouldreceive. It’soldfashioned,withmanyunknownwords, butmydaughterespeciallyenjoyedthestory,as it’sgotrelevantmessagesandagoodending withoutglossingoveranything.

MaressaMortimer

That’sanotherpointtoconsiderinchoosinga book.Therehastobeaproper,satisfyingend, althoughahintoftroubletocomeinthenext bookisgreat.Wehaveworkedourwaythrough variousseries,andthat’sbeenwonderfulas well,althoughitcanleadtolongdiscussions abouttheagesofpeopleinvolved,andhow birthdaysdon’tseemtoagechildrenatall,unlikereal-lifebirthdays.

Mysteriesaremorethanwelcome,butthere shouldn’tbetoomanyreal-lifeproblemsinthe book.Havingbeenadopted,mychildrenhave hadtheirfilloftrouble,sothey’renotkeento shouldertheproblemsofafictionalcharacter. Parentsdivorcing,fightsandbullyingruina goodreadformychildren.Itcanbementionedif thestoryisamazing,buttheirfaceschangeand theirleveloffidgetingchangesandthey’rehappytogoandbrushtheirteeth,ratherthanhavingagoatbeggingforjustonemorechapterand howwe’lleasilymakeitifIreadfaster.

Mychildrenlovebooksthattakethemtounknownplaces,especiallyifthoseplacesarereal andcanbelookedup.Often,Ifindthemreading aboutthoseplacesandtheywilltellmeallabout it.Tome,thatisoneofthejoysofreading.The wayyoucanlearnabouthistoryorcountries withoutlong,laboriouslessonswithdatesand facts.Somehow,thestorybecomespartofyou, andyoujustknowwhatkindofkingandqueen SpainhadintheMiddleAges.Welearnedquitea lotaboutchildren’scrusadesafterreadingCrusadeinJeans,byTheaBeckman.

WehadjustreadWendyH.Jones’booksfor youngsters,setaroundDundee,whenwestayed inScotland,sotheywerethrilledtoseesomeof theplaceswehadreadabout.Whenweknow we’llbestayingsomewhere,Iwilllookforbooks setinthearea.It’swisetocheckabookbeforehand,asyouwon’tcomeacrosssurprisesyou weren’tpreparedfor.WestartedreadingAnne Frank’sDiaryaswewereabouttovisittheNetherlandstoseemyfamily.Afterafewpages,I searchedandwasrelievedtofindtherehad beenachildren’sversionreleasedthatwasn’tas

colourfulandfilledwithinformationmychildren weren’treadyfor.Wereaditandthenvisitedthe AnneFrankHouseinAmsterdam,andmychildrenweregladwehadreadthebookasitmade thevisitmoremeaningful.Ittoldmetoreada bookmyselffirst,oratleasthaveaverythoroughlookbeforelaunchingintoastory!

Longdescriptivepassagescanbetempting,as youcanskimoverthemwhilststillgettingafeel fortheplace,butreadingaboutthesunsetout loudformorethanapagebecomeshardwork, asthereisonlysomuchintonationyoucan bringtobearonit.Somewritersmanageto makeitwork,butIpreferreadingoutloudwhen thereisalotofdialogue.Olderbookscanhavea lotofdescriptions,sowetrytovarywhatwe read.Partofmefeellikeit’sgoodtoencounter thatkindofstorytelling,butontheotherhand, it’sevening,we’vehadalongdayandwesimply wantagoodyarn.

Somebooksarealmostwrittenforreadingby yourself,withcodes,ordiagrams,makingit hardertosharethestorywithfourkidsspread aroundaroom,spillingontothelanding.Some bookshavepunsthatonlycomeoutwhenyou seethewordsspelled,again,thiscaninterrupt thestory,asyou’llhavetoexplainthejoke.

Findingtherightbooktoreadwithfourchildren ages15to10isn’talwayseasy,butspending timereadingastorytogetherisagreatgift.Havingthechildrentalkaboutthebook,thecharactersandplacesduringthedayisabonusblessing.Anygreatrecommendationsthatyouhave enjoyed?

Maressa Mortimer is Dutch but lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, England with her husband and four (adopted) children. Maressa is a homeschool mum as well as a pastor’s wife, so her writing has to be done in the evening when peace and quiet descend on the house once more. She loves writing Christian fiction, as it’s a great way to explore faith in daily life. All of Maressa’s books are available from her website, www.vicarioushome.com, Amazon or local bookshops.

TheCreaturesofKillburnMinebyDanSmith

Reviewed by Louise Cannon

Review

ISBN-10: 1800902506

ISBN-13: 978-1800902503

Readingage: 9-12years

Publisher:BarringtonStoke(January2024)

Blurb

Ameteoriteharbouringanalienlifeformcrashesto Earthwithhorrifyingconsequencesinthisgruesomeandgrippingtalefrommasterofcreepysci-fi DanSmith.

What’sslitheringaboutdeepunderground…?Whena meteoritecrashestoEarthnearCrookedOak,Pete, NancyandKrisharedeterminedtofindit.Butthey’re nottheonlyones…

Afterspottingoneoftheirteachersuponthemoor wherethemeteoritelanded,theystarttowonderif hisstrangelyalteredbehaviourandappearancemight beconnectedtothearrivalfromouterspace.But nothingcouldpreparethemforthehorrortheyuncoverdeepdowninKillburnMine …

TheCreaturesofKilburnMine,partofTheCrookedOakMysteriesseriesandcanbereadasastand-alone. It’sperfectforages 9-12years,includingreluctantreadersandispresentedinadyslexiafriendlyformat. Therearealsogreatillustrationsthroughoutthataidandcomplimentthestoryverywell.

Pete,KrishandNancyarethebestoffriendswiththeirownclubhouse,Area51.Afteracrashlandingof whattheyareconvincedisaUFO,butcouldbeameteorite,thechildrendecidetotelltheirteacher,Mr Benningsaboutit.Thissparksaninvestigation,whichbringssomeoddcreaturesandMrBenningsisactingstrangelyanddoesn’tappearhisnormalself…

AmixtureofthrillerandhorrorwithUFOsandmonstersbringseclecticcharactersandspine-tinglingatmosphere.DanSmithmasterfullyweaveshispowertointrigueandentertainthroughoutthismysterious page-turner.There’slotsofrathergruesome,riskysleuthingthatwillkeepchildrengrippedfromthefirst tothelastpage.

Louise Michelle Cannon lives in Central Scotland with family and a cute but wily cat. She writes a blog – Bookmarks and Stages, reviewing books, theatre, festivals and conducts the occasional Q&A sessions.

A-Z of Warwick by S C Skillman Reviewed by

Wendy H. Jones

Review

ISBN-10: 1398115762

ISBN-13: 978-1398115767

Publisher:AmberleyPublishing(November2023)

Blurb

ThecountytownofWarwickisfamousforitsmagnificentcastle risingabovetheRiverAvonbutthereismuchmoretothishistorictown.Althoughmanymedievalhousesweredestroyedby theGreatFireof1694,buildingsfromanearlieragecanstillbe found,includingitsoldesthostelry,TheRoebuck,andLordLeycesterHospital.LocalhistoriccharactersincludeWarwickthe Kingmaker,worldchampionboxerRandolphTurpinandsocialiteandcampaignerDaisy,CountessofWarwick,aswellasthe ichthyosaurintheMarketHallMuseum,andthetown’smany eventsincludeaVictorianeveningandannualfolkfestival.A–Z ofWarwickrevealsthehistorybehindthetown,itsstreetsand buildings,businessesandthepeopleconnectedwithit.Alongsidethefamoushistoricalconnectionsareunusualcharacters, tucked-awayplacesanduniqueeventsthatarelesswellknown.

ThisbookisoneofthemostfascinatingIhaveread.IhavebeentoWarwickmanytimesbutdidnotknow aboutmostofthegemsfoundinthepagesofthisbook.Skillmanisaskilledwriterandphotographerand bothelementsblendwelltoformwhatisaninterestingandentertainingbook. Herhistoricalknowledgeoftheregionisexemplarybut,ratherthanbeingdullandboring,shebringsitto lifeinherwriting.InowhaveanoverwhelmingurgetovisittheDungeonattheCountyGaol,TheGlobe Hotel,SmithStreetandsomanyotherplaces.I’vealsolearnedaboutthehistoryofWarwick,andithas mademewanttovisitoncemore:thistimewithfresheyes.

WhetheryouhavevisitedWarwickornot,Iwouldurgeyoutoreadthisbookand,Icanassureyou,you willwanttovisit.Itcouldalsobeusedbythosewritingstoriessetintheareaorevenasacatalystforstoriesthemselves.Afterall,truthisstrangerthanfiction.

Wendy H. Jones is the multi-award-winning, best-selling author of adult crime thrillers and cozy mysteries, children’s picture books and non-fiction books for writers. In addition she is a writing coach, editor in chief of Writers’ Narrative, partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats and hosts the Writing and Marketing Show podcast.

Fullyillustratedthroughout,thisbookwillappealtoallthosewithaninterestinthishistoricWarwickshiretown.

Children’sAuthors:TheImportanceofKnowingYourGenre

Children’s Author and mentor Pauline Tait discusses the importance of knowing the accepted and expected standards within a chosen genre when writing for children.

I’vewrittenpreviouslyaboutthejoyandprivilegeofwritingforchildren,andascareersgo,I findallthatencompassesbeingachildren’s authortobethoroughlyrewarding.

‘Nailingit’asachildren’sauthorcanopenmany doors.Resultinginongoingschoolauthorvisits, booksshopandfestivaleventsandasmallatfirst, butthen,ifdonecorrectly,asteadyincome throughbooksalesaswellasthefeesauthorsreceiveforschoolvisits.

Andifyouareluckyenoughtobeoneofthefew (inthegrandscaleofauthors)whohavetheir booksonthesought-afterbookshelvesofWaterstonesandBarnes&Noble,thenyourincomecan beboostedtonewheights.

“Nailing it’ as a children’s author can open many doors.”

Itwasmypassionfortheworldofchildren’swritingthatledmetoaddmentoringfellowchildren’s authorstomyownauthorbusiness.Inowwork withauthorsfromaroundtheworld,guidingthem throughthevaryingstagesofchildren’swriting andpublishing.

Ofcourse,itisthedreamofmostauthorsthat theirbooksdowellandcanbefoundonthe shelvesofasmanybookshopsaspossible.And,if doneproperly,thereisnoreasonwhythatcan’t bethecase.

Butitwasthroughmentoringfellowchildren’s authorsthatIquicklydiscoveredthemostcommonstumblingblockformanywasthattheydid not‘know’theirchosengenre.Ortobemore specific,theydidnotknowtheacceptedandexpectedstandardswithintheirchosengenre.

I’mtalkingabouttheall-importantdecisions thathelpbooksstandoutfromthecrowd.The standardsmajorretailersandindiebookshops expectwhendecidingwhetherabookwillgrace theirpreciousshelves.Thestandardofwriting andcharacterdevelopmentagentswantwhen consideringsubmissions.

Forinstance,manynewandaspiringauthorsare unawareofthetechyspecsrequiredtogivetheir manuscript/completedbookthetraditionally publishedlook.AndwhenIsaytraditionallypublishedlook,Imeanbothinternallyandexternally.Incidentally,thesecondmostcommonstumblingblockisthattheyhaven’tappreciatedthe vocabularyrequiredfortheirchosengenre/ targetaudience.

PaulineTait

Withthesethoughtsinmind,whatshouldauthorsconsiderwhenensuringtheirmanuscripts andbookshavethetraditionallypublished look?

Theirchosengenre

Targetaudiencewithinthatchosengenre (intendedagegroup).

Vocabulary–isitageappropriate?Doesit bringstrongcharacterstolife?Doesitset paceandtone?

Thepowerofillustrationsandhow,ifused properly,theycanworkalongsidevocabularytosetpace,tone,drama,andthe elementofsurprise.

Internallayout,bothaestheticallyandtechnically.

Nailingtheall-importantfrontcover

Preparingtopitchtoagentsandpublishers orpreparingtoself-publish.

Whatneedstobedonebothbeforeandafter publicationtoenhanceyourchancesof gettingyourbooksoutintothebigwide world.

Children’sauthorsshouldnotexpecttoknowall theabovestraightoffthebat,buttheyaregoals thatcanbelearntandachieved.And,intime, becomeahabitandanintegralpartofyourwritingprocess.

It’safactthatifanauthorisnotclearontheir chosengenreandtheacceptedandexpected specificationswithinthatgenre,theywilloften findthemselveshittingtheirheadsagainstthe metaphoricalbrickwall.

Why?Becausethepublishingworld,books shops,libraries,andschoolsallworktospecific standardsandguidelines.Amongstotherthings, apicturebookshouldfallwithinaspecificword countrange.Achapterbook,whetherfor5to9 yearsor9to12yearsintheUK,6to8yearsor9 to12yearsintheUSA,mustmeetthevocabularyexpectationsofchildrenreadingwithin

thosestages.AndreadersofYAwillnotexpectto findcolourfulillustrationsscatteredthroughout theirnovel.Theywill,however,belookingfora chunkywordcountthatwillfallinorarounda specificrange.

Whydoesthismatter?Well,becauseonceyou havepouredyourheartandsoulintowritingthe perfectmanuscript,youneedittosell.Ifyou wouldlikemajorretailerstogiveyourbook spaceontheirsought-aftershelves,thenitmust meettheirstandards.

Ifagentsandpublishersaretoconsideryour work,theyneedtobeascertainastheycanbe thatthereisamarketforyourbook,thatitwill sellandsellwell.Anditismorelikelytosellwell ifthesestandardsaremet.

Strongwritingandknowingyourgenre,ensuring youaretickingalltheboxeswithinyourgenre andensuringyourself-publishedbookhasthe traditionallypublishedlook,bothinsideandout, willincreaseyourchancesofmajorretailers, agentsandpublisherssayingyes!

Knowingyourgenremeansyouhavedoneyour research.Itshowsretailersandagentsthatyou knowyouraudienceandthatyouaretaking yourwritingcareerseriously.Showingagents andpublishersthatyouarefullypreparedinthe knowledgeofyourgenreasyouembracethe journeyahead.

“Knowing your genre means you have done your research.”

And,please,don’tfallfoultothemisconception thataself-publishedbookwillnevergracethe shelvesofWaterstonesorBarnesandNoble.Ifa self-publishedbookistickingalltheboxesand marketedwell,itcanselljustaswellasatraditionallypublishedbook.Bothofmygenreshave gracedtheshelvesofmanyWaterstonesstores forseveralyears.Theysitalongsidetraditionally publishedbooksbecausetheymeettheacceptedandexpectedstandardswithinthepublishing world,andthereisnoreasonwhyyourbooks can’tdothesame.

Imentionedearlierthatyoushould ‘ensureyour self-publishedbookshavethetraditionallypublishedlook.’WhatexactlydidImean?

• Yourbooksshouldbetickingalltheboxes visually.Agreatcoverisprofessionallyillustratedandlaidouttofitwithinthechosen genre.Thequalityandfeelofthecoverand internalpagesshouldbetostandard,illustrationsshouldbeofahighstandardandin keepingwiththetoneandthemeofyour manuscriptwhiletheinternallayoutshould matchthatoftraditionallypublishedbooks.

• Themanuscriptitselfshouldbestrong,followingtheacceptedARCswithinyourchosengenre.Vocabularyshouldbeageappropriate.Strongwriting,engagingcharacters, andwelleditedtoensuregrammar,punctuation,andflowareonpoint.

Knowingyourgenreandtheacceptedandexpectedstandardswithinthatgenrewillelevate yourmanuscript,internallayout,cover,and youroverallsuccessatgettingphysicalcopies ontobookshelves.

Withpicturebooksespecially,knowtheacceptedwordcountlimitsandthenumberofpages expected.Knowhowtheyshouldbelaidout, meaning,whenplanning,donotstartwriting yourstoryfrompageone.Andknowyourvocabulary.

Forself-publishingauthorswhoarehopingto findanagentandatraditionalpublishingdeal furtherdowntheline,ensuringyourselfpublishedbookshavethattraditionallypublishedlook,willnotonlyhelpyoustandout

wheninterestedagentsarelookingatyourback libraries,buttheywillhelpyoubuildagrowing readership.Thismeansfuturebookswillbeoffto astrongerstart.

Beingasuccessfulchildren’sauthorisachievable.Knowyourgenreandthespecificswithinit.

Giveityourall.

Pauline Tait is an award-winning children’s author, novelist, and writing mentor based in Perthshire, Scotland. She enjoys writing both romantic suspense and children’s picture books as well as mentoring children’s authors. More information on Pauline’s writing, mentoring and books can be found at www.paulinetait.com

WritingBookoftheMonth

Polish Your Fiction byJessicaBell

Reviewed by Wendy H. Jones

Blurb

In Polish Your Fiction: A Quick & Easy Self-Editing Guide,writer,editor,andpublisher,JessicaBell, offershertriedandtestedadviceonthequickest andeasiestwaystopolishdifferentareasofwritingstyle,consistencyofprose,grammar,punctuation,typography,andlayout.Eachsectionis armedwithanumberedchecklistformoments whenwritersneedthat“at-a-glance”reminder andniftyMicrosoftWordtricksthatwillsave time.Attheendofthebooktherearealsomagnificentaccountsofeditorialmistakesotherauthorshavemadeduringtheircareers,toshow thatnomatterhowmanytimesabookisedited, somethingalwaysslipsthrough,andtotherefore notbesohardononeself.

In Bird by Bird,AnneLamottsaysawriterneeds tofocusonshortassignmentstoavoidfeeling overwhelmed.Shereferstotheone-inchpicture frameonherdeskandhowitremindshertofocusonbite-sizedpiecesofthewholestory.Ifyou focusononesmallthingatatime,thestorywill eventuallycometogethertocreateawhole.The sameappliestoeditingamanuscript.Ifwriters focusononeaspectoftheeditorialprocessata time,thetaskwillseemlessdaunting,andpiece bypiece,itwillcometogethertoformapieceof verypolishedwork.

Notonlyis Polish Your Fiction: A Quick & Easy SelfEditing Guide anexcellentadditiontoanyselfpublishingcourse,butit’salsoagreatprimary learningtoolforaspiringauthorpreneurs,anda greatboosterformoreexperiencedauthorpreneurstogettheirmanuscriptsinexcellentshape beforesendingtheirworktoaprofessionaleditor.

Review

Thisisaslimvolumebutdon’tletthatfoolyou intothinkingitisnotworthmorethanitsweight ingold.Itisjampackedwithhints,tips,andexamplesofwhatyoucandotoedityourmanuscriptandmakesureitispublishingready.The examplesaresuperb,lettingtheauthorseewhat canbedonetoimprovetheirwriting.Theauthor takesitastepfurtherbyexplainingandillustratinghowyoucanuseMicrosoftWordtohelpyou doitmorequickly,takingyouthroughthisstep bystep.Therearelistsofoftenunnecessary wordsandalsowaysoflookingforoverused wordsinyourdocuments.Icouldgoonandon abouthowthisbookwillhelpyoutopolishyour writingandmakeitreadmuchmorefluentlybut Iwillleaveyoutoreaditandlettheauthors voicespeakforitself.Icannotrecommendit highlyenough.

PublishinganAnthology

byWendyH.Jones(ScottandLawsonPublishing)

Wendy H. Jones shares her experiences and discusses the processes involved in publishing an Anthology.

AtpresentIamintheprocessofbringing togetherananthologyofChristmasstories called,A Right Cozy Christmas Crime, underthepublishingarmofmybusiness,Scottand LawsonPublishing.Ihavepublishedaprevious anthology– Creativity Matters -underthispublishinghousebutthiswillbemyfirststepinto publishingfiction.

Ilovepublishinganthologiesformanyreasonsas outlinedbelow:

•Thereadergetstoseedifferentstylesofwriting.

•Allauthorsjointogetherinpromotingthebook.

•Reachawideraudience.

•Readersenjoy‘commuterlength’stories.Astorywhichcanbereadinfullonthedailycommute.

•Readinghabitsarechanginginthe21st Century. Socialmediameanswewantresolutionmore quickly.Thismeansanthologiesarepopular.

•Widerexposurefortheauthorswhoarepublishedintheanthology.

Icouldgoonbutsufficetosaymyfavouriteone is,Igettohelpandsupportseveralauthorsin eachanthology,someofwhommayberealising theirpublishingdreamforthefirsttime.

Whatisananthology?

Itisbasicallyacollectionofliterarywork.These canbestories,poems,articles,flashfiction,

drabbles,non-fiction,shortmemoirorevena mixtureoftheabove.

•Theycanbeasinglecollectionofworkbyone author.Theseareoftenknownascollectionsratherthananthologies.

•Oracollectioncontainingworkbymultipleauthors.

Wheredoyoustart?

I’llprobablyendupinbotherhere,butIpromise Iamnotchannellinganysongs.Thebestplace tostartisattheverybeginningwithanideaand aburningdesiretobringoutananthology.Ifyou don’thaveeitherorbothofthese,youranthologyisnotgoingtogetofftheground.

Theme

Yourideawillmorphintoatheme.Choosinga themeiscrucialwhenbringingoutananthology otherwiseallyouendupwithisacollectionof mismatchedstoriesorchapters.

It’simportanttopinyourthemedownearlyand toconveyitcorrectlywheninvitingsubmissions

toyouranthology.However,it’simportantto notetherearesomeanthologieswhereseveral authorscometogethertopublishacollectionof shortnovellastobringtheirworktoawider readershipandintroducetheirworktonew readers.

Whensubmissionsstarttocomein,lookat themwithaneyetohavingawidevarietyofstories,poemsorarticles,soeachcomesacrossas exciting,refreshingandnew.Lookforaunique spinoruniqueangle,adifferentwayoflooking atthesubject.

Iwastheeditorandpublisherforoneanthology whichhadamixtureofChristmasstories,reminiscences,poems,songsanddevotionals.The commonthemewasChristmas.

Ihavepublishedandhadarticlesinanthologies aboutwriting.Thecommonthemesherewere creativityandthebusinessofwriting,respectively.

ToPayorNottoPay

BythisImeandoyoupaythecontributorsordo theydothisforfree?

Personally,Iamagreatbelieverinpayingpeoplefortheworktheydo,soIpayallcontributors.Somecharityanthologieswillaskyouto dothisforfree.Ihavebeeninsomeanthologies whereIwasnotpaidbutthatwasmychoiceto supportthoseparticularanthologies.Ihavealso beeninotherswhereIwaspaid.ThetwomodelsIhaveusedrepaymentare:

•Anupfrontone-offfee.

•Royalties.

Inboththosemodels,theauthorsareaware thattheywillholdthecopyrighttotheanthology,butthepublisherholdspublishingrights whiletheanthologyisinprint,andthecontributorsarereceivingroyalties.

SettingExpectations

Onceyouhavechosenthesubmissionswhich

willincludeditisimportanttooutlineallthe stepsmovingforward.Thisensuresallauthors knowwhatisexpectedofthem.Ihaveatwostepprocess:

AnthologyGuidelineswhichinclude:

•Keydates.

•Wordcount.

•Formatincludingfont,fontsizeandlinespacing.

•Editingprocess.

•Royaltiesandhowtheyarepaid.

•Advertising.

•MemorandumofAgreement

•Whatthepublisherwillprovide.

•Whatisexpectedoftheauthor.

•Expectationsformarketingforboththepublisherandtheauthor.

•Distributionbypublisher

•Copyrightandpublishingrights.

•Royaltypaymentamount.

•Costofauthorcopiesandoutliningtheauthor doesnothavetobuyacertainnumberofbooks.

HintsandTipsforPublishers

•Givecontributorsplentyoftimetowriteand/or edittheircontributions.

•Besupportiveandansweranyquestionsfully andpromptly.

•Commissionthecoverearlyintheprocessthen, whenitarrives,youcanstarttheprocessofmarketing.Ipersonallydonotgivetheauthorsinthe anthologyachoiceinthedesignofthecover.I chooseitbasedonmyvisionfortheseriesand theothercoversinmypublishingportfolio.

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WhyShouldWritersThinkAboutAnimation

Freya McDermott takes us through the what and how of animation and provides an insight into the animator’s world.

Whilstmostwritersthinkcarefullyabout theirchoiceofwordsandchildren’s writersmaythinkabouttheimagesin theirbooks,notmanywillthinkabouttheimportanceofanimation.However,someofthe highestgrossingmoviesandTVshowsareanimated.

Iwouldlikeyoutakeyouthroughthewhatand howofanimationtogiveyouaninsightintothe animatorsworld.

Assomeonewhomajorsinanimation,Ihave hadadeepfascinationwiththemediumsinceI wasyoung.Atitscore,animationistheartof bringingstoriestolifethroughvisualstorytelling.Unlikeliveaction,animationisn’theldback byreality’srules-youcantakeanyidea,no matterhowwild,andbringittolifeonthe screen.Wheninthehandsofanartistwithan ideatheywanttoshowtheworld,that’swhen themagichappens.It’salmostdifficulttorecall ourchildhoodswithoutthevastarrayofanimatedfilmsandcharacterswegrewupwatching. Thosewithinthecreativeindustrypossessthe talenttogettheirideasdownonpaper,thisincludeswriterswhocancraftastorythrough wordsalone.Manyoftheanimatedmovieswe havegrowntolovewouldnotbeachievable withoutthetalentedauthorswhocanwritea compellingstory,suchasanimationsadapted fromanideathatoriginallytooktheformofa

novel.Notableexamplesofthisareiconicstoriessuchas“Winnie the Pooh” byA.AMilne, “Coraline”byNeilGaimanandeven“The Little Mermaid”writtenbyHansChristianAndersonnovelsalladaptedintostunninganimatedmoviesshowinghowtheartofwritingintertwines withanimation.

Anauthorshouldabsolutelyconsiderwhatthe storylookslikewithintheirheadastheyare writing,includingthedesignsofthecharacters, theworldtheyliveinandhowtheeventsinthe storyplayout.

Whenawriterwishestoadapttheirbookintoan animatedseriesorfilm,thestartingpointshould betoconsiderthevisualpotentialofthestory andthetargetaudience. Animationallowsfor anideatoreachamuchwideraudience,especiallywhenitcomestochildren’smediawhichis amassiveindustrynow.

Thoughit’simportanttoconsiderthatanimationisnotjustforkids!Animationtargetedat teensandadultsthatdealwithmoremature

FreyaMcDermott

themeswithintheirstoriesarebecomingincreasinglycommonandnormalised,meaningthatany sortofideacanbeadaptedandisnotjustlimited towhatwouldbesuitableforchildren.

Thinkaboutthechangesthatmaybemadeinthe transitionfromwrittenwordstoavisualmedium, identifythecoreelementsofyourstoryandmake suretheyarekeptintact.

Collaborationiskey,andworkingtogetherwith artistsopensthedoortoallsortsofopportunities foryourproject;frontcovers,children’sbookillustrationsandevenpromotiontrailers.Creating ananimationisalmostalwaysacollaborative process,communicateopenlyandhonestlywith anyartists,directorsandfellowwritersyoumay beworkingwith.Thispartnershipwillpromote feedbackandgivefreshinsightstotheproject.

Animationgiveslifetothewrittenword,andvice versaasanyanimatedmovieorserieswouldnot bepossiblewithoutthewriterswhocraftthestory.

Theindustryisgrowingataphenomenalratein today’sageofentertainment,andtheimportance ofanimatorsisbecomingincreasinglyrecognised.

Byembracinganimationasamediumforstorytelling,writerscanenrichtheirworkandconnect withawideraudienceinameaningfulandcreativeway.

(Continuedfrompage35)

•Sticktothekeydates.Yes,lifehappensand sometimesoneauthormayhavetoslipbyafew days,butthisshouldbetheexceptionratherthan therule.

•Provideperiodicremindersthatkeydatesare comingup.Idothesethreeweeks,twoweeks, fivedays,threedays,twodaysoneday.People arebusyandreminderskeepthemfocussed.

•Bescrupulousindoingwhatyousayyouwilldo.

•Ensureanypre-ordersareupingoodtime.

•Remindcontributorsregularlythatmarketingis important.

Iprovidemarketingimagesfortheauthorsinmy anthologyasthistakesthepressureoffmaking thesethemselves.However,iftheywanttodo theirownmarketingimages,thisisequallyvalid. Themostimportantthingtorememberabout publishinganthologiesisthattheyshouldbefun. Itisexhilaratingandenjoyableandaprivilegeto supportotherwritersinthisway.

ThehardestpartIwouldsayischoosingthestorieswhichwillbeincluded.Makesurethefinal bookisofthehighestqualityandshowsoffthe workofthehighlytalentedauthorstothebest advantage.Theydeserveit.

Iwillfinishbyrecommendingabook– How to Write for Anthologies and Make More Money with Your Writing byKellyA.HarmonandVonnieWinslowCrist.

Freya McDermott has had a lifelong love of art and digital animation. She is in her final year of a Diploma in Animation and will be moving on to university soon to take her animation skills even further. She also designs logos and videos for authors and other businesses.

Myanthology– A Right Cozy Christmas Crime will bepublishedinOctober2024readyfortheChristmasseason.

Wendy H. Jones is the multi-award-winning, best -selling author of adult crime thrillers and cozy mysteries, children’s picture books and nonfiction books for writers. In addition she is a writing coach, editor in chief of Writers’ Narrative, partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats and hosts the Writing and Marketing Show podcast.

WritingForAnthologies

Allison Symes discusses the value of writing for story anthologies. She shares useful tips on how to make the best of any themes set and how to make the most of writing for an “open” anthology.

Writingforanthologiescanbeawonderful wayofgettingshortstoriesintoprint. Manyofminearepublishedthisway. Fromareader’sviewpoint,anthologiesaregreat becauseyoureadmanyauthorsinonebook.I’ve discoveredauthorsnewtomethisway.

Anthologiesfallintotwobroadcategories-one whereathemeissetandtheotherwhereitisn’t. I’vewrittenforboth.

Iwritedownpossibilitiescomingfromaset theme.Ifitwasananthologybasedonthetheme oflove,I’dwritedownsomethinglikethefollowing.

Romanticlove.ThinkabouthowIcanmakemy charactersstandoutsoreaderswantthemto havetheirhappyending.

Loveforacountry.Whatwouldmycharacterdo toservetheircountry?Doesn’tnecessarilyhaveto beawartimestorythoughitcouldbe.

Sacrificiallove.Iwouldconsiderwritingatale basedonanoldercouple,whereoneishelping theotherduetohealthneeds.Again,notanew takeonthelovetheme,farfromit,butitiswhat youbringtothemixwithyourcharactersthatwill makeyourstorystandout.

Justwritingthosefewideasdownhasshownpossibilities.

Whereathemeisn’tset,Iwriteastorybasedon topicsIcareabout.Iremainconvincedsomething ofthewriter’spassionforathemecomesthrough intheirwriting.Itiseasiertostaycommitted whenyouwriteonsomethingyoucareabout.I’d listsomethingalongthefollowinglines.

Notjudgingbyappearances.Thiskindofstory couldleadtoatwistendingwhenacharacteris revealedtobemoreimportantthanthought.Itis oftenusedinfantasywhereanoldpersonturns outtobeapowerfulmagicalbeingindisguise. Theyusuallypunishthearrogantand/orreward thedeserving.

Justicetobeseentobedone.It’sonereasonwhy Ilovecrimestories.Usuallyjusticeisdonethere. Butjusticecanbeseentobedoneawayfromthe crimegenre.Ifyourcharacterhasanoisyneighbourwhowon’tlistentoreason,whatwouldhappenifyourcharacterbecamesofedup,theyblast theirtypeofmusicbackatsaidneighbour?Fora feelgoodkindofstory,theneighbourwouldrealisetheerroroftheirwaysandtheproblemisresolved.

AllisonSymes

MagicalbeingsonEarthforvariousreasons. Whatproblemswouldthiscauseforyourcharacters,humanorotherwise?Goodpotentialforhumourhere.

Forbothkindsofanthology,I’mlistingideasfor themesandthoughtsonwhatIcoulddo.Ithen picktheoneIlikebest,whichwillbetheoneto havethemostimpactonme.IfIcaredeeply aboutthestoryandcharacters,readerswilltoo.

Ifyouareitchingtowriteastoryup,thatisa greatsign.Youareyourownfirstreader.You mustcareaboutthestoryfirst.

Aswithanysubmission,followtheguidelinesset forananthologytotheletter.Ifthepublishers wantawordcount,sayupto1500words,gowith this.Asarule,itisfinetocomeinatunderthe wordcountlistedbutitisneverokaytogoover it.

Makesureyouusethewordcountavailableas wellasyoucan.Astorywithgoodcharacterportrayalscominginat1400words,say,willcome acrosstoapublisherbetterthana1000words talewhichdoesn’thavesuchportrayals.Theyare thinkingabouttheimpactyourstorywillhaveon readers.Youneedtohavethisinmindtoo.

Giveyourselfplentyoftimesoyoudon’tmissthe deadline.Itaketendaysofftheofficialdeadline. Idothisforcompetitionstoo.Iusemydeadline asthedatewhenIsubmitthestory.

Priortothat,Iwouldhavedraftedmystory,restedit,editedit,resteditagain,andthencarried outanotheredit.Intherestingperiod,I’mdraftinganotherstoryorapiecelikethis.

Backfromtherestingperiod,Ithenlookatmy storyonmydeadlineand,ifhappy,submitit. SometimesIpickuponsomethingatthelast moment(ithappenstousall)soIstillhavetime tocorrectit,checkthestoryagain,andthenget itofftotheanthologypublisher.Ithinkofthisas mysafetynet.

Earlierthisyear,IhadtogetastoryinforananthologycollectionbytheendofFebruary.Ihad thestorywritten,rested,edited,restedagain, andthenoffbytheendofJanuary.Iwashappy withthat.Moveontothenextone.

Anthologypublisherswillbelookingforamixture ofmoodsforthosebookswhereathemeisn’tset. I’mduetobepublishedlaterin2024inano themegivenanthologyandthestoriesI’veseen inthere,aswellasmyown,mixthemood.

Therearealsoanthologieswhichareforaspecific genresuchashorror,crimeetc.Theywillwant specifictypesofstorysoagainfollowguidelines. Itpaystoreadcopiesofanyanthologiesyou mightwantyourworktoappearinlatertogain anunderstandingonwhatthepublisherisseeking.Nothingtodislikethere!

Beingpublishedinanthologiesgivesyoupublicationcreditsyoucanlistinqueryletterstoagents/ publisherswhensubmittinglongerworks.You canalsoaddanyanthologiesyouhaveworkinto your Amazon Author Central page.

Youshouldearnroyaltiesfromyourpublishers too.Thiswillbedonepro-ratawiththeother writersinthoseanthologies.Don’texpecttoget richonthisbuttheroyaltiescanbuildupover timeandthemoreanthologiesyouhaveworkin thebetter.

Ifyouareashortstorywriter,anthologiescanbe anexcellenthomeforyourmaterial

Allison Symes is a flash fiction/short story writer, blogger and editor based in Hampshire. She runs writing workshops, judges competitions, and writes weekly for writers for Chandler’s Ford Today. She has two flash fiction collections published (Chapeltown Books) with a third in the pipeline.

ReleasesForWorldBookDay2024

Blurb BRRRIIINNNG!!!It’sthefirstdayofschool!

Title: Greg the Sausage Roll: Lunchbox Superhero byMarkand RoxanneHoyle

ISBN-10: 0241672287

ISBN-13: 978-0241672280

ReadingAge: 3-5years

Publisher:Puffin(February2024)

GregTheSausageRollischillinginthebakerywhenalittleboycomesinwithhisfamily,lookingfor somethingspecialtoputinhislunchboxtohelpcalmhisnerves.Intheblinkofaneye,Greggetsscooped upandbeforeyoucansay‘SAUSAGE-ROLLCALL’,he’sofftoschoolforaSUPERexcitingadventure! Gregisoverthemoon...music,science,PE–he’sreadytotryitall!ButcanGreg,Gloriaandthemini sausagerollshelpthelittleboymakeanewfriendandhavetheBESTFIRSTDAYEVER?!

Title: InvestiGators: High-Rise Hijinks byJohnPatrickGreenwith ChristopherHastingsandPatLewis

ISBN-10: 1035034867

ISBN-13: 978-1035034864

ReadingAge: 7-11years

Publisher : MacmillanChildren'sBooks;MainMarketedition(Feb. 2024)

Blurb

Amysteriousfigurehasrobbedthebank–butit’snotjustthe moneythat’sgonemissing,thewholebuildinghasdisappeared!–andit’suptosecretagentsMangoandBrashtogoundercover andsolvethemystery.

Armedwithsuperhi-techspytechnology,theInvestiGatorsareon thetailofDrDoodledoo-afowlscientistwhoalsohappenstobea giantchicken!Butaretheycluckingupthewrongtree?

RecentReleases

Title: Amoura Awakened byMegKarmer

ASIN: B0CJ3PRH85

Publisher: CandidCrowPress(October2023)

Blurb

Onegirl'squestforbelongingleadstoperiloussecrets.Willsheuncover thetruthbeforeit'stoolate?

AmouraRenlyisanythingbutaverage,muchtoherdismay.Whenaviolentconfrontationwithabullyawakensherconnectiontomagic.

Amourastruggleswiththerealizationshe'sfartherfromfittinginthansheeverimagined.Desperatefora freshstart,AmouraenrollsatElderwoodSchoolfortheMagicallyInclined,tuckedbeneaththestreetsof SanFrancisco.Butwithauniqueconnectiontomagicseeminglydifferentfromherpeersandasecret policeforce“disappearing”anyonedeemedamagicalabnormality,fittinginistheleastofhertroubles. AsAmouranavigatesthedangersofasocietythatfearswhatitdoesn’tunderstand,sheuncoversthe truthaboutherconnectiontomagicandthedarksecretsthatthreatenherveryexistence.

Title: Meeting Pip byFionaLowry

ISBN-10: 1035801477

ISBN-13: 978-1035801473

ReadingAge: 6-8 years

Publisher : AustinMacauleyPublishers(October2023)

Blurb

Doyoubelieveinthetoothfairy?Imagine,if,atthebottomofyour gardentherelivedafairy–whatwouldyoudo?

FaithandHarrisplayaroundtheoldOaktreeatthebottomoftheirgarden.ThisisknownastheFairy Woods,buthasanyoneeverseenafairy,orisitjuststoriesfromgrandparents?Harrisdoesn’tbelieve infairiesbutwhenhisoldersisterseessomethingnewontheOaktree,shesetsouttoprovethatthey arereal.OnlythendothefunconversationsbeginwithPipandthechildrenbegintoseetheworldina wholenewway

WritingForChildren:WhataPrivilege

Jenny Saunders celebrates writing for children and explains why, long term, children’s literature benefits all writers.

CSLewis,celebratedauthorofmany books,includingthemuch-loved Narnia series,oncesaid:‘Iamalmostinclinedto setitupasacanonthatachildren’sstorywhich isenjoyedonlybychildrenisabadchildren’ s story.’[On Three Ways of Writing for Childrenessay;1952]

Farbeitfrommetodisagreewithoneofthe mastersofthegenre.Iamabsolutelyconvinced thatwhateverelseyoungerreaderswant,they don’twanttobepatronised.Acondescending toneisenoughtomakethekeenestreaderslam abookshutandusetheirleisuretimemore constructively.

PerhapsMrLewiswasright;thebestchildren’s booksarethoseweneverreallygrowoutof. Thatmeanstheymustthereforebebooksfor adultstoo.MrLewishadagreatdealtosay aboutfairy-tales,orthesortoffictionthatprovidesuswithexperienceswhichaddtolife,ratherthansimplycommentingonit.

Thereisaschoolofthoughtthatdespisesfictionasescapismbut,morethanever,Ibelieve, thisgenerationofchildrenneedarefuge,a shelter,awindowor,betterstill,adoortoa worldwheretheirimaginationcanbereleased towanderwhereitwill;aplacewheretheharsh realitiesoftheworldarebanishedforawhilein favourofgoodness,kindnessandcompassion, withoutbeingdrownedinsugary-sweetness.

Theyneedlaughter,securityandthespaceto spreadtheirwingsandfly.Theyneedexamples ofpeoplewhofindtheirwaythroughchallenges,whoadapt,changeandconquertheirfears aswellastheircircumstances.

Thereisabrutalityinourcontemporarysociety whichhasstolenmuchoftheinnocenceofchildhoodmostofusenjoyed.Indeed,thereissometimesfartoomuchrealityintheworldourchildrenoccupythesedays,onbothsidesofthe frontdoor,aswellasthroughtherelentless bombardmentofsocialmediawhichharasses, bullies,assumes,manipulates,judgesandnags.

Dochildrenneeditinfictionaswell?Itseems unlikelytome.Perhapssuchstoriesservethe purposeofbetterequippingthemtonavigateall this,ifit’scompellingandwell-crafted.But,to bethemeansofprovidinganopportunitytoescapethatsuffocatingatmosphereisaprivilege; achancetorelievethatpressureforachapteror twoisonewhichIthinkiswellworthpursuing.

JennySanders

Thereislittledangerofconfusingmyownfiction withreallife.

Iwantchildrentonotonlybegintoreadmystories,buttofinishthem. Ifthey’reboredhalfway through,Iwillhavefailedmiserably.IfIcan writesomethingwhichisentertaining,exhilaratingandexciting,andwhichtheyenthuseabout totheirfriends,Iwillbemorethanhappy.

Schoolisforeducation,andthereareheapsof verygoodbookswhichprovidethatservice.The abilitytomakeachildlaughremainsagoaland accomplishment(whenitworks)whichIshall alwayscelebrate.

Truthtotell,Idon’twriteforagenericgroup–children–asthoughtheyaresomeothertypeof creature.IwritethestoriesIenjoyandIcreate charactersandsituationswhichmakemelaugh. Thewholethingisagiantself-indulgentgiggle.

Thebasicingredientsofagoodchildren’sstory arethesameasforanyotheraudience;interesting,relatablecharacters,anexciting,well-paced storyline,andrichvocabulary.Childrencanand shouldbestretchedinthis;goodnessknows theyneedtolearnhowtouseadictionaryas wellaslearntheirtimestables.

Remember,evenBeatrixPotterusedtheword ‘soporific’andwe’renotallbleatingaboutthe complexityofthat.Authorsneedtoestablisha goodconnectionpointwiththeirreaders,beit throughsettingorexperience.Ialsowantto stimulatetheirimaginations,preferablymake myreaderslaughand,ifIcanmakeitwork,have atrulysatisfyingending.Forme,thatmeansa happyonewithnothreadlefthangingunresolved(seeDecemberissue: Happily Ever After?).

Storiesshouldprovidesometoolsforsteeringa coursethroughthosebigemotionsthatcanso easilyambushallofusregardlessofage,andif we’vereallynailedit,providesomeillustrations, solutions,oratleastsignpostsforsomeofthe

challengeslifethrowsatus:conflict,loneliness, disappointmentetc.

Allofthatlooksprettydaunting. You’dbeforgivenforfeelingoverwhelmedatthispointanddirectingyourcreativetalentstowardsadifferent genre,butdon’tbe.

Ineverintendedtowriteforchildren;certainly notthe7-11agegroupIhavefallenintowithtwo collectionsofhumorousshortstories.

The Magnificent Moustache and Other Stories startedlifeasasinglesillystorywrittenformy eldestdaughterwhowasaboutthirtyatthe time.Shehadahighlypressurisedjobinchild protection,whichwasdifficultforhertoleave behindattheendoftheday.

Duringthatperiod,IwasinSouthAfricamore thanIwasintheUK,andwasfeelinglikeanomineeintheWorst-Mother-In-The-Worldcategory ofawards.Icouldn’thugher,takeherforcoffee orplyherwithice-creamasconsolation,soIdecidedtowriteherafunnystoryliketheoneswe usedtoenjoytogetherwhenshewassignificantlyyounger.

Sofar,sogood;butIhavefourchildren.Yousee whereI’mgoing?Parentsknowthatwhatyoudo foronechildyoualmostinevitablyhavetodofor allofthem.Consequently,thenextseveral monthsfoundmeinterspersingmynon-fiction wiringwithcraftingthreemoretaleswhich,I hoped,wouldmakethemlaugh.Preferably,out loud.

Ittookawhile,butoneChristmasEve,Ipresentedthemwithaboundandprintedversionofthe fourstorieswithasuitablysnowyphotographon thecover.Theideawasthathavingreadtheir ownstoriestheycouldnowspendthenightbeforeChristmassnuggledinbedandreadingeach other’stales.Itwentdownwellandthat’swhen asmalllightbulbwentoffinmyfoggybrainasI realized,althoughmorestorieswouldneedtobe

written,Ihadthesolidcoreofadecentcollection.

Editsweremadetoexpandandcontractthestoriessotheywereofsimilarlengthapproximately 5,000words),andbrainstormingsessionsprovidedenoughmaterialtopackagesixgoodones underthetitleofthetaleIhadgiventomyson aspartofhisbirthdaypresent.

Anumberofpublisherspassedontheideaeven thoughIfeltIhadresearchedwhowantedwhat prettythoroughly–veryfrustrating. However,a smallerindependentpublisherlovedtheidea, soIwentwiththem.

Afterprocuringtheservicesofagoodfriendto providetwoillustrationsperstory,thecollection waspublishedinJune2022.Havingworkedina primaryschoolforacoupleofyearsbetween someofourothernomadicadventures,Iwas abletoreturnandusetheirYear3and4classes (7-9yearolds)asguineapigsforsomecreative writingsessions.IdevelopedthesesoIcould potentiallyleadsixdifferentsessions(oneper story)ifrequired,givingmetheflexibilitytoreturntoaschoolmultipletimes.

Charlie Peach’s Pumpkins and Other Stories was publishedasasecondcollectioninNovember 2023bythesamepublisherandenhancedby contributionsfromthesamefabulousillustrator.ThistimeIfeltmoreassuredintheprocess andincludedthemeswhichIknewwouldspecificallyconnectwiththatagegroupinawayIhadn’tconsciouslydonebefore.Thoseincluded peoplewhoaredifferent,managingboredom, inter-generationalrelationships,andbullying.

OneofmyfavouritethingsaboutwritingforchildrenisthatIdon’tfeelcompelledorobligedto explaineverything. Childrenarehappytotake thingsasreadsotheycancrackonwiththestoryitself. Theyreadilyacceptthefacttheyhave founddinosaureggsinaholeatthebottomof thegarden.

Theydon’tneedacomplicatedexplanationof howtheygotthereorwhynooneelsehasdiscoveredthem,orwhatthelegalimplications maybe.That’sastoryyettobewritten,buta nationalmoustachecompetition?Ofcourse; whywouldn’ttherebesuchathingtakingplace inasmallEnglishvillage?It’sliberatingtodiscoverchildrenarewillingtocomewithyouon ideaswhicharenonsense,yetjustcloseenough torealitytobegivencredence!

Isthisthe‘right'waytocraftstoriesforchildren?

Ihavenoidea,thoughIsuspectnot,butitseems tobethewayIhavetaken.Onceagain,I’vediscovered,whilechildrenhaveapparentlybeen overheardgigglingastheyreadinbed,adults alsolovethecollectionspreciselybecausethey remindthemofthestoriestheyusedtoread, whichis,ofcourse,whyIwrotethefirstone.

Attheendoftheday,writerswanttocultivate readerswhoenjoybooksnotonlyintheirchildhood,butthroughouttheirlives. Ifwecancapturethemyoungwe’repartwaythere.

Jenny Sanders is a writer, speaker and mentor who writes in different genres. Spiritual Feasting is her faith-based exploration of authentic living in tough times. She has two collections of humorous children’s stories: The Magnificent Moustache and other stories and Charlie Peach’s Pumpkins and other stories. She is available for author visits for creative writing sessions with Key Stage 2 children in the UK

FindingInspirationforYourChildren’sBook

Wendy H. Jones offers some hints and tips on how to find inspiration for coming up with ideas when writing books for children.

Overthecourseofmywritingjourney,I havecomeacrossmanypeoplewhosay theywouldlovetowriteachildren’s book,buttheyjustdon’tknowwheretogetideas.Ihavetheoppositeproblem–toomanyideas.Actually,youcanneverhavetoomanyideas astheyareallaroundyouifyoustop,lookand listen.Childrenareendlesslycurious,anditis importanttochannelthatcuriosityifyouwant tofindinspirationforwhatwillexciteanddelightthem.

So,herearesomehintsandtipsonhowyoucan findinspirationforyourbooks.

• Spendtimewithchildren.Iwouldsaythisis thenumberonewayoffindinginspiration. Watchthegamestheyplay.Howtheyinteractwitheachother.Whattheywanttospend timedoing.Whatfascinatesthem.Iknow childrenwhoarefascinatedwithhorses,motorvehicles,diggers,roadgritters,dinosaurs, dogs,dolls,space–everythingintheworld fascinatesthem.

• Readchildren’sbooks.Nottocopythembut tosparkideasandtogetaflavourofhow theyarewritten.

• Fromlookingateverythingaroundyou.Beatrixpotterfoundherinspirationfromthe animalsshesawinthecountryside.

• Knowingwhatexcitesyou.

• Doyouhaveanareaofexpertisethatwould interestchildren–thinkHorribleHistories andHorribleScience.Irememberreadinga seriesofbooksasachildaboutCherryAmes whowasanurse.Icurrentlyhaveanideafor ahistoricalnon-fictionbookforchildren aboutarealpersonfromhistory.Whatever

yourareaofexpertisetherewillbechildren whowouldlovetoreadaboutit.

• Storiesfromhistory–HarryPotterdrawson GreekMythology.Therearenumerouschildren’sbooksbasedaroundFolklore.

• Visitdifferentplaces.Themoreyousee,the moreinspiredyouwillbe.Takeinthesights, sounds,smells,feeltheearthorsandbeneathyourfeet,thesunonyourfaceandthe feelofroughbarkorstone.Thefirstofmy FergusandFloraMysterieswasbornafter seeingadaggerinTheBritishMuseum.

• Notedownthingsinnewspapers.ThesecondofmyFergusandFloraMysterieswas bornafterreadingasnippetaboutScotland’sLostBroch.

• Takenoteofcurrentevents,thequirkierthe better.MyBertietheBuffalopicturebooks seriesisbasedonthetruestoryofababy waterbuffalothatwentmissinginScotland andwhowasrunningaroundScotlandonhis ownforacoupleofweeks.Thesecondinthe serieswasbasedontheOlympicGames. Thisshowsinspirationreallyiseverywhere.I hopethishelpsyoutothinkmorewidelyandto comeupwithyourownideasforchildren’s books.Itisfun;itreallyis.

ThePowerofWritingCollaboratives

Morna Milton-Webber shares something of her writing journey including the joys of collaboration with other authors.

WhenIhit60,IpromisedmyselfthatI wouldspendtheyearsIhadleftdoing thethingsthatbroughtjoytomylife. Insteadoffacilitatingeveryoneelsetoachieve theirgoals,hopesanddreams,Idecidedtoput myenergiesintofindingoutwhatitwasIactuallywantedtodo.

Havingburiedmyselfsodeepinthevarious rolesofwife,mother,workcolleagueandfacilitatorforallandsundry,themeIonceknewhad simplydisappeared.Myownaspirationslay abandonedandforgotteninorderthatothers foundtheirs.It’sthepathofselflessnessand sacrificesomaywomenchooseandIwasno different.Toputourfamiliesneedsbeforeours, becausewelovethembeyondmeasure.So whenIhitthatmilestonebirthday,Idecidedto rememberandhonourthegirlIusedtobe,the onefilledwithyouthfuloptimismandhopefor allshecouldachieve.

Istartedalistandthatignitedaflameoflove andrespectformyselfthathadlongbeenextinguished.Asthelistgrew,itbecameapparent that,consistentlyinthetop5ofthings‘todo’,I wastoreadmoreandtowrite.Notjusttowrite prose,flashfictionorpoetry-buttodocument mylifestory.Amemoir!

Thatsurprisedme.Ihadfallenoutoflovewith words(andmyself!)alongtimeagoandhereI wasembarkingonaselfdiscoverycrusade.The

writtenwordisapowerfultoolandoverthe years,somewords,pennedbymyadoptive motherinangerandcoldheartedness,hadalmostdestroyedme.SoIchosenottoreador writemuchthereafter,believingIcouldshield myselffromfurtherinjury.Selfpreservation comesinmanyguises,noteveryactiontaken servesafunctionalpurposeandnotalldecisions makesense,buttheydoactasprotectionatthe timeandhelptohealthedeepwoundscareless wordscaninflict.

ButwherewasIevengoingtobegin?Andhow couldIchangethenegativenarrativeIheld?

Writingcanbesuchaninsularlonelyprocessand Iwasfarremovedfromthewholeexperience. Furthermore,IlackedconfidenceandaselfbeliefthatIcouldactuallywrite!IknewIneededto bearoundlikemindedpeople,thosewhowrote forthepleasureofwritingsoIlookedaroundfor awritersgroup.

IfoundAngusWriter’sCircleandIcontacted themtoseeaboutjoining.Iwouldsay,singlehandedly,itwasprobablythebestthingIhave

done.Withinamonthofjoiningthegroup,just beforeChristmaslastyear,anopportunityarose toco-authorabookalongside50otherwomen fromaroundtheworld.Initially,myfirstthought wastorefuse,citingthereasonsof -

1.I’mnotawriter.2.I’mnotgoodenoughtobe partofawritingcollaborative. 3.Whowould wanttoreadwhatIhavetosayanyway!

ButIsilencedthenegativethoughtsandslowly talkedmyselfthrough,startingwithreason 1. Yes,Iwasn’tapublisherwriterbutIwasverycapableofwriting,sowhynotgiveitatry.2.The onlypersontellingmeIwasn’tgoodenough,was me-andoneofthethingsonmylistthatIpromisedmyselfwastostoptalkingbadlytomyself. Andfinally,3.Thevoiceinmyheadtellingme, “Whowouldwanttoreadit”wasbeingdrowned outbymyinnerchildyellinglouder -“Writeitfor yourself.Forus,fromtheheart.Ourwordsmatter”.Ihadmadeapacttolistentomyinnerself soIsaidyes!

Beingapartofawritingcollaborativewasempowering,upliftingandenlightening.Someofus hadwritingexperience,otherslikemyselfdidn’t butwewereallsupportedbythecuratorandeditorofthebook.Wewereeachtowriteonechapterandthereweretobe8piecestoeachofour chapters.Weweregiven4weekstowriteour8 articlesand2pieceshandedinbytheFridayof eachweek.Thistaughtmediscipline,timemanagement,howtowritetoadeadlineandalso howtodealwithsomeoneeditingandsometimeschangingwhatIhadwritten.

Everyweek,wewouldhaveaZoommeetingso weallhadachancetomeetandchatfromvariouscountriesaroundtheworld.Itwasimmersive,supportive,friendly,nonjudgmental,inclusiveandhugelyimportanttometobeasmall partofsomanywomentellingtheirstories,findingtheirvoiceandsharingtheirlifeexperiences. Afterall,itwasn’tsolongagothatwomenwere beingburntatthestakeforhavinganopinionlet alonespeakingtheirtruth!

Collaboratingisamightyforce.Whilstitisn’tfor everyone,Iwouldsayitisagreatwaytokickstart yourwritingwhenyouarenewtoallthingsliterary.Editing,publishing,marketing,salesandthe likeisalltakencareof-asawriter,yourstories aretheonlyinputrequired,whichisquiteaprivilegereally.Tosimplywriteandsomeoneelse doestherestofthehardworkforyou.

Perhapsacrucialaspectofcollaborationsisthat youarenotalone.Therearealwaysthoseyou canreachouttowhenyouarestuckorunsureif youareontherighttrack.Forme,impartingmy sageadvicefrommymanylifeexperiences,instilledaselfconfidenceandalevelofselfbelief thathadlongsincegone.Acknowledgingmyown worththroughthepowerofmywords,written withkindintentionandwiththewisdomthat comeswithmaturityhasbeenarealprivilege.I wouldsaytoanyonethatisthinkingaboutwriting-justdoit!Findawritersgrouplocaltoyou, theywillsupportandencourageyouandifyou evergettheopportunitytojoinawriter’scollaborative-goforit!

Ionlystartedtothinkaboutwritingjustovera yearago.Iamnowpublished,Ihavesubmittedto acompetitionandwonfirstplacewhichhasinspiredmetosubmitmoreofmywork.Iamalso 10,000wordsintomymemoirandabouttoembarkonresearchtowriteanothernonfiction book.

Weallhavetostartsomewhere.Sometimesit’s findingtheperfectpeoplealongthewaywhoencourageandchampionyoubutthemostimportantpersontodothatforyouisyou.

Morna Milton-Webber is a writer based in Angus, Scotland. She recently took up writing at 60, has co-authored on a book “A Woman’s Voice is a Revolution” with 50 other women from around the world and is currently in India writing her memoir.

NamingYourCharacters

Sophie, assisted by Peter Thomas, discusses key things to take into account when naming your fictional characters

IntheBiblestoryofcreationthefirstjob whichGodentrustedtoAdamwastogive namestoalltheanimals. Forwritersoffiction,anearlytaskistofindappropriateappellationsforyourcharacters.Arosebyanyother namemightsmellsosweet,butRomeoandJulietwouldneverhavebecomeasfamousifthey hadbeencalledAlgernonandErmintrude.Allow metoofferaspaniel’sperspectiveonthisvital endeavour.

MynameisSophie.Mydaddysaysthisisfrom theGreekwordforwisdom.Ontheotherhand, mymummy,whoisevenmorefluentintheclassics,saysitisbecauseIspendsomuchofmylife onthesofa.Eitherway,anamewhichisparticularlyappropriatetothepersonalityoractionsof theindividualistermedanaptronym,anaptonymoraeuonym.Suchoccurrencesinliterature arelabelledcharactonymsandobviousexampleswouldbeSleepingBeauty,SnowWhiteand indeedeachofthesevendwarves.I couldalso pointtothemonikersofthemostterriblevillains CruelladeVilandDarthVader,whicharecontractionsofcrueldevilanddeathinvader.

Authorscanshowcreativityandhumour throughthenamestheychoose,astheJames Bondfranchiseabundantlydemonstrates.A namecanrevealacharacter’spersonaortem-

perament,orbeasignificantanagram,oramonogramwheretheinitialsturnouttohaveahiddenmeaning.

“A name which is particularly appropriate to the personality or actions of the individual is termed an aptronym, an aptonym or a euonym.”

Somenamescanbeprophetic,signallingthe partthepersonwillplayinthestoryoralternativelydeliberatelymisdirectingthereader.

Sometimesacharacter’snamecanhintattheir superpowers,oratthemythicalbeasttheytransforminto,suchasJ.K.Rowling’swerewolfRemusLupin.Somenamesareintentionallyironic, forexampleRobinHood’sfriendLittleJohn,ora tigernamedSpotortheliterary“porcupine namedFluffy”.

“A character’s name can hint at their superpowers.”

Attheverybeginningofthewritingprocess,authorsmustmakeakeydecision.Dotheydeterminethenamesoftheircharactersfromthe

Sophie(right)withPoppy

beginning,andletthosethenshapethepersonalitiesandthenarrative?Ordotheywritethe storyusingplaceholderlabelsforeachcharacter, andonlysettleonthebestnamesforthematthe end?Puppiesallbeginlifewithtemporarynames intheirbirthfamily,whichgetchangedwhen theygototheirforeverfamilies.

WhenIwasababy,IwascalledBanoffeebecause myfurwascreamandgoldandbrown,andmy chocolatesisterwascalledMocha.Butobviously nobodywantstogothroughlifeidentifiedasa puddingorabeveragesoMochaisnowcalled Willow.

Sincehegrewupsohandsome,mybrotherHarry changedhisnametoBeau,pronouncedasin rainbowratherthanisbow-wow.

MybiglittlesisterHollybecameaffectionately knownasHippobecauseshewasblackandbarrel-shapedandatetwiceasmuchastherestof us.Howevershemustnowremainincognitodue toherprestigiousjobaschiefsquirrelwardenat KewGardens–Iamnotaname-dropper.

Writersalsoshouldthinkverycarefullyaboutthe namesthattheircharactersemploywhentalking toeachother,orequallyspeakingabouteach other.Narratorsgenerallyusethegivennamesof theircharacterswhentheyaredescribingtheaction.Dialogueisdifferentbecauseitisonlyinfictionthatpeopleandanimalswoulduseeach other’spropernamesintheirconversations.Instead,theywillusuallyusenicknamesorpet names,whichcanbecomeincreasinglymorebizarretheclosertherelationship.

“Choosing the right names for your characters is essential.”

MyhumansoftencallmeSquiggle,becauseIam sosquiggly,apparently.MytruemumPoppyis usuallydirectlyaddressedasPopsy,orPopsicle, butreferredtoasthePopmeisterafterapopular musicquizontheradio.Consequently,when theyaretalkingaboutmeourhumanssome-

timesrefertomeastheSquigmeisterGeneral. Goodwritersknowthatfamilies,friendsandcolleaguesusetermsofendearmentliketheseall thetime.EvenWoodstockcallsSnoopy“OldBananaNose”.

Choosingtherightnamesforyourcharactersis essential.Butcouldauthorswhoarewriting aboutanimalspleasenotethatusingDogasa forenameorasasurnameissimplylazy.Unless thecreatureisacat,ofcourse,inwhichcaseitis hilarious.

Rev Peter Thomas has published three non-fiction books and is delighted now to assist Sophie in her creative writing projects. Originally a teacher and author in the fields of chemistry and computing, Peter retired in 2023 after 36 years as a Minister of local Baptist Churches. He continues to add to his blog and videos of more than a thousand sermons and reflections found at www.pbthomas.com.

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PeterThomasandSophie

WhatIsYourFavouriteStoryOfAllTime?

SC Skillman shares some of her favourite books she read as a child and discusses why they are still firm favourites for her today.

Whatisyourfavouritestoryofalltime?

ThisisaquestionI’veaskedafew timesduringtheQ&Asessionatthe endofmyauthortalks.It’sacuriousfactthatno mattertheageoftheaudience,theyrarelycite themostrecentbookthey’veread,orfilm,play orTVdramathey’veseeninthelastfewyears; no,it’susuallyabooktheylovedinchildhood. ‘Black Beauty’,someonewillanswer;‘Anne of Green Gables’ or‘Swallows and Amazons’ another.

It’smybeliefthatthebookswereadandlovein childhoodhaveaprofoundeffectupontherest ofourlives,mostoftenunconscious.WhenInow setmymindtorememberingmymostloved books,Ioftenfindmyselfthinkingofacharacter’snameandaphraseorplotpointorevent fromthestorybutcannotremembertitleand author.Ifyouidentifywiththis,youcantype oddrememberedwordsandphrasesinto GoogleAdvancedSearch.

IrememberedalittlegirlcalledGriselda,andthe phrase‘noddingChinesemandarins’.Butthe titleandauthorescapedme;allIremembered wasthestoryentrancedme.SoItypedinthese wordsandfound‘The Cuckoo Clock’ byMary LouisaStewart.Thisnovelwasaportalstory, buttheword‘portal’wouldnothaveappeared inmysearch,asitisatermusedinmoremodern genredefinitions.

AnotherbookIlovedhadamainprotagonist calledCharlotte,achildwhocametoliveina housewithafamilywhereshewaslonely,illtreatedanddisregarded,butshelovedbooks.I thinkitwasahistoricalsetting,andCharlotte wasn’tallowedtogotoschool,butshelearnt everythingpurelybyreadingbooks,andbecame verywiseandknowledgeable.WhenIreadthis storyasachild,itwasthefirsttimeIrealisedthat youcouldinfactteachyourselfeverything,purelybyverywidereading.I’veneverforgottendiscoveringthatfascinatingfact.TomeCharlotte–rejected,downtrodden,cruelly-treated-wasa truehero.Ifanyofyourecognisethisnovel pleaseletmeknowasIcouldn’tidentifyiton GoogleAdvanceSearch.

ThereareofcoursebooksIlovedinchildhood whosetitlesandauthorsIcaneasilyremember. Theseinclude‘The Island of Adventure’ byEnid Blyton,‘Pippi Longstocking’ byAstridLindgren, ‘Heidi’ byJoannaSpyriand‘The 101 Dalmatians’ byDodieSmith.Furtherback,Ifindinmy memorysuchbooksas‘Mrs Pepperpot’ byAlf Proysen,theRupertBearAnnuals,andhighlyillustratedstoriesofKingArthurandtheKnights oftheRoundTable.Ialsoloved‘Just William’ by

SCSkillman

RichmalCrompton,andtalesof ‘TheArabian Nights’.FurtherbackstillIremembersuchnonpoliticallycorrectdelightsasBillyBunterand LittleBlackSambo.Anearlylovewas‘Mary Plain’ byGwyneddRae.MaryPlainwasalittlebearin thebearpitinBerne,Switzerland,andheradventureswiththeOwlManandtheFurCoatLady.

Oneofmymostbelovedearlyfictionalcharacterswasacrocodile.Myheartwasbrokenwhen CroakytheCrocodilewascaughtandendedup inthezoo.IrememberweepingoverCroaky whenhewastakenawayfromallhisfriendsin thejungle.Nevermindthechildrenwhoenjoyed seeinghiminthezoo;allIcaredaboutwashow hehadbeenpartedfromthefriendlyegretand toucanbackinthejungle.

Amongchildren’sbooksthatmademecry,Imay count ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ aboveallothers.Evennow,whenIthinkofLucy andSusanmourningAslanthelion,ashelieson thestonetable,apparentlykilledbytheWhite Witchandallherminions,shornofhisbeautiful mane,Iimmediatelyfeelagainthatoverwhelminggrief.Manycantestifytotheemotionalpowerofthatstory,thefirstpublishedbookofthe NarniaChronicles.Ilovedtheoriginalillustrationsinthatbook,too.Ifinditfascinatingthat CSLewis’sfellowfantasyauthor,JRRTolkien, literarybuddyandsupporter,neverthelesswasn’tkeenontheNarniastories,andtoldhisfriend thathesimplycouldn’tincludeallthosedisparateelementsinhisbook!Itwouldn’tworkatall, hemaintained,toincludetalkinganimalsanda witchandFatherChristmasallinonebook.However,itdid:becausemillionshaveadoredthe Narniabooks,justastheyadoreTolkien’sfantasybookstoo.

Otherfavouritebooksthatdemandtobementionedinclude ‘The Owl Service’ byAlanGarner. ‘The Little White Horse’ byElizabethGoudge,’ ‘What Katy Did’ bySusanCoolidgeand ‘The Little Princess’ byFrancesHodgsonBurnett.

IfIweretopickoutenduringthemesthathave stayedwithmethroughoutmylife,Iwouldhave

tosumitupintheideaoftheportalor‘entryinto anotherworld’:thethemesareallabouttransformation,change,adventure,miraculousescapefromoppressionintofreedom.

Ialsorememberabookaboutalittlegirlrunning awaytojointhecircus,andanotherbookwhere thechildhero,treatedcruellyinEngland,finally fleesoverthebordertoScotland–whichIthen thoughtofasthelandofescapeandfreedom.So thereyougo!Istillcan’tremembertitleandauthor–justthethemesofrunningawaytoanotherworld!

ThefinalthoughtIleaveyouwithisthis:asan author,especiallyofchildren’sbooks,yourreadersinthefuturemaynotrememberyourname, orthetitleofyourbook.Butyouwillhaveprofoundlyinfluencedliveswithacharacter,plot element,orevenaphrasewhichtouchedtheir hearts,andwillbealwaysremembered.

Sheila writes psychological, paranormal and mystery fiction and non-fiction under the pen-name SC Skillman. Her non-fiction books on local history are published by Amberley and include ‘Paranormal Warwickshire’ and ‘Illustrated Tales of Warwickshire’; and ‘A-Z of Warwick’ released in November 2023. Her modern gothic novel is with publishers, and she is working on the sequel. She studied English Literature at Lancaster University, and her first permanent job was as a production secretary with the BBC. Later she lived in Australia before returning to the UK.

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Tonominateyourwritinggroup,locallibrary orbookshoptobefeaturedinfutureissues emailwritersnarrative@gmail.com subjectheadedfortheattentionoftheEditor inChief

ChildhoodFavourites

Jenny Saunders discusses some of her favourite books as a child and the need to make books accessible to children

One in four primary school children in England fail to reach the expected standard of reading by the age of eleven. So says the Schoolreaders website. TheGuardiannewspaperclaimedinNovemberlastyearthat:

Almost a million children in the UK do not have a single book of their own at home, according to new research conducted by the National Literacy Trust.

Some 91.4% of children aged five to 18 who were surveyed said that they had a book of their own, meaning that 8.6% (one in 12) did not.

Whatsadstatistics.

IamsogratefulthatIgrewupinafamilywhere booksfeaturedineveryroomofthehouse. Theyweren’tallbrandnewbutthatnevermattered.MysistersandIallhadlibrarycardsso thatwecouldpursuethewonderfulworldof readingwithouthavingtofindthefundsforour literaryappetites. Itwas,andstillis,aticketto knowledge,adventureandathousandpathsto imaginativeescapism.

ThebooksIreadasachildhavestayedwithme formorethanhalfacentury.

Iwascaptivatedbytheillustrationsandtales fromBeatrixPotter. Whocouldn’tbeentranced byMrsTiggy-Winkle,nervousforPeterRabbit, gentlyfrightenedbyMrToddandMrMcGregor, anddelightedbyJemimahPuddle-Duck?We hadnumerousbooksfromthe Thomas the Tank Engine seriesbeforehehadamakeoverinto popularanimation. ThefabulousJohnnyMorrisevennarratedthesadstoryofGordon,who wasoncestuckinatunnel,withwonderful characterisationona7”vinylrecord.

Despiteadiscreditedreadingsystemfromthe 1960swhichfailedtodeterme(probablybecauseIwasalreadyreading),Ibeganmyown readingodysseywitharangeofwonderful Ladybird bookscoveringbothfactandfiction. The Well-Loved tales serieswereaparticularfavouritewithme.Thedetailedillustrationsenhanced thefamiliarfairytales;Cinderella’sfabulous dressesdazzledmelikenoothers! I’msure manyofthetitleswouldbefamiliartoyoueven manyyearslater. [Ifyouwereafan,youmight liketoknowthatTheVictoriaArtGalleryinBath currentlyhasanexhibitionrunninguntil14th Aprilthatisshowcasinghundredsofthese books.]

Ourparentsreadtousfrom Winnie-the-Pooh and The Wind in the Willows,andwelistened, wide-eyedandopen-mouthed. Myfatherhad beenanasthmaticasachildandmissedhuge chunksofschoolduringwhichhereadvoraciously. Hepassedthatpassionforbooksonto thethreeofus. Lateroninhisschoolcareerhe wastornbetweenhisattractiontochemistry andhisloveofliterature.Intheendhechose science(andbecameaspecialisedresearcher intotoxicologyandtheeffectoforganophosphoruspesticides–no?Meneither),butmylove ofwordsandstoriesundoubtedlycamefrom him. Manyawinterpost-Sunday-lunchwould

JennySanders

bespentlisteningtohimvoicethecharacters fromnotonly The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,buttheentireNarniaseries,chapterby chapter,weekbyweek.ThosebookswereinterspersedwiththelikesofENesbit’s The Phoenix and the Carpet and The Treasure Seekers. Magicaltimes.

Myownreadingjourneywidenedtoinclude Mrs Pepperpot, Pippi Longstocking, A Bear called Paddington, Bobby Brewster,anearlyeditionof Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,aswellasthe schooladventuresof Jennings and Derbyshire and,ofcourse,theentire Famous Five seriesby EnidBlyton. ThesewerethefirstbooksIread whichdidn’thaveanillustrationoneverypage;it allfeltverygrownup.

Iwouldhavebeenhappyifmyprimaryschool timetableandbeenmadeupexclusivelyofreadingandcreativewritingbutalas,itwasnottobe. However,thankstoafantasticEnglishteacher,I discovered Emil and the Detectives byErichKästner, The Otterbury Incident byCDayLewisand Stig of the Dump byCliveKing.

Secondaryschoolbroughtmoreserioustexts acrossmypathandanintroductiontoShakespeareandhisextraordinarybodyofwork. Jane Austen,ThomasHardy,ElisabethGaskell, CharlesDickens,GeorgeEliot,WilkieCollinsand theBrontësistersallfollowedcloselybehindasI soughttoexpandmyliteraryrepertoire. EMForsterpoppeduponmyAlevelsyllabusbringinga newstyleaswellasnewtopicsfordiscussion andconsideration.

Inthosedays,therewassuchathingasS (special)levelEnglishonofferandIseizeditwith bothhands. IdiscoveredVirginiaWoolfandthe realisationthatmyopinion,notjustthoseofthe criticsandvoicesofyesteryear,matteredand werevalid. IhadabetwithafriendthatIcould includeaspectrumofwritersintomyexamanswerstoincludeRogerHargreavesof Mr Men fameaswellasauthorsoftheclassics. Iwon thatbet!

Mydegreeallowedmetostudyplaysandplaywrightsasmyloveoftheatregrew;butnomatter

howmanyproductionsIsaworfilmsIconsumed, thepicturesIconjuredmyselffromacombination ofmyimaginationandtheprintedpagehavealwaysservedmebest.

Ilookbackfondlyatsomeofthetitlesofyesteryear. IwonderwhetherBobbyBrewster’swallpaperstillcomestolifeandwhetherMrsPepperpot isstillnavigatingherwaythroughherkitchen cupboardorgarden.Ioftenpickupbargainsfrom thebookstallsatschoolfetes,villagefairsand theshelvesofcharityshops. ManyofthemIgift tochildrenoftheappropriateagebecauseIdon’t wantthemtomissoutonallthebrilliantstories outthere.

TheformerChildren’slaureateCressidaCowell wassorightwhenshesaid: ‘reading gives children the very skills they need to succeed at school, at work and in life.’ Thisbeingso,it’svitalthatwe introducechildrentotheadventureofreadingas earlyaswecanthroughpicturebooksandageappropriatetitles. Weneedtoencouragethemto explorethewonderfulworldofbooksforthemselves. Ourinfectiousenthusiasmwillhelpopen doorsforthemandgivethemthatallimportant headstartinlife.

I’llleavemysummationwithCressidaCowell again: ‘Books enable children to discover new worlds, meet new people, and learn about the past but they also have the power to transfer lives.’ Now that’smagic!

https://www.schoolreaders.org/ Accessed 12.02.24

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/nov/28/almost -a-million-children-in-the-uk-do-not-own-a-booknational-literacy-trust#:~Accessed 12.02.24

https://theliteracyblog.com/2015/05/14/i-t-a-a-great-idea -but-a-dismal-failure/ Accessed 12.02.24

https://www.victoriagal.org.uk/event/wonderful-worldladybird-book-artists? Accessed 12.02.24

Jenny Sanders is a writer, speaker and mentor. Spiritual Feasting is her faith-based exploration of authentic living in tough times. She has two collections of humorous children’s stories: The Magnificent Moustache and other stories and Charlie Peach’s Pumpkins and other stories.

OneWrongMovebyDaniPettrey

ReviewedbyWendyH.Jones

Tauntingriddles.

Adeadlystringofheists. Twobrokenheartstrappedinakiller'sgame.

ChristianO'Bradywaspulledintoalifeofcrimeatayoung agebyhisconartistparents.Nowmakingamendsforhis corruptpast,hehasbecomeoneofthecountry'sforemost securityexperts.WhenastringofSouthwesternartheists targetsoneofthegalleriesChristiansecured,heispaired upwithagiftedinsuranceinvestigatorwhohasherown checkeredpast.

AndiForesterwasabrilliantFBIforensicanalystuntiloneof hercolleaguesdestroyedhercareer,blamingherformishandlingevidence.Shenowputsthoseskillstoworkinvestigatinginsurancefraud,andthislatesthigh-stakescase willtesthergifttothelimit.Drawndeepintoadangerous gamewithanopponentbentonrevenge,ChristianandAndiareinaraceagainsttheclocktocatchhim,buttheperpetrator'sgameisfarfromfinished,andonewrongmove couldbethedeathofthemboth.

DaniPettreyisaskilledwriterasisevidentfromtheveryfirstlineofthisbook ,‘Heinhaledthestiffresolutionofherdeath.’.Seriouslywhatacrackingline-Iamgoingtobeusingthisinmyworkshoponwritingakillerfirstline.Thisdemonstrateshowfirstlinesshouldhookthereaderandpullthemin.Iwas hookedimmediatelyandcouldnothelpbutreadfurther.Therestofthebooklivesuptothepromiseof theopeningsentence.

ThecharactersinthisnewseriesareintroducedwellandIfoundmyselfgrowingtolikethemmoreand moreasthebookprogressed.Iamsureastheseriescontinues,theywillbecomelikefamily.IwasrootingforChristianandAndieveryhighoctanestepoftheway.Theplotrattlesalongatagoodpaceand thetensionishigh.ThesettingiswelldescribedandgivesarealsenseofArizonawithoutoverwhelming thereader.Often,whenafavouriteauthorbringsoutanewseriesyouwonderwhethertheserieswill liveuptothepreviousones.InPettrey’scaseyouneednotworryatall.ThisnewseriesisawelcomeadditionpreviousofferingsbyPettrey.Iwouldhighlyrecommendit.

YoucanfindoutmoreaboutDaniPettreyandherbooksathttps://www.danipettrey.com

WritingGroupoftheMonth

CotswoldScribblers

Our writing group for March is the Cotswold Scribblers from Shroud in England. Maressa Mortimer set up the group. Here, she tells us about Cotswold Scribblers.

Onceamonth,theCotswoldScribblers meet.Mostofthetimewemeetin Stroud,althoughthegroupstartedin Cheltenham.

Therearen’tmanyofus,butthegroupissupportive,sharingknowledgeandskillsaswellas cheeringeachotheron.It’sgreattofindawide varietyofwritersinoneplace,andaswe’reall happytoshare,itisaveryinformativegroup.

Sharingtakesaboutfiveminutesperperson, andthefeedbackishelpful.WhenIjoinedthe originalgroup,basedinachurchinCheltenham, itwasagreatwaytostartyourwritingjourney.

Whenforhealthreasonsthegroupstopped,I missedit.Andwhenasked,Iwashappytostart

thegroupagain,inalessformalmanner.The groupwillprobablybecomemoreformalastime goesonandasnumbersincrease.Wenowmeet inapublicspace,butwekeptthethemedwritingthewayitusedtobeyearsago,asitgivesa lovelyfocus.

Thereareonlyahandfulofusmeetingatthe moment,butwewelcomeChristianwritersfrom aroundtheCotswoldsorinstrikingdistance.

ContactMaressaMortimeratvicarioush.ome@gmail.comformoreinformation.

Maressa Mortimer is Dutch but lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, England with her husband and four (adopted) children. Maressa is a homeschool mum as well as a pastor’s wife, so her writing has to be done in the evening when peace and quiet descend on the house once more. She loves writing Christian fiction, as it’s a great way to explore faith in daily life. All of Maressa’s books are available from her website, www.vicarioushome.com, Amazon or local bookshops.

MaressaMortimer

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Writers’NarrativeeMagazine

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Please use Hart’s Rules: The Oxford Style Guide. Light editing will be undertaken. If major editing is required, the article will be returned with general advice on what is required to bring it up to publication standard.

All submissions are to be in Times New Roman or Times, size 12 font, single spaced, with no formatting. Allformattingwillbecarriedoutbytheeditorialteam.

Theonlyimageswhichshouldbesubmittedwithyour articlesareyourauthorphotograph andbookcoversifdoingabookreview.Includeabriefbioandauthorphotographalongwithyourfirstsubmission.

Pleasestatethemonthforwhichyouaresubmittingyourarticle.However,thismaybechangedifitisfelt itbettersuitsadifferentissue.

Writers’Narrativeispublishedmonthly.Submissioncutoffdates:

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Tonominate yourwritinggroup, locallibrary orbookshop tobefeatured in futureissues and for anyqueries including advertising with us email writersnarrative@gmail.com subject headed for the attention of EditorinChief

Whilethereisamonthlythemeandfocus,thiswillnotbetheonlytopicforthemagazine.General articlescanalsobesubmittedforpublication.

Themesfor2024

Month

Theme

January Newbeginnings–Settingthescenefortheyearahead

February RomanceWriting–WhatelseinFebruary

March WritingforChildren–TiesinwithWorldBookDay

April Editing–Selfediting,workingwithaneditoretc.

May WritingMemoir–It’sNationalMemoirMonth

June WritingPoetry

July WritingNon-Fiction

August

WritingHistoricalFiction

September ScienceFictionandFantasyit’sNationalScienceFictionMonth

October Worldbuilding

November WritingCozyMysteries

December WritingHabits.

ComingNext

Month

….

April2024

Theme -Editing

FeaturedAuthor BookReviews

Newreleases

Andmuchmore….

April2024