Yay! It's UKYA DAY!!

It's UKYA Day today (sounds of party poppers going off).  This is a fab project and so important as it highlights the talent and wonder we have here in the UK. One of the reasons why I love writing YA is because it's fresh, diverse and challenging.

I thought I'd use this post to celebrate some of my influences, fab UKYA writers who I think should be highlighted. Of course, there are many more than my small list - but this is just an example of some of the excellence out there.


1) Anne Cassidy.
Fantastic, powerful writer, she really challenges her reader.
If you've not read Looking for JJ, you must - honestly, you won't regret it.

2) Jaqueline Wilson.
I know she's not strictly YA but some of her early work influenced me greatly.
Nobody's Perfect and Waiting for the Sky to Fall were books I read AGAIN and AGAIN as a teen. They encouraged me to write.

3) Keren David
I'm late finding Keren, but as a contemporary/realism writer myself, I am in awe of Keren's work.
She is real, gritty and exciting. My only regret is not finding her sooner.

4) Cat Clarke
Cat's books are so clever, fast moving and gripping and keep you reading until late at night.
I get so excited when a new book comes out!

5) Sally Nicholls
Sally is such a diverse writer. She writes about contemporary issues with such sensitivity.
I have just received my issue of Close My Pretty Eyes - and I can't wait to get stuck in.

Of course there are so many more. I could go on all day, but these 5 authors make me want to read more of their work. Not only that they also encourage me to become a better writer.

We are so lucky to have such a wealth of talent here. Please remember to keep recommending your favourite authors and sharing the love.

Let's make UKYA stronger than ever

xx
 

Read this (pass it on).....

I was nominated for this chain-blog-thingy by the wonderful Leila Rasheed http://leilarasheeddotcom.wordpress.com She has been an inspiration me for a long time now and is a fantastic writer for children and young adults.

I don't do these things often. I'm not great at them (if I'm honest), but I've had a go!

These are the questions.

“What are you working on?”

I’m now working on the edits for my teen novel Seven Days. It's an exciting process, first time for me! It's also really great to see your novel begin to take shape. Editorial input is so valuable, it makes you see things in a new light and you also notice the glaring mistakes and several repetitions that you miss when you read a novel yourself a million times over!

I'm also starting to flesh out some ideas for my next book (due for release in 2016). I can't give away any details yet, but I'm getting quite excited about how things are developing.

 

 

 

“How does your writing differ from others in its genre?”

That is so difficult to answer. I think all writing differs. We all have our different strengths.
I've always been told that I have an authentic voice, I think that comes from working directly with teens for so long. I'm also quite gritty and don't like to shy away from serious matters that I think are really troubling young people.

My characters are often flawed and come from troubled backgrounds. I like to explore this and also look at the inner strengths and beauty some of these individuals can have. I don't believe in Happy Ever Afters - but I do believe in hope and the amazing strength of human spirit.

 

 

“Why do you write what you do?”

I started writing comedy novels, but there was always a gritty undertone. When I started working with teenagers I had a direct link to what issues they were facing on a daily basis. I started to find that my work was now naturally leaning towards these contemporary themes (without the humour) and actually it seemed to suit me.

 

 

“How does the writing process work for you?”

 

I try to write 500 - 1,000 words a day. I edit as I go (because I'm a bit of a perfectionist) so sometimes I can be stuck on the same chapter for a while.
I'm not a planner, I wish I was. I have a rough idea where I'm going and then I just write. I let my characters direct me and take me on their roughly penned out journey. It seems to work.
There are days however, when I sit and sob and wonder if I'll ever be able to write again. These are outweighed by the wonder days, when the sentences flow - and a piece of work really comes to life.


That’s it folks!  I nominate 1) author extaordinaire Ruth Warburton http://www.ruthwarburton.com/- if you’ve not read the Winter trilogy do so now, she is an amazing writer! And 2) debut YA novelist Sara Crowe http://theforest.me Her novel Bone Jack is out April 2014!

Sorry!

Hello!

Just a quick update to apologise for not being around. I'm kind of deciding which way direction to take this blog (whilst trying hard to concentrate on writing book 2).

I've also been distracted by other boring home stuff, that's far too dull to go into...

I will be updating soon! Please check back.

In the meantime, here's a picture to brighten your day!

 

Don't Stop....

Sometimes writing is the hardest thing in the world. You can have this fantastic idea gnawing away inside you; yet you STILL will do anything to avoid it. Believe me, I'm great at this. I have in the past:

* sorted my out washing
* Googled the whereabouts of previous Big Brother contestants (yes I am that sad...)
* spent 30 mins trying to think of an interesting Facebook/Twitter update
* re-arranged my bookcase into height order

just to avoid writing.

I don't know why we do this. I think it's just that feeling of self-doubt that eats away at you, making you believe that three hours would be better spent wasted on Digital Spy than typing up the lame words you might otherwise write.

But of course all of this is rubbish. You can write. You MUST write. You have to shut the stupid voices away. Tips to help you focus include:

* Using a computer without Internet access, or using an app that switches off Facebook so that you're not tempted to spend hours testing which Simpson/Hunger Games/Eastenders character you should be.
*Rewarding yourself with an hours' productive work (I find cake useful)
* Or setting yourself a target of 500 words a day. It doesn't matter if you have to edit it down later, just get those words down.
* Working to music. I like working in silence, but some people find it more motivational to type to classical or certain pop music.
* Get someone to strap you to your seat and only release you when you've met your target.

Ok - the last one might be a bit extreme...

The end is in sight. In the near future you could have have a gleaming, brilliant book to shout to the world about. No-one will ever know if its trapped between your ears.

I have to go now. Blogging is distracting me.....;o)
 

The Wonder of Rejections....

I have soooooo many rejections. I've kept them. I'm proud of them. They form part of my journey and even though they bloody hurt at the time, each one made me that bit more determined. Rejections drove me further. I was going to be accepted....one day!

I was rejected for my first three books. One I decided to self publish (The Blog of Maisy Malone) and the other two I decided to file away for a bit. My forth, Seven Days, was my eventual success.

But yesterday, about a year after I'd started submitting my novel to agents, I received another rejection. I'd totally forgotten this one was still outstanding. Although it was nice to read this email and know it no longer mattered, the rejection itself still smarted a bit - because lets face it, we all want to be loved. The message itself was simple:

Many thanks for contacting us about your work. Unfortunately we didn't think this was right for the areas on which we focus.

Thank you for thinking of us and we wish you all the best in finding representation elsewhere.

 

And I guess this reminded me of a important lesson in publishing - although I secured an agent and a publishing contract in the end, I was bloody lucky.

 

One mans meat is another mans poison.

 

 You will be rejected. This is normal. This is good if you can use the disappointment to drive you forward. So my advice today is to keep trying.

 

 

And if you get despondent, eat cake - it worked for me.

Happy New (Writing) Year!

So it's 2014! Yay!

To be honest, I'm not a great lover of January, as it tends to mean long, dark (wet) days when I haven't got much money and I feel like I've actually turned into a giant Quality Street.  However, it usually is a good time to write. I find it easier to knuckle down with the wind howling outside, mugs of hot tea beside me and no temptation to 'just pop outside' to do something else (unless I want to be swept up in a force-ten gale). Seriously, the massive tree outside looks like it will sweep me up into an embrace at any second.

I don't usually succumb to resolutions, but this year I have a few simple ones to keep me going:

1) Finish the edits on book one
2) Really get going with my ideas for book 2 and have confidence that I can write the notoriously difficult second book
3) Keep my blog updated with my journey/experiences
4) Keep reading!

Hopefully I can stick to them!

I hope to be back soon.....As long as that tree hasn't got me!

E xx

How I got Published.....(the short version)

WriteWords talks to Eve Ainsworth aka WW member Eve26, whose novel Seven Days is out with Scholastic in 2015.
www.writewords.org.uk


 
Tell us something about your background.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been creating stories. When I was little and before I could write, I used to run around my back garden making up stories out loud – the neighbours probably thought I was a little odd! When I was ten I typed out my first children’s story ‘Muddles The Mouse’ and sent it to Penguin. I received a lovely letter back, saying it had been taken to a board meeting and they told me never to give up. Throughout my teenage years my room was littered with abandoned novels and scrawled ideas. I knew I wanted to be a writer, there was a constant drive inside me, but lack of self belief held me back for a long time.


I really knuckled down to writing whilst pregnant with my first child in 2007. I wrote a contemporary/thriller and began to circulate it to agents. In hindsight, the novel wasn’t my strongest, but through it I began to understand the writing process, and I joined writing networks such as Writewords. I wrote my next novel, The Blog of Maisy Malone, and received much more favourable feedback, although I still struggled to get an agent. At times it seemed I was close, but not close enough. By now, I had discovered my voice and knew that I wanted to write Young Adult. My next book, The Art of Kissing Frogs, was shortlisted for the Greenhouse Funny Prize – yet I still couldn’t secure an agent, despite several ‘full’ requests.

Tell us about your journey to getting an agent and publisher

I decided to self-publish Maisy Malone, but had moments where I doubted whether I would ever actually make it as a writer.

I just couldn’t stop! The drive to write just wouldn’t go away, and there was always a little voice inside my head saying, ‘the next book might be the ONE’. The friends and contacts I’d made on writing sites were also fantastic and kept me going when I felt disheartened.

I also found writing short stories helped me. I was able to develop my writing and it gave me something else to concentrate on. Having some success in other publications such as Writer’s Forum and Prima magazine was a huge confidence boost.

I wrote Seven Days relatively quickly, but I took time to make sure it was ready. I found other writers (beta readers) who read it for me and provided feedback - this helped shape it and make it stronger. When I submitted Seven Days I felt it was as ready as it ever could be. Luckily, this one was snapped up by Stephanie Thwaites at Curtis Brown. I was overjoyed. She is a fab agent and as soon as I met her, I knew she would do a fantastic job for me.
After a nerve-wrecking submission process, Stephanie sold Seven Days to Scholastic UK. It will be published in April 2015 and I couldn’t be happier.

What's the worst thing about writing?

The self-doubt never goes away, and it’s an evil beast.


And the best?

I love seeing the ideas coming together, or a piece of writing flowing beautifully. There is also nothing like the satisfaction of typing ‘the end’ on a piece of work.


My other passions?

My children. Reading (anything)!! I love films by British directors such as Mike Leigh, Ken Loach and Shane Meadows.


What distracts you from writing?

All of the above.


Tell us what you're reading:

I read mainly YA/teen now and some of my recent favourites include Wonder by R J Palacio and A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. Other all time favourites include The L Shaped Room, The Diaries of Adrian Mole, The Stand (Stephen King) and Behind the Scenes at the Museum (Kate Atkinson)




Your three favourite authors:

I’m sorry - these are a bit obvious – but I think they are so important
Jacqueline Wilson
Roald Dahl
Stephen King


Dream writing location?

In a country house, in my own study facing a beautiful (well kept) garden). I can picture floor to ceiling bookshelves and no children at my feet screaming, “Mum, can I...?”



Tips for other writers?

These are my tips. I’m sorry I can’t keep it to just one!
• Really understand your market. Read around it. Don’t stop reading, it’ll fuel you.
• Never send out your work too early. Read through it. Put it away for a bit. Then read it again. You will spot things (believe me – I did!)
• Find beta-readers (other writers that can read your work on a reciprocal basis) and listen to their feedback. Are there things you can change? Strengthen?
• Don’t take criticism to heart.
• Never, EVER, give up. I nearly did several times...