INTRODUCING YOU TO

“MY WRITER”

I was delighted to be invited by Readers Magnet to write an article for the Author’s Lounge about my children’s’ book My Writer.  Published in 2014, the idea behind it was very simple – introducing children to the magic of Creative Writing.  At that time I was running a Creative Writing group for 7 to 11 year olds – the first of its kind at that time – and had often wondered how I could incorporate that passion into a story that children would not only like to read, but also be inspired by.

During a visit to a local library one day, I saw a young man at the desk asking about local Creative Writing opportunities and the whole story that is My Writer came to me, full and complete in the blink of an eye, starting off as a spark and then flowering into a huge, colourful firework!  As someone who had also started writing at a young age, I knew exactly what this book needed to be about, who the main characters were and how the book would end positively.

Having read Jean Webster’s wonderful book Daddy-Long-Legs , I had always wanted to write something with a similar magical twist at the end and I instantly knew that My Writer would be the perfect vehicle to do just that.

In My Writer, protagonist Vicky Price aged 10 lives with her poet grandmother.  With her father dealing overseas in precious stones and her mother being chaperone to her older actor brother Daniel whilst he is on location, Vicky often feels cut off from the family and is encouraged by her grandmother to keep a journal so that she can express her feelings and not let them bottle up.  In the journal she often talks about how she wants to be a famous writer when she grows up. An avid reader, her favourite writer is Dicky Doyle whose series of fantasy books Wizardatron she reads time after time.  Ironically the first book in the series is being turned into a film starring Daniel!  

Over the next few months, a series of events both funny and tragic take place that make Vicky question the trappings of fame and a chance meeting at the library with shy, stuttering Jimmy Spoon – who himself hides a remarkable secret – also helps Vicky to discover who she really is and where her destiny lies.  The whole point of the story is to ignite in children a similar desire to write. 

The book went to three drafts before I was completely happy with it but a search for a traditional publisher proved fruitless.  I approached at least half a dozen, most of whom did not respond to my enquiry, so I decided to go down the self-publishing route.  Fortunately, I came across Publish Nation who then put the book through two proofs before it finally appeared in paperback form.  It was then launched at the very library hosting my own Young Writer group at the time.  True, it was mainly friends and family that attended but, being a library, the launch also caught the attention of a number of the public returning and/or borrowing books, so I really struck lucky.  After that I sold it at craft and schools fairs and I know of quite a few people who ordered the book from Amazon and it has continued to sell slowly and steadily.

My plan for My Writer is to keep searching for a traditional publisher because even eight years later, I believe the book has a lot to say and can continue to inspire young writers everywhere.  And that is, I believe, my sole purpose in life …