I went along to the Finding the magic: Writing for Children’ – an innovative world first from WritersWebTV, presented by , the line up was stellar; Michael Emberley, Marie Louise Fitzpatrick, Norton Vergien, Oisin McGann Polly Nolan, and Meg Rosoff
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| The Set (source) |
I kept waiting for it to disappoint. But it just kept getting better and better. I know a good bit about the publishing business, finding agents, and all that jazz so I thought that I’d ace it. But boy was I wrong. I learnt so much that I bought the workshop just so I can listen and learn from it again.
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| Vanessa and Meg (source) |
Being on set was deadly, the camera crew et al were courteous and made us feel relaxed from the start. I don’t like talking in public and I especially hate talking about my writing (even writing that makes my stomach twist) but being on set was hanging out in chatting about books.
The backroom masterminded by Carrie King, Paul FitzSimons and Jenny Duffy.
The authors were so friendly and approachable. And Meg Rosoff is even cooler in real life.
I enjoyed the day and learnt so much. It has added to my confidence and my pen. (so corny!) The best part about having bought the workshop is that it’s broken into segments. So I can filter to the bits I want to watch and skip if I so choose.
Here are some videos form the day as a taster –
- “The sign of good writing is to take a feeling and put it down on paper convincingly – being able to create suspense is important and make sure it’s not boring for the child.” Michael Emberley
- “Write, rework, return to your work – time lapse enables mistakes to jump out at you. It took me 14 years to write one of my books and get it right – it was turned down by same publisher 3 times, and taken on the fourth occasion. Not rushing is vitally important.” Marie Louise Fitzpatrick
- A good agent will understand the market, will know gaps in a publisher’s list and have good contacts within the publishing industry. They’ll also help you work on your book, matching your script to the right editor. If you’re lucky enough to get an agent, it’s important you feel the agent understands your book – they have your vision.” Polly Nolan
- “You don’t need a lot of description but you do need the right words – but trust in your reader and leave some things to their imagination. What you leave out as important as what you leave in.” Meg Rosoff’
- Getting to the Heart of it: Writing Women’s Fiction Tuesday, October 15th
- Crime Pays: Writing Crime Fiction Wednesday, October 30th
- Getting Published Saturday, November 9th
Michelle Moloney King 