Take the first step!

Find your happy-place… and your people!

I remember the days, not long ago, when I decided it was time to ‘do’ something with the children’s stories that I had written.

I grew up enjoying stories in every way, I also enjoyed making my own, but in the back of my mind, publishing was always the ultimate taboo. It wasn’t practical; I knew of nobody who knew anything about it, nobody who could point me in the right direction, and I never heard anyone give a talk about it being a realistic career option. Add-in the fact that whilst writing stories was never discouraged, there were a lot of complex factors that stood in the way of actually doing it.

I’ve spent such a long time thinking about how, if I loved writing so much…  why did it always seem like such a thoroughly inaccessible pursuit? Aside from the practical side of things, I realise that a massive amount of tiny, invisible forces were at work. No authors that I loved sounded like me (with my strong Geordie accent) and authors didn’t seem to come from the places where I grew up… I certainly never heard of any that grew up in council houses! The list of factors goes on and on, and I realise now that overcoming the invisible barriers towards becoming a writer, comes down to a lot more than simply ‘working hard’, or knowing how to write.

I think that is why I have found the whole process of making children’s stories so fascinating and world changing (for me!). But the thought that always comes into my head, every single day, is that having a book, that I have worked on, will make it a whole lot easier to tell other young children that they can do the same – especially children who might be growing up feeling that ‘people like them, just don’t become writers’. It matters a lot to me, besides which… everyone can only benefit from seeing more and more diversity in children’s books, surely!

I am happy to talk about my own author-journey (which has turned busy very quickly!) and I am always happy to answer any questions that may help someone else too.

For me it was all about taking a ‘First-Step’.

Last year I plucked up the courage and joined a (free!) writer’s group hosted at Seven Stories in Newcastle. This group is supported by Richard O’Neill, and it was run by two female real-life rockets: Kylie Dixon and Laura McLennan! Both are successful authors in their own right, but it was their warmth and openness that blew me away. I never knew that book-people could be so helpful, just for the sheer happiness they got from motivating other people. It was also a joy to hear first-hand from people like Richard too, whose love for telling stories is always heart-warming to see (it’s clearly such a part of who he is).

I have a lot to thank the girls for, they’ve given me a ‘happy place’ as a writer. I have met a great bunch of people too, like the amazingly dynamic ‘Alex Duo’ (Alexa Whitten and Alexa Tewkesbury, who both know soooo much!). I’ve found new joy in the creative side of writing too; meeting Rachael Sligo has been a revelation. She is a talented artist who shares my love for watercolours (the difference is,  she can paint - I can't). I’m not sure Rachael understands the joy that a writer can feel when they see a story that they love come alive in pictures. Again, she is another person I have met who does what she does from her honest belief that books should be fun and accessible for all.

I’m learning a lot along the way… and I’m enjoying it.

I have a lot of people to thank, and I will be doing just that, but the point I am making here is… TAKE THE FIRST STEP! However you may choose to do this, I really believe that having a ‘platform’ or a ‘safe space’ where you feel happy and welcome is so important (and motivating!). You’ll hopefully gain a lovely sense of community and being amongst that will put you in a good ‘writing mindset’.

Getting into writing as a career can be terrifying for people who don’t know how to approach it, but there are good, kind, inspiring people out there.